Who am I?

Hello dear readers! My name is Niko and I am currently a fourth-year tourism student at Lapland University of Applied Sciences. I have been living in Rovaniemi for just over three years now. Originally I come from a small and quiet little village near the Russian border called Salla. I love learning and seeing new things, with my two greatest interests being music and history, which often lead me down rabbit holes for several hours usually taking the place of something more important I should be doing at that time (like writing this blog).

But why would you study tourism?

The decision to come to Rovaniemi and study tourism was not one that was clear to me during my years in Salla. I come from a family, who have worked mainly on farms and in the forestry industry.  No one in the family has ever attended university before me. The decision to come and study Tourism in English was not an obvious one at all.

 

I have always liked studying languages and different cultures, but I thought nothing would come of it during my years of primary and secondary studies. About halfway through high school I started to think what I wanted to study after graduation, and it was extremely difficult for me. I just could not think of anything that would interest me enough. This situation continued up until a few weeks before the actual applications were to be sent. I saw this tourism programme on a leaflet detailing possible studies and began to think. It made me realize that I can study something I liked  and within a day my mind was made up and this is where I would apply to.

Now on my fourth year I can say I don’t regret my spontaneous decision. I have learned a great deal about things I never even knew would be involved in a tourism programme. I have been on a study-exchange in Germany and made many great friends along the way!

What will the future hold?

I will most likely finish my studies next spring. The pandemic along with my study exchange had some unexpected effects on my studies, causing some delay to my graduation.

My plans after graduation? To be completely honest I don’t know. I will be working in the service industry most likely, but where exactly is still open. I tend to not worry too much about the future. Opportunities will present themselves when the time is right for them. All I know is I am going keep enjoying life.

Thank you for stopping by and remember to keep enjoying life!