Internships abroad: In Brazil and of course elsewhere in Latinamerica too

Well, Brazil...Finnish students make their traineeship in Brazil through Brazilian Experience in Curitiba. 

 

We have had cooperation already 7 years years, more or less. And everything has worked out very well. The Finnish students, until now 110 Finnish students, have made their traineeship period in Brazil. Here you can read some of their testimonials as as well as of students coming from other parts of the world. And here some thoughts of trainees for you to read.

Changes in our Traineeship Programmes

Until now we have send students and newly graduates to make traineeships in whatever field possible. But as we are now sharpening the internships, the form of our internship programs will change into more like importing and exporting expertise. And to send trainees to globally important fields. 

The aim is to sharpen the traineeships on offer to increase the competitiveness of Finns. The aim is to deepen the sustainability. And the aim is to expand and deepen understanding between cultures and to continue on work related language training. At the same time, we also export Finnish know-how to our partner countries as well as import expertise from these countries to Finland. If interested, you can read here more.

If you want to know more about issues of the international traineeships up to language abilities in relation to the needs of the working-life, you can read my article called "International traineeships boost working life competencies". You will find the article here.

As in article, for more than two decades, we have been making Finnish students more international in response to working-life needs. Among the many tools of internationalization, practical training abroad has served its purpose very well.

Working life requires diverse language skills, but also other many competences fostered by international experience. During the last decade, trainees have increasingly been sent to other than English-speaking countries, and over the last years in increasing numbers also beyond Europe.

According to the survey (2014) by the Confederation of Finnish Industries, internationalisation has given rise to a demand for much more diverse language skills in Finnish working life. English skills are required on all organisational levels and in all kinds of duties. But the needs do not end there. There is now an increasing demand for personnel commanding other languages, too.

Of course there are also other organizations in Brazil managing internships and voluntary programs, to name one of them for example ABIPE in Sao Paulo.

Adeus!

Historian havinaa jo, siis suomalaisia harjoittelijoita Lattareihin

Oletko muuten tutustunut kirjaan "Kahvi, Pahvi ja Tango" (Toim. Jussi Pakkasvirta, Jukka Aronen)? Mainio ja sopivan populaaristi kirjoitettu  opus Suomen ja Latinalaisen Amerikan suhteista
historian havinassa.

 

 Niin, muistan sen kuin eilisen päivän, kun astuin ensimmäisen kerran Etelä-Amerikan mantereelle.

Siis huomio Etelä-Amerikan mantereelle...Keski-Amerikassa olin vieraillut jo aiemmin. Lattareihin saapuessani vaihdoin konetta Sao Paulossa Buenos Airesiin. Lensin sillä kertaa brasilialaisen TAM-lentoyhtiön koneella, jotta meillä oli mahdollisuus hankia edullinen sarjalippu Etelä-Amerikan mantereen lentoihin.

Niin, sillä Lattarimatkalla - Brasilia, Argentiina, Chile - olikin paljon koneen vaihtoja. 

 
Hiukan alkoi jo huimata meikäläistä ja korvissa humista...Löysin muuten työpaikan pölyttyneistä (tai sitten ei) arkistoistani nuo lentoliputkin...

Huimata. Katson siis perinteisesti mieluummin vuoria alhaalta ylöspäin kuin ylhäältä alaspäin ja ne mutkaiset kiemuratiet huippaavat, ainakin kun katselee alaspäin...hmmmmm...

...ja valitsen moottoripyörän sijasta mieluummin italialaisen vespan tai vanhan kunnon suomalaisen Tunturi-mopon. Mutta olihan ikimuistoisen hailakkaa ja hilpakkaa lentomeininkiä. Eikä maisemissa ja pilvimaisemissakaan ollut valittamista.

Suomen Madridin -Instituutin asiamiehet ja Suomen edustusto Latinalaisessa Amerikassa

Tiesithän, että Suomen Madridin -Instituutilla on asimiehiä muutamissa Latinalaisen Amerikan maissa? Buenos Airesissa tapasimmekin mm. silloisen Suomen Madridin-Instituutin asiamiehen ja muutaman muun suomalaisen. Taisipa siellä porukoissa olla nykyinenkin Suomen Madridin -Instituutin asiamies Argentiinassa, Pertti Mustonen.  No, meikäläinen saapui siis Buenos Airesiin hiukkasen nopeammin kuin aikoinaan Argentiinaan ja muutamaan muuhun Lattarimaahan saapuneet suomalaiset siirtolaiset tai merimiehet Suomen Etelä-Amerikan linjalla. Jos haluat päästä mielessäsi merimiesten matkaan, niin kuuntelepa tämä railakas Tango-Orkesteri Unton "Tangon kotimaa".

Niin, toisenkin Instituutin asiamiehen tällä matkalla tapasin eli Brasilian silloisen Instituutin asiamiehen. Vääntäydyin vatsatautivuoteeltani pikaiseen tapaamiseen hotellin ala-aulaan. Että silleen. Nykyisin Brasiliassa Suomen Madridin -Instituutin asiamiehenä toimii Hanna Mari Helstelä.

Ehkäpä suomalaisten Lattareitten kanssa yhteistyöstä kiinnostuneiden kannattaisi olla yhteydessä myös instituutin asiamiehiin, jos haluavat vaikka kerätä ajantasaista tietoa Lattareista? Toki Suomella on vaikkapa tähänkin tarkoitukseen suurlähetystö Brasiliassa, Argentiinassa, Chilessä, Perussa ja Kolumbiassa(asiamies). Tässä Suomen edustustostokartta. Useampi Suomen Lattariedustoista on jo Twitterissäkin eli näin Chile, Peru, Brasilia. Tsekkaa siis sekin, jos käytät Twitteriä. Niin, Suomen suurlähetystöihin Lattareissa olen toki itsekin yhteydessä silloin tällöin, ja vierailen myös niissä aina silloin kuin vierailen jossakin yllämainituista Lattarimaista. Ja niin silläkin kertaa.

CIMOlla kv.harjoitteluyhteistyötä Lattareiden kanssa, jo vuodesta 2002 alkaen

Niin, Chileen lähetimme suomalaisia opiskelijoita ja vastavalmistuneita harjoittelujaksolle
jo vuonna 2002. Tässä artikkelissani juttua siitä. Siellä on nykyisin huippuhyviä ja laaja valikoima harjoittelupaikkoja! Kannattaa vinkata opiskelijoille. Ja pannaanpa tässä vähän väliin viihdytykseksi chileläistä kansantanssia Cuencaa...Nenäliinat heiluu...

Argentiinassa yhteistyömme nykyisen Córdoban yhteistyökumppanimme kanssa alkoi pari vuotta myöhemmin. Tässä artikkelissani juttua siitä. Niin, ja vähän myös Freelancer-meiningeistäni a la musiikki...Senkin alkumainigeista jo ihanat 20 vuotta...

No niin, takaisin näihin virkamiesasioihin...Nykyisen brasilialaisen kumppanimme kanssa yhteistyömme alkoi vasta pari vuotta sitten. Mutta mainioissa merkeissä. Vaikka ollaan vasta näin alkuvaiheessa yhteistyössämme. Tämän artikkelini lopussa juttua siitä. Ja vielä viihdytyksksi hiukan Koillis-Brasilian Forroa.  Jotta jaksatte tämän jutun loppuun saakka lukea.

Perun yhteistyöstämme ja asiantuntijaharjoittelustani Limassa, muun muuassa näistä asioista voit lukea blogistani "perunoitaperusta.blogspot.fi". Tsekkaapa, por favor! Perun yhteistyömme on pari vuotta vanhempaa kuin Brasilian yhteistyömme.

Así viajen a Suramércia para cooperar con diversos paises!

Latinalainen Amerikka odottaa teitä, ja myös suomalaisinvestointeja! Näin luin juuri.

I wanted to visit Cuba first...

Well Havanna, the oldfashioned lady I would say... 

But let's begin this story of mine about Cuba with little music and throughout the story you will have the possibility to see some old photos of mine too... 

So the Duo Omara Portuondo&Martin Rojas (Skip Add). Oh, I remember still today when I heard this duo in the 80's in a shabby and smoky bar in Turku Finland. Or was it shabby and smoky? Maybe I just want to remember it so, as it is that way more nostalgic...Ron "Havana Club" from Cuba, Cuban beer "Cristal", Tropicana coctails, Mojitos...Well not in Turku at that time, but then in Cuba yes.

Anyway for me an experience I will never forget. Since then and also before that Omara Portuondo has visited Finland I think tens of times...Byt the way, the fellow musician very above - the old man with the guitar, we met at first day we came to Cuba. He asked from us where we come from, and as we said from Finland, he began to improvise for us a song. Maybe a touristic trick, maybe not...But anyway a nice memory and since that day I have had this marvellous photo, even if taken by a dispensable camera, above my working desk.

Yes Cuba...I wanted to visit it when it was still a little bit of kind of Cuba I wanted it to be. That is why it was my first travel destination in Latin America almost 20 years ago. Or actually the second one because of certain reasons. But I wanted it to be the first one.

For the trip I chose two books, one from Eduardo Galeano "Las venas abiertas de América Latina" (Open Veins of Latin America - 1971) and the other one from from Alejo Carpentier 
"Los Pasos perdidos"  (The lost Steps - 1953). If you have not read "The lost Steps" read it! A Must of all readings! I have read it maybe 4 or 5 times. Also "Open Veins of Latin America" couple of times.

I also took with me some books about music, and bought also some from Cuba. At that time they were very strict at Cuban customs and I was search thoroughly. But only when going out from Cuba.

In the customs they gave to your passport a stamp of an animal with the text "Air". 

It was kind of stamp given to the kids when they are good at schools. Its meaning was, I think, that you could travel to the States later whitout them noticing that you have visited Cuba.

In Cuba one of the most interesting things was visiting ancient indigenous people settlement, the Museum of Revolution and Santiago de Cuba. Hemingway sites are of course kind of mandatory issues in Cuba too.


But before travelling to Santiago, let's listen here one of my favorite Cuban bands "Vieja Trova Santiguera" . Look at the video, you will see some nice and talented oldfashioned musicians (and some dancing by...well see it in your own eyes...). I had the possiblity to see the band in Berlin some 10 years ago in "Tränenepalast". Tränenpalast is the building between East- and West-Berlin, where the customs was situated.

To Santiago de Cuba we travelled with a Russian cargoplane "Tupolev". When flying there we did not have any view. We did not see any landscapes as we were not sitting where the 2 and only windows of that plane were. But when coming back I was quick, and sat beside one of these windows. Nice views near Santiago, "The mountains of Fidel Castro"...

Santiago de Cuba - Vistas parciales-1123 EPSA, Impreso en Cuba

In Santiago one of the most interesting experiences was visiting the Moncada Barracs which were at that time a school. There all the sudden I decided to go in and I was wandering around the school...I stepped in in to a salsa class of small children on the country yard of that shool. How well they danced! Another teacher of the school invited us to a class to say to the kids "Hello from Finland". Very nice memories...

Cuba Serie Imágenes - 17005 Artex JF Ediciones

Cuba welcomes you! Very kind people there...Cuba welcomes you over and over again! 

Who knows, maybe I will visit Cuba once again too?

Soccer here and there - You can bet, interesting Experiences indeed!

Nice adventures from the 2001 on with the soccer, I must admit when I think about the trips afterwards...

When I travelled first time to South America. It was almos 15 years ago. I had the possibily to see  in the Maracanã Stadium a local match between Flamengo and Vasco da Gama. I found some old photos about that. I think I had at that time only a disposable camera.

 That was something! And Romario was still palying in the Vasco da Gama. I think, that was one of his last games ever. I bought my fisrt soccer T-shirt ever, or was it the second one? Of one of the Rio soccer teams called Flamengo. Very nice - black and red, the colors of my home region here in Finland too.

Now I have quite many soccer T-shirts, I think from 15 to 20 altogether from different countries and from different teams. 

In the same trip I looked also soccer in the Stadium of River Plate in Buenos Aires, and how it was raining ...But never mind, the game was the most important thing! You know, until now I have never seen a soccer game of Boca Juniors...But you can bet, it is in my program. One day I will achieve it too.

The second time in Argentina I was in the Stadium of River Plate, the Monumental. It was a game between Uruguay and Argentina. You can imagine the emotions of the audience. During that trip I also had the possibility to see my first or actually the second soccer game game in Chile Temuco, Estadio Municipal German Becker.

At that time the Stadium was in a very bad shape. But you know, sometimes the atmosphere is even better then! Or have you ever seen a match in Hamburg, in the old stadium of St.Pauli?

In Chile, I have seen other soccer games, too. One of the most memorables was the match in the Stadium of Universidad Católica in Santiago. Go there! The surroundings of the stadium is very nice with mountains. But if the match is in the evening in late autumn be sure that you have enough clothes on. The changes between day and evening temperatures in Chile are quite big. I noticed tha at the latest then...

Well, many years passed before I could see the match of Colo Colo in the Estadio Monumental. But finally I succeeded in that. It happened to me there that it was a ladie's night (ladie's free of charge) and one local guy suggested that we could enter the stadium together and share the expenses...

But two of the very-very memorable ecperiences for me up to Maracanã, if you talk about the soccer, were no doubt!

...To visit in the Dalemas Footballfactory (Fabrica de pelotas) in Bell Ville, the city halfway between Córdoba and Rosario. The Footballfactory is soon 60 years old! And the city has also one very famous soccer player, Mario Kempes. If you know the history of soccer, I am sure you remember him.

 And that happened thanks to my cooperation organization in  Argentina. How nice it was!

...And the other was was watching the soccer game of Copa de Libertadores in La Paz Bolivia, the Estadio Hernando Siles. The stadium is located 3,637 metres (11,932 feet) above sea level, making it one of the highest professional stadiums in the world. We were ther together with my Chilean cooperation organization. Thanks very much!

Well-well..but you know, once we saw two small boys playing soccer in Cuzco even higher than that I suppose. And at the same time I was suffering from the altitude sickness, so not feeling very well having been in Cuzco only couple of hours...Such is life!

Kind of ice cream for you till the end...Today I visited the Museum of Pelé in Santos .

WOW go there!

But very nice soccer memories all in all. Or what do you think?

Unas Historias en una Historia...o como pasó que unos finlandeses viajaron a América Latina?

To be in the right kind of mood we at first listen to Tita Merello…

Tita Merello, una cantante argentina de tango y milonga y además una actriz. 

El video se necesite digitalizar, pero que ambiente tan robusto en el video !!! El nombre de Tita Merello me conocí a la primera vez durante mí segundo viaje a Argentina. Los padres de la directora de la organización con que yo coopera fueron grandes admirantes de ella.

No es nada soprendente o que piensas tú?

La verdad, estoy cooperando con esta organización ya desde hace del año 2004.

Tita Merello ha cantado ella al mismo tiempo como Juan Carlos “Tata” Cedrón, el fundandor del Cuarteto Cedrón. Bueno…los “Lunfardo Songs” de Tata Cedrón y así…La palabra “lunfardo” es una palabra antigua de la región rioplatense.  Lo me aprendí cuando me participé en un día cultural argentino organizado por  la organización con que estoy cooperando yo en Argentina.

Así América del Sur, llamó a mí también… 

Jajaja…me recuerdo cuando por la primera y por la segunda vez viajé a América del Sur. Fueron los años 2001 y 2004. Ahora ya he cooperado con Argentina 10 años y pico y con Chile todavía más. El viaje del año 2001 fue con muchos vuelos. Puedes imaginarte que me encontré en mí archivo los billetes originales del año 2001! Yo, muy organizado…a veces demasiado organizado.

Un día hablemos con una colega mía sobre este viaje. El año 2001-2002 fue su primer año trabajando aquí. Así ella fue un empleador bastante nuevo y uno de sus trabajos principals a estos tiempos fue echequear los cálculos del viaje después cada viaje de nuestros empleadores. Ella a mí ya a estos dias dijó: “Qué trabajo tan harto! Tantos vuelos, tantos paises, tantos papeles!” Hoy día nosotros solamente sonreimos. Una memoría estupenda, pienso yo.

Los raizes en Finlandia, la vida en América Latina…

El viaje a Brasil, Argentina y Chile del año 2001 fue también el viaje donde me conocía en Buenos Aires a una persona que tenia sus raizes en Finlandia. Su madre fue finlandesa y su padre viní de Ukraїna. Cuando como niña en Argentina ella habló finés con otra finlandesa, para ellos este idioma pequeño ugrofinesa fue como “un idioma secreto”. Para los niños una cosa muy especial, es cierto. 

Si-si, vinieron también los finlandeses a estos tiempos antiguos a América Latina…a Cuba, a Rebública Dominicána, a Paraguay, a Brasil y a Argentina. Se pasó que los finlandeses que viajaron a Paraguay y Argentina tuvieron un idea excelente, pensaron ellos. El idea fue fundar una colonía de los vegetarianos totales. Mala suerte, por supuesto! A estos tiempos ni había el internet ni las preparaciones culturales antes de viajar, así se comprende que había sueñas así hasta llegar a un país antes desconocido para ellos…

Apropós... En Brasil todavía existe una colonía finlandesa que se llama Penedo .

En Penedo se todavía practica danzas folclóricas finlandesas ... y yo tengo un idea viajar allí en un mes y pico ! 

Puedes imaginarte?  

Gracias, Argentina! Gracias por la inspiración, España!