Intensively learning Finnish language and culture

In an earlier post there was an introduction to EILC language course and NSS summer school that were organized here in TAMK this summer. Now those three weeks with EILC and NSS are over. Everybody passed they’re Finnish exams and they will start the “official” part of their exchange studies with 5 ECTS credits in pocket. EILC consist mainly out of many language lessons but they still had time to some free time activities of which most were chosen to reflect Finnish culture and habits.

Introduction to Nordic walking

Mr Esko Tirkkonen, responsible person of TAMK sports, gave EILC and NSS students an introduction to Nordic walking. After a short demonstration Esko lead the group to a 5km round in Kauppi park. During the stroll students also got to experience the diversity of Finnish nature; first the sun was shining but when we were in the middle of the forest, it started raining. Luckily it was just a short shower of rain so people didn’t get completely wet. 

 

 

Time to play exhibition in Vapriikki

We didn’t forget culture either, since one afternoon EILC and NSS participants had the chance to visit museum center Vapriikki. Even though the average age of students was about 20, many of the students were really excited about the Time to Play -exhibition. Most people got also excited about the real Angry Birds game that was brought to the museum under the theme Flying – Birds in Vapriikki.  

Real angry birs game

Because of the staff day in TAMK, one day was devoted only for free time activities. One auditorium in TAMK was changed into a movie theatre where language course students watched Finnish film called Steam of life. Afternoon we spent in the amusement park Särkänniemi. Some people were running from a roller coaster to another when the rest were satisfied with visiting the zoo, Näsinneula tower, dolphinerium and  looking how others turned into greener and greener after every ride… Or then yours truly was the only one turning greener and greener.

Finnish food tasting

Since there was many different language courses organized at the same time in Tampere, the course secretaries decided to plan some activities for all language course participants. All the students from TAMK EILC and NSS plus the EILC course of UTA and SITR summer school also organized in UTA took part of Finnish food tasting happening in UTA premises. About 120 exchange students gathered together to taste some Finnish specialties’ such as black sausage, rye bread, Karelian pie etc. The Food Tasting included also a Finnish quiz and interview assignment. Participants had to answer some questions mainly related to Finnish food and since they were language course students, they also had to interview each others in Finnish.

  

Letkajenkka

All 120 language course participants gathered together again for a lecture about Finnish Hobbities and Oddities. Lecture was kept by all the course secretaries, ms Tiia Partanen (EILC and NSS at TAMK), ms Tiina Rautiainen (EILC at UTA) and ms Eija Simelius (SITR at UTA). The lecture culminated into a Mini Olympics in Finnish style where students had chance to try e.g. Nordic walking, Angry bird throwing, Air guitar and wife carrying.  

 

 

 

 

At the end of the EILC course, EILC students took part of Finnish language exam. Everybody passed the exam with flying flags and it was time to celebrate the end of the courses with watching a Finnish movie Lapland Odyssey. On last Friday all students received certificates to prove that they had taken part of either EILC language course or NSS summer school. Farewell party for both courses started with an ice-hockey match in Hakametsä ice hall. Tappara played against a Czech team. After the match almost everyone gathered together to cottage in Rauhanniemi to spend the evening.

Tiia in Vapriikki

On behalf of TAMK international services I’d like to thank everybody who participated to EILC course or NSS summer school, Finnish teachers and especially our course secretary Tiia who made these courses unforgettable for all participants.

All EILC and NSS participants

Text: Sanna Hosike, trainee, International Services

Pictures: Tiia Partanen, course secretary of language courses, International Services

Omanis Learnt Engineering and Life

"I love walking. The summer has been really nice here as I have been able to walk as much as I have wanted.” In Tampere, the summer joy of engineering student Fawziya AL-Jabri from Oman has been as simple as walking, but walking cannot be taken for granted in hown home country.

Sumaya AL-Maimani, Doctor Harith AL Bousaidi and Fawziya AL-Jabri think the summer weather has been great in Finland: "We love the rain as the temperature in our home country can rise to 50 degrees."

AL-Jabri belongs to the group of 25 eager engineering students, who arrived at TAMK in Midsummer for a two-month education. The Omani engineering students have three years of engineering studies behind them in their home country and are now complementing their studies at TAMK. They are learning about IT tools of engineering and use of laboratories in measuring and analysis.

"Finland is a very safe place. At first, our students’ parents were of course a little worried when they heard about their adolescents’ summer destination but everything has gone so well that there has been no reason to worry. Our trip has been successful. Our students have gained confidence and diverse culture experiences in addition to studying their own field", tells the group leader, Doctor AL Bousaidi. The trip to Finland has been a dream come true for Fawziya AL-Jabri and Sumaya Maimani.

"Most of us students had earlier only travelled in the Gulf countries. All have been very friendly towards us in Tampere and at TAMK. Finns are always on time everywhere and thus one of the most important things we have learnt is respect for punctuality. At first, we always had to run for the bus from our lodging in Lapinniemi as we slept so late. We wondered why Finns did not run. We have also been greeted with friendliness in the city. In our opinion Finns are well-mannered."

The girls say that studying in a new environment, speaking in English, and learning to know new people have been the best part of the trip. "I have felt myself as a princess as everybody has been so helpful towards us here", tells AL-Jabri.

Electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering studies at TAMK

After the joint studies at the beginning, the students were based on their special fields divided into three groups for the practical works.

  

The electrical engineering students thought the practical works were interesting and told that they have learnt a lot of new things.

 

Mansoor AL Harthi’s and Jaber AL Jahwari’s task was to set the digital dial indicator and measure with it.

 

Mansoor AL Harthi and Jaber AL Jahwari are studying mechanical engineering. AL Harthi and AL Jahwari told they were surprised and happy when they heard of being accepted to Finland by the Omani higher education ministry.

"This has been a very good experience for us. Our parents were also happy and proud when they heard about the matter. TAMK’s teachers and staff have been very friendly and helpful. We have also been very satisfied with the quality of teaching. The best part has been the visits to companies, such as Fastems. Even if the theory is important, it is still a different matter altogether to see how the machines work. We have also had leisure time. We have explored the city, gone to the cinema, fished, and admired the sceneries, especially the beautiful lakes."

According to Laboratory Engineer Jani Katajisto (the bearded man in the middle), studying of the Omani students has proceeded in the same way as with the Finnish students. The task of another mechanical engineering group was measuring with a micrometer.

The chemical engineering students had the task to perform a metal analysis on lake water.

Diverse laboratory assignments have been completed in the chemistry laboratory, for example analyses of plastic types and chemical oxygen consumption. The cooperation between Teacher Seija Haapamäki and the chemistry students has been smooth.

The girls analysed the composition of a perfume. The perfume called Noora was brought from their home country, Oman. Noora has a typical, strong oriental scent.

Laboratory Engineer Heli Knuutila and the group of girls studying chemistry.

In the middle of their studies, the students organised an Oman event for TAMK staff where they presented Oman. Omani delicacies were also served.

Men's dress is a long shirt-like gown with a turban or embroidered cap. TAMK’s Continuing Education Coordinator Virpi Heinonen was one the persons who were in charge of the practical matters of the visit.

Both men and women wear traditional dresses in Oman. Women wear a black gown when they go out. During trips abroad they may also wear Western clothes.

  

Tourists have a lot to see and experience in Oman. Oman is located at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula with Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates as neighbours.

The luckiest TAMK staff members could also have an extremely skilful henna tattoo on the hand. There are 3 million inhabitants in the country reigned by the sultan.

The Omani group, which has studied at TAMK for two months, spent their last weekend in the middle of August on a Stockholm cruise. The students will then return to their home town of Sohar. Read also: There is demand for  TAMK´s compenetence in Oman

Life is beautiful when you want it to be

The time I have lived in Tampere is the longest I have ever stayed in one single city. And it is the most beautiful part of my life. Tampere city has also witnessed the most important phases of my life.

I was first studying in TAMK in the Bachelor Program of Environmental Management. Students’ life was simple and fun. The clearest memory from then is how to keep living budget to the minimum. Back then, what I didn’t lack was time. I could walk 3 kilometers to Stockman only for its cheap Chinese cabbage (kiinankaali), to Tammelantori for 1 euro per kilo fish (särki, Finns don’t often eat it because of too much bones), and finally to Valintatalo nearby our students’ apartments for the food on sale, usually 50% off when it is closing to the best-before-date. Back then, I didn’t feel that it was hard, but felt lucky and grateful that there were such cheaper options available. With small income from cleaning, picking strawberries and harvest garlic in the summer and low living cost, I survived and got Bachelor degree.

For Master degree program study, I started only after 6 years working. It is called Environmental Policy, the program is in Finnish in the University of Tampere.  Life is quite different from Bachelor study time. All the lectures are in Finnish and all classmates are Finns. Subjects are much more theoretical. When doing group work with classmates, I realized that our thinking patterns are also so different. I am more practical and concrete and my classmates who have studied only in university are more theoretical and abstract. I found this difference interesting and exciting. It motivated me to listen, to learn and to practice the other way of thinking, writing and presenting. I was very happy every day because I learn something new every day.

My first job was in TAMK right after my Bachelor study. And now I got a job in UTA while I study Master degree. People have been envious of me for getting job position easily as a foreigner or for having a happy marriage with a Finnish husband. I can tell one asset in me that make all these happen “easily”.

I accept differences and adapt myself into them. Once realizing the environment, people, thinking, behaving and values are different, instead of complaining, I try to understand and behave accordingly, so called “Do in Rome as the Rome”. However, very often, I hear people complaining living is expensive, Finns are quiet, winter is long, cold and dark, job hunting is hard, salary is low and husband is inconsiderate. Even all these are true, the more important thing is what we can do about it. Do we keep complaining, or change our looking and thinking perspectives and react to it positively? At your 20s, bravely and actively try all kinds of possibilities and find your chance and position, even you fail and fall, you can easily stand up and recover because you are young. Otherwise, you will end up like many people complaining that life is not fair to them at their 40s.

Life is beautiful when you want it to be. There is a proverb in Buddhism “when you have a Buddha in your heart, you can see a Buddha”. The same can be applied in our life, when you believe that life is beautiful, then it will be. 

Text: Cuihong Jin-Muranen
Photo: Krista Salonen

About the author: Chinese lady, got bachelor in TAMK, worked 6 years in TAMK; pursuing Master in UTA, meanwhile working in UTA. Have a husband and 2 lovely daughters. Published 2 books about Chinese cooking, also teaches Chinese cooking in Sampola.

Along with the Finnish language courses came the sun!

EILC and NSS Summer School

First day is full of new exciting things!

TAMK organizes Erasmus Intensive Language Course (EILC) for the second time this year. The EILC courses are organized for European Erasmus students and courses are funded by the European Union. The course goes on for three weeks, from 30.7 to 17.8.2012. There are altogether 32 exchange students taking part in EILC of TAMK. They come from Spain, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, and Latvia. After the course the participants will continue their exchange studies either at TAMK, Tampere University of Technology, University of Tampere or Satakunta University of Applied Sciences.

At the same time with EILC, TAMK organizes North-South-South (NSS) Summer School for ten exchange students coming from different countries of Africa; Namibia, Tanzania, South-Africa and Mozambique. After the language course all of them will continue their exchange studies at TAMK.

There are also other beginners’ level Finnish language courses organized in Tampere during this summer. University of Tampere organizes EILC courses and SITR (the Studying in Tampere Region) organizes Summer School for exchange students coming outside of the EU. Finnish language courses of TAMK co-operate with other Finnish language courses, especially on free time activities.

In addition to Finnish language lessons, we organize many cultural activities during these three weeks. Students get to familiarize with Finnish culture and the city of Tampere; experience the heat of sauna, taste Finnish food, try Nordic walking, take part in Finnish mini-olympics, watch Finnish movies and much more.

City tour, sauna and culture shock!

At the Pyynikki ridge

On Monday, 30^th of July, it was time to kick-off the EILC course and NSS Summer School! The classroom was filled with many curious and smiling faces and we all were excited about the coming three weeks. The first day was used for orientation; passing out information, taking care of practical matters and getting to know the premises of TAMK. First day is always very hectic and so was this one. Gladly everything worked out well.

At the Stable Yards

On Tuesday Ms Ulla-Maija Koivula, Principal lecturer of Social Services and Management, gave a lecture about Finnish Society and Culture. In the end of the lecture everyone was laughing out loud to humorous YouTube sketch on Finnish drinking habits. In the afternoon the students had their first language lessons. As a result you could hear them practising how to pronounce the letter R, Ä and Ö in Finnish and how to say “Mitä kuuluu?”. In the afternoon we had a guided sightseeing tour around Tampere. We discovered the most fascinating parts of Tampere such as Hervanta suburb, city centre, Stable Yards and beautiful Pyynikki ridge.

Pojat on poikia! Boys are boys!

Mustaamakkaraa, yam!

On Wednesday Mr Brown Onduso lectured about Culture Shock and at least after that everyone was shocked about some Finnish habits, such as nudity in sauna. So after that, on Thursday, it was good to relieve the shock by going to sauna. We took a boat to Viikinsaari Island where almost everyone tried sauna and swimming. They really seemed to enjoy the sauna and refreshing water of Pyhäjärvi! The day also included some football, volleyball and barbecuing. 

 

Waiting for a boat to the Viikinsaari!

Girls and...

...boys!

Walking, or fighting, with wooden legs...?

Volleyball match after sauna and swimming

That’s all for now on. I’ll tell you more about our adventures later!

Text: Tiia Partanen, course secretary of language courses, International Services

Photos: Tiia Partanen and Sanna Hosike, International Services