This is Angie Chen, M1 student at IMD Lab.

I arrived Oulu on 6th of August, and will stay here for four weeks until 3rd of September. After 10 hours flight from Kansei airport and transfer at Helsinki airport, I landed  at a small airport with not much people. As sitting on bus heading to city to meet Yamamoto-sensei, I start to build my impression about this city with passing by scenes and street views.

Oulu airport

The first day I went the university was raining, chilly, and somehow all the doors are locked. When trying to find a entrance, I had the chance to walk and see around. I found out that buildings in the University of Oulu is quite different with NAIST, they are very colorful.

The main gate of university.

University of Oulu

University of Oulu

Days in Oulu are comfortable and peaceful. I rode my bike to work and can always find a new route and new view. Although it is still a bit cold for me, maybe 15 Celsius, but I enjoy the trip a lot. The working environment is good as well. People work hard, but you don’t feel the rush or pressure, and they smile or say hi to me. Last whole week, the school shut down the power after 5pm. We did not know that on Monday, so all of us were shocked.

They shut down the power.

After discussing, we decided to go to pick up blueberry and make muffins. This is one of the things people do here in summer time. I like the way they enjoy nature. In the weekends, when I went to city center and pass by a park with dam, people just laying down or sitting on the grass, reading, chatting. Parents bring their children and spend times together. I heard more than once people told me that Finnish care about family a lot, and I think that might be one of the reason why their education is so successful. On the other hand, because the summer here is bright (compare to winter), warm and short, when chatting with local, I feel that they really cherish these times.

Fresh and wild blueberry

Muffins we made

The library here is also interest for me. There are more than one inside the campus. They have collection about education, humanities, science, technology, medicine and so on. In the technology library, I found some books related to the field of research I want to do, and borrow one of them. Still reading it but found some goods points of view.

From August 27th to 31st, the multidisciplinary summer school was held at the University if Lapland. All the lab members attended and I joined as well. The summer school focus on the multidisciplinary dialogue and the standpoints of wellbeings,technology, and environment. It also offer master and doctor students to learn how to communicate across the fields of science.

Prof. Pulli's talk.

Yamamoto-sensei's presentation.

Before coming, I wrote in my application that not only join their project, I also would like to observe the situation here. Indeed, when doing the task Yamamoto-sensei gave me, I see the different styles of mobility aids which is related to their ways of living and cannot found in Japan. This is my last week in Oulu, Finland. I really enjoy the time here. If have chance, I would like to experience the winter here. After all, -20°C is impossible in Taiwan nor Nara.