At 18 years old, Jan Kalinowski is an interesting character. He speaks fluent Finnish and views the world through the eyes of someone who has moved from the large metropolitan area of Warsaw. Lahti may feel small and relatively young by comparison, but right now it suits him well.
– This is a peaceful city with all the services you need. I especially like the harbour, Pikku-Vesijärvi Park and the old buildings that still remain. That said, I wish there were even more parks, both in the city centre and across the entire area.
To be honest, Lahti itself was not the main reason Kalinowski moved to Finland. LUT University simply appeared first during his application search. In the Software and Systems Engineering programme, he can also work towards a future career in the digital world as a coder and web developer.
A tango sparked his interest
Kalinowski’s interest in Finland and the Finnish language began with video games. During the COVID-19 pandemic, students in Warsaw were also confined to their homes. Alongside remote high school studies, he started playing Control, a game by the Finnish studio Remedy. In the game, actor Martti Suosalo sings Sankarin tango in Finnish, and the lyrics immediately caught his attention.
– I became interested in this unusual and beautiful language and decided to learn it. I started with Duolingo and later connected with a Finnish language teacher, with whom I studied more seriously. I travelled to Finland as soon as it was possible, and quite soon I realised that I wanted to live here.
Kalinowski completed the YKI test (the National Certificate of Language Proficiency), which allows him to study in Finnish. The language of instruction at LUT University is English, but students can also take courses in other languages alongside their main studies.
– I speak Finnish whenever I can, and I think in Finnish. English is currently just a tool for progressing in my studies.
Entrepreneurship and Mankeli e-bikes are inspiring
During his first year of studies, Kalinowski has combined programming with courses in entrepreneurship, which he hopes will be useful in the future – his goal is to start his own company.
– At the moment, I’m doing a remote internship as a web developer with an international company. When the internship ends, I’ll look for a paid position. It would be great to find work in Lahti or in Finland, but because employment prospects in Finland are currently challenging even in the IT sector, it may well be abroad.
Kalinowski appreciates LUT University’s modern campus and affordable student meals. Public transport connections to the Mukkula campus are sufficient, although student tickets are expensive. As a result, he prefers cycling or walking.
– The city’s Mankeli e-bikes are great – there could be more of them! There isn’t much cycling infrastructure here yet, but I believe Lahti will continue to improve.
Aiming for a life in Finland
For Kalinowski, settling in Lahti could be supported by finding a job, as well as by the fact that his girlfriend lives nearby in Hollola. In any case, he would like to stay in Finland long term and eventually apply for citizenship, even though as an EU citizen he can already study and work here freely.
– Finland is a country I’ve fallen in love with; it suits my personality very well. I also appreciate that Finland does not have as deep political polarisation as Poland or many other European countries – society feels more cohesive.
In many ways, Finland does not differ dramatically from other European countries Kalinowski has visited. One discovery has stood out, however: local food.
– Fish dishes are much more common here than in Poland, and salmon soup is simply wonderful.
Naturally, he also wants to explore the country more widely. The Z train between Lahti and Helsinki has already proven to be a convenient connection – fast, affordable and easy to use.
Text: Ina Ruokolainen
Photos: Lassi Häkkinen