Your guide to the nightlife in Jyväskylä

Hi y'all!

Even though I strongly disagree with anyone who says that Erasmus is all about parties, I wholeheartedly support the idea that partying is an essential part of student life. Work hard, play hard, right? So, as most of you are new to the city I'd like to welcome you here with a short guide to the local nightlife!

I'll be your guide to essential parties in JKL!
Photo by Deniz Anttila 

There are several established student parties worth recognising here in JKL. As ESN parties are obviously always the best ones, I'll start from those. If you haven't noticed yet, we organise parties in Bar Bra in the city centre. The Kick Off party was apparently AWESOME (I couldn't be there as I was making a study trip to visit ESN Joensuu's similar event...) and the rest of the parties are going to be EVEN MORE AWESOME IF POSSIBLE so be there. After all, they are the parties we organise for you guys! I'd like to mention that in the Cultural Stereotypes party on 29.1 you also have a chance to win a free trip to Lapland... Just saying! Stay tuned via FB and the ESN Jyväskylä webpage.

We'll also organise a traditional Finnish sitsit party for you guys in February. More on that on it's  own blogpost as sits is a very special kind of party – many students have said that they have been the craziest parties they attended while staying in Finland! It's also a good chance to integrate with Finns, and if you have an opportunity to join some other student organisation's sitsit parties, do that! It's awesome and gets even better once you get the hang of it. Especially if you enjoy singing on tables and dressing up!

Other student organisations and especially subject organisations organise parties, usually in Bra or in Escape. If you wanna hang out with people who study something specific, check them out! Then there are a couple of interdisciplinary parties worth mentioning: Kolmiot, parties arranged in three different bars (Shaker, Ruma and Escape) at the same time (you get entrance to all of these three with one ticket!) and Poikkitieteelliset haalaribileet (Poikkarit), overall party organised in Bar Bra (you don't necessarily have to wear an overall, but you can get one from ESN and it's the best thing you'll ever wear so do that and blend in with the Finnish student crew). Kolmiot is generally held on the third Thursday of the month, and Poikkarit on the first Thursday of the month. You'll know that you have missed Poikkarit when you go to the city centre during that night and see a queue of people dressed in overalls of all colours going to Bra. And yes, Thursday is the party day of students in Finland. 

There's one more interdisciplinary student party worth mentioning: the pool party! Stay tuned for that one, as it's something quite unique in Finland :D

In the autumn semester there's a legendary student event called Kauppakadun Appro that gathers thousands of students to Jyväskylä. It's about drinking a degree for yourself and I'd say one of the coolest events in JKL as the whole city is one big party then! In the spring semester however, kind of a similarly noticeable happening is the Amazing Race organised during May Day, Vappu, where you race through the city as teams against time and other teams, kind of like in the famous tv format. May Day anyways deserves a post of its own later on so let's leave something to that one too :D It can be hard to get a ticket to one of those as both of them are always sold out, but even if you don't get a ticket you can be part of the party just by walking on Kauppakatu during the event.

And now as I have told you the places to be at, quick reminder of how to behave there:

THE TEN DOS AND DON'TS OF FINNISH NIGHTLIFE (you'll thank me later.)

1. Keep your ID (=passport, drivers licence...) with you. You never know when you're gonna be asked about that and if you don't have it, no matter if you look like you're fifty (ouch), you won't get in. Do not borrow your ID to anyone. Always use your own ID.

2. The bouncer is the king. Always listen to the bouncer. He's there for your safety, too. 

3. Don't be too drunk when coming to the bar. The bouncer has the right to not let in people who look too drunk. Finnish legislation is very funny and it's actually illegal for the bar to have drunk people in the bar (crazy, I know). They cannot sell anything to someone too drunk and they might end up losing their alcohol permit if they're caught with too many too drunk persons in the bar (unless it looks like they're actively trying to get them out of the bar). So that's why.

4. Leave your jacket in the cloak room. It's a couple of euros, but you're gonna drink your money anyways! In Finland the bars might charge you the cloak room fee even if you don't have a cloak during winter months, as they're trying to stop crazy exchange students from coming to the bar in below-zero temperatures without a jacket just to avoid paying the cloak room fee.

5. If you want to pay the lower price meant for ESN members at ESN parties, have your ESNcard with you! An ESNcard is not valid when left home and also NOT VALID WITHOUT A PHOTO.

6. Have cash with you, that way you and everyone else get their drinks faster at the bar :)

7. Do not bring your own drinks to the bar, it's illegal and will get you thrown out.

8. Do not steal other people's drinks, significant others or belongings, it's illegal and will get you punched by drunk Finn.

9. When leaving the bar, no matter how tempting, do not steal a bike to get home, it's illegal and will get you punched some day, when you run into the owner of the bike while on his or her bike. And you might be just a bit too drunk to drive that bike in the first place ;)

10. It's winter, it's cold. Do not sit down next to the sidewalk when going home. If you fall asleep (or pass out because you're drunk) you might get a frostbite or even die. Take care of your friends on the way home. 

Ok, got a bit serious with that last one but it's unfortunately true. Other than that, HAVE FUN HERE! So many parties, so little time! 

See you in the night!

Petra 

Repost: All the Finnish you need to know

Or, How to get lucky in Jyväskylä (or not)

So, it is time to go out and you want to meet the locals. Finns generally speak English, but a bit of the local language never hurt anyone. Don’t be scared to try!

If you have successfully disguised yourself as a Finn, the doorman might ask you for your henkkarit/paperit (ID). The age limit is usually 18, but during the weekend some night clubs only allow people over 20 or 22 inside.

Once you have gotten in, it is time for yksi fisu ja lonkero, kiitos! (One fisu shot and a long drink, please!) When raising your glass, you can say kippis! Or if you are up for the challenge, you can go for hölökynkölökyn! For some reason we Finns love to speak Swedish when drinking so skål is also a good option. Remember to drink your shots at once, Pohjanmaan kautta! According to old Finnish wisdom, viina on viisasten juoma (booze is the drink of the wise) and ei tippa tapa, eikä ämpäriin huku (one drop won't kill you and you won't drown in a bucket). Yhdet sille! (Let’s drink to that!)

After enjoying some liquid courage, you might be ready to go to speak to that cute girl or boy. But beware, trying to speak to a Finn can be a bit difficult. Or actually, it can be very difficult. Sometimes a simple lähdetkö tanssimaan?  (Do you want to dance with me?) might work, but usually it is a good idea to have some excuse to start a conversation. Of course you can try the classics: käytkö sä usein täällä? (do you come here often?), oliko sun äitis simpukka, kun sä oot tollanen helmi? (Was your mother an oyster, since you are such a pearl?). Or speak about the weather: on ilmoja pidellyt! (The weather has been something lately). But hey, if you are turned down, just move on. "Eteenpäin!" sanoi mummo lumessa. ("Forward!" said the granny in the snow.) Or find the group with whom you had your etkot (pre-party) and go have a jatkot (after party) with them.

When you want to say something nice to the Finn who finally agreed to dance with you, you can try: olet ihana/kaunis/komea. (You are wonderful/beautiful/handsome.) If you think you might get lucky, you can try saying Meille vai teille? (My place or yours?)  

Later on if you realize that this person wasn’t the prince or princess of your dreams, tell them that you love them, minä rakastan sinua, and watch that person disappear in two seconds.

And remember: kertaus on opintojen äiti. (Repetition is the mother of all studies.)

Now, go have fun and afterwards, come tell us how it went with these phrases. ;)

2014 with ESN JKL

The year of 2014 has come to an end and it is time to look back before getting started with the new one. I had the privilage of being the president of ESN Jyväskylä for the past year. And what a year it has been! It was full of joy, friends, smiles but also of tears. 

For ESN Jyväskylä, 2014 was an extremely busy year. We made quite a few changes and improved how we function. We grew and introduced many new events to our calendar. We put a lot of effort to make all of our events fun and social happenings for the international crowd of Jyväskylä. Therefore I was very happy to hear that we had been called the most active section in Finland. That may very well be true but at least I am certain that ESN JKL is the best section in this country. Or let’s just say in  the whole network. And I am not the least bit biased in my opinion. I just have learned to love ESN JKL very much over the years I have been volunteering with all these wonderful ESNers.   

I never would have survived this year without Annika, my lovely vice president (and the new president!). Thank you sweetie, you rock!

Most of the events we organised were very successfull but this year had also its share of failures and mistakes. There were some moments of panic when things got done just in the last minute. For example the songbooks for the sitsit party in spring were printed only 15 minutes before the party was about to start. At the same time  we were trying to figure out how to get some music for our show and fix the seating order that had curiously been mixed. Yet, in the end it was one of my favourite parties of the semester. 

Flag parade at AGM Milano: one of the best moments for me in 2014

For myself this was a year of growth.  Being a president of a local ESN section brings a fair amount of responsibilities and stress. Things do not happen as one might expect when working with international students and local restaurants and sometimes plans have to be changed in a heartbeat. Luckily our board has a habit of supporting and taking care of each other. And that is the reason why this has been the best year of my life: the members of our ESN JKL family. 

Farewell party, loving Jyväskylä

Sometimes, however, we cannot keep our friends as long as we would wish for. As every ESNer knows, the end of a semester is always a time to say goodbye to the friends we have made. This year we felt this more than ever before when we lost a member of our ESN family in November. The loss of such a wonderful person has been very hard to handle and understand. But no matter what, we will remember you. 

Struggling with this loss together with our family made me realise what a great gift friends are. They bring such joy to our lives no matter if it is only for a little while or for decades. Therefore I want to thank everyone who I was lucky enough to meet this year. I wish you happy new year full of love and friendship and I hope to see you soon!

With love,

Marjut

#THISisESN

ESN Jyväskylä is currently recruiting a new board and active members for the year 2015. The open call has been launched and can be found on our website. The open call lists a number of reasons to join us, but in addition to those cool career moves and new skills, I really want to share with you some of the reasons that come from our hearts. I just got back from the most amazing ESN weekend in Stockholm and am full of motivation and love for this organisation and the people in it, so I can't think of a better time to write this.

Some of ESN Jyväskylä in the Jyväskylä harbour in September 2014

We often get asked why we do this, why would we spend so much of our time doing volunteer work when "we get nothing out of it", but of course we do. We love this. We love ESN. And we hope you do too.

If you know any of us, you've probably heard our stories several times. We're not exactly afraid to declare our love for ESN. But most often you hear our stories in a more or less official environment (even though if you know anything about us, you know we're never really quite that official). And it's never from almost all of us at the same time. This is why I asked some of our amazing board members to simply tell me (and you) why they love ESN and why is it that they do this. Here's what they told me.

The best thing about ESN is that the international family that surrounds you fills you up with energy, feeds your mind with ideas, pushes you to do greater things time after time and gives the feeling of importance that we all, deep in inside, crave for. ESN <3

I love ESN because you have always something cool to do and you meet so much wonderful people. It's a lifestyle, not a duty. Life is what you make it, so make it beautiful. ;)

Once you become part of ESN, you'll never be able to leave, not that you would want to! It's a wonderful journey with great people all around Europe and amazing experiences along the way.

So many of the amazing and wonderful things that have happened to me during the last couple of years have happened thanks to ESN. This includes everything between developing professional skills, that helped me to get a great job, to the unforgettable nights out with the friends I have made through ESN.

ESN is not an organization its like a Family where you have really nice and wonderful people to work with and spend amazing memorable time and you get the opportunity to execute what ever comes in your mind.

ESN is also a way to help organize things you love to do and spread the word to other people! You can come with your own ideas and see them become real ones! In ESN you are heard!

ESN is a great place to make new friends, meet new people, get active and to make your craziest and most creative ideas to come true! It is a place where you can develop your skills, practice languages and learn more about different cultures. Its more than a board - it is a family!

What about me then? Ever since my own Erasmus exchange a few years ago, my world has not been the same. It has been so much better for it. I never even dreamed of having and doing something that I would love as much as this. I pour my heart and soul into ESN, because I want you to feel it too. You will never be the same again. Through ESN, I have learned so much and made friends for a lifetime. I've been able to keep up the Erasmus lifestyle and attitude for years after my own exchange. You know that indescribable feeling of belonging you get while abroad with your Erasmus friends? You get that in ESN as well, and I wouldn't give that up for anything. Even on the worst of days, going back to my amazing ESN family always makes me feel better. Like home.

This is only a fraction of the love that we share for this organisation. We are thousands and thousands of students all over Europe, who all feel the same. Being in ESN will change you. So what are you waiting for? We are waiting for you!

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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