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Keeva Crudden After arriving at the airport in Helsinki, the other animal care students and I took a taxi to our hotel in the city centre. In the morning we walked around the city and had breakfast in a café. The weather was beautiful. We got the train to Salo and then we were collected at the station by Linda, one of the teachers from Axxell. When we arrived at Brusaby we were given a tour of our accommodation, the college facilities, the small animal house, the large animal house, the college farm, the stables and the local village. We had dinner in the village and then spent the rest of the day meeting the animals and staff. The next morning we had breakfast in the college canteen and started work in the small animal house. Asa, the woman in charge of the animal house, introduced us to one of her students Elin. Elin was our mentor for the duration of our stay and she worked with us in the animal house. We got given our work uniforms and we started off by feeding all of the animals their hard food, cleaning out their enclosures and changing their water. There were chinchillas, degus, gerbils, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, lizards, skinks, turtles, fish, cats, dogs and a snake. When that was done we started preparing the green feed and supplements for all of the animals. After feeding we headed up to the large animal house where there were donkeys, goats and chickens. We collected eggs, cleaned the chicken hutch, groomed the donkeys and cleaned out all of the enclosures. At the end of the day we did laundry and mopped the small animal house. This was the same routine we followed for the whole week. In the evenings we would explore the local area and walk to the supermarket for food. There were bikes in the college that were free to use so some days we went on cycles in the woods and around the village. On Friday after work, we got a lift from one of the teachers in the college, Tomas, to Turku. The weather was stayed nice for our trip. We stayed in a BnB right in the city centre. We visited the cathedral, Turku castle and Turku art museum. We also enjoyed many nice meals in the city and walked along the river. On Sunday evening we got the bus back to Brusaby. On Monday we worked in the animal house as usual. On Tuesday and Wednesday we went to work on the college farm. Boyza, the farm manager, explained the workings of the farm and continued to give us information throughout the day. We helped move the sheep and feed them. We also got to feed the cows that were in the slatted sheds. We went to each of the young herd of sheep and weighed them. We had to clear out the lambing shed and dismantle the pens after moving the lambs. We got to watch the herding dog, nanny, work with the sheep. On Wednesday afternoon we were all very hot after working on the farm all day so Boyza brought us for Ice cream in the village. The evening Linda brought us to a spa in Kasnas. We had dinner on the marina before going in. The spa had a lovely outdoor pool and hot tub. On Thursday we went back to working in the animal house. Some of the cats we had been caring for in the quarantine room had to be euthanised for various reasons so we went with Elin to the on campus vet. We got to watch the healthy cats get their vaccinations as well. On Friday we worked again in the animal house. There were some visitors at the college so we helped show them the animals on their tour. After work we said our goodbyes and Linda gave us a lift back to the train station in Salo. We got the train to Helsinki and we stayed there for the night. On Saturday we explored the markets in Helsinki and I did a boat tour around the coast. Then we got the train to Vantaa where we stayed for our final night. In the morning we got the train directly to Helsinki airport and headed home. My favourite part of the trip was getting to work with so many animals that I had never worked with before. I loved learning how to care for the exotics as I didn’t have much knowledge on the topic before the trip. I also loved getting the opportunity to visit different areas of Finland on the weekends. My least favourite part of the trip was leaving as I didn’t want to leave the animals or the staff that had been so kind to us. The trip definitely helped increase my confidence as it showed me that I had the ability to go abroad out of my comfort zone and still have an enjoyable working experience. I improved my communication skills as I had to converse with many people who had limited English. Most of all I got to develop my animal care skills as there were so many different types of animals that we cared for. Getting hands on experience with these animals was far more valuable than studying the topic. For students going on Erasmus in the future my advice would be to work hard during the day and in the evenings and on the weekends do your best to see as much of the country as possible. The time goes quickly so it’s important to make the most of it. Sarah Elizabeth BoothErasmus 2023- Brusaby, Kimito, Finland. 14th –28th May 2023 My name is Sarah Booth, and I am a student in Animal Care and Dog Grooming at Galway Technical Institute. I had the honor of being awarded a place on the Erasmus+ program where I got to travel to Finland to carry out placement at Axxell Brusaby which is an animal college situated in southern Finland. The duration of the Erasmus trip was a total of two weeks. From Monday to Friday, I worked with the animals at the college and on the weekends, I did some local travel within Finland. Kemito where the college was located, is a very remote area with lots of forestry, farmland and beautiful scenery. I enjoyed the remoteness of the area as I grew up in the countryside, so it felt nothing strange to me. This is how my two weeks panned out... Week 1- (14th-21st) Sunday- Departed from Galway coach station via Citylink bus to Dublin airport where we flew to Helsinki Finland with a stopover in Stockholm Sweeden. We arrived in Helsinki airport a little after midnight where we collected our bags and took a taxi into Helsinki Center where our hotel was situated. We stayed in Hotel Finn, which was super affordable, safe, clean and comfortable. I would highly recommend staying at this hotel if visiting Helsinki. Monday- I got up early and got myself a coffee and some breakfast before our group headed to the train station to take a train to Salo where our host Linda collected us to take us to the college in Kemito. This was an induction day where we were shown around the college and farm and introduced to one of our supervisors named Boysa who is an absolute gem. We were then taken to our accommodation which was a small house with two twin rooms. It was clean and cozy but also very warm. Tuesday- First day of work. We made our way over to the small animal house where we were told to meet another supervisor named Asa at 8am. We also met a student named Elin who showed us how to do all the jobs. We started in the rodent room where we cleaned out their bedding, changed their water and fed them. I was doing the rabbits so there was lots to clean up. We then went into the reptile room where we changed out the water in all their enclosures. We then went into the cat room where we met a cat named Paddington, I cleaned out his litter tray, changed his water and fed him, we let him out of the cage to roam around the catio. We went into the bird room where there were birds such as budgies, we changed their water and gave them food. We then went on your lunch break from 11:30-12:30. We returned and went up to the chickens, goats and donkeys. I fed the chickens and changed their water while the other girls collected their eggs and cleaned up after them. We then went out to the goats to change their water and moved on to the donkeys. The donkeys had to be mucked out, have their coats brushed out and hooves cleaned out. They were also given their minerals and fresh water We then returned to the small animal house to prepare green food for all the animals. All The animals got fed this green food every day with exception of the reptiles who only got fed on certain days in line with their diet. There was a list of what vegetables could be given to each animal this was in Swedish so we used Google Translate to know what exactly we could give them. The Guinea pigs needed a vitamin c supplement Added to their green food and reptiles needed magnesium added to their green food. We then finished up work for the day and I went to the supermarket to get some food to make dinner with, I stuck to my Irish roots and made Shepards pie. It was definitely the home comfort I needed after my first day of work and all the travelling over the past few days. Wednesday- Today's workload was pretty much the same as yesterday, in the rodent room I was with the rabbits again, they don’t seem too keen on human interaction which I find kind of disappointing as I would love to pick them up if they were willing to be held. We also got to go into the quarantine cat room where stray cats are brought too, they stay here for two weeks before they can be brought into the regular cat room or be adopted if they have not been collected by their owner in the meantime. They stay in quarantine in case they are carrying disease. Some of these cats may be euthanized if they are in very ill irreversible health or if they cannot be handled safely by humans. In the regular cat room, I changed out Paddington's bedding for clean sheets I got from storage and brought the dirty sheets to the designated laundry area. After my workday had ended, I went back to my accommodation and started looking at accommodation in Turku which is a city about an hour away from Kemito as myself and my course mates are planning on visiting here at the weekend. We decided on a B&B in the city center that works out at less than 30 euro per person per night with breakfast included. We booked it for both Friday and Saturday night. We are going to take the bus to Turku after work on Friday. Thursday-We had our basic work duties of the cat room, reptile room, quarantine, the bird room, the chickens, goats and donkeys today. I decided to work with the guineapigs today, cleaning them out was definitely a lot easier on the back than working with the rabbits. We also got to do some dog grooming on to of Asa’s Shetland Collies, just a wash and dry and Asa showed me how to brush a dog's teeth, I was delighted to get to learn this as it generally isn't thought in grooming courses in Ireland. After my workday had ended, I decided to go for a walk to see the lovely scenery of Kemito. It was a super lovely day, and I had a lovely walk. Friday- Today was my last day of work before the weekend, we carried out all the general duties. I did a deep clean on the guineapig enclosure and gave them fresh bedding. I prepared the green food with the girls for all the animals and made sure everything was done for the day off the checklist on the whiteboard in the hallway. We went back to the house to get ready for our trip to Turku. We arrived in Turku and went straight to the B&B to drop off our bags and get our keys before we went exploring the city. The B&B was lovely. We went straight from the B&B to the square beside Turku Cathedral to get some dinner, I got a beef bao bun at a Korean food stand and it was delicious after that we went into the cathedral to have a look around as it was free entry. We then had a look around some of the shops that were still open, we came across a fantastic shop called “Aurinko” which sold amazing Indian made clothing, jewelry and home decor. We headed home soon after that to get an early night as we were tired from working all week. Saturday- I got up early and got ready to be in time for breakfast as it finished at 9:30. It was a buffet continental breakfast which was really nice. It was good to get something filling in as we had a day of exploring and walking ahead of us. We visited Turku Castle, which was really beautiful, there was also a wedding being held in a part of the castle, so it was lovely to see a traditional Finnish wedding and their traditions as we passed it, they had lots of beautiful flowers and chants. We spent the rest of our day walking around Turku and went for a lovely meal in a restaurant called “Pinchos Nation” which is a carnival style restaurant with a lovely selection of tapas, their churros were unbelievable. I got to explore some great secondhand shops which were great value and really great clothes. Sunday- We had our breakfast in the B&B, packed our bags and checked out. We made our way to a close by art gallery called Turku Art Museum which had a fantastic showcase on, they even accepted our Irish student cards as did Turku Castle, so it is worth carrying your student card with you to avail of student rates even when abroad. We went and got some lunch before we headed to take the bus back to Kemito. I decided to go back to the restaurant we had eaten at the evening before as I wanted to try more stuff off their menu. We took the bus back to Kemito and got ready for the week ahead Week 2 - (22nd –28th) Monday-We were back in the animal house today carrying out the everyday duties in the rodent room, bird room, reptile room, cat room/quarantine, chickens, donkeys and goats. In the reptile room the fish tanks had to be cleaned out, which was a job I did not enjoy but it could have been worse. I was really happy to see the donkeys and goats after being away from them for the weekend There was also two new cats in the quarantine room. Tuesday- Today was the first of two days on the farm which is located around five minutes away from the college. Our supervisor Boysa collected us outside the college canteen and brought us to the farm. It was absolutely my favorite day of work so far as we were working with sheep who are adorable. The main job of the day was weighing all the lambs, which was super fun and Boysa made sure we all took a turn in each role e.g., Noting the weights, getting the sheep onto the scales and checking tags. She was really happy with our efficiency of getting this job done in such a short time scale before our lunch break. After our lunch break, we came back to the farm to feed and take care of the animals. I really enjoyed my day and am looking forward to more farm-work tomorrow. Wednesday-Today was my second and final day on the college farm, it was a lovely day and we got to see Nanny the farm dog go to work at herding sheep and moving them to a different field. I got to get some hands on with this by following with a gate to ensure none of them ran off. We also got to give the cattle and sheep their morning feed of nuts and silage. We spent the rest of the day dismantling the inside of one of the sheds to have it ready to be power washed in the coming weeks. We then cleaned down the feeding containers to put them into storage. Boysa very kindly took us for ice cream after work. I was really sad to be leaving the farm today as it has been my favorite area of Erasmus work. We gave Boysa some Irish gifts to thank her for everything as it was the last time, we were going to see her before we left Finland. In the evening Linda our host took us to a Finnish sauna in Kasnas, we went for a lovely meal and got to experience how Finns relax in their spare time. Thursday- We were back in the animal house carrying out the general duties again today. We got to view the on campus veterinary clinic as the four cats in quarantine were going in for checkups. Two of them were in to get their vaccines and one of them had to have its eyes cleaned out but unfortunately the two other cats had to be euthanized for their own welfare as they were off ill health. I thought it was really cool to get to be in the veterinary clinic to get an insight into a veterinary setting, but it has made me sure it's not an area I would want to go into. After work I went back to the apartment to pack up my belongings as tomorrow is my last day and I will be departing for Helsinki. Friday- Today was my last day of work at Axxell Brusaby, we got to work all the daily duties and say goodbye to the animals. We were taken up to the horses to ensure they all had plenty of water as the weather was very warm. We finished our workday with a Finnish tour group visiting the college, I was up with the donkeys, goats and chickens and explained to the group that were Erasmus students from Ireland and what duties we were carrying out with these animals over the past two weeks. They were very friendly and had good English. We gave all our supervisors a small gift of appreciation for having us work with them. We then went back to the apartment to get changed and be ready to meet Linda to take us to the train in Salo to go back to Helsinki. We took the train from Salo to Helsinki and went straight to our hotel which was called Omena hotel situated in the city center. It was a very basic self-automated hotel, it was a low budget hotel, but it was fine for one night. For dinner I went to Hills dumplings restaurant, which was super busy, but they managed to squeeze me in. The food was really good. Saturday- We checked out of the hotel and put our bags in a luggage storage in the city center which only cost five euro for the day. We needed to do this as we couldn’t check into the hotel, we were staying at in Vanta until 4pm and wanted to spend the day in Helsinki. We had breakfast in a lovely restaurant called “The Lazy Fox” they cater to tourists as they were offering fry ups and pancakes like regular Irish/English menus. I spent the rest of my day in the amazing secondhand shops. The first one I went into has to be the best secondhand/vintage shop I have ever been in. I even bought a stunning rucksack to bring all my purchases home with me in. I found everything to be a lot more affordable than the clothes in Irish charity shop. We headed out to our hotel apartment in Vanta which was unbelievable, it was so fancy and clean. We then went for a last family dinner in a Texas style restaurant which was so tasty. We went back to the apartment and hung out for a while before heading to bed. Sunday- This was our last day in Finland, we decided to get up early to go for breakfast so we could leave our luggage in the apartment while we ate. We went to a local café, and I had a lovely sandwich and sweet waffles. We then headed back to the apartments to collect our bags as checkout was at 11:00. We just chilled outside in the center of the town before taking the train out to the airport. Overview: Overall getting to go to Finland on Erasmus was an amazing experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. I recommend to anybody that has the opportunity to go on Erasmus to definitely go as it's an experience that should not be missed. It’s a chance to travel, work abroad and build confidence as well as meeting new people. I would like to thank everyone involved in making my Erasmus opportunity possible for me as it has given me fantastic memories to be able to look back on. Leanne BurnsErasmus Blog – Leanne Burns, Brusaby College, Finland Week 1 – 15th - 19th May 2023 The first week started off with introductions to the supervisor of the small animal house in Brusaby, where we would be working for the majority of our Erasmus placement. Asa was lovely and very welcoming, we also met Elin a student of Brusaby who was doing her work placement in the small animal house also. Elin ran through what tasks needed to be done each day. The building was divided into separate rooms for the animals, there was the bird room, cat room, rodent room, reptile room, quarantine room and the stables and chicken coop. We would start each day with the rodent room, I would give the rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, hamster, gerbils, chinchillas, and the degu clean water and wash out the food bowls from each enclosure. The next thing to do in this room was to clean the sawdust and litter trays for the rabbits, guinea pigs, degu and the two chinchillas. Once the rodent room was finished we would split up to do the same work in the other animal rooms, some went to the bird room, the reptile room, and the cat room before coming together again to work in the quarantine room. I enjoyed this aspect of splitting up to do the tasks, because we rotated each day I had the opportunity to work in each of the rooms. I found the quarantine room especially interesting as the college take in stray animals, mostly cats and look after them. They are brought to the vet to check for a microchip and be vaccinated. After 14 days the cats are then moved into the cat room where they stay while Asa tries to find them new homes. After the small animal cages were clean we then had to prepare fresh fruit and veg for the animals, including the chickens, goats, and donkeys. There was a feeding schedule to make sure the food was varied for the animals. We brought the food up tot the other section that housed the chickens, goats, and donkeys, while feeding them I got fresh water, cleaned out the chicken coop and checked for eggs. One day I found 6 eggs and Asa said I could keep them; I ended up having some for my lunch that day and they were lovely. I helped to muck out the donkey stable and we took turns in brushing the donkeys and cleaning their hooves. For the weekend of week one I had planned a trip to Turku with the other girls from animal care. Linda from Brusaby gave us loads of recommendations for things to see and places to eat while we were there. We saw the cathedral, walked along by the river, visited Turku castle and an art gallery. It was a really fun weekend, and it was nice to break up the two weeks of work too. Week 2 – 22nd – 26th May 2023 This week was by far my most enjoyable one. On Tuesday and Wednesday we were working on Norrgard the farm. As someone who has been on a farm only a handful of times I was unsure of how this aspect of the work would go but it really was a great experience. Boysa, who runs the farm picked us up outside of our accommodation and brought us out to the farm. Overalls and wellies were provided to us, and our first task was to move a heard of lambs from one shed to another. It was interesting to see the sheep dog working. I helped with moving other herds of sheep out of the shed they had been in for the winter, and we started to break down the barriers in the shed as they clean it out during the summer when the sheep are all outside. The biggest task we had on the farm was to weigh the lambs. We each had a job to do to make sure the process ran smoothly; I think this is where the other animal care girls and I showed how well we are able to work in a team and communicate what needs to be done. A lamb would need to be caught and put inside the weighing machine, the tag number and weight would be recorded, and the lamb would be released and put into a separate area, we repeated this process then for all of the lambs and even got photos taken with the three lambs that Louise, Shane and Stephanie named while they were visiting. The farm was hard work and tiring but definitely well worth it, I now have even more respect for my dad who works on a farm on top of a full-time job. The other days in this week were spent working in the small animal house, completing the jobs that had been outlined for us the week before. When it came time to say goodbye to the staff in Brusaby it was hard, Linda, Asa, Boysa and Elin had been so welcoming and helpful. I was sad to be leaving. On the weekend then we spent a night in Helsinki and a night in Vantaa, which was closer to the airport. It was a great weekend, a lovely way to relax and take in a bit more of Finland before flying home. I will be highly recommending the Erasmus programme to everyone I know now. The Erasmus trip for me was an amazing experience, when I first arrived I was a bit intimidated by how remote the college felt but it was nice to be working with the other girls from animal care and knowing them beforehand definitely made me feel more comfortable being away from home. Maura Christina FellWeek 1 My trip began bright and early getting the 5.30am bus from Galway to Dublin airport. Little did I know the interesting travel day I was about to have! After sprinting through Stockholm airport to make the connecting flight unfortunately, we missed it. After7 hours and a free meal in the airport, we finally headed on a flight to Helsinki. Arriving late we headed straight for the hotel for a night’s stay. The next day we headed by train to Salo, where we were picked up by our host Linda. After a lovely 40min drive we arrived at the Axxell college in Kimito. We had a tour of the college, farm, nearest town and got settled in to our accommodation where we will be staying for the next 2 weeks. Though the location was a bit remote, it was really nice to be able to take a cycle or go for a walk to the town while also feeling safe. We got fabulous weather, averaging 22degrees. It was lovely and sunny. I started work on Tuesday the 16th. My first day mainly consisted of seeing the jobs we will be doing, where to find the feed, straw etc. and how to complete the jobs. In the animal house: there was a bird room, quarantine room, rodent room, reptile room, and a storage room. On the other corridor there was a cat room, a dog grooming room, and two rooms which had indoor and outdoor dog cages for the students who are training service dogs. Throughout the first week I mainly cleaned and fed the chinchillas, degu, tortoises, and the gerbils enclosures. We all kind of worked together when doing most tasks as it was more time efficient but also nice to have the chat! I also helped the other girls clean and feed the chickens, donkeys, goats, change the waters in all enclosures such as the skink, budgies, bearded dragon, gecko and feed the fish. Another job we had was to spray water into the tortoise’s compost bucket to ensure it stays moist. They have a cat room and a quarantine room in the college as people bring in stray cats. The students at the college look after the cats until they manage to rehome them. In the cat room we took care of Paddington! He was a lovely chill cat and liked attention (when he wanted food!!) Usually after our lunch break, but sometimes before, we prepared the ‘green feed’. The green feed was basically vegetables, fruits, and grass which we prepared for the rodents, reptiles, donkeys, chickens, and the goats. We followed a list of which what vegetables and fruit each animal can and can’t have. This is an example of what animals eat what on a Friday. On Thursday the 18th we also got to bathe 2 of the teacher’s 3 shelties. One of the shelties was very good at doing tricks, another was a search and rescue dog who could find somebody lost in the woods through their scent on a piece of clothing, and the other one was just a pet. When this was done, I headed up to the donkeys, brushed them and picked their hooves. I can’t say cleaning the chicken’s enclosure was my favourite part, but it had to be done! On Friday we all headed to Turku for the weekend, the oldest city in Finland. Over the weekend we went to see Turku castle. I rented a bike for the day, and it was really nice cycling by the river Aura We also visited the cathedral. This was Turku castle. I found Turku to be a very vibrant, clean, and scenic city, full of river boats, cafes, and restaurants. We also visited an art museum. It was amazing seeing all different sculptures, pictures, and paintings. On the Sunday we headed back to Kimito by bus. Week 2 Monday morning it was back to the early morning routine starting work at 8.30. I was glad I opted for breakfast service in the canteen each morning, it was very handy. I completed much the same jobs as last week, changing waters, feeding pellets, sweeping floors, brushing the donkeys, and checking the wellbeing of each animal. We also cleaned the fish tanks. I made sure to leave some time at the end to cuddle with the cats and spend time with the chinchillas. Over the next 2 days we were on the farm. I was most excited to spend time with the sheep and calves. Work on the farm started at 8am. The first day we got into our overalls, wellies and got shown around the barns and storage sheds. We also were made aware of the dangers and to be aware of machinery. On Tuesday I fed the calves and cows. I had a wheelbarrow full of buckets of protein for them. They also had adlib of silage and water. They get their heifer calves from the local dairy farmer. They then feed them up all the way to adulthood where the put them in calf before going back to the dairy farmer. We also had the job of weighing the ram lambs. We took it in turns weighing the lambs and writing down the information. I caught the lambs in the pen and put them into the weighing machine. Weighing the lambs every couple of months, helps to see how they are progressing. I found the second day on the farm quite interesting; we dismantled the indoor sheep pen and troughs for a deep clean as the sheep were now all outside for the summer. Lifting each heavy-duty gate took 3 of us. I really enjoyed spending time with the farm animals and our teacher even brought us all out for Ice cream at the local café after. Though I also enjoyed working with the smaller animals, the farm was my favourite part of my work placement. Back in the animal house for the final few days we went to the vet, which is on campus, with the quarantine cats for some vaccinations. Unfortunately, 1 of the cats had to be put to sleep as he was completely feral and he wouldn’t be suitable for rehoming, he also had issues with his stomach. Here is one of our quarantine cats Leo. He is super friendly and loves to make ‘biscuits’! On Thursday Keeva and I went for a lovely cycle through Kimito and the nearby woods. Im not sure a little city bike was the right pick for a dirt trail, but we made it work. We all headed to Salo to catch the train back to capital, Helsinki for a night’s stay. Helsinki was a nice city. Keeva and I went on a sightseeing boat tour and saw some beautiful islands and scenery. It was lovely seeing the city from a different angle. After that we got a train to Vantaa where we would stay one more night before going to the airport. We had a delicious dinner before calling it a night. Our travel day home was interesting to say the least. We arrived by train to the airport and got checked in all fine. We made our plane and headed to Stockholm. This is where the fun began! After a sprint off the plane and to our connecting flight we just about made it. Just before take-off the emergency exit slide inflated and burst. We had to disembark and luckily after a few hours they got us a plane as the next flight wasn’t supposed to be until the following day. We finally arrived back to Galway at 3am. It was all worth it in the end. I truly enjoyed my work placement here in Kimito, Finland. I met some lovely friendly people and would definitely recommend Erasmus programme to anybody who has the opportunity. It was a brilliant experience! |
Group 2022-23May 2023: |