Photo by Jim Ridolphi
Va. Tech student Emily Neal spent last semester studying abroad at the University of Helsinki. She participated in the program through an exchange program with both schools. Neal is working this summer as an intern for Rep. Eric Cantor.

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When Virginia Tech rising senior Emily Neal began searching for a place to complete her international studies, she shied away from the normal choice American students make.

“I didn’t want to go somewhere that would be filled with other American students, so that knocked out most of the popular study places, like Spain, Italy, Germany, etc.,” Neal said. “I started looking into the Scandinavian countries, and since Tech had an agreement with University of Helsinki, I decided to go there,” she added.

And, just like that, it was off to Finland for the Goochland native, a graduate of Blessed Sacrament . On first arrival, the experience took some getting used to for the 20-year-old.

“My first impressions of Finland were that it was dark and cold. I arrived on Jan. 4, at 4 p.m. and it was already pitch black,” she said. “The first month or so I was there, I would leave my apartment at 9 a.m. and it would be just beginning to get light, and walk home from my class that ended at four in the dark.”

The days eventually lengthened and Neal settled in her small studio apartment in Helsinki, walking to class and other nearby sites in the city.”

The Finns she encountered were not rude, but they weren’t overly friendly either. “Finns are very quiet, to the point of seeming impolite to outsiders,” Neal said. “Saying “thank you” (or “kiitos” in Finnish) and “you’re welcome (“ole hyvaa”) is about as far as a transaction (say, at the grocery store) goes, and even that is not required. Small talk is unheard of, and saying “hi, how are you” to someone you don’t know really well is actually considered rude,” she added.

But the different culture didn’t deter Neal. In fact, it was something she was expecting when she planned to study abroad.

“I think it is good to live in a different place and to try to understand different types of people. I know some people probably come back with all these different insights on people and the world in general, but I don’t really have any of those. I mostly learned that people are really alike all over,” she said.

Neal studied Political Science in Helsinki and took a law class. She also took Swedish. Neal said attending class in Finland was a different experience from her Va. Tech studies.

“The universities in Finland are much more laid back than in the U.S.,” Neal said. “Students in Finland have five years to graduate (it normally only takes three), and can take any classes they want. There is no ‘core curriculum’ other than classes in their major, so you can take whatever interests you. I think that is good; you get to explore a little of everything,” she added.

And Neal also appreciated the lax deadline policies in some of her classes. “I have one paper that still isn’t due, the professor just told us to get it in sometime before the fall.”

Neal said the thing she missed the most about home was the food. “Finnish food is quite bland, and very little meat is used, because meat is so expensive. I think I was able to eat chicken twice in my entire study period” said Neal. “At one point, I know I joked that I would get on a plane and come home if I could have some country ham and a corndog.”

Studying abroad is a valuable experience for any student, according to Neal, but coming home isn’t so bad either.

“Studying abroad is a great experience. I had a great time, but it is nice to be back. It was good to live in a different culture and to get a very different perspective on the world, but really for me it just solidified that I love where I am from,” she said.

She’ll spend a few days with her new horse before heading off to Washington for another new experience. Neal has signed on as an intern in Rep. Eric Cantor’s office this summer. The political science major heads back to Tech in the fall.

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