I ended up applying for the job by a happy coincidence. I met Harri Otva, the CEO of Lukkarila Kodit Oy in a summer job -fair and found out that they provided summer jobs. Since I had taken part in the “For active and global citizenship – against youth social exclusion” –project I felt familiar with the topic of the job and applied right away. The next day I was happy to receive an email saying I got the job!
Before I started working I didn’t really know what to expect. I wondered how I would blend in with 18 boys and how the job would be like but I was curious about it and looked forward to start. Ever since the first day in Lukkarila I felt such a good energy between the young refugees and the staff. The job was really interesting since got to know so many new people with unique backgrounds and different personalities.
I learned a lot about the life of a young refugee living in Finland. I also got to know much about Arabic cultures and picked out a few new words. The boys also taught me to play pool, ping pong and basketball so now I am basically a pro in all of them. When it was time for me to go after the two weeks I honestly felt a little sad. I got to know the staff and boys so leaving was kind of like saying bye to friends.
My summer job raised a lot of questions when I told people about it. By answering questions and telling people about my experience I might have decreased the feelings of prejudice towards refugees, which is really great.
All in all I had a really great experience and the best summer job.
Pihla Karhu
Erasmus blog 