Happy Birthday, Finland!

You might have already guessed the reason for this from the blog’s title - 6th of December is Finland’s Independence Day. Most shops in Finland will be closed tomorrow, but there will be a special program of events you can follow along with.

This year Finland's Independence day will mark Finland’s 99th year as an independent country. In 2018 Finland will celebrate a very special century of independence.

How Independence Day in Finland varies from any other day in Finland?

The Independence Day parade is an annual tradition held in one of the big cities in Finland, taken care by our Finnish Defence Forces. Each year a different Finnish city hosts the parade. It’s quite a big deal: veterans' graves are visited, there will be a mass and a military display. You can check out the parade on television or online.

And if you happen to turn on your television during the day you can follow the TV-traditions that all Finns follow on the day (check out Yle.fi if you don't have a TV):

• First, there will be a broadcasting of a famous Finnish movie from 1955 called the Unknown Soldier. The story is about the Continuation War between Finland and Soviet Union, seen from the viewpoint of normal soldiers. It starts on channel Yle Teema, so you might want to give it a peek - it most likely won’t have English subtitles, so you might not get a lot out of it, but it might still be worth running on the background while you eat your breakfast/brunch/lunch.
• Around 6 o’clock a broadcasting will start on channel Yle Yksi (channel 1) live from Helsinki, from the Presidential Palace. All notable Finns will take part in the Independence Day Reception party held there, dressed in their best - or most shocking - outfits! On 2013 the wife of one the managers in Rovio Entertainment game company arrived on spot wearing a dress featuring non other that the famous Red Bird from the Angry Birds games. Talk about radical advertisement!

Are there any traditional drinks/treats/foods included in this event that I should know about?

There’s no one and definite traditional food for Independence Day, but many Finns see Karelian Hot Pot (finn: Karjalanpaisti) as the only dish that’s appropriate for the day. Karelian hot pot is a traditional meat stew originating from the region of Karelia. It is commonly prepared using a combination of pork and beef, but lamb can also be used. Karelian hot pot is usually served with mashed potatoes, and Karelian pies can be served on the side.

If you want to try to make it, it takes a bit of time, but the ingredients are easy to come by. All you need to serve a group of 4 is:

800g Karjalanpaistimeat (can be
found in stores under that  
name, pre-chopped for 
right sized junks)

1 Mid-sized Onion (Yellow)

10-15 pcs Pepper

1 Mid-sized carrot

0,5-1dl Water

Butter

2 pcs Bay leaves

1. Heat the oven to 200 celsius
2. Fry the meats in small batches in butter in a pan, until they get a nice, rich brown colour.
3. Add each batch of fried meat in a deep oven dish, and add sliced carrot and chunked onion between each meat batch.
4. Season with salt. Add the peppers and the bay leaves on top of the contents.
5. Add the water in the still hot frying pan, bring it to boil, and add the water on top of the meat.
6. Cook in the oven for about 3 hours until the meat seems tender.
7. Serve with mashed potatoes and enjoy!

Besides eating Karelian hot pot, for many Finns the independence day is the first day of December that they bake Finnish gingerbread cookies (finn: Piparkakku). So grab some along with your other groceries and enjoy them with hot coffee, tea, or even glögi and give yourself a permission to relax this coming Sunday - the rest of the Finland is doing the same.

What is this “Vappu” I’ve been hearing about?

Sima (the drink) & Munkki are a traditional part of Vappu menu. You can find Sima in most normal grocery stores during Vapputime and munkki is available in stores around the year. 

You’ve all heard the word. In April it’s practically impossible not to hear it whispered among students and printed out on various event posters. You might not know it yet, but this “Vappu” you’ve been hearing about, it’s a thing you really want to be a part of.

You might ask “What’s the big fuss?” Vappu is the Christmas of students, the day of Labor, when in celebration of labor no one works and instead parties for days.

Vappu - a brief history

Vappu aka May Day is a traditional spring festival celebrated in many countries and it is a public holiday in Finland. The name Vappu comes from the Saint Walburga from the 8th Century who was canonized on the 1st of May. Vappu was celebrated by lighting up bonfires to drive away the bad spirits in the past. The traditions reach far into the Middle Ages as a pagan festival, but nowadays Vappu is associated more with the coinciding Labor Day, celebrated on the 1st of May as well. (Vappu Wikipedia, 2013.)

Balloons - a "must have" during Vappu.

What Vappu means to you as a student

Vappu is the biggest party of the year for students. Some student organizations start celebrating Vappu already a month before the actual Vappu eve but in general you can start checking out Vappu happenings about one week before the 30th of April. Vappu is the Finnish version of a carnival. During Vappu you can dress up in funny costumes, hats and wigs, buy soap bubbles from a store or just buy a funny colorful horn and set a party mood with it. Other must have accessories of the party are balloons and serpentiini (paper streamers). The students will be wearing the overalls and also the student cap that they get from graduating from a Finnish upper secondary school.  

Vappu in Jyväskylä

In Jyväskylä there are some traditions. The main one of them being the 1st of May’s Vappu picnic on Harju, where all student association gather to enjoy each others company, music provided by a variety of performers playing on the spot, and of course, to drink sparkling wine and to eat their self brought picnic food. It’s also a tradition that a group of old cars drive by the Harju’s city side and it is awesome.

Vappu dresscode - look silly! One way to do so is to cover yourself in
as much serpentiini as you can.  

Earlier years JYY, the student union, has been giving out free munkki (a type of sugar-covered donut, traditional Vappu food) after lunch at Ilokivi, so you might want to check that out too.

With ESN Jyväskylä you can first get started with the ESN JKL CUP Spring 2016 where you can proof that you truly can Bend it like Beckham and/or just have a great time watching the games and rooting for your favorites. Next week we move on to updating the Vappu uniform (a.k.a your overalls) in April 18th’s Café Lingua, so that they will be ready for the Vappuchallenge on Vappu eve (30.4.)! The event starts of in Kirkkopuisto (Church Park), where you and your team will pick up your challenge pass and move on to completing the challenges in the city center area. The best performances will be rewarded in the White T-shirt FAREWELL PARTY (more infos TBA)! During the Vappuchallenge day you can see us and all the other students in overalls in Kirkkopuisto and all around the city, so you should gear up as well! Funny outfits and crazy wigs work as an alternative/additional uniform as well. On the 1st of May take your friends, food (a traditional Vappu menu includes sima, munkki and tippaleipä) and sparkling wine with you and climb up on the Norssi (left) side of Harju and join us for the traditional Vappu day picnic. We will keep you informed of all the other interesting things happening in the city as well!

So, get ready for Vappu, and take in heart the following phrase/advice:

Glada vappen, spara vatten, bara snapsen hela natten!

(Good Vappu, save the water, only schnaps all night!)

National Platform Jyväskylä 27.2.-1.3.

If you follow us on any form of social media, you can't have missed the fact that something was going on a week ago. Something big. In fact, even though most of you only saw bits and pieces of it online (a reference to a certain belly button or the corner of a participant pass maybe), this was something that we'd been preparing behind the scenes for quite some time already. What was it then, you ask?

That something was ESN Finland's National Platform, and we had the honour of hosting this spring edition of the biannual event. This meant that about 80 ESNers, including local board members from almost all of the Finnish sections (we missed you, Lapland!), the National Board of ESN Finland, National Project Coordinators, an international guest from ESN Estonia, and representatives of our partners, such as Timetravels, came to Jyväskylä for three days. The purpose of the weekend was to network, to attend meetings and workshops, and to vote on important topics concerning the functions of the network; most importantly, to elect a new National Board.

The weekend started on Friday, when our guests arrived and checked in to hotel Alba throughout the day. In the afternoon, we all gathered at University of Jyväskylä's premises on Seminaarinmäki to open the meeting and to hear the welcoming words of JAMK University of Applied Sciences, presentations by Timetravels and Matis from ESN Estonia, and updates from National Coordinators and members of the National Board. The programme on Friday also included get-to-know-you games, the first round of workshops, National Board updates, pizza, and a section fair before heading to sauna at Opinkivi to relax and prepare for the next day.

On Saturday, plenaries were kicked off at Agora already at eight in the morning - no mercy for those who stayed up late on Friday. The topics of the day were very exciting right from the start: it was time for the NB candidates to present themselves. Presentations and discussions on Saturday also included greetings from the city of Jyväskylä, national projects, finances, and partnerships. The afternoon was spent in small groups: first in workshops, covering topics such as mindfulness, social interaction, and IT needs. Next up was small sessions, presenting e.g. the alumni network, Mov'in Europe, and knowledge transfer, and finally a 'Meet your colleagues' session, where troubles and best practices were shared. After a long day, the participants were rewarded with a traditional sports-themed sitsit in Jyväshovi and an afterparty downstairs in Bar Bra.

In true ESN spirit, the plenaries continued already before nine the next morning. Finally it was time to start using the voting devices! After some other votes and presentations, it was time for the most exciting moment of the weekend: electing the new National Board. The sections elected Henry Rauhanen from ESN FINT as the next President, current President Mikael Männistö from ESN Aalto as the next Vice-President, our very own Mikko Hyvärinen from ESN Jyväskylä as the National Representative, and Pablo Guillerna Franco from ESN ISYY (Joensuu) as the National Section Coordinator. Congratulations and good luck to all the new National Board members! The board will be completed by electing an IT Manager and a Treasurer later in the spring. 

The meeting ended on Sunday afternoon with one last round of workshops, feedback to the NB and the Organizing Committee, and finally, lunch. With stomachs full of yummy food from Tilia and hearts full of ESN love, the participants headed back to their cities.

ESN Jyväskylä and the Organizing Committee want to thank everyone for the great weekend: we hope that all of the participants returned home full of knowledge, motivation, and new ideas! We would also like to thank ESN Finland and our amazing sponsors who made all of this possible: JAMK University of Applied Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, the city of Jyväskylä, Sonaatti, Punnitse & Säästä, Antikvariaatti Suma, Kainiemen huvilat, and DanSukker!

Thank you for the good times, and see you next autumn in Helsinki!

For more photos of the event, see ESN Finland's Facebook page.

Suit up!

It’s time to put on the traditional party gear and experience the student parties with the authentic Finnish student way - the ESN overalls are here!

For those of you who have been wondering about the funny get up most students face the student night life in, the colorful overalls filled with hilarious patches, those are the thing we’re talking about. And now - they’re available for you! The ultimate memoir to take home to remember your exchange period for, not to mention that they are crazy comfortable. They’re nice and loose for sporty events and dancing, keep you warm during outdoors events and you won’t have to worry about your party gear getting dirty as overalls are supposed to be a little grimy!

As long time students ourselves we can say that we’ve basically spent a majority of our studies in the overalls. They’re handy for both outdoor and indoor events, and ladies - when you wear the overalls, you don’t need no bag! Wallet, phone, all these usual things that require that you take your bags everywhere, they all fit in the overalls’ pockets. Incredibly handy, right? Hence you’ll end up doing archeological findings from your overall pockets sooner or later – “Ah so that’s where I put that bar of chocolate / drink ticket / city map / lipstick / bike key / almost anything two years ago!”

A couple of rules concerning the right way of honoring this magnificent outfit:

1. Never wash your overalls. This might seem like a veeeery unlikable rule, but every stain holds a story to it, respect them! If you really feel the need to wash them, however, there is a loophole to this rule - you can wash them if you’re wearing them. This, of course, leads to other hilarious set of stories to be associated with the overalls, thus why it doesn’t break the rule.
2. Only wear the overalls for student events. They are comfortable, we know, so comfortable and easy to put on that you might be tempted to put them on even outside student events. But this isn’t just a piece of clothing we’re talking about - this is your uniform. Even though they are great outdoor wear, you shouldn’t try to fight Finnish weather with them as people will think that you are either a) drunk or b) going to be drunk very soon and wonder why they don’t know what event is going on. Your personal superhero costume, that shows that you are a part of something awesome - you are a proud member of the ESN family!
3. Don’t wear your overalls all the way up. This way of clothing is reserved for a specific group of students, and it might confuse some folks. The right way to wear the overalls is to tie them to your waist by the sleeves, and folding the back so that the ESN logo can be seen. It might seem a bit tricky at first, but you’ll learn it soon, and more experienced overall wearers can always teach you the magic to do it. A belt comes in very handy here! On some outdoor events, however, you can take advantage of the warmth the get up offers and wear them all the way up as long as you roll it back down to the traditional position once you get indoors.
4. Fill your overall with memoirs! I’m not talking only about patches, I’m talking about anything you can attach to them. A lot of students have a plastic glass or cup hanging on them to always be ready when someone offers a drink, all kinds of cheap jewelry, balloons, event passes, anything you run into while partying in them. In some cities people also write to the overalls, in some schools people are very strict not to. In Jyväskylä the atmosphere on that one is rather loose :)
   
   
   
   
   
5. Have the time of your life while wearing them. And this is the most important rule out of them all. No buts, no ifs - this will be your fun-gear, that will work as a memory bank of your amazing time abroad. Collect as many patches as possible, wear them as often as you can, and enjoy the time you spend in them to your fullest! You will soon notice that putting on the overall brings a certain who-cares mindset with it, and also people not wearing them tend to be more forgiving towards overall-population.

So what can you do to get your hands on these beauties? In Finland students order their overalls usually via student organisations, so for you the provider is ESN! We had to wait for our last order for waaaay too long, but now the beautiful blue overalls are finally here. The price for your student uniform is 27 e with ESNcard, 30 e without. Keep an eye on ESN Jyväskylä’s Facebook, since the date and place for the sales will be announced there soon!

Here are some events in the rest of the spring where you should/could wear overalls (I know I will!):

• Some sits-parties
• All the interdisciplinary parties (Poikkarit and Kolmiot)
• Snow Day on 12.2
• Pool party in March (yes, for the pre- and afterparty!)
• Rinnerieha, Pörssi’s skiing and other snow/winter activity day in Laajavuori in March
• Vappu in April-May (so you’ll be wearing them for about a week in a row then, stay tuned for blog posts about that one!)
  
  
  We're looking forward to seeing you all suited up at the overall-parties!
  Heini & Petra
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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. ;)