Sara and Luukas from Espoonlahden lukio: Dreaming of a visit to Espoonlahti's twin school in Japan

Sara and Luukas are second-year students at the Espoonlahden lukio upper secondary school, also known as Jylla. Both are interested in languages, and they chose Jylla because it offers a wide range of language studies and, in particular, an opportunity to study Japanese. Luukas started studying Japanese independently before upper secondary school, but he wanted to enhance his language proficiency by taking the courses offered at Espoonlahti. In turn, Sara is also passionate about studying languages. In addition to Japan, she plans to study a total of six other languages in Jylla. “I am interested in different cultures, and knowing the language helps me gain a deeper understanding of the culture, as well,” Sara says.

One of Espoonlahden lukio’s twin schools is located in Ohan, Japan. Both Sara and Luukas are looking forward to the next opportunity to test their language skills on site in Japan. Before that, they will have an opportunity to meet students from the twin school as they come to visit Jylla next winter. Moreover, Jylla students get to practice their language skills on several travel courses which take students to different destinations each year. However, many of the travel courses do not require any specific language proficiency, as long as the students show interest in the theme of the trip.

In addition to Japanese, Luukas is studying German as his A language, and also advanced mathematics and natural sciences. Combining the different subjects has been easy, and Luukas is happy that he can study a wide range of subjects he finds interesting. He also intends to complete the DSD1 German language diploma. “Here, you are free to create your own study plan,” says Sara whose interests, besides languages, include at least biology and psychology, and whose future plans involve one day becoming a physician. Sara is also planning to complete the DELF diploma of French language proficiency.

Both Sara and Luukas speak highly of studying at Jylla. “Jylla has excellent teachers and a welcoming atmosphere. I especially like the Tuesday dates where they serve coffee, tea and cookies, and you get to meet teachers and student welfare personnel,” says Luukas. As a member of the student union board, Luukas is involved in organising various events to spice up the day-to-day school life. Sara is also actively involved in the school world and serves as a student tutor at Jylla. “My favourite thing at Jylla is the break walks we take every now and then. A few minutes of physical activity in the middle of a lesson clearly improves the quality of learning.”