Embracing New Surroundings

Blog by: Ronald Hollingsworth

Moi, my name is Ron, I am from Toronto, Canada. Over my life I’ve had the pleasure of travelling to unique places around the world. In this blog I will describe my Erasmus experience in Finland.

On August 4, 2018 I boarded a plane from Toronto to Helsinki, eventually making my way to Jyväskylä. Throughout my 20 hour trip, I was going through feelings of excitement and nervousness. Wondering how the next six months would feel.

I looked at my Erasmus experience is taking a new adventure. A chance to embrace a new country, city, and people. I also looked forward to studying at JAMK University for the semester. As part of a larger exchange group from Humber College studying Sport Management, this was a wonderful opportunity to learn from leadership within the industry in Finland.

I was able to see other parts of Finland while completing my internship with KeuPa Ht during those months as well.

I believe the best part of my Erasmus was meeting the people Finland along with other exchange students. Those bonds became stronger as time went on, and many of the same people have become family.

Last September I had the pleasure of revisiting Jyväskylä after 3 years. It’s really felt like home when I returned. All the memories and great experiences came back to me. I had the opportunity to connect with some old friends as well. I will always recommend to students that they take a chance if they have the opportunity to go on a Erasmus adventure.  Try and learn the culture, through food, arts, language, everything.

I still can’t believe it’s been 3 1/2 years when I started my Erasmus experience. It truly feels like yesterday.