mathilderasmuskuopio-blog

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#4 News - Unemployment in Finland

The ranks of the long-term unemployed continued to fall in Finland in March, reports the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

The number of unemployed job seekers who had been without a job for an uninterrupted period of at least one year dropped by 10,400 year-on-year to 112,200 – to account for roughly a third of all unemployed job seekers. A total of 317,300 people – 33,700 fewer than one year earlier – were registered as unemployed job seekers at the Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE Offices) in March. 

The ranks of the unemployed also included 121,900 over 50-year-old and 38,600 under 25-year-old job seekers. Both of the numbers have dropped from the previous year, by 9,400 and 6,100 respectively, according to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

The statistics also show that under 25-year-old job seekers were less likely to remain unemployed for extended periods of time, with 61.8 per cent of them finding employment no later than three months after first registration as unemployed job seekers between January and March. The percentage represents an improvement of 2.7 percentage points from the corresponding period in 2016. Almost 60,000 new job vacancies were reported to the TE Offices in March. The total number of unfilled vacancies, in turn, stood at 123,300, representing an increase of 14,600 from March 2016.

Statistics Finland, meanwhile, reported that the unemployment rate improved by 0.5 percentage points year-on-year to 9.6 per cent in March following a year-on-year increase of 19,000 in the number of the employed and a decrease of 14,000 in that of the unemployed.

Source : Helsinki Times.

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#5 Free Subject - One day in Stockholm

With my ESDES friends living in Finland, we decided to organize a trip to Sweden in Stochoklm exactly. We did not have time to visit much but we walked a lot in the streets, it is a very big and beautiful city.

We also tasted Swedish specialties like meatballs.

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#5 Free subject - St. Petersburg

I was lucky enough to make a trip to Russia, Saint Petersburg exactly, with my Russian business class and a Finnish class.

A little bit of history before: Saint Petersburg is a city that was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great, built on the swampy delta of LA Neva. The city has an area of ​​606 km2. It has 42 islands. I did not have time to visit everything, I only stayed there for 5 days!

Microsoft Word - Mathilde JEGO – Russian Business Environment (Enregistré automatiquement) (Enregistré automatiquement).docx

We had the chance to visit St. Petersburg in citytour with a lady of saint petersburg. Near our hotel we made our first stop to see the University of Saint Petersburg. It is a beautiful red building, very beautiful but also very old. The establishment of origin is founded by a decree of Peter the Great on 28 January 1724. Personalities like Vladimir Putin, ex prime minister and current president of the Russian Federation, studied there.

Next, we made a stop in front of the river Neva, it is really a wide river. Only 74 km long. It flows from Lake Ladoga to the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland), into which it flows into St. Petersburg, through a delta deeply transformed by urbanization (the city now comprises 42 islands). The creation of St. Petersburg will allow Pierre to have a real port in open waters that allows him to create a navy and trade easily with other European countries.

The creation of St. Petersburg will allow Peter the Great to have a real port in open waters that allows him to create a navy and trade easily with other European countries. It is " Opening a window on Europe "a source of progress and modernity.

Also, we had the opportunity to make a stop in front of the rostral columns. The invention of rostral columns goes back to antiquity. The Greeks and Romans raised them to commemorate their sea victories. From a height of 32 m, the red rostral columns of St. Petersburg were erected in 1810. They mark the point of Vassilievski Island.

And many other monuments such as the bridge of the trinity offered by France to Russia, the Sphinxes offered by Egypt, the Peter and Paul fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, St. Savior's Cathedral, St. -Nicolas. There are 6 cathedrals in St. Petersburg and they are all beautiful and truly impressive. I was surprised by the Russian architecture that brings change with these bright colors, I really enjoyed these tours. (I take some pictures of this Cathedral)

We had the chance to visit The Hermitage Museum, a museum located in St. Petersburg, on the banks of the River Neva. It is the largest museum in the world in terms of exhibits (more than 60,000 pieces in nearly 1,000 theaters while nearly three million objects are kept on reserves). The Winter Palace was the residence of the Tsars of Russia. It was built between 1754 and 1762 at the request of the Empress Elizabeth. 

Later, there was added a part called the Hermitage. It was here that collections of works of art were presented. Thus was born the Hermitage Museum. I found that The Hermitage Museum is a place of unbelievable splendor. In addition to works of art scattered in several hundred rooms, the museum itself is a work of art. Our guide told me that if you wanted to spend 1 minute in front of each artwork, you would have to spend 8 years to visit it in its entirety. I was very impressed by the richness of this place, its magnificent works, its carpets, its colors and its giant chandeliers.

We also went to the famous “White room” where the government was caught by the Bolsheviks. It was exciting to be in a room where something really important happened in the history of Russia.

We were lucky to have the explanations of the guide throughout the visit, which allowed me to learn many things about the history of Russia for two and a half hours, which is very long For a visit. I found the paintings beautiful and I was impressed with the work of the painters because it took years to complete these works. Today it is difficult to have such results.

And finally, I saw a Folk Show. I found this speciable colorful and dammamic of authentic Russian dances and songs at Nikolaevsky Palace performed by 4 talented music ensembles. I had a great time and I did not see the time spent. I laughed with some parts of the spectable but also remained very silent facing the level of the dancers of the troupe.

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#5 Free subject - Lapland

I went to Lapland with a Finnish student association. I went with my ESDES friends and foreign friends I met in Kuopio.

Since I was a child, I always wanted to meet Santa Claus in Lapland. This is quite curious, for I NEVER believed Santa Claus. My parents never tried to make us believe in Santa Claus. And most of all, we used to buy gifts with parents. Convenient.

He village of Santa Claus is located 20 minutes by bus from Rovaniemi. The village is pretty basic, but the music throughout the village allows us to realize a little more where we are...

Arriving in Rovaniemi, we took advantage of the day to discover the city center. I do not hide it, I was very disappointed, even if I expected it. It is THE tourist city par excellence: one finds mainly restaurants, souvenir shops, big hotels, buildings too modern and not typical at all ... Personally, I found no charm in this city. That being said, it is still the capital of the province of Finland and it is located 10 km south of the Arctic Circle, the CIRCLE POLAR guys! Nothing but this little data (and not least) puts you immediately in the mood.

That same evening I had the chance to see aurora borealis for the first time in my life .. a truly magical moment that I will never forget. 

On the last day we did dog sledging, a magical moment through the discovery of the forests and finally the ocean artic where we bathed (yes yes, bathed !!!)

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#3 Geopolitics : Regional geopolitical political context

Capital: Helsinki

Population:  5,3 millions (2008)

Official language:  Finnish and Swedish

Majority group: Finnish (91,2%)

Minority groups: Swedish  (5,5 %), Gypsy (0,2 %), same (0,3 %), Russian (0,6 %), Tartar (0,02 %)

Political system: Parliamentary republic

Finland has a surface of 337 032 km2, a State of the Northern Europe (between 60th and 70th parallel lines: a quarter of the territory extending beyond the polar circle) limited in the East by Russia, in the North by Norway, in the northeast by Sweden. The republic of Finland is called Suomen Tasavalta in Finnish and Republiken Finland in Swedish. In Finnish, Suomi means " country of lakes (or swamps) ".

Finland is a unitarian country. Its capital is Helsinki since 1812; the city counts a little more than a half-million inhabitants.

Administrative Divisions:

In the administrative point of view, Finland is divided into six provinces, 20 regions, the latter being divided into 446 municipalities.

The provinces are: Lapland in the North, the province of Oulu in the center, western Finland on the West, oriental Finland in the East, Southern Finland in the South and the province of Åland located in the Gulf of Buthnia. In 2009, following a territorial reform, provinces disappeared to make way for regions, territories stemming from the grouping of municipalities.Finland has now 20 regions.

The Finnish regions are in fact only administrations decentralized by the State and have not a political autonomy (with the exception of ' Åland). The regions are managed by a governor appointed for eight years by the president of the Republic. The governor coordinates the policy of the Finnish State in the aera of the education, the culture, the social affairs and the health, the economic business, the competitors, of the consumption, the police, the rescue, the transport, the youth, the sports and the justice. In Finland, the administration of municipalities is based on the principle of the autonomy, the origins of which would go back to the very old assemblies gathered around a big stone. In municipalities, the power is exercised by the City Council, the members of which are elected every four years, on the occasion of the municipal elections. Municipalities are responsible for the implementation of the health, for the social action, for the accommodation and for the education. Municipalities earn their income of the municipal tax and the fees perceived for their services with the population. They also earn State subsidies.

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#3 Geopolitics : External and Internal regional conflicts or tensions

External  

               Nowadays Finland has not real conflicts or tensions with other country. It's the reason why I have chosen to talk about the winter war which happened in 1939 against the Russia.

It began on november the 30, in 1939 when the Soviet-Union invaded Finland. The reason of this attack: Stalin was worried about the boundaries of Soviet-Union and decided to propose to finnishs to move back their Southern border and in exchange of that he will give the protection of the country by Leningrad and also another land elsewhere in the North. But Finland refused.

Finnish government decided to strengthen its borders by the line of Mannerheim, the name of the Finnish marshal of Swedish origin, long as 140km. But the Soviet soldiers were quite many. Plus, they had a lot of aircraft, and tanks. Finns have to afront the 400.000 Red Army soldiers. But despite of it, Finns won victories in the North. The finnishs soldiers with ski and in white camouflage dress, harass the Soviets' soldiers, badly ordered, badly entailed and badly prepared for the cold. In addition, Finland got the help of the Swedes. Then, a Franco-British plan decided to  send troops to Finland through northern Scandinavia.

Finally, Stalin who had occuped the Oriental part of Finland made up his mind and give up the complete occupation of the country. After that, he concludes with his opponent the treaty of Moscow of March 12th, 1940 by which he annexes oriental Karelia and excesses of the lake Ladoga.

Internal 

             Since the diadisappearance of the Iron Curtain, mobility to the Finnish-Russian border has increased  over the past two decades, and with it, the number of mixed couples. Almost all these weddings implies a Finns man with a Russian woman. Since 2003, the children of these weddings in Finland can acquire dual nationality. But in situations of international dispute separation, justice favors the country of residence, the custody of the child to the parent who resides permanently in the country. Moreover, Finnish justice take often decisions in favour of Finns fathers. Finnish social services child protection gives Finns fathers' rights to keep their children if Russian mothers are accused of abuse. But because of the quite important differences between the two cultures, these decisions have aroused the disapproval  in Russia ! So Russian media have mounted these cases to serve a dual strategy of foreign policy: the diversion and intimidation. It has created a scandal about binational children. Johan Bäckman is the Finns man who deals with this conflict. 

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#3 Geopolitics : Presentation of country’s government

Finland is governed based according to its status as a republic with a representative democracy with principles of parliamentarism. The public administration comprises of highest elected bodies (Parliament and president), state administration, local government, indirect state administration and Independent judiciary. 

Parliament's most important function is to exercise its legislative powers. Parliament has an independent right to submit legislative proposals, but in practice most decisions taken in Parliament are based on government proposals.

All proposals and initiatives are prepared in committees before final consideration. Once the report of the committee preparing a matter has been issued, the proposal is submitted to its first reading in a plenary session of Parliament. Legislative proposals are finally accepted or rejected during their second reading by the plenary session.

An Act adopted by Parliament is submitted to the President of the Republic for confirmation. The President must decide on confirmation within three months of the submission of the Act. If the President does not confirm the Act, it is returned to Parliament for further consideration. If Parliament readopts the Act without material alterations, it enters into force without confirmation. The Act must be signed by the President of the Republic. Unfinished business is carried over to the next parliamentary session unless parliamentary elections intervene.

The approval of Parliament is required for such treaties and other international obligations that contain provisions of a legislative nature or are otherwise significant. Parliament also takes the most important decisions related to State finances including decisions on the budget and taxes.

The Parliament considers those European Commission proposals for acts, agreements and other measures which are to be decided in the European Union and which otherwise, according to the Constitution, would fall within the competence of the Parliament. In such cases, the Government communicates the proposal to Parliament in order to determine its position. The Bank of Finland and the Social Insurance Institution operate under the supervision of Parliament.

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#2 Social Rituals - Events and National celebrations

Vappu : In Finland, Vappu is one of the biggest festivals of the year. The celebration begins on the evening of April 30th and is the occasion for a wide consumption of sparkling wine and various spirits. By the end of the nineteenth century, this traditional celebration of wealthy classes had become that of students going to university and having already received their caps. Traditions include the consumption of a fermented beverage (the sima), the alcohol content of which may vary. The festivities also include a picnic on May 1 in public parks in major cities.

The Independence Day : “Itsenäisyyspäivä” is a national holiday commemorating the country's independence on December 6, 1917. So in 2017, it is 100 years. Friends and family get together for a dinner at home or in a restaurant. Watching the Presidential Independence Day reception live from TV and critically examining the guests’ clothes and demeanor is a much loved tradition these days. People also take part in a torch light procession or visit the soldier’s graves at the cemeteries. White-blue candles are placed on the window sills. 

Saint - Lucia : In Finland, as in all of Scandinavia, Saint Lucia (Lucianpäivä) is celebrated on 13 December, which coincides with the longest night of the year. It has been a tradition since 1949 to elect each year Lucia, among the young girls of the country. Dressed in white and coifed with a crown of candles, it scrolls to Helsinki to collect money for the people in need. This election is organized nationally through the Finnish newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet.

“Friend’s day” = Valentine’s day : When the whole world is celebrating love Finland has it’s unique interpretation of the 14th of February. Valentine’s Day in Finland is celebrated as Ystävänpäivä, Friend’s Day. Finns decided to include everybody in this day. Friends, family, neighbors, colleagues – and of course the sweethearts too! – may all receive cards, flowers and chocolates on this day.

Shrove Sunday : or the Finnish version of Mardi Gras, is celebrated in February seven weeks before Easter on a Tuesday. The Finnish sleigh carousel or pole sledge, napakelkka, is not so common anymore but it is the quintessential Laskiainen sledge.

Christmas or Joulu : As everybody knows, the one and only Santa Claus lives in Lapland, in the north of Finland. There he prepares his presents and answers children’s letters with the help of his elves. Near his home is the theme park Santa Park which is offers great fun for the whole family. Finns themselves prefer to be at home with their family for Christmas, preparing their traditional meal which often includes mashed rutabaga, carrot and potato casseroles. Salmon is very common and some people have turkey or ham. At midday on Christmas Eve the Peace of Christmas is broadcasted on TV and radio, straight from Finland’s “second capital” Turku. A Christmas sauna is a must for many a Finn, as is a family excursion to the church to sing Christmas carols.

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#2 Social Rituals - Cultural Habits, Customs and Family Habits

Finnish Values : Honesty is highly valued in Finland. It is important to always keep your promises and adhere to agreements. For Finns, dishonesty is the worst vice imaginable. Work and diligence are held in high regard.Punctuality is important in Finland. When you have a meeting, it is essential to arrive at the agreed time. If you have made an appointment with an official or doctor, for example, it is especially important to be there on time. Modesty is a significant value in Finland. People tend not to distinguish themselves in a group. In Finland, it is good manners to take others into account and listen to them.It is common for Finnish women to work even if they have children. Men and women are both responsible for the care of the children and the home

Sauna : Sauna is an important part of Finnish culture. The sauna is for purification and relaxation, which means that peace and quiet are seen as parts of the experience. Many Finns use the sauna every week. People bathe in the sauna with family members, friends and business partners alike. Women and men bathe in the sauna at separate times. You usually enter a sauna without any clothes.

As a guest at a Finnish home : In Finland, you should always agree upon visits to other people’s homes in advance, even with good friends. Finns value their privacy and peace. Finns do not use shoes indoors. It is polite to take off your shoes when entering someone else’s home. When visiting a Finnish home, take off your shoes or ask if you can keep them on.

Discussion and interaction : Finns are not very quick to strike up conversations with strangers. For this reason, Finns may initially appear quiet and cold. The Finnish style of speech is direct and straightforward. Finns tend to state things directly and honestly. In Finland, it is expected that people truly mean what they say. People will believe what you say and expect you to act accordingly. Finns often speak slowly with long pauses in between. Silence is not undesirable but natural, and quiet moments do not need to be filled with speech. Loud speech can be thought of as unpleasant or threatening. In Finland, it is considered rude to interrupt people when they are speaking. Finns normally wait for their discussion partners to finish before speaking themselves. It is uncommon in Finland to show your emotions in public. It is considered rude to raise your voice when speaking, especially in a public place. Finns prefer to resolve disputes through calm discussion.

Salutation : Handshaking is a common way of greeting in Finland. In large cities, you do not normally greet people other than your acquaintances. Friends or relatives may also greet themselves by hugging. However, cheek kissing is not common. In Finland, it is important to look those you are talking to in the eye. People who look down or to the side may be thought of as being dishonest.

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#5 Free subject

This weekend, friends of the same school came to visit us. They study in Kajaani at 2h15 from Kuopio by bus. We did a lot of things and Saturday we went to the Puijo tower, during a sunny day !

The Puijo Tower is a high observation in Kuopio, the tower itself is 75m and it stands atops of a 200m tall hill. The view was just amazing because we saw all the lakes around us with a wonderful sunset. To warm us up we drank a hot chocolate at the top of the tower

We were able to do a lot of sludge and take pictures, lots of fun! 

Here are some pictures of this weekend 

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Housing

The day of my arrival in Kuopio the members of the association for exchange students came to the airport to accompany us to our homes. These are full of small buildings with 4 floors. The accommodations are different but I am in an apartment with two roommates. The first roommate is French and she is in the same school as me, the second who arrived a week after me is Spanish. We live to 3 in an apartment of 70m2. The apartments are very old and sad but with my roommates we have the idea to decorate it and put a lot of colors to feel good. 

We are lucky to have a nearby store called "Sale", a small restaurant that makes pizza with a manager who speaks French and especially a sauna !!! 

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University Profile

The University of Applied Sciences Savonia (Finnish: Savonia-ammattikorkeakoulu) is a professional higher education institution in Northern Savonia in Finland. The establishment has based in Kuopio, Iisalmi and Varkaus. By its number of students, it is one of the most important universities of applied sciences1 in Finland. Savonia had 6,526 students in 2011.1 Until 2004, it was known as the "Polytechnic School of Northern Savonia". It was founded in 1922. 

The first day at the university was really uncommon because we were with all the Erasmus people, a lot of nationalities: Spanish, French, Hungarian, Finnish, Netherland people, but also lots of French people. So, it was strange because before that I was not use to speak English all the time.

We started to drink a coffee and eat some little biscuits and Finnish specialities. Finnish welcome!!!!

The student life in Kuopio is really nice! In the university we have a Student Association called Kisa, who organise all the parties, and differents events and trips (Lapland, St-Petersbourg, Stockholm). We have also sports places, so during free time it's cool to move because in Finland it's difficult to find the motivation to do some sports outside.

The school system in Finland is very different from the French system. The first thing that strikes is in the teacher / pupil relationship. They are at the same level, that is to say that they are tuple and are called by their first names and the professors can give their telephone numbers. Then we do not have many hours of classes because they prefer to focus on personal work. There are few homework and ongoing no need for notes, all courses are online. On the other hand, there are dates for group work.

Finally, some small anecdotes:

At the entrance to the university, there are lots of coat hangers as in primary, each one leaves his with gloves, bonnets and when we return 5 hours later, it is still there, it has not moved . Impossible thing with the French people!

 If your mobile phone rings, you can answer and leave the phone. It has not happened yet but it's funny to see people come out just for a phone call and come back alone! They can also eat, drink soda and leave the class when they want. (Even without any reasons, really!)

Sometimes the courses overlap, you have two courses at the same time then you choose the one you want to follow and you send a mail to the other.

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Finland, D-20

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Erasmus à KUOPIO, Finlande.