Monday 7.2.2022
Meeting in Oulu happened to take place at the same time as the most effective covid variant so far spread around the world. That also affected our meeting: only the Spanish team got permission to travel, and so we were a lot less people than had been initially planned. Of course, we would have rather spent the week with all our lovely partners, but we were happy that at least the Spanish team could come and see our beautiful city during it's best winter time.
Our Spanish guests arrived on the night between Sunday and Monday, and because of the heavy snowstorm the flight was late. It was close to 4 AM when we finally got to our beds, but on Monday morning at 9 AM we were all gathered at our school, Svenska Privatskolan i Uleborg. Coffee does miracles! ;)
In the welcome ceremony we had principal's speech, a beautiful music performance and a presentation by our students about our school, Oulu and Finland. After a snack break, we continued with the assignments that all the partner schools had prepared, even those who couldn't come to Finland. The topic of the presentations was "Sustainability in My Everyday Life". It was nice to see and hear all the works.
Presentation by our students
Presentation by the Spanish students
Before lunch we had still some time for a school tour.
In the afternoon we went ice skating, and it was first time ever for most of our guests. Even those who had planned not to try went on ice anyway. Awesome! After the bit chilly outdoor activities, we went back to school to have some hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. It was a nice and relaxed start to our Erasmus week.
Hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls
Tuesday 8.2.2022
On Tuesday we spent the day at Laanilan lukio. After a quick school tour, we saw video greetings by MP Mari-Leena Talvitie and climate activist and snowboarder Siv Knudsen. Then we had a video coference with climate and sustainability educator Paula Ratava, who's lecture was interactive in a very lovely way. We got a lot of new thoughts and ideas to bring back to our everyday lives. We also got to know some new applications, like "Lukiolaisen ilmastolaskuri" and a prepare tool to schools, "Koulun korjausopas".
Paula's lecture about sustainable high schools
Siv Knudsen's video greeting
After the lunch we went to Oulu Museum of Arts for a jewelry workshop. We made different kinds of jewelry out of reindeer antler and other materials that are typical for Sami handcrafts.
Wednesday 9.2.2022
Wednesday was a day of the trip to the reindeer farm Poro-Panuma, and what an experience it was! We met a lot of lovely reindeers and we fed them with lichen, went for a sleighride, heard nice stories about reindeer breeding and grilled sausages by a camp fire. The farm was covered with pure white snow and the landscape was like from a fairytale. We really enjoyed all of it.
In the afternoon we went to Tuira beach, and all the Spanish students and teachers (and some of the bravest Finnish) hopped into the icy river. Valiente!
Thursday 10.2.2022
Thursday morning started with the senior high school students' gala. Afterwards they were driving along the streets of Oulu with trucks, and we were watching their joy.
After that we went for a ride too: to the ice road between Oulu and Hailuoto. The sun was setting, and wind was rising - the combination made the landscape quite pretty. "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen", said one of our Spanish guests.
Friday 11.2.2022
On Friday we went to the woods. As our guide we had Anna from Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY). She told us how the land is rising, and the shoreline is moving bit by bit. She also told us how the forest owners can sell their lands to protection and how the sustainable forest breeding works. We also made snow angels and climbed up to a bird observation tower. Sun was shining and the forest was pretty. What a lovely morning!
After the lunch at Svenska Privatskolan i Uleåborg we heard a presentation by Mervi Holster Hemmi from Nokia Sustainability Program. It was very interesting.
In the evening we had a farewell party at our school. We were really lucky: the one and only Santa Claus happened to be in Oulu right at the same time and he visited our party! All the participants got a little present from him, and the Spanish guests also got their certificates for attempting this arctic Erasmus week. And that was not the only lucky occasion for the day: we also saw northern lights later in the evening!
It was a really nice week! We were really happy to have you guys here in Oulu and in our schools. All the participants made new friends and learned a lot from each other. See you all in the future!
