We put them in a tutor group.
Seriously, I do not know, what I would have done without this tutor group. I probably would have given up and left already. The amount of bureaucratic shit we all had to deal with during the first week would have been maddening if not for the wonderful support of our tutor Paulina. She was with us every step of the way and helped us find the right locations and fill out all the right forms and everything. Next to that, she also introduced us to the affordable prices in the uni cafés and gave advice on which events not to miss.
Seriously, I do not know, what I would have done without this tutor group. I probably would have given up and left already. The amount of bureaucratic shit we all had to deal with during the first week would have been maddening if not for the wonderful support of our tutor Paulina. She was with us every step of the way and helped us find the right locations and fill out all the right forms and everything. Next to that, she also introduced us to the affordable prices in the uni cafés and gave advice on which events not to miss.
This is the group of people I spent the first week with: Virginia from Italy, Paulina our tutor, Megumi from Japan (who strongly reminds me of Lilly from Pitch Perfect), Jan from Germany, Piia from Sweden, my room mate Alina from Russia, and Danny from the United States. There was also a French girl at some point, but I guess she flew back home, because she could not find and apartment in Helsinki. So for all of those who want to spend a semester here: APPLY FOR HOUSING EARLY! And look into your spam folder on a regular basis, because for some reason, mails from Finland have a habit of landing in there. Uni Cafés |
It's a bit like our cafeterias, but they are all over the city and in the different buildings of the University. They are the place to go to if you want to eat an affordable meal. They have kind of a funny system of serving food. First you go inside and stand in line. You get your tray and tableware - so far so normal - and then your pour yourself a glass of water or mehua (concentrate mixed with water) and a glass of milk. Then you can choose which kind of fish, meat, or veggie/vegan main ingredient you want to eat. After you've put your choice on the plate you proceed to pay for your meal. After that, you can serve yourself at a buffet with rice, potatoes, bread and salad as much as you like. When you're done, you throw away the leftovers and napkins and sort your tableware, tray, plate and cups into different containers. It took some getting used to and I wonder whether I could just leave out the veggie main ingredient (which is usually seitan) and proceed to potatoes and veggies...I'm not that big a seitan fan, although the word is just destined to be joked about.
Get it? Well, I thought it was funny...and the seitan jokes do not end there....but enough of that. By the way, that mehua stuff is definitely meant to be mixed with water. I did not know the first time around, and let me tell you, it was disgusting. It's like drinking syrup. I wonder wether it was extremely funny for Jan, who had already learned that lesson, to see my face grimace out of disgust and whether he was just waiting for me to take a sip. Nice of him, to inform me after I drank it. |