Erasmus @ Turku

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This infographic was made with the infographic maker Venngage.

That’s an infograph I’ve made for my project at Arts Promotion Centre. Feel free to check it out!

[erasmusatturku]

Exchange students love TUAS

TUAS is popular among exchange students from all over the world. The reasons why they choose this university above others vary from the courses it offers to facilities’ capabilities.

Experimenting and practicing

Maciej Idowski is a 24-year old exchange Mechanical Enineering student from Poland. He is spending a whole academic year here at TUAS. Maciej likes the fact that the practical courses are as important as the theoretical ones.

“One day my teacher walked in the class and said that he doesn’t want to give a full-scale lecture for us. He said if he talks for three hours in a row then for sure nobody can concentrating on what he’s saying for that long. So he just said the most important stuff and then we discussed the details and shared the knowledge in smaller groups.”

The most memorable experiences for him are, of course, the practical assignments. He is very enthusiastic about working in the laboratories. 

“In Poland we may not work in laboratories during the classes. We can only watch our professor make a demonstration for us. But here I’ve had an opportunity to practice with the robotic touchpad in the lab and also do other kind of fieldwork. For example during one course we were wearing waterproof costumes and making experiments right in the river. It was really fun thing to do.”

Mar Albero is a Spanish exchange student. She is 21 years old. She studied Fine Arts this Autumn Semester. Now she is studying Film and Media. Like Maciej Mar admires the TUAS’ approach towards the practical courses as well.

“I liked the pre-(film) making course from the autumn semester very much. Such things are unavailable at my home university but here I could just dive into the early stages of film production. That course was fascinating.”

Other thing that she likes about TUAS is that the class groups are quite small. She says that gives more opportunities to interact with the lecturer and the group. 

“In small groups teachers have more time to help the students. That’s why I learn faster then I’m used to here at TUAS.”Mar is enthusiastic about the infrastructure. She is studying mostly at the Linnankatu campus.“I like that the rooms are very airy and full of light. That really stimulates the artistic work. It’s very pleasant to work there.”

Various and interesting courses

Maciej chose TUAS for two reasons. Firstly it’s the only university in Turku that has suitable studies for his programme. 

“Other universities either don’t have any engineering programmes at all or the courses they offer are completely the same as in my home university. But here I could find many interesting courses that are suitable for me.” 

Secondly the universities from other countries he’d like to visit didn’t offer a review of available courses in English at all.

“My university is not only affiliated to TUAS but also to other universities, for example in Croatia and Crete. But the sites of those institutions are only in Croatian and Greek respectively. If I can’t understand a thing of what they have to offer me, why should I even go there?”

Mar chose TUAS for other reasons. She has always wanted to visit the Nordic part of Europe so once she’s got the opportunity to participate in Erasmus programme she instantly went for it.

“I’ve heard that Finnish education is one of the best in the world so I wanted to try it. And also the fact that this particular university offered me freedom to choose any course I want within my study field instead of a pre-arranged study programme was important for my choice to come here at TUAS.”

Very friendly staff

Maciej is very satisfied with his studies this far mainly because TUAS is so different from his home university in Poland. What strikes him the most is the attitude of the lecturers towards their students. In Poland they address the lecturers as “Mr/Ms Professor’ and their full names but here the first name only is sufficient. That creates a friendly and open atmosphere. 

“Most of our (Polish) professors make it clear that they are on the top of the social ladder and the students are somewhere at the bottom. So they behave very distantly towards us. But here at TUAS I can speak to any of my professors openly and they will always find time to help me or just to have a small talk.”

Mar is also very positive about the teaching staff and her classmates. 

“Everyone is so eager to help me and my other fellow exchange students. The teachers gladly provide us with any extra information we need and Finnish students are very friendly as well. They translate Finnish parts of the courses for us and help us out if somehow we can’t manage the task on our own.”

[erasmusatturku]

Lost in Turku

My university found a cool way of getting people from different campuses to know each other. During the Lost in Turku event we explored the city and own university in a totally different way.

First the participants had been divided into smaller groups (5-6 persons per group) and then we started a teambuilding activities. We had to rally through the city and stop at different campuses to solve the riddles or do some funny tricks like bouncing the ping pong ball with anything we can find or drawing within 5 minutes everything we associate with an exotic country.

At the end we had free food offered by Fair Trade and a photoshoot in banana costumes :) How did they know I love bananas?

I enjoyed that little adventure to the fullest!

[erasmusatturku]

Cruising Stockholm

Last weekend I’ve been on a cruise to Stockholm and back. It was an amazing experience. Happy 10th anniversary to The Pirates of the Baltic Sea!

My trip started in Helsinki. Once I got on the ship I went sightseeing and exploring the vessel. Later on the event started: 10th anniversary of the Pirates of the Baltic Sea cruise (in cooperation with Slija-line cruises). We got free champaign to celebrate it and later on a free buffet (normally worth 42 euros!). So everybody ate like they haven’t eaten in days :-p 

In the evening we had different events going on: pirate cosplay contest (which i somehow missed), blind dating show starring some fellow pirates, karaoke and, of course, wild partying at two discos available on the ship.

And here is the inside of the ship, I’m sorry I’ve taken a picture in a very fast moving elevator :-)

And the next day we were already in Stockholm. It is a very beautiful and unique city. It’s quite cold yet cozy, has a lot of modern buildings but still looks quite medieval. And it has an amazing history as well. That’s why I’ve taken a bus tour: combining sightseeing with some education :)

Yes, I’ve been taking pictures right from the bus during the tour. That was one of the Stockholm’s cathedrals.

The place where the Nobel Prize laureates are chosen: Svenska Akademien.

The Royal Palace.

I won’t bore you with the huge explanations of the places or a never-ending photo gallery so I’ll stick to those three photos. 

On the way back we still had some events on the ship: bingo, speed-dating, karaoke (yes that one is really popular), a free Grease musical and again parties!

Basically that was my trip to Stockholm in a nutshell. Feel free to ask any question if you feel like it!

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Julia Fladenhofer, 21, is an exchange student from Austria. She studies energy, environment and transport...

That’s the link to one of my works I had trouble finding. But now it’s here :) 

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Art Centre

My faculty at TUAS offers also a subject named Project Café. That’s basically a mini-placement. I’m doing mine at Art Centre.

I will work for the Art Centre’s website and cover the topic of Socially Engaged Art. That means that different artists make their masterpieces not for the sake of art but for the sake of humanity. They strive for social changes like battle against poverty and exclusion among the Syrian refugees (here in Finland) and other burning issues within the society. 

This far I’ve been doing some research on what socially engaged art is and I’ve found some interesting and surprising stories. For example in Argentina an artistic movement Tucumàn Arde battling against hunger and elitist institutions led to a real political revolution.

Now I’m curious what this project will bring. It won’t be a revolution but I really want to dig deeper in this matter.

[erasmusatturku]

Laser Tag

On Thursday I’ve decided to try something new and join the laser tag event. It was awesome!

Apparently many young Fins love laser tag. It’s something like bowling to them (they do have bowling as well). So when everyone gathered for the briefing we were divided into three teams. Each team had to protect it’s base and try to hit as many other players as well (but no friendly fire). 

For me it felt like being a stormtrooper in a Star Wars movie: running around in a labyrinth and trying to hit as many people as you can with your laser gun. Only without the cool white uniforms. 

I certainly recommend to try it if you get the chance!

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Lahti 2017

During the vacation I’ve decided to experience something typically Finnish. Obviously, the sauna but also nordic sports.

Myself, I’m not very sportive but the one doesn’t have to be really sportive to get to know new sport. That’s why I went to Lahti. This week there were qualifications for the next year world championship nordic sports. Those are mainly ski-sports.

At the entrance I’ve got that cool (and free)  tattoo-sticker. But the entrance itself isn’t free, I’ve got a student ticket for three days. 

During the first day I’ve just been wandering around and enjoying the atmosphere. Finns are very quiet unless they get into supporting their favourite athletes. And, of course, there were many supporters from other countries too. Just like me :) 

Cozy outdoor pubs and small restaurants were serving typical Finnish specialties. I’ve tried dried deer meat and fried Finnish fish (the name escapes me, sorry). 

During the second day there were ice hockey competitions. Among others the team from Lahti was one of the winners. Lahti’s team is called The Pelicans and I’ve grabbed a chance to take a picture of their mascot. 

The third and last day there were ski racing competitions. As I could have expected there were a lot of Finnish and Russian athletes present. But there were also some less obvious countries like Spain and Italy. This is me sitting on the tribunes and supporting... well, everyone I guess...

I must say I did enjoy my stay in Lahti. Even considering that people around me knew much more about those sports than me.

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The Library Love

I’m a library girl. I love books. So, yes, I read a lot. So this Valentine’s I’ve spend among my beloved books in the Turku City Library.

As all libraries in Finland, Turku’s library is completely free of charge. You just walk in, go to the reception, fill in the form and you have your library card. That’s it. The library offers book in various languages (I’ve seen books in English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and of course Finnish). You can also borrow films, video games and CDs. 

The library is also very well decorated. For example in the young adult section the different genres are indicated by the little displays that represent those genres. Just take a look at the fantasy world:

A section fully devoted to Harry Potter:

The non-fiction section:

Or the child books’ section:

But people don’t come to the library just to read or to study. For the youngest ones there are various puppet plays on weekends. 

Turku City Library is certainly a nice and lovely place to spend your day. I’d say it’s a definite must see if you ever visit this beautiful city.

[erasmusatturku]

What do exchange students from other countries think about being in Finland? That’s what Molly Burdine from the USA has to tell you!

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Get Finternational

Finnish colleges and universities find international relations and intercultural communication very important. That’s why they offer a Get Finternational course to the exchange students.

This week I’ve had a first ‘meetig’ about this course. As you can imagine the course is all about engaging the students to have a rich social life based on various international events and workshops. 

During the first ‘meeting’ we were talking about different clichés we have about each others country. Apparently Chinese food in the Chinese restaurants all over the world isn’t so Chinese you could wish because other countries tend to lack many key-ingredients required for the real Chinese dishes. Spanish people aren’t so lazy as other countries see them because they try to finish the work as soon as possible and spend the rest of the time as they want it (hobbies, resting, shopping and so on). Frenchmen are way less romantic then you picture them. Those and many other examples were discussed during the ‘meeting’. 

What else is yet to come? The workshops are spread across the whole semester. Those I, personally, want to participate are: traditional Finnish blueberry pie baking, language workshop where you can exchange and expand your language knowledge with other people and meeting the Finnish ‘friends’. 

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Arts Academy of Turku

Yes, as the title says it, I’m doing my exchange studies at the Arts Academy of Turku. I’m studying Media here. 

Finnish way of the educational proces is very different from the one at my home university (in Belgium). And also the campus itself proves that. No offence AP University College but you look a little bit like a bunker compared to the Lemminkäisenkatu-campus. 

First of all, the wifi is actually working at the campus. It doesn’t vanish into thin air if you move your laptop/smartphone a few centimeters to the left or right. And there are different wifi-connections so if somehow one of them doesn’t work you still have internet on another one.

Then there are comfy-zones. Soft chairs, bean bags and sofas are really at the every possible meeting point. This is still a university campus and not a five-star hotel but at least it’s pleasant and comfy to hang around with your fellow students.

Even the radiostudio is comfy. I guess Finnish people are sofa-addicts. 

And I do love the vintage telephone cell at one of the entrances. I haven’t really checked whether the phone is still working but looks pretty much like it is. But it does look cool. I mean it’s not some kind of boring entrance I’m used to at my home campus.

Last but not least, the food. Food basket in Finland is quite expensive. But students’ cafeteria isn’t. You get a buffet lunch for 2.60 euros (or approximately 2.8 dollar). You can pile up all the food you can eat from the menu on your plate and the price stays the same (it’s a buffet, duh) but you can’t come and refill your plate again after you’ve finished. Personally, I’m not a big eater so my plate usually looks like this (but every day there is a new menu so this image is merely a reference).

If you’re an exchange student too, I hope you enjoy your campus as much as I do. 

[erasmusatturku]

First days abroad

If you haven’t left your own country for a really long time, it is going to be a though period for you. Especially if you’ve never lived alone before as well. Here are the stages you surely going to go through before feeling yourself at home abroad.

I’m tired as hell.

Yes, It has been a long trip and even a longer day (and probably night too). You’ve got a lot to do but it looks impossible. The last power you’ve got left you just use to prepare and eat something small. You’re dreaming about the moment you crawl between the sheets and fall asleep.

Jeez, I want to go home!

Your place turns out to be something different then you’ve expected. You can’t find your way in the dormitory. People living on your floor seem odd and distant. You suddenly realise that you’re fully on your own now. Oh my God, home sweet home has never ben so desired before!

I am so lonely...

The people here are strange. Everyone has different level of English and people from the same country tend to form groups of their own and constantly talk in their own language. As follows there is no proper communication. Social awkwardness goes to a whole new level. Dang, you wish your good old pals were here with you too!

What am I even doing?

Murphy’s law at its best: any plan you make goes absolutely not how it should. Trying to make any kind of appointment seems useless and even impossible. International office and other bureaucratic instances are a total mess. You keep asking yourself why on earth have you done this to yourself...

I’m so sleepy, screw you, timezones!

The day and night seem to have switched their places. And then you realise: “Nope, they surely haven’t!” You just want to sleep ALL THE TIME. Your biological clock tricks you at all occasions. Adapting to a new timezone takes a lot of skill, effort and patience. If you don’t fall asleep trying though.

Where can I find some food?

Even if you have brought a small food stash it is going to be finished very soon. So the food-hunt starts! But where was the closes supermarket again? And then it’s probably time to cook but what was the recipe again? Jeez, this takes longer then I’ve expected! Can I afford a restaurant? Or should I call for the pizza-delivery? So many questions, so little food... 

I need to find this facility, bye-bye mobile data, thanks roaming!

You’re trying to find your campus or any kind of facility but this new city seems to be a maze. Everyone you’ve asked for directions points in completely different way. The public transport seems to be jinxed. Oh well, let’s open Google Maps App. Urge to get to your destination is too high to think about all that roaming and data-stuff.

If someone ever creates a navigation app with the classrooms I’m first one to get it!

Okay, you’ve found your campus. Finally! But where is the classroom you need? Someone, anyone? You swear to God that a day the FindYourClassroom App is released you are SO going to get it!

Doen’t look this bad though...

Oh well, people in your dormitory seem to be nice after all. And now that all that organisational bureaucracy is done your life seems to be a lot more satisfying. Apparently you have enough time to go out too. Probably even more then at your home university. This sounds about right!

Hey, party time!

Wow, there are so many happenings to attend! And if there are none, then someone from your dormitory will bring a change into that. You suddenly realise that the life isn’t only studying and trying to survive in a foreign country. Let the fun begin!

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Coping with the coldness

Finland, mid-winter... I thought I was well-prepared to the coldness but alas. It is an awesome place with stunningly beautiful nature but also petrifying frost.

Here are some tips to help you coping with the coldness:

Bring your ski-suit with you, believe me you are going to need it on daily basis even if you won’t ski (and if you don’t have one then definitely buy it)

Lip balm and hand cream are a necessity whatever your gender and level of shyness using them are

SUNGLASSES! You may think that in a country where the sun barely shines (and if it does then it’s just for a couple of hours) you won’t need them but you’re wrong. All that snow will almost literally hurt your eyes without protection.

Good LONG scarf. You’ll bless the moment you’ve decided to bring one with you when you are covering you neck, your face and whatever else from the cold.

Layering is a lifestyle. It’s too cold here to be pretty. It is always better to remove a redundant jumper then regretting that you are freezing in your pretty thin shirt.