| Published in : Abroad Written by Lorea Arakistain on 2010-05-17 09:30 |
"As the crisis meant less production work, there was a need to try and sell"
After studying production machining, he did work experience in the Finnish town of Hyvinkää. That experience prompted him to study more, so he is studying for a degree in Industrial Engineering at the Eibar campus of the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, specializing in mechanics, in fact.
Finland tends to be presented to us as an almost perfect country and as a model. Is that true?
The climate is not perfect and public transport is expensive… but what is true is that it has many good things: the standard of living is very high and the people are polite and friendly; they made us very welcome. What is more, everyone speaks English and that helps you to integrate.
Was there anything that you missed?
The food here! The food there is very different and not as good as the food here! And having to share a bedroom and sleeping without any blinds was not very easy, ha, ha. In the winter… well, but around springtime there was no night!
Is there any difference in the way of working?
The way of working isn’t so different, but the resources are better. The company offers its workers more services. We had a sauna and gym in the company itself.
What work did you do?
I assembled machines, did plans and translation work. Apart from that, the company had contacts with companies here; and I did marketing work with companies in Spain and the Basque Country. As the crisis meant less production work, there was a need to try and sell.
What is the sauna in Finland, a religion?
It’s part of their culture. Just as people here meet up to go out for a drink, there we met up to go to the sauna. And of course they take beers with them.
 How did you experience the crisis in Finland?
It was clear that there was less work in the company; but the people didn’t worry. And the consequences haven’t been as dramatic as they have been here.
The best moments?
Although there were many good ones, I couldn’t choose just one. The experience itself, taken as a whole, was a very good moment.
There must have been bad moments as well…
No, there weren’t!!!
Even though you went with a return air ticket, were you tempted to stay?
Yes, of course! But for two or three months. I would have liked to work for a few more months there, but I don’t think I would settle there.
You came back in the summer, the crisis began and even though you got offers of work here, you turned them down, didn’t you?
I felt I still had things to learn; and, having taken the decision to go on studying, I applied for university. I felt the moment had come to complete my training.
Did those who were your flatmates in Finland take the same decision?
Yes, two did. Even though we had gone there from the Basque Country, we met there; we’ve followed the same path and we’ve started doing university studies at the Faculty of Engineering in Eibar.
How are you getting on at university?
Fine. We have to work more than in vocational training, but I’m happy. The main difference is that university is more theoretical.
They say engineering studies are difficult.
There are subjects and there are subjects. But it isn’t easy and you have to study. In the advanced cycles of vocational training it was enough just to do the class work; but not here.
The first results were good, weren’t they?
Yes, the first results were very good.
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