ESN JKL Cup II

On a bright autumn day in Jyväskylä the weather gods were smiling upon 12 football teams and their fans. The football gods, however, only favoured one team.

Group picture before the final match

The tournament had attracted 12 teams to compete for the victory of the second ESN JKL Cup on the 20th of September. About 100 players, both boys and girls from all around the world took part in competing for championship of the most international football tournament of Jyväskylä.

Teams were definitely giving their all and were not afraid to fight hard for the ball even on the rough surface of the campus field. Already after the first round of the tournament our vice president Annika had to become a nurse and patch up the players for the following games. Luckily we didn't see any big injuries thanks to the gentlemanlike manner players were behaving in the games and the great work of the referees.

The tournament had three teams that had players from the first ESN JKL Cup: 69, The Vikings and Fiesta Warriors. During the quarter-finals Fiesta Warriors seemed to have changed the first letter of their team name to an S and the tournament ended short for them. 69 and The Vikings met on the semi-finals where after an exciting match The Vikings turned the game in their favour.

The teams of the final match of the tournament, Tettenham and The Vikings, played against each other already at group stage. At the first game Tettenham had been clearly dominating the field but in the final The Vikings managed to keep up with Tettenham during the first half. But as the game continued Tettenham started to gain more and more control and in the end they had a clear victory. For some of the players of The Vikings this was now the second time of losing the final of ESN JKL Cup. But maybe third time’s the charm?

Tettenham had been dominating all of their games since the the beginning of the tournament and were clear victors of the second ESN JKL Cup. The captain of the team Pepe commented the tournament and their performance: “First of all, we are grateful with ESN Jyväskylä. It was a really good journey. Nice weather, good organization and the most important thing: having fun! In fact, this was our theme during the tournament. The performance of the team was amazing. Thanks to all of them: Andrea, Andreas,Coach Clement, Enrico, Esco, Javi, Martin, Paula and Shin!  Since the first match until the final we kept the game on high level. Nähdään ensi turnauksessa!”

Tettenham celebrating their victory

I’m also looking forward to the next ESN JKL Cup in spring 2015. Thank you for all the players, referees, audience and ESNers who were helping to organize the tournament! I hope next time we can make this event even better!

-Marjut

SITSIT 101

WHAT IS SITSFEST? How should one behave there?

Participants of the 'Historical figures' sitsit in February 2014

Sitsit (sitsfest) is an academic soirée with a long tradition where students gather around tables to drink, eat, sing and be merry together. Seating is arranged, there are toastmasters leading the program, and playful rules to follow which give sitsit its unique vibe. Each sitsit is themed, and you should dress up accordingly! 

Toastmasters of the 'Historical figures' sitsit

The following "rules" are funny rituals that make a sitsit a sitsit. The toastmasters will be enforcing the rules, and if you or your neighbors aren't following them, you can inform the toastmasters as well! If it is your first time attending a sitsit, read over the rules and try to remember them, but they will also be reviewed at the party and your fellow party goers will remind you.

The Rules:

1. In a Sitsfest, you must ALWAYS dress according to the theme.

2. You are not allowed to be late for a Sitsfest. The ones who are late will be punished according to rule number 10.

3. You may sit down in the table only when the toastmaster gives you permission to do so.

4. The toastmaster is the ruler. The orders of the toastmasters must be followed. You may present wishes considering the evening and the songs to the toastmaster. Always ask permission (in the manner presented by the toastmasters) to speak or suggest a song.

5. You are not allowed to leave the table without a permission from the toastmaster. You may use the bathroom only during the Conference (=break).

6. When it is time to toast, men raise their glasses first to the right, then to the left and finally to the front. Women first to the left,  then to the right and finally to the front. You’re not allowed to clink the glasses. At least the first shot will be drunk together.

7. When someone challenges you, you stand up and answer with a song. For example, if there’s a challenge “The French on the table, we want the French on the table”, it means that all the French must stand up on their chairs and sing a song together from the songbook. If somebody shouts “OMSTART!”, it means that you must sing the song again from the beginning.

8. In a Sitsfest, you NEVER applaud by clapping your hands together. You can applaud by drumming the table with your hands with an appropriate strength.

9. Breaking the rules causes playful punishments. The toastmasters are in charge of deciding the punishments. They can be anything from silly competitions to completing a task in front of everyone. Therefore following the rules is utterly important.

10. PU-NISH-MENT!

"Rules are good! Rules help control the fun!" - Monica Geller

ESN på bordet! Vi vill ha ESN på booooordeeeeet!

ENJOY and FOCUS ON WHAT’S ACTUALLY IMPORTANT, as instructed by Marjut

Two peas in a pod - Valentine's day sitsit 2013

Sitsit is a very big part of the Finnish student culture and I always urge all the international students to take part in them at least once. Sitsit is definitely my favourite kind of a party and I would only miss an ESN sitsit for a very good reason. (An exam is not a good reason, most of the time there has been an exam the following day but it hasn’t stopped me.)

Sitsit party is a night full of drinking, eating and, above all, singing. According to my personal experience a night when I’m singing is ALWAYS a great one. Maybe not for the people listening but the point of sitsit is that everyone needs to sing, no matter your skill or shyness. The latter one usually disappears during the night anyway.

These parties usually have a theme, and let me tell you: this is not one of the times to leave your costume home! There are rules to be obeyed and breaking them will cause punishments. But don’t worry if you don’t remember all of them, you will have a songbook with the rules and songs printed inside. And you can refer to your neighbors for reminders. 

Songbook - Winter Wonderland Sitsit 2016

A part of the sitsit etiquette is being very polite to everyone. After all this is an academic soiree with rather long traditions. When you are given permission to sit down, the gentlemen will naturally help the ladies with the chair. In the table introduce yourself when you are allowed to speak. And yes, at sitsit parties you can only do these things when given permission.

So how does the night go on? It varies from town to town but the party always starts with singing of Helan går, a Swedish schnapps song. Check out the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZttrCdE0mKY) to see when to drink your shot during this song. The party continues with suggestions of songs (the toast masters will tell you the proper etiquette to do so). After a song you always toast (again, the toast masters will give instructions or already check out the rules). If the song is a long one, someone might get thirsty and shout “mellansup” which means that it is time for a drink in the middle of the song. No toasting this time. There are some other traditions but you will learn them during the party.

'Bad taste' sitsit, November 2010

Now it’s time to prepare your costume and see you at our next sitsit!

Learn languages and make international friends in Café Lingua

Hiiohoi ja hellät tunteet!

Have you already heard about the legendary Café Lingua? No? How is that possible? But no worries, I will introduce this jolly good event to you ! So basically the idea is to meet Finns speaking your mother tongue or join a group of students playing a board game in a language you have always wanted to learn! Even better: there is no participation fee and coffee and tea are served. :) 

The event is organized in Ilokivi, which is the best-known cultural center of the JYU campus. If you have always wanted to learn a new language or just want to get to know all the drinking songs and swear words, this is the place. You can choose what language you want to learn and go to that table. You can learn many, many languages at Cafe Lingua and if you are missing some, just tell us. The most active table is the ‘Finnish beginners’, but also English, German, Spanish, Finnish Advanced and French tables are really popular. There will be also some board games that you can play.

I have to admit, I find Cafe Lingua a really comfortable place to meet new people. It’s a cozy and happy event that takes place about once a month. No drinking, but excellent coffee and tea. You are never alone there, and it's really easy to go talk to new people. Come say hey and I will teach you some Finnish! No pressure at all! Wihii! 

Check out this amazing video the talented Lukas De Man made of this semester's first Café Lingua, feel the atmosphere and meet us there on the 6th of October!

To always know the dates, follow our website or join our group on Facebook. Regardless of how you choose to contact us, we'll always make sure that your comments, suggestions, feedback, or questions make their way to the best possible people to answer your question. :)

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