Life as an exchange student in Ohio

  Week 38 has progressed quite normally. Routines repeat and school progresses. I started writing my masters thesis at the beginning of the week. My topic is Managing the integration of marketing and sales in international B2B companies - challenges and development possibilities. My thesis will be qualitative research, where I will interview key personnel working in international companies. I got a really good professor from my university as thesis supervisor, so I'm excited. My intention would be to finish my degree by the summer of 2023 and graduate as economics. Let's see how it goes, I spent five months writing my batchelors thesis and it was 50 pages long. However, the, masters thesis should be almost half as comprehensive.   I also started a new hobby, Crossfit, this week. In Finland, I have often thought that I would like to start a crossfit , but I haven't dared to start because of the high price. The hobby costs about 150 euros per month in Finland and require...

  Week 37 was good! Every day goes by usually, and routines keep me busy. So time passes faster than I thought. I can't believe I've already been in the US for a month. Since nothing special happened during the week, I thought I could cover the differences between Finnish and American Supermarkets.  American supermarkets are roughly the same size as in Finland. However, supermarkets here also sell more than just food, which did not come as a surprise. The first significant difference when entering the store is the fruit and vegetable shelves size difference to Finland. The vegetable and fruit shelfs in Finnish supermarkets are significantly biger and more versatile. In Finland, the products are not already packed in plastic; most of the products are picked by the customer himself, weighed, and packed in a paper or plastic bag. Also in Finland, you have to weigh almost all fruits and vegetables yourself, which you don't have to do here in the United States.  Another b...

My routine for a week during exchange studies.  The culture shock has almost disappeared, and everyday life goes on. I have been able to create clear and functional routines for my days.  I start every morning from Monday to Friday by waking up at seven o'clock. I often browse my phone for about 30 minutes in the morning, read news from Finland, and chat with my Finnish friends. At this time in Finland, it is already 14:00. After that, I make instant coffee and eat something light. Eight o'clock I head to the gym. During the entire exchange, I plan to do a 5-part gym program and, at the same time, rehabilitate my right shoulder, which was operated on approx. Four months ago. After the gym, I eat a hearty breakfast and go to lectures. After lectures, I often study for a few hours in the library or at home. I like to cook in my apartment and watch Finnish TV series on my laptop in the evenings. Finally, I do an aerobic workout in the evening at around 8 pm.  Days seems to g...

Week 35 Week 35 at the university started calmly. Little by little I have started to get used to campus life and short lectures. Jet lag caused by the time difference has also started to disappear. In addition, I have been able to restore routines to my everyday life.  So the days are rolling even better. Food on campus is very different than in Finland at my university. In Finland, we have several different campus restaurants where typical Finnish home food is served. We can't get a '' meal Plan '' but each meal in the university canteen costs around 2.60 € . In Finland, there is no need for Meal Plan because the majority of students do not live near the campus and most of the student eats in a school restaurant only once a day. The quality of food in Finland is perhaps a little higher, but the portion sizes are smaller. The food has generally been okay here on campus. However, it's nice that my apartment has a kitchen, so that you don't have to eat every...