Cultural Awareness

Cultural Awareness

In this blog post, I would like to describe the cultural awareness theory. I will write an article about cultural differences by adding my own interpretation to the information I research on the internet.

CultureHall (1959) defi nes culture as the way of life of a people: the sum of their learned behaviour patterns, attitudes and materials things. Culture is often subconscious; an invisible control mechanism operating in our thoughts (Hall, 1983). In his view, we become aware of it by exposure to a different culture.

In fact, when I came to Finland and saw the Finnish culture closely, I also became aware of it.

 Members of a certain society internalise the cultural components of that society and act within the limits as set out by what is ‘culturally acceptable’

Hofstede’s (1980,  1991) theory aims to explain cultural differences through certain dimensions, such as power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity vs. femininity. Of these, we use the individualism vs. collectivism dimension. This dimension is defi ned by Hofstede (2008) as “the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist side, we fi nd societies in which the ties between individuals are loose … On the collectivist side, we fi nd societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in groups, often extended families…”

 The experience I got with living in Finland for some time gave me the opportunity to compare those theories with my own impression

 

I had the opportunity to meet other exchange students by attending events and courses. Speaking with my friends from different countries, I got to know their culture a little. I learned which countries they came from. I think seeing different cultures, meeting new people and talking to them add a lot to us. Because people's differences are their wealth. Attending these events enriched my feelings and thoughts. It gave me different experiences.

Communicating with students from other cultures in the Finland has expanded my understanding of intercultural communication.

       It increased my self-confidence. It provided the opportunity to establish a diologist in the community, to exchange ideas about my profession and different subjects. I also exchanged ideas about the traditions of various countries, education systems and health sectors. I introduced my own country and culture to other people.

The identity consisting of cultural values that a society or different communities within that society defines is called "cultural identity". 

These events allowed me to know my cultural identity better. I was able to observe the differences between Turkish culture and Finnish culture better. And I understood that everyone has their own cultural identity. In fact, every person reflects the culture of his own country. But meeting people from different cultures broadens our cultural identity. It opens our horizons.

I think Erasmus Exchange Program is definitely beneficial. It's fun to meet friends from different countries. Both social interaction and learning from them contribute to our personal development.

As we speak, we also learn their culture. And I realize that learning different cultures is a privilege.

Being An Exchange Student in TUAS

TURKU UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

I want to talk about TUAS in this blog post. I made some observations based on the courses I attended. I think the biggest difference between TUAS, my school in Finland, and Gazi University, my school in my country, is the way the lessons are taught. 

In other words, lessons in TUAS are mostly based on activities and group work. In many lessons there is an exchange of ideas between teachers and students. Each group member plays an active role in the group assignments given. And homework is based on steps such as researching articles, learning new information, analyzing this information, and sharing it with people. 

The evaluation of the course depends on our active role in the group. I think this is a beautiful thing. The number of students in classes at my university is very crowded. In theoretical courses for nursing, we have about 250 people in class. And teachers usually lead the lesson. The student is in a listening position. The crowded classes are really a big disadvantage.

In practice lessons, I really liked the system of TUAS. Approximately 10 or 15 students can practice on models. Application hours in our own university are quite limited.

Practice classes are also in large groups. Approximately 30 people become 1 group.

At TUAS, students prepare slides and students make presentations. As a result, they receive evaluation. And most courses are 5 ECTS.

At Gazi University, teachers prepare slides and teachers who give presentations. Basic courses are at least 10 ECTS.

My exchange program was for Theoretical lessons only. Therefore, I do not know how to organize Internship programs in Nursing education in Finland.

After theoretical courses are taught in about 1 month in my country, internship education begins. In groups, we get the chance to practice in different clinics of the hospital. We ask for help from professional nurses when we practice. With the permission of our patients, we can apply some applications (blood collection, IV catheterization, following vital signs, IM injection procedures etc.) on our patients.

  

Gazi University is a university with high quality education. It ranks first among the universities in my country in terms of success. One-year nursing student gets education for 4 years. 4 years is equal to approximately 8 education periods. It is necessary to complete at least 30 ECTS each semester.  Students who pass the courses at the end of the year attend the KPSS Exam. According to the score obtained from this exam, students of the Nursing Department are appointed. After the appointment of students with disabilities, he or she starts his/her career in different hospitals and different clinics.

I want to share a photo from both schools.

This is from a group work in TUAS :)

This is Gazi University Nursing Department. Me and my classmates:)

New Route: Finland-Stockholm

             A Great Day in Stockholm

During our Erasmus life, we experienced one of the most beautiful memories during our Stockholm trip. We went on a 10-hour sea trip with the "Viking Line" ship. Our ship left Turku Liman at 21:00 according to Finnish time. We reached Stockholm at 07.00 in the morning according to the Swedish time. We went to Stockholm together with 4 people. (Sıla, Eda Sister, Gizem Teacher and me)

 It was the first time that I took part in this long cruise. Even this experience was great for us. We would stay in one of the 4-person rooms inside the ship. We were on the 6th floor. And then we started to explore the inside of the ship. Our ship was 12 floors high and really big. During the night we had a wonderful journey among the giant waves.

There were alternative places inside the ship, such as restaurants, markets, bars, mini-parks for children. The first three floors of the ship were for trucks and vehicles. On the other floors, there were rooms for single passengers, 2 passengers or 4 passengers.

            In summary, we had a pleasant and comfortable journey.

When the Scandinavian countries are mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind, Stockholm is a water city, consisting of 14 islands and 13th century canals. It is the largest city and capital of Sweden with a population of approximately one million, and has been the center of culture, art and economy for centuries. The best time to visit the city, which is dominated by the continental climate, is shown as spring and summer months. During our visit in the last days of February, the air temperature was around -10 degrees. In summer, the air temperature is around 20-22 degrees at most.

GAMLA STAN

Gamla Stan, the most famous and touristic area of the city, is the historical city area that contains most of the places you should see in Stockholm. You will enjoy visiting the well-preserved historical streets of the city, which was established in 1252.

STORTORGET

 You know that colorful old buildings are always visible in Stockholm photos; here their photos are always taken from this square. Stortorget, the oldest square in the city; It houses cafes, a fountain in the middle of the square, souvenir shops and the Nobel Museum. Sitting on the benches on the edge of the square, watching the surroundings or having a coffee break in the historical cafe under the red house is one of the most beautiful events to be held in this square.

NOBEL MUSEUM

 Nobel Museum, located in the middle of Storterget square, is on the list of places to go in Stockholm. The museum has all the Nobel Prize-winning works, and display cases and information about personalities. You can visit the museum with guided tours or individually.

STOCKHOLM METRO STOPS 

 

Stockholm metro stops are decorated with paintings and sculptures like an art gallery. Especially the stops on the blue and red lines are worth visiting. You can visit the stops that should be seen by buying a metro ticket valid for 90 minutes and taking a point shot. We bought a metro card for our trip.

Population & Society: In the capital, which has a population of nearly 1 million, there are communities that migrate from many countries, especially those of Finland origin, apart from the local people.

This situation ensures that Stockholm has a cultural and religious diversity. In the city, English as well as native language Swedish is widely spoken.

Stockholm is a city rich in places to visit. Of course, the city's cultural and commercial center since the 13th century has contributed to the popular culture of the city, as well as the interest of the local people in popular culture.

Although it does not promise many options, Stockholm is one of the indispensable places for gastronomic lovers. Especially in the field of coffee, high-level venues operate in the city.

Schools and Education in Finland and Turkey

Education System

I was really surprised when I heard that homework is forbidden in Finland, which has the most successful education system in the world, there is an average of 4-5 hours a day, and there is no such thing as an exam.

In our country, we try to bring the school starting age to an earlier age (5-6). In Finland, the age of starting compulsory school is 7.
According to some information I searched online, Finnish students are never graded in the first six years of school, and when they turn 16, they take an exam across the country. Graded grade system in our country starts from primary school. Therefore, there is competition and race among students.

 Curriculum and textbooks are the main actors of education in our country. There is a very simple curriculum in Finland and it hardly changes. Teachers choose the books to be taught themselves, but there is no dependency on the books. This is another difference that surprised me.

In Finland, the average daily lesson is 4 or 5. In our country, the school hour is 8. And even because it is not enough, this number can be 11-12 hours a day with studies, weekend courses and private lessons after school.

The teaching profession in Finland is one of the most popular jobs in the community! Teachers are chosen among those with a master's degree. The number of prospective teachers waiting to be appointed in our country is very high.

The understanding of the most successful teacher giving the most homework in our country continues. But the place of learning in Finland is seen as a school, students are given almost no homework.

There is no teacher who teaches courses in the Finnish education system. There are classes that do activities together. In our country, teachers generally teach lessons. The students listen. Event hours are unfortunately limited.