{"id":1064,"date":"2017-08-15T11:01:20","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T11:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aberexchanges.blog\/?p=1064"},"modified":"2020-03-04T10:04:34","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T10:04:34","slug":"when-in-helsinki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/2017\/08\/15\/when-in-helsinki\/","title":{"rendered":"When in Helsinki&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1064 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/2017\/08\/15\/when-in-helsinki\/19366399_490745874596820_1855479805864865622_n\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/files\/2017\/08\/19366399_490745874596820_1855479805864865622_n.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/2017\/08\/15\/when-in-helsinki\/16112899_406425463028862_3042840755355659185_o\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/files\/2017\/08\/16112899_406425463028862_3042840755355659185_o.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Dear future Erasmus student,<\/p>\n<p>So, you\u2019re planning on going to Finland, yay! Good choice! You\u2019re probably wondering why you\u2019ve signed up to the most random year abroad country you could possibly choose. I mean it\u2019s literally unknown to most of the world, unless you\u2019ve watched confessions of a shopaholic, and if anyone does know about it all they can think of is darkness and snow. But don\u2019t worry I\u2019m here to tell you that your decision was a great one, you\u2019re about to embark to one of the most magical countries in the world so be prepared to be blown away!<\/p>\n<p>My name is Shannara and I\u2019ve been living in Helsinki for 10 months now, due to the same Erasmus program. Now this place is amazing but as much as Aber tries to prepare you, they can\u2019t.\u00a0 It\u2019s not their fault, things just don\u2019t work the same so be prepared to feel very confused when you arrive in this strange place. But no need to worry, that\u2019s where I come in. Within this letter, I\u2019m going to give you a few tips and tricks that I wish I had before, and when I first arrived, and I hope that they help you.#<\/p>\n<p>Tip number one; learn the language. Now Finnish is one of the most difficult languages in the world! So, don\u2019t expect to be fluent anytime soon, or even by the end of your stay (If you do, find me and I will buy you a drink!). But the Finns appreciate you trying, so learn the basics and go from there. Moi (hello), is a great start. On that note, don\u2019t worry too much about the language. As much as they will try to convince you that their English is terrible, what they won\u2019t say is it\u2019s because it\u2019s their fourth language and they find issue with words beginning with sh. Basically they\u2019re terrible liars and you\u2019ll realise they\u2019re probably better at English than you are.<\/p>\n<p>Tip number two; don\u2019t think your learning agreement means anything. HY (Helsinki University) works completely different to back home, there is no pre-registration. You get a username and passcode when you arrive, to a programme called Weboodi. This is where you will apply for each course 30 days before it starts. If you\u2019re like me and need to plan than just remember not to panic. The Finnish system is a little confusing for us mere British mortals, but they are the best in the world for a reason. Some courses will start in September some in November and others December. Which means you\u2019ll constantly be applying for your next course, so make sure you stay on top of it. The way the system is, it\u2019s all on you. You need to check if the courses clash, what level they\u2019re for, when the application time is, how many people can be accepted to the course, et cetera (they sign up early so make sure to set an alarm!). But don\u2019t stress they show you everything you need to do and you don\u2019t need to do anything until you\u2019ve arrived. You get given a student tutor, timings for the registration office and overtime the process becomes natural. So, in brief, some courses you may not be accepted to, others you\u2019ll miss the acceptance number, but there is such a range you will find something to replace it. And what\u2019s great is that if you fail a course you don\u2019t need to worry because you can usually replace it straight after! But remember that doesn\u2019t mean you can just flunk classes J After the initial stress passes, you\u2019ll realise how amazing the system really is.<\/p>\n<p>Tip number three; accommodation. Helsinki University don\u2019t provide student accommodation. So, you need to find your own. Start as soon as you can. Personally, I managed to get private accommodation but that can be difficult so here are a few tips. Try HOAS first. They are a service dedicated to providing students with accommodation, but they don\u2019t have to give it to you, so apply early and make sure all your paperwork is done on time. Otherwise with private here\u2019s some areas where you should look. Kamppi is student central, close to the centre and near the Uni and clubs it\u2019s a good place to look if you want a decent social life. T\u00f6\u00f6l\u00f6 is a little calmer than Kamppi but is also great as its very central and easy to get around. For you \u201chipsters\u201d S\u00f6rn\u00e4inen is perfect with vegan restaurants and student chill spots everywhere. Otherwise look outside the city. Places like Herttoniemi are perfect if you want to live in a quieter more picturesque neighbourhood. The one good think about Helsinki is that the transport is always scarily on time, even when buses are late they are always late at the same time (it\u2019s weird I know). The only time you need to worry is when its snowed, but they are very prepared so transport never fully stops just be make sure you leave earlier so you\u2019re not late to class. Try not to live more than 30 minutes away from the Uni or you\u2019ll find it hard travelling back and forth. Also don\u2019t worry too much Helsinki is very safe so most areas are great to live in.<\/p>\n<p>Tip number four; Finnish identity code. The Finns work of an identity code system. So, go and get one as soon as possible. It\u2019s how your health, Uni and post will work and legally you must get one if you\u2019re staying in Finland for more than 3 months. It\u2019s an amazing system, but you\u2019ll find out the pro\u2019s when you get here.<\/p>\n<p>Tip number five; don\u2019t feel intimidated. The way classes work you will not only be in class with your peers. I once had a class in my second semester where one of my classmates was my lecturer from one of my first semester classes. They don\u2019t divide undergrad, masters or PhD students in class but they will with grading. So, don\u2019t feel like you\u2019re not good enough to be in the class. It\u2019s done so that you\u2019ll work harder and learn from those with more knowledge than you. But that said it means that class will only teach the basics. You are expected to research enough to equal the level that you should know based on your degree scheme, so don\u2019t slack.<\/p>\n<p>Tip number six; travel. Helsinki is one of the best places to be if you want to travel the North. It is beyond cheap to fly, and if you\u2019re not afraid of a boat the ferries are even cheaper. Its upwards of 10 euros to get to Estonia. Sweden, Russia, Denmark and Norway are also easily accessible. But if you don\u2019t fancy going to another country Finland has enough to see. I would recommend Rovaniemi! Meeting Santa was amazing! You even may catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Also Turku and Tampere for more Finnish vibes. Or go more Eastern for Russian history or West for Swedish speaking areas.<\/p>\n<p>Tip number seven; the weather. Be prepared for cold and hot. Winter is freezing, no that\u2019s not a phrase it literally drops below freezing. My advice is to not buy anything until you arrive. Coats\/hats\/gloves\/scarves\/boots are much better quality here as they are designed to withstand the weather, and you have a good few months before any snow kicks into action so you have plenty of time to shop. Buy a SAD lamp. Finland is amazing but the darkness can creep up on you. In the middle of winter, it can get as low as 5 hours of sunlight a day, less if it\u2019s cloudy, so vitamin C tablets and a SAD lamp are your new BFF. But don\u2019t worry Finns have figured out that Sauna and many other methods can help you through the darkness. And between us, the snow is so beautiful it\u2019s worth it. Finally, from the land of no sun you then move to summer when it\u2019s the land of no darkness. Summer here is hot! So, don\u2019t get carried away buying jumpers and hats, shorts and sandals are the way to go! Which is great as a tan always feels so much more deserved after a Finnish winter!<\/p>\n<p>Tip number eight; smile. Not literally, smiling is great, but I\u2019m talking about photos. Bring passport photos with you everywhere during your induction week. They\u2019ll be needed for your Uni cards.<\/p>\n<p>So, there it is, my short eight tips to make a better Finnish trip. They might sound silly to you on paper but trust me when I say that I wish someone explained it all to me at the beginning. Even though no one did my trip was still beyond amazing. I\u2019ve met so many friends from around the globe, learnt languages I never thought I\u2019d understand, see festivals, people and lands that I couldn\u2019t have thought up in my wildest dreams. I\u2019ve met Santa, ridden rollercoasters, met reindeer, learnt to ice-skate, cheered for obscure sports teams with fervent passion, I\u2019ve been to sauna, Ice dipped, Skinny dipped (haha you\u2019ll learn), climbed mountains, sailed seas. But best of all I\u2019ve found a new place to call home. I truly hope you take advantage and do as much as possible on your exchange, and learn to love this beloved country as much as I have.<\/p>\n<p>Shannara McFarlane<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear future Erasmus student, So, you\u2019re planning on going to Finland, yay! Good choice! You\u2019re probably wondering why you\u2019ve signed up to the most random year abroad country you could possibly choose. I mean it\u2019s literally unknown to most of the world, unless you\u2019ve watched confessions of a shopaholic, and if anyone does know about&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/2017\/08\/15\/when-in-helsinki\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">When in Helsinki&#8230;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13066,"featured_media":1066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[24,32,33,34,35,36,41,42,43,49,58,60,61,65,98,102,107,109,112,114],"class_list":["post-1064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-office-aberystwyth-university","tag-blog","tag-dreams","tag-erasmus","tag-europe","tag-exchange","tag-excitement","tag-freedom","tag-friends","tag-fun","tag-happy","tag-life","tag-lifestyle","tag-memories","tag-new","tag-student-exchange","tag-sun","tag-tips","tag-travel","tag-travels","tag-truth","post_format-post-format-image"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/files\/2017\/08\/16939580_429668870704521_5511080269838267893_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13066"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1064"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1216,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064\/revisions\/1216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/aberexchanges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}