How to embrace the winter Finnish style and see how we prepare for Chinese New Year

Snow events on a frozen lake

Embrace winter in Finland  

Here in Finland, winter is dark with long nights and scarce daylight. I was born and grew up in a southern city of China, which is heavy of tropical odors with daily temperature ranging from 15 to 28  in Januaryan climate totally different from wintertime here.  

Hence dark days and freezing weather are likely to create a sense of melancholy, especially during the pandemic days that call for social distance. Winter in Finland, however, can also give us a completely different and exotic experience with snow and ice. Winter provides me great opportunities to embrace the unique snowy landscape, enjoy amazing sown events, appreciate the warmth of a campfire or just stroll on a frozen lake.

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Summer job tips for Aalto students

It is very common in Finland to work during your long summer break. Job hunting normally starts in January, sometimes even before that. Like many Aalto students, I have gathered some summer work experience. As a fourth year Industrial Engineering and Management student I would like to share my tips for applying summer jobs and working in Finland as an Aalto student. 

Note: I am not a recruiter, these tips are based on my own experience 😊 

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The Åland Archipelago – Artist in Residence on Kökar

In the middle of the Baltic Sea, somewhere between Helsinki and Stockholm and surrounded by over a thousand small islands lies Kökar. This island in the southernmost part of Åland was already inhabited 3000 years ago. Today Kökar has a steady population of around 250 people. During the summer the island is a popular tourist destination but in winter the locals have their island pretty much for themselves. Only a few foreigners visit Kökar during those cold and rough December days. I was lucky enough to be one of them.  Continue reading

It’s Christmas!! Reach out to your close ones (even if they are far). Plus, a holiday recipe! 

 

The darkest day of the year is past and, for those of you that celebrate, Christmas has come! But for those that don’t, there’s also winter break… a time to relax and try to gather energy for the beginning of the new year. 

And, though the holidays are usually represented as wintery, presents under a tree, and a family playing some board games this is not usually the case for many people and definitely not the case for many during the corona times. I find myself missing the warm Christmases with my family on the beach, collecting seashells and then going to the fair. Being stuck half the world away from the ones that are closest to me is not easy and I know I’m not the only one in this situation. But yeah, the holidays mean different things for everyone. Remember to respect that. 

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Surviving Helsinki prices as a student 

We all know Helsinki is not a cheap place to live. And for students, especially international ones it might be hard to figure out how to not spend your whole budget before the month is out. Let’s not mention that corona has shaken up most people’s economies. 

But still, there are ways to not spend as much. Though I might not be the most knowledgeable in the matter (I’m sure some finn will have a lot more tips) I think my past year in Helsinki has taught me how to not end up eating macaroni for the last days of the month. So here I am, sharing my knowledge. 

First, I’ll say that to live cheap you must put in a little effort, sacrifice a few things but after a while, it will all come easy to you. 

I really recommend making your monthly budget and estimating how much you can spend each week on different things. Try to stay under your budget and by the end of the month you can get yourself a gift or save up for something bigger. If you exceed your budget, looking into what you can spend less on. 

So, general rules: have a budget, take advantage of discounts and student benefits, cook, learn how to sew and repair, and buy used.  Continue reading

Students of Aalto – Saad from Pakistan, Building Technology program

Hello/Moi/Salam/Namaste/Bonjour/Ni hao/Sup/Hola/Ciao. My name is Saad Azhar and I study master’s in building technology at Aalto and this is my second year here at Aalto and in Finland. I am from Pakistan and I did my bachelor’s in Civil engineering from there as well. I always wanted to go abroad and study and for me studying here has been a dream come true.

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The most photo worthy spots at Aalto University, in Espoo and Helsinki

Do you like taking pictures? Do you want to take some amazing photographs and post them on your Instagram account? Or are you simply looking for places to visit?

If you answered any of these questions with a “Yes” this post is definitely for you! Kasia and Madina collected 8 ideas of the greatest photogenic spots nearby Aalto. Click “Read more” and hopefully, get inspired by the post.

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