From the European country Finland, comes senior Paula Vouera, a foreign exchange student who experienced hardships and serendipity.

Even though she is 5,000 miles away, it isn’t unusual for her to be so far away from home. When she was four years old, she resided with her family in Atlanta, Georgia for two years. She has also traveled to other European countries such as Sweden, Estonia, Greece, and Italy.
“I mean it would be nice to see my family and friends, but I wouldn’t say I’m homesick,” Vouera said. “Although during Christmas break I was getting kind of sad.”

Her life as an exchange student was complicated by the same event that affected hundreds of South Austin residents: the Halloween floods along Onion Creek. Her host family’s house was flooded, forcing her to have to move in to two different temporary homes.

On Valentine’s Day, she was assigned to move in with Akins dance director Alexandra Gates and her family.
“It was very traumatizing for all of us, and having to move around to different houses has been both frustrating and mentally tiring,” she said.

Despite the hardship she encountered, she also has enjoyed many new experiences she has had while attending Akins.
This year, she played in the Akins varsity soccer team and Hip Hop dance team. Vouera has been participating in dancing for the past 11 years and won a Finnish championship in Hip Hop dancing.
“I’ve always dreamed of playing in a real soccer team but where I come from there isn’t really any girl teams, that’s why I haven’t had the chance to do it before,” Vouera said. “I also can’t believe I made it this far in my dancing career.”
Vouera is heading back to Finland to finish her studies on June 30, as the education system in Texas operates differently.
“It’s sad that I have to go back, but I have to finish high school over there because this year’s studies don’t count for me at all,” Vouera said.
Vouera hopes to come back to Austin in the future.
“I’d probably come back in some point of my life,” she said. “I love Austin, love the weather, and the close friends that I made. My most memorable moments are every game with the soccer team, dance contests and the time spent with my team members and my duet partner Rey.”