Last modified 2.3.2012 at 12:11

The world gets more interesting by making new friends

Text: Johanna Rytkönen Photo: Pekka Kallasaari

The 19-year-old William Wambua from Kenya came to Oulu to study business and information technology in Oulu University of Applied Sciences. He has cousins in Finland and Sweden and they convinced William that Finland is a great place to study and that Finland offers high quality education.

William Wambua (on the right) has made many new friends during his studies in Oulu.

– Finland is a really great place to be especially in the summer. I came here during last summer and I can say that to some point the weather was better than I actually expected. I think all the seasons are beautiful apart from the temperatures during winter but I am adjusting quite well. So I can say I am enjoying my stay and hoping it gets even better.

William thinks that some of the Finns are really reserved and live private lives. William says that it took him a while to get to know his roommate but since then they have been really good friends.

– I have found quite a lot of friends, most of which I have known through people from my own country. Some of them we met through the social sites, others during sports like football, so finding new friends was not that hard for me. I spent a lot of time in Helsinki but when I came to Oulu, I did not expect to make friends in such a short time.

William has friends from several different countries.

– Three of them are originally from Romania but they have lived in Finland quite some time. I also have a Nigerian and an Ethiopian friend. The rest of my friends here are Finnish. I think that with time we can become really good friends.

William also found a girlfriend during his stay in Finland. She is from Estonia and they have been together for a bit over six months now.

Staying in touch with the friends

William thinks that his friends are really social and interesting people. He says that it is very easy to be around them and spend time with them.

– Sometimes we go out and have lunches together. Most of us were also together on New Year’s Eve.

To William finding new friends was important. He thinks that making new friends is always a good thing.

– Especially if you are from different places, you can learn a lot from each other. This makes life as a whole even more interesting.

William has not decided yet whether he is going to stay in Finland after graduation.

– I just want to complete my studies and the rest will follow. But even if I go back to Kenya, I am pretty sure that I will always be coming back to visit, especially during the summer.

He also plans to stay in touch with his new friends.

– We are all connected basically with the social sites so distance is not really a problem. And even if I leave, I am sure I will be visiting them sometimes or even the other way round.