Hello there,
My name is Alina Kantola, and for the next 11 months I will be doing my internship at FinnAgora. Briefly about my background: I have a bachelor’s degree within cultural studies in gender studies and I am currently doing a master’s in management and leadership studies. An internship at FinnAgora will let me try my potential in both the cultural and social field as well as in economics.
Like for many others, in the past few years my everyday life more or less resembled the next. I started to get too comfortable being at home, and at home only. I knew this would not do any good for me in the long run, and just like that I happened to read about this opportunity FinnAgora offered in Budapest. At first I was a bit hesitant, but quickly realised I truly wanted to give it a go and sent in an application. And here we are, five months later I have secured my spot at one of the desks at the FinnAgora office on Kelenhegyi street. Already, just a few weeks in, I feel like a part of the team, which is a thing I do not take for granted in any community.
Budapest also gave me a warm welcome, literally. I happened to arrive on the hottest day of the summer when the mercury rose to 42 degrees celcius that very day. Let’s say that I got used to the thirty-something degrees quite hastily.
If you consider staying abroad for a longer period in a larger city, Budapest is a great alternative. At least when it comes to finding accommodation I have not heard a single person not finding one very soon after arrival. My experience has been no different, finding a place to stay which matched my criterias was quite effortless.
In the last few weeks I have had some time to get to know the city as well. I have moved around Budapest, mainly visiting different second hand, furniture and interior shops. Here the old and new mix well together, and what is noteworthy is the fact that there are no skyscrapers or higher buildings in the city which also contributes to a uniform and beautiful harmony in the scenery.
Vaihtelu virkistää, as we say in Finnish, meaning “variety is the spice”, and this applies not only to my personal change of scenery but also to the diversity of the city. I live among Hungarians, internationals, young and old. My work trip consists of walking, taking the tram and metro and then some walking again. Although this may sound like a lot, this all usually takes 25 minutes from door to door. Moving across Budapest is effortless, and staying here is going to be great, I have no doubt about it.
I am very much looking forward to getting involved in different projects, taking part in happenings and meeting new people. When leaving I hope to have gained a new self-confidence in forming a work identity, found ways to network and just managed to live an ordinary everyday life in a new country.
I hope to see you around!
Alina
PS. Don’t hesitate to contact me via email on alina.kantola@finnagora.hu or give me a call (+36 20 402 3682).