Hi, I’m Đạt, but most people call me Cooper, Cooker, or even Chef, simply because I love eating rice and I’m pretty good at cooking. I’m 16 years old and currently living and studying in the city of Vesanto. I arrived here in early August 2023, so it’s been a year now. Back in Vietnam, I studied through Finest Future’s regular program for 8 months before coming here, which was a bit rushed, but I managed to make it through and got here.
General about Vesanto municipality
The municipality I study in is Vesanto, in Northern Savonia, also known as the “heartland” of Savonia. It’s called that because it plays an important role in connecting nearby areas, as most travel routes go through Vesanto, making it a dynamic area with busy traffic all year round.
Vesanto is home to about 2,000 people, many of whom are elderly and live here in peace and quiet. It’s a very friendly, welcoming place. The locals are extremely friendly, and they’re always willing to help — sometimes they’re so helpful that I even feel a bit shy about it!
The municipality is quite far from Helsinki, around 360 km, which takes about 4 hours to travel. However, it’s much closer to Kuopio (Finland’s 5th largest municipality), just 40 km away, which is a 35-minute to 1.5-hour journey by bus or car.
In Vesanto, there aren’t many stores like in bigger municipalities, but we have essential places like S-market (which is new and quite big), Teboil, Grillikioski (with really good food), and Kirpputori (second-hand shop).
Vesanto is an active place with many outdoor and indoor activities. Especially in the summer, there’s an annual football event that’s been going on for more than 10 years, attracting up to 2,000 participants each year. There are also clubs for football, volleyball, and badminton. In the winter, we have additional activities like hockey, skiing, snow sliding, and ice skating. Moreover, summer job opportunities are quite plentiful here. People are really close-knit and always help me find opportunities; for example, the church supported me 100% for my hygiene passport exam and the start-up 4R course.
About Vesanto highschool
My school has around 200 students, covering all three levels: primary, middle, and high school. Our school was newly built in late 2021, so the facilities are top-notch. Each year, we have 5 terms, and each term lasts about 2.5 months. The school is actively working on joining the Erasmus program for next year, and it supports students in applying for EYP and MUN (for students 18+ who are interested in politics).
The school organizes many sports and music activities throughout the year, such as basketball, badminton, volleyball (Vesu), floorball, and hockey. In music, we have drama and dance groups. Speaking of performances, this year’s Wanhat event had nearly 20 dance performances! Additionally, we’ve had several outdoor activities, such as 3 camping trips, 1 sports campaign (competitive sports), research work, lab experiments at Jyväskyllä University, and a few theater trips. Almost every term, we get to go on 1-2 field trips. As I understand it, in the second and third years, we’ll also visit vocational schools and universities, like Helsinki University.
Most importantly, the school gives students chances to improve their grades through retakes, supplementary exams, or simply by performing well in class and completing homework on time. After each lesson, we get a PowerPoint of the class material, so we can review and study for exams easily, without having to rely too much on textbooks and missing key points.
The teachers here are incredibly supportive and eager to help. They’re so happy when students ask questions—it’s like they’re celebrating when we do! Whenever I raise my hand or ask something, they explain in detail. Sometimes, they explain things even before I ask! At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by how comfortable I felt asking questions, but I’ve realized it’s important to ask about things you don’t understand. I ask a lot of questions, both online and offline, and the teachers respond really quickly (almost like they’re waiting for student messages!). So, don’t hesitate to ask your teachers, it helps them remember you and shows your interest in learning. The teachers here are always smiling, and I’ve never heard any complaints from them, even though I know teaching is a stressful job.
Personal thoughts about Vesanto
Since coming here, I’ve felt that every day is a new experience, with something new to learn and improve on. The most impressive thing for me has been my experiences with Jaana (the principal) and Katja (youth worker). They help with everything from job searches, daily needs, bikes, to finding summer jobs. Over the past months, my international classmates and I meet with them weekly. They assist us with everything, from finding bike donations to getting financial support from the church to cover our Hygiene Passport course and the 4R Start-Up course—all at no cost to us.
Katja is full of energy and joy, always helping us since the day we arrived. Jaana, our principal, is super friendly and really takes care of her students, especially international ones. She’s always open to student feedback, and talking with her feels like chatting with a mom. I’ve gained a lot of inspiration and new perspectives from them, which has helped me grow during my time here in Finland.
For those interested in learning more about the opportunities that the Finest Future program offers or want additional insights about studying in Finland, be sure to check out the upcoming Virtual Education Summit – VES 2024 event from Finest Future. It’s a unique opportunity to meet up with the schools, hear from the alumni, and try out the Finnish trial classes. For more information, visit ves.finestfuture.org.
Looking forward to seeing you at Vesanto High School!
Cooper Tran.
