Reasons: Why I left to Germany?

Lately, there have been some misconceptions about me. Some people think that the reason I left to Germany was to play (and watch) better basketball. Others, then again say that it was the cheap German beer that I was after. And even some wild rumor has it that I escaped Finland, because of the Siperian cold! All of which are true, but none of them essentially. In other words, none of them were the true cause or the real reason for my leave - they only added to the equation. So I thought it would be the time to correct these popular misunderstandings and collect the three real reasons behind my decision to study abroad in Göttingen University.

"Blauen Turm", the Blue Tower. Very central to the Zentralcampus. You can get a nice overview of the city when you climb on top of it.

1. Struggle to impact

For me, leaving Finland was not just about crossing the borders for the first time but also, to live somewhere else for the first time than in my hometown, Joensuu. I think living always within the same surroundings eventually had a negative effect on me. After my first year in University, I started to struggle really hard. I didn't feel excited enough and started to procrastinate and have less and less motivation for life and studying each and every day. Life just felt like a one huge chore. This was the recipe of my total collapse, in the end. In the third year of my studies I finally dropped out of school. It lasted for a year and for another year I struggled to get back. This felt such a disgrace and waste of time for me back then. I had lost the course and thought I would never ever be able to pick it back up again.

However, this was the time I grew up the most as a person. When I finally found back to the right track again, I still felt like I was in the wrong train, somehow. This was due the fact that I deemed my life as boring in Joensuu. Now don't get me wrong fellows: I don't reckon Joensuu as a tedious or a dull place at all. After all, it's my dearest and loveliest hometown of them all and the only place I can truly call home! However, for me the life in Joensuu had just gotten uninteresting and dreary. I struggled to feel important or have any real impact on anything. I felt that I wasn't contributing enough: and I can only blame myself for that! But that's why I needed a getaway. I needed a boost. And that's when I decided to take a leave.

This tree has made its impact by growing through a stonewall. Wonder what struggles it has had while achieving that? Yet, it has grown it into a very unique and beautiful individual.

2. Get out of the comfort zone

For many travelers, getting beyond their comfort zone is like the number one key thing in their philosophy. However, they usually tend to suggest something simple like trying a new food or more courageous like bungee jumping, "as long as it pushes you beyond your comfort zone", they say. Yet for me, this kind of a life advice sounds pretty ridiculous. E.g. how does trying a new food really get you beyond your comfort zone? And even if it did, does it really matter? In my opinion, no it doesn't, because it's only a transient delight and it has no other meaning apart from your digestive little system. It's not something that we should call "getting out of the comfort zone", by any means.

Instead, my approach is quite different. "Getting out of the comfort zone" means that you do something reasonably uncomfortable, which you also find relatively important of doing so. For example, I feel fairly uncomfortable doing business, like shopping groceries, in a foreign language that I handle very poorly, but I feel like it's relatively important for me to do so, in order to improve my language skills and also, to stay alive. Getting beyond one's comfort becomes even more concrete in personal relationships. There are many borders to cross in human interaction, so to speak, especially in a multi-cultural environment. For me it's about getting over fears and anxieties and other psycho-physical reactions when encountering new people and situations. Life for me is about sticking one's neck out, to chance it, to take risks. My believe is that, if we don't do that, then we can never have true (positive) influence over anything or anybody.

Also, the city of Joensuu has always been like the absolute comfort zone for me. My parents live there, my brother lives there, most of my friends live there, my perfect house is there... like my total life is absolutely secured over there. Which is good, of course! I'm not trying to argue against it, but the truth is that sometimes life needs to change, it needs to get "uncomfortable" in order for your personality to grow and for you to realize new possibilities in life.

Getting out of the comfort zone doesn't mean that you shouldn't ever get comfortable. Monster Café beer tasting evening with the classmates at the Innenstad (city centre) of Göttingen.

Hölkynkölkyn! Yeah, that's what I taught in Finnish for cheers and everyone just went crazy!

3. Personal

The final third reason listed here, I call a personal reason. By personal, I don't only mean things that are individual or somewhat private to me. I also mean things that are related to other persons and thus, somewhat external reasons like knowing someone.

Of course, those reasons that I've mentioned above are already personal reasons. However, what I am trying to answer here, is the question of why I chose Germany specifically. Trust me now, it wasn't the beer but the people! I had such a privilege to meet so many incredible people last year in my home university, most of which were exchange students from Germany. Becoming friends with them really strengthened my belief that I didn't choose the destination (nation), but the destination chose me! Without the helps and inspiration of them and handful of others, I would have never been able to make this dream come true!

One of my personal quests is to find all the sacred Christian churches in the city and visit as many of them as possible. Trust me, there are a lot of them! St. Johannis Kirche in Innenstadt near Gänseliesel.