AIESECers' experience: Halina Skalska

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Halina Skalska A Master’s degree student of International Relations at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Currently, she is working in AIESEC Jyväskylä as the team leader of Outgoing Exchange (OGX) team.

Interviewed by Harry Moonshooter

When did you first know about AIESEC and when did you first become a member? What was the first experience like?

I first heard about AIESEC in 2010, when I was in my home university in Kyiv, but I became a member only after about one year. I applied for the membership three times before I was finally accepted in August 2011. I was excited about it at that time, after all the effort I had made to join this organization.

What did AIESEC bring to your life? Does it worth all the effort you made to join it?

Well, definitely yes! It has totally changed my life. 

First of all, with AIESEC, it is much easier to for me to fine people with the same interests as me, and then become friends with them! I have made so many new friends since I became an AIESEC member, and they are from all over the world! This is the most amazing part of my AIESEC life, the people! We share our opinions and learn from each other. Such experience helped me to see the world in different ways, and be more open minded.

Also it has brought me new opportunities. With AIESEC I got the chance to come to Finland. Two years ago I could never imagine me being here, talking with you, working in a different country and with people from different parts of the world. Such intercultural work experience is very helpful to me.

Finally the experience in AIESEC helped me a lot with improving my professional skills. For example, I have learned how to make a good presentation, and doing good teamwork. Now I feel much more confident about myself than ever before.

As you mentioned it was in Kyiv where you first joined AIESEC. I think many people here in Finland are interested in the city you come from, but most of them may not understand much about it. So how does it feel to be a student there? And how different it is from the student life in Finland?

Kyiv is a big city, especially if you put it into the Finnish scale. Like any big city there are more activities going on, and for students there are more opportunities. But at the same time there are more challenges and competition. For example in AIESEC Jyväskylä there are only around 20 members but in Kyiv there are more than 200. You could see the difference. There is much more work to do in Kyiv, and more competition. The cultural difference may also play an important role here as in Finland, individualism and creativity is more encouraged, while in Central and Eastern Europe efficiency is more stressed. The education system is also quite different between Finland and Ukraine. For example there we do not use credits, and we choose the courses we take in a different way.

But there are more similarities. Student life in Kyiv is not all about competition and work. There are parks and squares in the city where people go to relax and enjoy life. We have parties as well. I think student life is always the most exciting part of life in all societies alike.

But now you are here in Jyväskylä. What made you decide to come here and how did you achieve this?

I had dreamed about coming to Finland for two years before it finally came true. There are so many things about Finland that attract me, its unique culture, the beautiful nature and so on. By the end of the last year I got to know this exchange opportunity from the coordinator in my home university. Immediately I applied for it and then everything went on quite well. Finally here I am!

How is your experience in Finland so far? Did you have any challenge at the beginning?

Of course at first I had a few challenges. They mainly came from the culture and language differences. To bike on the icy ground was very challenging for me as well and I fell down a few times. But now I have learned how to do it and I am really happy about it.

Finland has made me enjoy winter for the first time in my life. Maybe it is because the winter here is not as cold as I had imagined. I never knew before that we could still have so much fun in winter. I have traveled in this country, and I made so many new friends here. This is great experience I would never forget.

Now since you have experienced working with AIESEC in both Ukraine and Finland. What do you think the AIESECers, or students in general, from these two countries can learn from each other?

As I said, in AIESEC Kyiv there is more work for each member to do. It can be stressful sometimes but it has also given us more responsibility and trained us to work more efficiently. In my opinion this is something the AIESEC here can learn from them. They can try to create more events, and activities to bring members together.

What AIESEC Kyiv need to learn from Finland is to be more friendly towards students, and be more inclusive towards international students. When I was working in AIESEC Kyiv, all the members are Ukrainians. So when I came here it really amazed that in AIESEC Jyväskylä even more than half of the members are non-Finnish students. In this way the members can have more intercultural experience by working together, and I really enjoy it!

-Edited by Harry Moonshooter