Lejla Cardzic - her experience of being an exchange student at JAMK University of Applied Sciences

Lejla Cardzic

My name is Lejla Cardzic. I come from Bosnia and Herzegovina. But now I live and work in Finland. I have graduated, as a Mechanical Engineer, a year ago. During my study exchange period in JAMK in 2017, I fell in love with the country and decided to look for work and stay. It is enough to say ‘The land of thousand lakes’ and it already sounds like a dreamland. Well for me, it really is.

There are 187 888 lakes and 178 947 islands here. Finland has been well known for its good educational system which is mostly based on practical knowledge through teamwork. That helps to get new friends, which makes studies more interesting. Almost everywhere in Finland, people have access to free education in both: basic and advanced skills. In this country, education is aimed at offering equal opportunities. Studying in JAMK makes every student feel special, there every student is a priority for each professor. They will not stop explaining the matter until they are sure we have completely understood their lesson. Tutor teacher helps exchange students in every possible issue getting you to feel you are important. During my study in Finland, I had some free time for other activities as well. I studied the Finnish language on my own, while I was studying mechanical engineering at JAMK. I now speak Finnish every day. It is one of the most difficult but also the most beautiful and poetical languages. It is worth every effort. I have been listening to Finnish heavy metal bands since childhood, which also contributed to my love of Finland. Finland has heavy metal bands per capita in the world. Sauna is one of the things I got used to the most here and cannot imagine my life without it now. There are more saunas than cars in Finland. You can often hear Finns complaining about cold Finnish weather. That is because most people here have no idea how hard it is to study, work, breath, fall asleep and eat, while temperatures are too high. This has been the best summer of my life.

Outdoor activities, playing, swimming, reading books, all day on the beach, without feeling uncomfortable, sweaty or tired. The sun is constantly on the horizon. It is shining, but not burning. When we get bored of it, then comes beautiful constant darkness, covered with northern lights. White winter, exactly how winter is supposed to be. The one I had seen in Christmas movies as a little girl, hoping I will someday live here. For me, it is impossible to choose the favorite season in this Dreamland of mine, so any semester you decide to study in Finland, will be the best season. Following my graduation, I looked for a workplace in Finland. Finns are well known for their high mentality, which beside taking care of nature and deep honesty, includes the respect of anyone’s effort. They did respect mine effort in studying Finnish, graduating in time, as well as my love for this country. That helped to get a workplace in Finland, as a Mechanical Engineer at Consulting and Engineering company Elomatic in Jyväskylä site. I will be forever grateful for this wonderful honest nation for respecting me and my efforts, believing in my dreams, giving me an opportunity to succeed here, in this heaven on Earth.

Sincerely, Lejla