Hi all, My name is Cailyn and I am currently studying psychology and art in Turku, Finland! I am having an amazing time here. Turku is one of the largest cities in Finland, and home to two universities, Abo Akademi and University of Turku. Because there are two universities, there are a lot of students in the city and there is always something fun to do. In just over a month, I have already gone ice-skating, attended two winter festivals, participated in a traditional Finnish Sitz, sauned weekly, and made the best of friends. There are a lot of exchange students in Turku, so many of my friends are from around the world. It has been really fun learning about a variety of different cultures, and all learning about Finland together. One of my personal highlights was going ice swimming in Ruissalo. Ruissalo is a Finnish island on the sea, and it is absolutely beautiful. The sauna/ice hole that I went to w! as tucked deep into the woods and looked just like a fairy tale. Many people decided to go to the sauna before jumping into the frozen sea, but I decided to do something crazy and go into the sea first. It was as cold as you would expect. The entire experience was so beautifully Finnish, and I am beyond grateful for experiencing it. Although ice swimming has my been my personal highlight so far, I think my upcoming trip to Lapland will soon take first place. In Lapland, I am planning to visit Santa’s village (the real Santa lives in Finland), pet some reindeer, see the northern lights, go dog sledding, and go on a night snowshoe hike. The best part is that the trip is organized by Abo Akademi’s ESN, so I get to enjoy the experience with my current friends and make new friends along the way. And of course, none of this would be possible without ISEP! Thank you ISEP for the airfare award and for the experience of a lifetime. If you would like to read more about my experience in Finland I have a blog that you can follow using this link: https://cailynsfinnishadventure.blogspot.com/. Kiitos!