Starting Classes

After a couple days of orientation and settling into our new school we started our first day of classes this Wednesday. In the morning we met our Finnish language and culture teacher Helena Sarvikas. She began by teaching us many Finnish words that are so similar to English we already know their meanings. Words like auto, kamera, musiikki, energia, and idiootti don’t require much translating.  She gave us a list of “Survival Words” so we could say proper greetings, ask for directions, peoples names, food, drink, restroom and more.  Helena is a helpful teacher and encourages us to ask questions and practice saying words aloud to ourselves.

Next we had Finnish Silviculture with Juha Tiainen. We had met him a couple times before in the cafeteria; Juha is a lively man who likes to joke around but is clearly passionate about Finnish Forestry. During our first class he gave us a brief overview of what would be expected of us, the turnover rate between regeneration and timber harvesting in Finland, and the importance of the timber industry in terms of tapping into a valuable renewable resource that can replace energy inefficient materials while helping fix the growing global issue of climate change.  Many people, especially in America, have the misconception that timber production contributes to deforestation. That is an outdated attitude as it has become a central focus that forest management practices foster sustainable, healthy stands that ensure the availability of this resource for future generations. Juha showed us a short video about how regenerating forests can help replace our dependence on fossil fuels with bioenergy and reverse the greenhouse effect by using more carbon sequestering, renewable, biodegradable wood products. I hope this important approach becomes more popular in America, especially to our government, which has a knack for suppressing movements that threaten the vitality of oil companies.  This short introduction has gotten me very excited to learn more in here in Finland about their forest management.

Lastly we had a short overview of Finnish Agriculture with Anna Tall and Teija Ronka, a specialist in livestock husbandry.  Teija presented us with some general information about farming in Finland. Though the number of farms has decreased in the last 10 years, the average size of these farms are growing and it is still a fundamental part of the country’s livelihood.  Cereal grain production is the most common type of farm followed by dairy and beef production. Pig and horse husbandry is also quite important. During our time in Finland we will be working on the school farm getting basics of livestock care as well as cultivation of agriculture fields.  We will also be taking trips to various farms in Finland to see how they function in practice. Again, “Learn by doing” is valued at our university and will play a large part in our learning experience.

Our clearly experienced instructors are knowledgeable, approachable and enthusiastic about teaching which makes them very effective educators. Overall, we have a lot to look forward to at Seinajoki and we will be learning more and more every day, as we have been doing since our arrival.

Orientation to the Ilmajoki Campus

The first couple days at Ilmajoki were reminiscent of Cal Poly’s Week of Welcome, one of the best student orientation programs in the United States.  We were gathered in the auditorium for a welcome presentation that was summarized in English to us but we missed quite a bit by not knowing any Finnish. University staff broke the incoming students up into groups led by second and third year students for a tour around the campus.  The student leaders are easy to identify because they all have jumpsuits with different patches and advertisements they get from sponsors while raising money for an international trip during their second year of classes. The Cal Poly students were split into two groups and put with leaders who could explain the tour briefly in English after discussing interest points in Finnish to the rest of the students.

We were shown the cow house, pig farm, machinery sheds, agriculture fields, gardens, classrooms and more.  Group interaction was fostered by a list of questions we were to answer regarding tour stops. We were pleased to see that Seinajoki values “Learn by Doing” as much as Cal Poly and it is evident in the way the older students share their experiences and explain what type of activities we will be responsible for throughout our schooling.  

It was nice to get out of our isolated English-speaking group and mingle with some Finnish students. Upon arrival in Ilmakoji the Cal Poly students were concerned about making friends because the other students did not seem to want much to do with us. We learned very quickly it was not a matter of friendliness, in fact the Finnish students are very interesting, like to have fun and are similar to us in many ways.  They are a little shy at first and unsure of their English skills but once they get chatting its very easy to make friends.

On the second day we were taken to Tuomarniemi, a school forest learning facility to play icebreaker games, get comfortable with the other students and have some fun out in the woods.  At the site we found a wooden statue of two figures cross cut sawing that I saw online months ago while googling the school! We enjoyed jumping in the refreshing lake (by the way, there are nearly 200,000 lakes in Finland) followed by a hot sauna and roasting frankfurters over an open fire. After that, the student leaders put on a funny skit for us and we were bussed back to Ilmajoki.

It was overwhelming in the beginning being the only five students who did not speak Finnish. We felt like we were missing out on a lot of information and some camaraderie as the ignorant monolingual Americans. However, in just two days we had many of our acquaintances translating for us and we did not feel nearly as isolated. If anything it gave us much greater incentive to pay close attention in our first Finnish lesson the next day. 

The last year for Forestry undergrad studies at Seinajoki

This was our first week of school at the Ilmajoki campus. When we (the English speaking Cal Poly students) arrived at the main school building Monday morning we were greeted by Anna Tall, the very helpful and friendly international exchange student coordinator at Seinajoki University.  She gave us our schedules for the week, explained a few trips she had planned for us around Finland during our stay and answered our questions. Throughout the week Anna has encouraged us to tell her what we are interested in doing and seeing during our time in Finland so she can work it into our schedule.  I am amazed and grateful for how accommodating the exchange program has been to the Cal Poly students’ language barrier, curriculum needs and recreational interests.

It came as a shock to hear that this is the final school year Seinajoki would be offering their Forestry undergraduate program.  When we asked Antti Pasila why such an important program (over 50% of Finland is forest land and Finland is responsible for 4% of global timber production) is being discontinued he explained how the country’s economy and population dynamics are threatening the Ilmajoki campus altogether.  Finland experienced a baby boom in 1947 after World War II and now all those baby boomers are retiring. As many people leave the work force there are not as many workers available to take their places creating a labor gap. Though there is a drive for more workers, their government and tax funded education system cannot subsidize the cost of maintaining the valuable 150ha of agriculture land and 180ha of forest learning facilities as the number of students has been decreasing.

This is very unfortunate news but Antti explained that there is a way this labor gap can be closed. Through proper management, leadership and technology the productivity of a few workers can be increased greatly. Organizing skilled labor to maximize output and investing in innovation (and education) could be a sensible way for Finland to strengthen their economy as well as their workforce. 

It is incredible that Senajoki can welcome foreign students requiring special attention during these trying times.  Since classes are all taught in Finnish we require our own class and instructor to teach us each subject; Silviculture, Agriculture, and Finnish Language and Culture.  I am very hopeful that Cal Poly will be able to return the hospitality and priceless learning experience we have been offered by accepting Finnish students in the fall of 2013.  

Finnish Hospitality

Annti Pasila picked us up from our hostel then we picked up the fifth Cal Poly student Chase Horton from the airport and headed back to downtown Helsinki for a small tour let by Antti.  We got to see a more historic part of Helsinki than we had the night before.  Monuments and government buildings reflect of Finland's past connections with Sweden and Russia before their independence in 1917.  There was a farmer's market held near the harbor where a variety of fresh produce was being sold and a police convention was being held near the city hall. Many people were also exploring the city and it was awesome to have Antti interpreting what was going on around us, pointing out interest points and things to do when we return to stay longer in Helsinki. All the Cal Poly students are eager to return before we leave the country.

Antti then drove us to his farm in Kouvola where the barley was just a couple weeks away from being ready to harvest.  He introduced us to his lovely wife and daughters who made us feel very much at home. Their three adorable dogs enjoyed much attention from their new American friends. Mrs. Pasila fed us traditional Finnish meals in great abundance during our stay and encouraged us to enjoy their sauna, a very popular Finnish activity for health purposes and comfort during the cold winters. Antti answered our questions about the university and it was nice to experience some family life in the countryside.  I went on a run around the sprawling neighboring fields and through the trees which I can safely say was the best run I've ever been on in my entire life.  When I was returning, a luminous double rainbow just behind the house sealed my love for Finland and made me feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity and simply to be alive!

Getting Acquainted with Finland

Flying into Helsinki over many lakes and trees got me very excited to explore this new country that would be my home for three months. I found Sarah Tormey (another Cal Poly student studying in Finland) at baggage claim looking for her luggage which we soon discovered was in Canada. Together we left the airport in search of our hostel and the other Cal Poly girls which proved a very interesting task.  Ireland was a ridiculously easy warm-up for navigating Helsinki where we had no idea where we were going or how to get there. Oh yeah, everything is in Finnish and people speak moderate to no English. After taking a bus past our stop, asking a policeman for useless directions and wandering aimlessly we threw in the towel and hailed a taxi. As fun as it was representing America in the luggage hauling olympics on multiple occasions, I was very happy to arrive at our hostel with our classmates. Traveling with four months worth of gear in the face of a cold fall is much like taking a dead body with you everywhere, or at least I assume so. Turns out, all of us found different confusing ways to the hostel and after hearing Valerie and Sara's routes, I was very happy Sarah and I took a cab!

That night we set out to explore Helsinki.  This city is much more my style than Dublin; not as crowded, a little more modern but still bearing beautiful architecture reflecting its dynamic past.  Also, there are forest trails very close to downtown area! On our way downtown came across a HUGE high school party in the park where literally hundreds of kids were gathered drinking, laughing, chatting and hanging out.  As we were walking through this park a few kids evidently wanted to practice their english and told us this is the biggest party of the year.  Despite the fact that they all had beer and we were seeking some ourselves we declined their invitation to party with the babies. 

The four of us toasted to a wonderful fall in this new place at a quieter bar and headed back to our hotel  to get some rest. Antti Pasila, the Dean of Agriculture Studies at Seinajoki University would be picking us up in the morning and taking us to his farm to begin our assimilation to the type of studying and living we would be doing over the next few months. 

My Dabble in Dublin

Arriving in Dublin was a little surreal. The flight in was gorgeous and it started to really sink in during the shuttle to my hotel that I was in a very different place. Driving on the wrong side of the road down the narrow streets packed with people and public transportation vehicles was almost as interesting as the various parks and buildings that lined them. Dublin is a bustling city with landmarks reflecting different parts of Irelands history, colorful modern additions and more pubs than you can shake a stick at.

I arrived at our apartment very tired but determined not to sleep and further wreck my sleep schedule. Sara scouted a 16 euro two day hop on, hop off bus tour around the city that was an incredible deal for students on a budget. The first stop was right by our hotel and gave us access to all the main attractions and museums.  We visited the Guinness Brewery, Grafton Street, some beautiful gardens, the Temple Bar district, museums of art, natural history, military, archaeology and more. My favorite thing had to be the incredible artwork we saw or the very friendly group of Irelanders we met at the pub behind our hotel. They were wonderful and hilarious company! A couple of them were pilots with some good advice for Ireland as well as when we arrive in Finland. On the third day we took an all day tour through Galway Bay, Bunratty Castle, Doolin, the cliffs of Moher, and got to see some quaint historical towns. It was nice to get out of Dublin and see some of the gorgeous green countryside as well as the impressive rocky coast.  

Dublin was short but sweet; a teaser for exploring more of the world.  Though the food was not fantastic, the people were very friendly and the weather wasn’t bad! I'm still pretty green but learning more everyday.  For example; look right for oncoming traffic, not left! Being a tourist encourages humility and to make the best of the time you have in a new place.  Ask advice from the locals, meet some new people, and make your own fun if you have to.  I only spent three days in Ireland (unfortunately shorted one day) but the time was well spent and financial damage minimal. Sara is an excellent secretary, even for travel, and we're looking forward to planning our post-Finand adventure through the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and France.