Maybe the post-developmentalists were right after all ...

As much as I am trying to focus on completing another paper for the last compulsory course of the program, I cannot. While I concentrate on reading the books that are required for the course, other thoughts keep sneaking into my mind as the experiences that I have had so far here in Kathmandu are quite overwhelming and thoughts-invoking. So, no better way to get rid of these thoughts than writing them down (or typing them up to be exact).

Last weekend, I found myself yet again wandering around the touristy area of Thamel looking for a hair salon since I was desperate and determined to get a haircut while I am here. It is too expensive in Finland and the result I got was not worth the money I spent. Well, I was not really satisfied with the haircut I got here either but at least it was cheap. The hairdresser was sweet and welcoming even though I was 2 hours late for the appointment due to the rain. It was fast and cost me less than 2 euros comparing to the 15 euro haircut that took more than 2 hours to be done in Jyväskylä from an amateur vocational student.

Of course, small talks are inevitable while having a haircut; especially in a collectivism society like Nepal. Basic questions: where are you from? What are you doing here? How long have you been here? How long are you going to be here? She was much surprised when I told her that I was from Vietnam. Cannot blame her. I think very few Vietnamese travelers know of Nepal or consider traveling to Nepal since it is typical among our society that when we go abroad, we’d better go to rich countries like those in Europe or North America. This might go off track a bit but I find it laughable that when I talk to some younger Vietnamese students studying in Jyväskylä about going to Nepal, they find it strange and ask me if I am going there to do some charity work because they often go to France, Italy, Germany or even Greece for their internships or exchange programs. I don’t really bother to explain since it’s a waste of time explaining things for those with that kind of mindset. Alright, back to the hairdresser. So, when I told her that I was doing my internship at a non-governmental organization here in Kathmandu, she did not understand what I was talking about. However, I suddenly remembered the same reaction coming from a waiter in a coffee shop I went to the other day. And when I changed my answer to the abbreviation NGO instead of  full-on, spelled-out “non-governmental organization”, she immediately understood and so did the said waiter.

Very interesting …

Now, when I am doing some thinking and also reading a piece about aid work in Nepal from the book Development Brokers and Translators by David Mosse and David Lewis, I realize a very interesting fact. In this piece that I just mentioned, the author provided some statistics on the dramatic changes in the number of NGOs registered in Nepal: “From a mere 250 in 1989, the number of organizations registered with the Social Welfare Council in Kathmandu shot to 1,210 in 1993 and to 5,978 by 1997.” (p. 195) Then I went on doing some simple searching on Google to find out the most recent number. I found an official number on an online news outlet called Kathmandu Insider published in 2011. Apparently, as of 2011, there were approximately 50,000 NGOs and INGOs including ones registered with the Social Welfare Council (SWC) and those which were not registered. The official document listing registered NGOs from SWC has total 1,126 pages listing 30,284 INGOs and NGOs. http://www.swc.org.np/SWC_NGOs_Total.pdf

That is a tremendous number of NGOs and development workers in such a small country like Nepal. That number also gives us a hint of the amount of money pouring into developing Nepal every year. The article on Kathmandu Insider goes on analyzing the number: “Acting Deputy Director of the SWC, Uma Paudyal, informed that about 34,000 NGOs have been registered with the council to date. Moreover, there are many NGOs which have not yet registered at the SWC. She estimates that the total number of NGOs in the country must be around 50,000 already. Interestingly, given the population of the country, 34,000 NGOs means one NGO per 872 people! Or if the NGOs are centered on VDCs, eight NGOs can focus on one Village Development Committee (VDC). Similarly, 202 INGOs are working with the SWC, according to the latter. That being the case, it would not be wrong to expect far more from these non-profit organizations.” Unbelievable, right?

[I saw the sign of this project just across the road from Chinese Embassy]

First, it’s obvious that the term NGO has become a popular concept to Nepali, especially those living in Kathmandu. However, from the experiences I've had so far, I doubt that aside from development workers and their families, most Nepali do not understand what NGO even stands for; evidently the cases of the hairdresser and the waiter (and now, when I think about it, it's the same case with the guy who sells momo near where I live and claims to be my friend after selling me momo twice, haha) . I think they might have a vague idea what NGO workers might be doing but not really the whole picture. And of course, due to the huge number of NGOs, the expat community here in Kathmandu is incredibly large. There are two common questions posed for foreigners here: “Are you here to trek?” and “Are you working for an NGO?” Just like in Vietnam: “Are you here to travel?” and “Are you here to teach English?” And some Western NGO workers in Vietnam would be angry when asked if they teach English because they think that’s stereotype.

Secondly, I have to ask myself very obvious questions: With that incredible number of NGOs, why is Nepal still considered among the poorest countries in the world? What have they done for the past 25 years that this status hasn't changed at all?

Some typical reasons are laid out: corruption (which is true and quite serious in this case of Nepal); lack of resources (especially electricity); geographical difficulty-landlocked, weak governance; etc. … but … let’s face it, maybe Escobar, Ferguson and other post-developmentalists were right after all: development, the way in which it is being operated, is not working anymore …

Nepal 101

It’s Saturday and I got up at 5 am to accompany my landlady to the local market (or vegetable market to be exact) so that I’d know the way to get there if I want to buy vegetable for myself. It’s actually her morning routine that she would take a walk at 5 am, go home and have tea then go to teach at the university. However, it’s weekend and I had asked if she could show me the way to the market, I think she decided to do some groceries shopping as well. She said what she had bought might last for 2 or 3 weeks because the daughter didn't have lunch at home and they did not eat much though.

After leaving the house, at the corner between the alley and the big street, there’s a very small temple with a statue of an elephant God and she asked me too wait for her while she came inside the temple. There’s some sort of red powder surrounding the statue; I saw her touch the statue first and then put the red powder on the top of her forehead, this symbolizes the blessing from God, called Tika. So, very often, I see women with two red dots on their forehead: the one on top of the forehead is the blessing from God and the one between their eyes shows that they are married. Finally, to finish the ritual, she walked around the statue one time and came out of the temple. There’s also a bell hanging from above the statue and sometimes I see people ring the bell as well and touch their head and chest with their index finger but my landlady didn't do so. It’s an optional thing, I guess.

We reached the market after stopping by a dairy products shop and a spice shop. It’s a very common thing here that they eat yogurt after their meal. However, the taste of the yogurt here is quite different from what I am used to in Vietnam or in Finland. It’s not as smooth and also leaves a hint of citric after-taste. And regarding the spices, it’s amazing how many kinds of spices they have here. Of course, the common spices every one knows from Indian style of cooking such as cumin, turmeric, masala mix, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, etc. and lots of other spices that I have never come across  before. The vegetable market was huge. The basic vegetables that most of the stalls carried were cabbage, green pumpkin, daikon, morning glory, tomatoes etc. and only a few stalls had potatoes, garlic or limes. The limes here are exceptionally small!!!

The landlady and I walked all the way from one end to the other end of the market. She asked for the price, bargained and bought lots of them for a roughly two-week supply.

[Behind this fence is a small pond and behind the pond is the vegetable market]

[A close up of details on the fence]

[A close up of details on the fence]

Back to the house, the landlady invited me to have tea with her. She asked me if I wanted black tea or milk tea. I love the fact that milk tea is a norm here because I LOVE MILK TEA!!! Later, she said she had been surprised that I wanted milk tea because even though Nepali love their milk tea, normally foreigners preferred black tea. Well, I’m no normal foreigner! Hahaha =))

While having tea, we were talking about lots of things among which was her experiences of working with a Finnish project. My landlady is a chemistry professor in a renowned university in Kathmandu and she also runs a consultation firm. She took a leave from university for 2 or 3 years to work as a consultant for a project funded by Finnish government a long while ago, back in the 90s. She also paid a visit to Helsinki once during the project. We shared lots of common opinions about working with Finns in general.

After retiring from the tea session with the landlady, I came back to my room trying to figure out how to activate the internet package on my phone so that I would be able to use GPS and Google Map on my phone to explore the city. After a call to customer service with lots of “sorry, come gain?” or “sorry, I don’t understand what you mean”, I eventually managed to get the Internet working on my phone. The mobile Internet service here is actually very convenient if you know how to work it. They provide all kinds of Internet packages with amazingly cheap price. I only wanted to have the Internet available on my phone for 1 day so I activated the daily package of 20 MB worth of data for 10 rupees (1 euro = 126 rupees, so … you do the math). It lasted me for about 8 hours of constantly checking my location and occasional Facebook log-in.

I then walked my way to Thamel, a very touristy area in Kathmandu. This area is packed with souvenirs shops, cafes, restaurants, hostels, guesthouses and travel agencies. Some people would come up to me and asked if I wanted to use their services, I did have the tourist look with my camera and all. Even though the streets are always crowded during the day and motorbikes make their way through the traffic as fast as they can, people do not seem to be in a rush. I remember reading a blog written by an American expat about her life in Kathmandu and she said people here were always in hurry to go nowhere. However, from my observation from the past week, I can’t say I agree. It seems like they are in a rush if you look at the traffic. However, that’s just how it works when they don’t really have traffic lights and the flow mainly depends on the police. If they don’t go fast with their motorbikes or cars, no one knows how long they will be stuck in a busy intersection. Looking at the pedestrians; however, I see the opposite. They have a fairly relaxing and slow pace. I constantly find myself having to jump down to the street and then back again to the pavements in order to get pass other pedestrians who walk quite slowly. In Vietnam though, people are in fact always in a hurry to somewhere or nowhere. It’s just how we are, I guess.

[A type of cyclo lining up around Thamel to serve tourists]

[Similar displays in many shops in Thamel district]

Many of the stores are closed quite early at around 5 or 6 in the afternoon. I was quite surprised at first but then I realized that Nepali start their day very early. Many of them get up at 5 in the morning according to the rooster. The local markets are crowded around 5.30 or 6 and dismissed by 10 a.m. Aside from touristy area which is lighted all night, people go home around 5 p.m. and the streets are pretty empty at around 8. I was told that many families had dinner very late at 8 or 9.

Back to Thamel, there was nothing really special there aside from what you would expect from a usual hang-out location of foreigners. As I was buying some postcards to send home, I saw the name Durbar Square appear quite often. It must be a popular place to visit. So I decided to go there after having lunch in a local restaurant.

Durbar Square is a vast area covered with 49 Hindu temples, a palace and a history museum. I was surprised at first with the architecture of the palace which was absolutely European style. Apparently, one of the kings who came back from a visit to England really loved the architecture that he had seen over there and decided to build something similar. An English architect was actually hired to design this palace. It’s kinda odd seeing this palace standing next to the Hindu temples.

This is the place where one of the most important festivals in Kathmandu is hold annually: The Indra Jatra Festival. This is an extremely interesting festival which reminds me that I have been back to the land of legends and myths. And I do love to hear and to tell mysterious and mythical stories.

First, the name of the festival is Indra Jatra which is a Rain God. The statue of this God is often seen with tied hands since the myth says that he once came to the valley to steal a flower and was caught red-handed. Even when he said he was a God, no one agreed to let him go and tied his hands together. This story was to teach people that the act of stealing was not tolerated and the thief would be punished even if that was a God. However, since he was a God, the people in the valley made a deal with him that they would let him go in exchange for rain every harvesting season in the valley. Well, I think so far, he has kept his promise. ;)) More about it here http://www.weallnepali.com/nepali-festivals/indrajatra

A major event of this festival is the worshipping of Kumari – The Living Goddess. The Living Goddess is a young virgin girl who is chosen among many candidates from Newari community, Shakya clan from which Buddha was from. The myths behind the Kumari are all very interesting but long and quite complicated. Those who are interested can go to this link to read more. http://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/from-goddess-to-mortal-true-life-story-of-former-royal-kumari-IDI724/ This is a review of a biography written by a former Kumari about her life during the time of being worshipped as Kumari and the struggle to adjust back to the society after that. So very interesting that I spent the whole working day reading up about it. I’ll try to see if I can find this book here.

[Me trying to have a photo taken with the royal soldiers dressed in 18th century uniforms]

[Close-up of the current Royal Kumari of Kathmandu]

[Royal Kumari's chariot]

[The back of the chariot]

I was lucky enough to arrive in Kathmandu just in time for this important festival. I went to the first day of the festival which was September 8^th and witnessed the pulling of Kumari’s chariot. The scene was incredible! Streets were packed with people playing musical instruments and pulling the chariots. My friend and I managed to get up to a restaurant’s balcony to have a clearer view of the Living Goddess. However, after passing the building that we were in, the chariot carrying Kumari was accidentally pulled off track and almost hit the building, a short while after that, it was stuck just down the road from where we were. When we were to leave the festival area, we had to push through ocean of people going against our direction. I was surprised finding myself totally okay with it even though I’d been living in a country where my personal space could go as far as 1 km to all dimensions and no one would stand closer than a stretch of the arm while talking to me. Such worlds apart!

[People are waiting to see the living Goddess Kumari]

[People are waiting to see the living Goddess Kumari]

I talked about this event with co-workers during lunch the next day. The director of the organization told me that if the top of the chariot falls down, which has happened several times, there will be some major changes or happenings in the valley during the year. He spoke of a year when there was a big massacre in the valley and the year when democracy took over and ended monarchy, the top of the chariot did fall off during the festival of those years. 

I also found a famous biography of a former Royal Kumari named Rashmila Shakya, edited by a British journalist Scott Berry, who used to live in Nepal during the time this said Kumari was in office. The book tells stories from when she was selected to be Kumari to the struggles that she had to cope with after she had retired from the position of being a worshiped living Goddess. I finished the book within 24 hours after my purchase because I was awfully fascinated with this tradition. Imagine that while many other myths or legends remain fictional; this is one unique legend of Kathmandu that has been alive and carried on for centuries on end. How fascinating is that!!!

Cover of the book From Goddess to Mortal by Rashmila Shakya

Finally made it to Nepal for my internship!

It was a long long long trip to get to Nepal from Finland but I made it! I am finally here in Kathmandu – the capital of Nepal.

I arrived in Kathmandu on 3^rd September and my friend G (I don’t know if she’s okay with me mentioning her name so I’ll use the initial) picked me up at the airport with a car sent by the organization of my internship. Needless to say how happy I was when I saw her since we haven’t seen each other for more than a year now and the last time we said goodbye, we did not know when we would see each other again. But now I am already here, which we both found so surreal. We talked and caught up as if we had been seeing each other every day for the past year.

Arriving at the Tribhuvan International Airport and trying to get a visa upon arrival could already make a good story. After getting out of the plane, even though the gate could be reached with less than 2 minute walking, we were asked to wait for the bus. The first batch of passengers had already departed when I was outside the plane. So, together with lots of other passengers, I waited. The bus finally came around for the second pick-up. Everyone was trying to push themselves through to get inside the bus with no particular order or priority. I’m no stranger with this custom, to be honest. So, I went with the flow otherwise I would have to wait under the sun for additional 10 minutes for the next bus ride.

Finally, I reached the gate, due to a recent outburst of a particular disease in some African countries, there was a sign advising those who had been to these disease-affected areas in Africa to have their health checked with the doctors located right there at the international arrival gate. Well, I had never been to Africa or in contact with anyone from those areas so it didn't concern me, of course.

I kept walking to the visa application stands. They had 4 or 5 machines there for the visa application. What I did was to scan my passport and the basic information (such as name, nationality, date of birth) was then recorded on the screen. I was stupid enough to keep my passport cover on, so I had a hard time scanning the passport. An airport staff saw that and came over to help me. I then filled in other required information, posed a silly pale face in front of the webcam for an ID photo and a slip was printed out for me. I was told to present the slip when asked. I received a copy of the slip later on in my email confirming that Department of Immigration had received my online visa application. I was very impressed with the availability of technology they had in the airport. That might be due to the giant number of tourists who come here to climb and trek Mt. Everest every year.

I went on to pay my visa fee and it was 100 USD for a 90-day visa. I got a receipt and was told to proceed to the next table to get the official stamp. They had 4 tables for 15-day, 30-day, 60-day and 90-day visa. To my surprise, many people actually applied for 90-day visa and they all said it was their first time in Nepal. This is the stage where I spent the most time waiting because the computers kept shutting down while the officer was asking me questions and typed up my answers on his computer. Well, I found it hilarious rather than annoying because every time it shut down, the custom officer acted so irritated and frustrated, then with the typical Nepali head motion (can be seen often with Indians as well) he complained in a few sentences and got back to work. I remembered the electricity went out once (all the lights and computers immediately shut down) and after that his computer just shut down by itself for no reason for another 2 times before he could finish filling in the form. I later on told my friend about this while apologizing to her about the long wait, she said to me: “That’s Nepal, you know. You’ll see.” And we burst out laughing.

After obtaining the visa, I was headed to the baggage claim area and my bag had not been sent out yet. I waited for a little longer and felt so relieved when I saw my giant backpack slowly make its way out on the luggage carousel (yes, I actually had to google this word!) because I was supposed to claim my bag in Delhi but I wasn't able to do so without a visa to India so I had to ask the airlines to do it for me and I was not so sure if they got it right. Bottom line, I was just glad that my bag did not end up in another flight to somewhere else.

My friend took me to the apartment which would be my home for the next three and a half months. It’s a two-story red-brick house at the dead-end of an alley. I was happy at first since this location often meant peace and silence. I found out the bitter truth early enough the next morning that I would be woken up every morning in several different stages: the rooster at 4 or 5, the water pump a short while after that, the construction nearby of course since I am totally under the curse of being followed by constructions wherever I live.

However, the landlords are very kind people. The husband is a retired geologist; the wife is chemistry professor at a renowned university in Kathmandu; their daughter somewhat shares the same background with me: bachelor’s degree in development studies and master’s degree in International Relations in Germany, now working for a local NGO. She’s a friend of my friend G. I actually was able to rent the apartment downstairs of her family’s house through this channel. They all live on the first floor and I now live on the ground floor.

I had a short greeting conversation with the landlords, which was pretty much about the power shortage and using the electricity in as much moderation as possible; I finally came to understand why the organization of my internship was working on energy-related issues. I learned later on that Nepal has never had enough resources to provide electricity for its citizens even in the capital city. Only wealthy households can afford the generators to have back-up electricity for 24 hours. 

Depending on the weather, the power cut schedule is changed monthly. Here, they call it the load-shedding schedule. The city is divided into 5 groups with different hours of power cut. For example, I am now living in group 5 area, on every Friday of September, the electricity is cut from 12 pm to 4 pm and then from 8 pm to 10 pm. So, that means every day, electricity is cut for about 7 or 8 hours. In dry season, the number of hours without electricity certainly increases. That’s why most of the traffic lights do not work and the traffic police here have to work very hard during the day to keep the traffic flow. Traffic in Kathmandu is completely reckless, one has to admit that; but then again, I am no stranger with chaotically crazy traffic. It actually makes me feel right at home. It’s the beauty of chaos, you’ll always somehow find order in it. It keeps people awake and alerted. Everything is alive the second you step out of the house. I had thought that I would have some difficulties adjusting back to this lifestyle after a year in Finland, but that was easy! I've been on the back of my friend’s scooter after such a long time not riding one and it really made me homesick.

Later on, my friend took me to a super market near the apartment by to get some food since I was starving. I ended up buying only instant noodles because we couldn't exchange any money at the time and she was lending me the money for the food. Well, I guess at least it was better than the croissant I had on my first day in Jyvaskyla.

In the evening, after Skype session with my parents, I was just happy to finally be able to rest on a proper bed after 2 days of constant movement. Isn't it the magic of traveling? When you are derived from certain undermined essentials such as a simple bed, you grow to appreciate more and more what you used to take for granted. Well, it’s just an example. I have never taken my bed for granted. Together with a soft pillow, they are my dearest friends in the world! ;)) Haha, don’t take me too serious though! But I do love my bed! Always!

Education!

(On the occasion of the results of the annual university entrance exam being announced in Vietnam, July 2014)

[My classmates, I and our lecturer Tiina in a participatory exercise lesson, lots of fun! <3)

So ... it's been a few days more than year that I have been to Jyväskylä and receiving the amazing education here. (the date of this post) I've been quite emotional about being away from Vietnam and my family this long. This, so far, has been the longest time I've been away from Vietnam without any visiting at all. However, there's much at hand to deal with right now since I'm going to Nepal very soon to do my internship, the sobbing cannot last long, I'm afraid. 

Anyway, in the end of July, I was informed by my mother about the university entrance exam of my younger sister and it brought back lots of memories about my studies back then. So, I wrote this on my personal Facebook account and now I think I'll share with you how the meaning of education, to me personally, has changed over the years and affected my decision of continuing my studies in Finland. I hope some of you might share the same thoughts. 

When I was much younger, my mother kept telling me that in the far future, she and my father would not have much money to give me and my sister, all they could give us was the opportunities of receiving necessary education so that I would be able to take care of myself and my sister when I grew up. I never doubted that for a second. That's why I worked my ass off at school in order to get into my dream university. Now that I look back, I'm proud of the fact that I was able fight myself off the act of cheating in exams to get good grades despite the young age and temptation from seeing classmates succeed in doing so, that I did study for real. I had spent 18 years of my childhood and teenage years believing on the extreme importance of education. I believed in it so much that when my uncle sent me some money from abroad as an award for getting into a good university, without a second thought, I used the money to enroll myself into an expensive English course with native English teachers, which I had always wanted to do but my parents could not afford. This course was not really useful for me as it turned out; however, it led me to great opportunities that resulted in the language skills I have now.

However, things changed when I got to college, four years of my Bachelor's degree taught me only one thing: there are achievements which regardless how hard I try, I could never reach, not in that system anyway. I got lost in disappointment in myself and finally gave up in my 3rd year. Schooling lost its meaning to me and I went to classes not caring as much anymore. My real schools at that time were the class of 6 primary school kids whom I was tutoring English; the fast food restaurant where I worked my ass off for almost nothing; and the language center where I was a teaching assistant to foreign teachers. I ended up getting offered an assistant job in the biggest PR/event company in Hanoi even before I graduated. They decided to hire me not because I went to this famous school but all the other stuff that I did aside from studying. At this point, my belief changed completely; I did think that education was much overrated.

Well, if it had ended there, I would not be here in Finland now working on my Master's degree. After two years changing jobs constantly, I was lucky enough to find a job that I really loved and decided to go further with it. But how? I knew almost nothing about this area despite having learned tons of things from my super boss at the time. She was a superwoman (and still is, I believe). Then education, once again, came to my mind as an obvious solution to illiteracy. I came to a developed country 12-hour flight away from home. (One of the happiest countries in the world!) Looking at the attention, the priority and the resources that they put into education, I came to understand once again the vital role of education. Once again, I am grateful that my parents did give me this opportunity to widen my education. I forever owe to them all the achievements that I have had and will ever have my whole life.

Today, I received a text message from my mother saying that my younger sister had got very good results in her university entrance exam and my mother couldn't take her lunch nap because she was too happy and excited. I know that all too well. When my results were in 8 years ago, she was even happier than I was.

The land of Midnight sun!

"Finland is the land of midnight sun. Over two third of the world's population who experience this phenomenon live in Finland." - visitfinland.com

Just want to share with you the amazing sunset at 10 p.m. during an evening in Finland's Spring ... I was on my way home from work and saw the extraordinarily beautiful sunset in Jyväskylä and thought that I would make a super short video to share my excitement with you.

I am super excited about the fact that summer is getting closer and closer every day when the sun comes down later and later. During summer, there will be days when the sun does not set and we have 24 hours of sunlight.

Go to Visit Finland to find out tips on how to sleep normally during this time of the year if you are new to this phenomenon!

Can't wait, can't wait!!!

Walking on a lake for the first time in my life!!!

Well ... this was shot in late January 2014 when the temperature dropped to -20 and the biggest lake in Jyväskylä was frozen. People were able to ski, skate and enjoy other winter sports on the lake. 

This was my first time ever seeing a frozen lake like this and being able to walk on it. 

I might have been a little bit over excited about this experience in the video below! ;))

It was my classmate Elisa, from Italy, laughing in my video and suggesting us cross the frozen lake in Kortepohja (student village) to an island. =))

The following photos were taken at the exact same spot on lake Jyväsjärvi. The one on top was in August 2013 and the one below was in January 2014.

Some other photos of the frozen Jyväsjärvi lake

Why Finland? Why Jyväskylä? - Well ... why not?

The questions I am often asked with amazement are:
1. How did you find out about University of Jyväskylä?
2. Why Finland?

To answer the questions, I have to say it was somewhat fate. Yes, I do believe in fate. Everything happens for a reason.

I graduated from Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam with a bachelor of art in International Relations and I had chosen to study it because I am a proud Vietnamese and I always wanted to become a diplomat and serve my country. But things did not work out the way I would hope it to be. Failing the exam to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I started looking for jobs in other professions and found myself falling love with development work while working for Oxfam Hong Kong based in Hanoi. I wanted to pursue this profession but I honestly had no idea how to proceed from there. So, I turned to considering my options of higher education abroad, which was one of the childhood dreams I wanted to achieve. Since I had only been working for 2 years at that time, I did not earn much to afford a full self-financed study abroad. I had to ask for my parents' support and they could only support me with the living expenses, not the tuition fee. That's too much!

So, while exploring some scholarship options, I found out about the free education for international students in Finland. To be honest, it was hard for me to believe at first. For us Asians, education (especially higher education) is a privilege that we have to work very hard to earn, so it is rarely (if never) offered free of charge, at least in Vietnam. And also due to the free education, some posed the question of the quality of the education I will be getting, which I will be coming back to talk about later.

My goal, in general for my Master's degree, was to study development so that later on, I would be able to score jobs in NGOs. And I thought, even though I did not succeed with my dream of becoming a diplomat to serve my country, helping the people in needs in rural areas of Vietnam would also be a way to serve my country. As I was searching for information of development courses in Finland, University of Jyväskylä came up with the most potential and promising programme called Development and International Cooperation. I went through the programme's structure and found it perfect for me.

I finished my application documents two weeks before the deadline of 2012 and sent it out with a lot of hope but I did try not to keep my hope so high. I did not have a very good-looking transcription from my previous study though. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I received the invitation for interview. However, I was torn because the interview invitation meant that I clearly had a shot at being accepted into the programme but at the same time, I was also offered a job in the Philippines. I am a greedy lady when it comes to opportunities like these. I decided to go with the flow just to see how it would turn out.

The acceptance letter came quite late that year. And since I had not known if I would be accepted, I took the job in the Philippines to be a journalist in the conflict zone in the southern part of the country, Mindanao region. The email telling me I was accepted came when I was already in the Philippines. You would think I would be extremely happy but I was not. I was deeply depressed when I received the acceptance letter. "Does this mean I will have to apply again next year? What if I won't be accepted again?" - I actually panicked. Then, after finishing panicking, I wrote an email to the programme and explained my situation. I asked for the possibility of postpone my study until the next academic year. It was one of the happiest moment of my life when they said yes.

Yes, I finally had the next 3 years of my life figured out!! (Well, I will also have to come back to this later!)

So, after finishing the one year contract in the Philippines, I came back to Vietnam to prepare for my departure to Jyväskylä with extreme excitement and nerve-wrecking as well: The paperwork for my visa could be a pain in the ass. However, surprised as I was, the Finnish embassy in Hanoi managed to return my visa in exactly 3 weeks after my application. It was a big relief after all!

Well ... I eventually arrived in Jyväskylä on 15th of August in 2013 and until now, I have not been over my jet-lag yet, haha =))

Nah ... just kidding =)) I had no problem whatsoever with the time difference. It was a good sign though!

I still remember vividly the second day I was here in Jyväskylä. As I was walking my way from KOAS student housing in Roninmäki to KOAS office in the city center to sign my lease, it was a beautiful and sunny day, I could not stop smiling. Still, I could not believe that I made it. I was finally here in Finland, starting my Master's.

Coming back to the point where I mentioned the quality of the free education in Finland, so far, I have had the best time in my life actually enjoying going to lectures and studying every day. I feel like a sponge absorbing as much as I can: knowledge, culture, international environment, friendship and living the student life yet once again! Free education does not mean there is no assurance for good quality. Free education means providing opportunities for more people to receive the education they cannot afford otherwise. I am grateful for everything that I have gone through so far since I received the invitation for the interview. It has been an amazing roller-coaster ride which, of course, has its ups and downs, but always stays exciting.

I know this blog has come quite late since I only started it when I became the student ambassador of the university. But I do hope to share with you all the stories and experiences that this roller-coaster has been and will be taking me to.

Studying is important. That is the priority of my stay here. But I do not use study as an excuse to limit myself from the whole new and exciting world. I came to Jyväskylä not only to receive high-quality education but also to explore the Western side of the world.

And so far ... I have had a blast!

Me (second from the right, with glasses) and my supper funny classmates!