Hosting the first face-to-face meeting of the project, the Finnish team wanted to make sure we all would get to know each other properly. We decided that the best way to do so was to spend the first day of the meeting by doing different kinds of activities together. Since Finland is famous for its great nature, and citizens who enjoy spending time in the outdoors, we decided to arrange the first day at Humak, Kiljava campus, located in a forest surrounding by lake Sääksjärvi.
We started the day with some traditional getting to know you activities, instructed by two Humak community educator students, and then continued with a walk in small groups, conducting a set of small tasks on the way to the meeting point. One of the tasks was to collect as many shades of green in the nature as possible, and present them as a piece of art at the meeting point. And you can only imagine what beautiful pieces of art we all got to see.
After the walk we continued with nature bathing, where the idea is to find your own spot in the nature, take in all possible impressions from nature, by using all your four senses. This allows you to let go of all your thoughts and will empty your mind for half an hour or more. Walking back to the campus building we all felt relaxed and happy.
Back at campus it was time for sauna, located just by the lake, and from the sauna jumping right into the cool lake. A new and unique experience for many of the OUYE participants. Something you can only experience in Finland on a beautiful summer night like this one.
Finally we finished our perfect day with a great BBQ, as we were watching the midnight sun set over the lake at 11pm. What a beautiful day!
