Maryan Guuleed - Somalia

Studying International Business at ARCADA University of Applied Sciences

I’ve been studying at ARCADA for 3 years and I’ve been living in Finland for 11 years. This is my second profession here in Finland. I originally studied nursing and am now just about to complete my degree in business. Since I’ve done two degrees, I definitely know how it feels to be a new student in a new country. It can feel really difficult when you come to a new place all alone and you don’t know anybody. But it doesn’t take long to get to know people and get to know the system and the way things work. You may even end up not wanting to go back to your country because staying here feels so good!

Going abroad to study is such a different experience than just traveling, for example. You get so much more out of it and really develop relationships with the people you meet. Everything is always more fun when there are people from different cultures and countries. It might feel scary in the beginning, but just go for it and you’ll see that everything will work out great! I’m definitely going to be staying in Finland for a long time. It feels like home – I just feel like I’m home.