Ever since upper secondary school, I had dreamt about studying abroad or having an exchange period in North America. Due to the pandemic in 2020, I buried that dream. It was not until late 2023 that my co-worker brought the topic up at work. “Go, I guarantee you won’t regret it,” she said. That was how I decided to contact our university’s mobility coordinator and learned about the opportunity to apply for the north2north program.
When the application period opened, I decided to submit my application without overthinking the exchange opportunity, because the chance felt so unbelievable. I thought it would simply be destiny if I got accepted. On February 20th, 2025, I received an email saying that I had been selected for an exchange period at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, as part of the north2north program.
Thunder Bay is a city with over 100,000 residents in Northwestern Ontario. It is known for its natural beauty throughout all four seasons. Being only about half the size of my university city, Tampere, I was initially a little concerned about whether I would find enough to do in the city. On the other hand, I saw it as an opportunity to enjoy calmer, nature-filled surroundings, as living in the city center of Tampere can sometimes be hectic. Thunder Bay is also an interesting city for us Finns, since it has strong Finnish roots. Finnish culture was visible in many services, including gift stores, Finnish candy in grocery stores, and even a Finnish restaurant!
Lakehead University is a large university with two campuses: one in Thunder Bay and another in Orillia. The university places a strong emphasis on engineering studies, but I decided to build on my previous studies by taking three marketing courses at the Lakehead University Faculty of Business Administration. The large campus area in Thunder Bay includes trail paths, sports facilities, a library, and even a small pond in the middle of the campus.
After lectures, it was easy to enjoy the brisk air and sunshine while walking through the forest trails. Through events organized by active clubs and student associations, I was able to go downhill skiing, ice skating, and also attend Formal, a fancy dinner event for business students.
I definitely recommend Thunder Bay if you are interested in studying in a calm, nature-filled environment where it is easy to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Valtteri went on a north2north exchange from Tampere University to Lakehead University.
Published in 2026
