December 31st, 2014 is when my European adventure started. After spending 10 hours on a plane with champagne and a New Years celebration, I finally reached Grenoble, France. The first thing that caught my attention was how artistic the French are. In Europe, you can feel the art and meet the artists no matter where you go. The French admire formality and thus, you will see most of the people in suits or elegant dresses. Even their houses are colorful and detailed with ornaments, which makes me really excited to explore more about the city and French culture.
Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM) might be a bit different from other partner schools. I did not expect to be arranged in a group with 40 local French students. Unlike the SFU system, our class schedules change every week and the students stay with the same group in every course but in different classrooms. Such difference offers an opportunity to bond with each other easier.
GEM is located near the city center and it’s very accessible with public transportation and walking. The campus is cozy with three connected buildings. With flexible class schedules, we have free time for weekly events and monthly trips in Europe.
One of my trips was to northern Finland. Ever since I was little, I dreamed to go to the Arctic to catch the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. It’s a light phenomenon that occurs in the Arctic sky on clear dark nights caused by solar winds interacting with the earth’s magnetic field. It consists of deep green and yellow colors. Most people go on planned trips with experienced guides, but I chose not to go on the traditional aurora tours and instead, to go as far up north as I could manage.
I decided to take the 18-hour long train and bus journey to Inari, a small city in northern Finland near the Arctic Ocean. I hoped deep inside my heart that I would see the aurora. I enjoyed walking around the city and experienced the Finnish culture that is influenced by the Russian Empire. One of my biggest experiences during my Finland trip was being outdoors at night for 8 hours in -15° C. The only way for me to stay warm was to keep moving and the only way to feel safe was to sing loudly in an area with no animals or people around.
After 8 long hours of waiting, I finally had some good luck and caught the aurora. At first, it was like groups of green clouds. I didn’t realize it was the aurora until it became clearer and stronger as if it was dancing in the sky. I was so thrilled and satisfied to see it with my own eyes. There I was in Inari, Finland, along with one of the most valuable surprises in my life – the aurora borealis.
So far, I have made many friends with French students in my class and with other exchange students in other programs. I can’t wait to discover more during my exchange term.
Lin Liang is a 3rd year Human Resource Management student at Beedie. She is also doing a minor in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies. During her exchange at Grenoble Ecole de Management in France, she is immersing herself in another European culture. She holds strong wills to become a leader in the field of engagement and gender-equal community building in the business world and beyond.