Exchange in Helsinki 17.11. - 25.11.2002 with LC Aachen and LC Krakow

LC Helsinki organized an exchange to its German and Polish friends in November 2002. The Polish people arrived already on Sunday the 17th but the Germans didn't come untill the next day. It was a bit complicated that the guests didn't arrive and departure at the same day but after all we still had many fine days to spend together

Monday started with the Finnish "academic" outdoor game called Kyykkä with the Polish guests. During that day they got to know our campus area and in the evening as the Germans finally arrived it was time for the welcoming dinner party. This year we had many volunteering EESTECers to accommodate our guests and that's why it was possible for us to invite 12 people here at the same time which was twice as much as the year before.

Tuesday began with a tour in the university where we visited the Acoustics Lab and the Low temperature Lab. In the afternoon we packed ourselves in the cars and drove to a cottage which was in the middle of the woods about 100 km away from the campus. The sea was already frozen and that enabled us to make a hole in the ice and swim in it between going to the sauna. Our guests were brave (even braver than many Finns:) and they enjoid doing it many times! Later we ate Finnish traditional food, tried some weird Polish drinking games and tasted Feuerzangenbole, a speciality from Aachen.

After coming back to the campus on the next day it was time to go to an excursion to the telecommunication company Sonera. In the evening there were different sauna parties for boys and girls arranged by the guild and we took the girls to taste some ciders and the boys to*hmm.. well, do and see things that boys usually want to ;)

Thursday was spent in the city center and later the guests took part in a sitsi-party for over 100 people. It was a party for our guild and the domestic science school members aswell as for all the people involved with EECTEC. But despite the fact that there were students from different schools and even countries the party really worked out fine and it seems that everyone had a lot of fun. Our foreign guests even got to share their singing culture with us, which was really nice!

On Friday we let the guests run freely around till the evening when we meet in the city, visited the gallery of modern art and then went to pub crawling after crabbing pizzas and one liter beers in a pizzeria. Pubs were located in this a bit more "artistic" part of Helsinki and for the crawling we had also made a quiz which included differents tasks they had to carry out and some questions they had to find out answers for during the nigth. The quiz turned out the be a hudge success and people were happily performing the tasks.

Saturday was the last day when the guests were here alltogether and the evening was of course dedicated to the farewell party. For the day we had planned ice skating but since there was some competition on the ice rink we made a plan b and headed to the Fortress of Suomenlinna. It was a great weather for going down the hills with sleigths and we spent half a day playing in the snow on the island.

In the farewell party at my parents' house there were over 20 people celebrating the last night together and at some time it felt that there were no ending to the traditional drinks that the guests and the hosts were serving*It was nice though The nigth continued till the morning and suddenly it was already time to say goodbye to the Polish people.

On Sunday we still visited the museum of the technology student culture but before we noticed the Germans were on their way back home aswell.

Tough week, like the exchanges always are But it was again so much fun to potter around with new people that we are planning to organize the next one already in May, in other words in the summer time for a change. Jippii!

written by: Emmi Rautkylä