Course descriptions

Here are the descriptions of those courses that we took in september-december 2008.

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Metal Culture

This slideshow was made from an alumn for the subject "Finnish for Foreigners". The content is about Finnish music and the difference about the interpretation of Metal culture in different countries.

[slideshare id=809228&doc=metal-music-in-finland-1228221597490737-8&w=425]

Going to Mikkeli from Bremerhaven, Germany

The easiest way to go to Finland in general and more specifically going to Mikkeli from Bremerhaven is taking a plane.
Ryanair offers cheap flights from Bremen to Tampere. Depending on the time between booking and flight the price is about 30-40€.
The disadvantage is the limit for baggageweight of 15kg for suitcases, bags or other items and 10kg for hand-baggage.
From Tampere there are two possibilities for reaching Mikkeli. One is to take "north-route" around lakes using the train to Pieksamäki and change there to the train destined for Helsinki, which also stops in Mikkeli. This route takes about 3 hours and costs about 25€ with the finnish student ticket.
The other possibility is to take the "south-route" via Tikkurila to Mikkeli. This route takes a bit more than 4 hours and costs around 20€ with the student ticket.

How Mikkeli seems to me

Once I met with a finnish guy and he told me "Mikkeli is the real Finland". I do not know Finland so well, but Mikkeli is a small town with many inhabitants and a few foreigners. And that is the reason why I chose Mikkeli instead of a big town (for example Helsinki). The streets are wide and clean, the nature is incredibly beautiful and I like very much that there are many small forest in several parts of the town. In the other hand the architecture was a bit suprising for me, as I noticed here the main principle is the usefulness. There are no decorations on the houses, or any stonework. So the houses are simple and similar to each other, a bit puritans.

Finnish people are quiet and shy. But inspite of that they use to go out having a party at the weekend and with the help of the alcohol they are getting open minded. Actually I still do not understand why they are shy. It is a small nation but very smart and strong, with many educated and clever people. They have very good sense for music and dance as well.

Fortunately getting drunk was not a big problem for me, so I could get closer to finnish people in an easier way. I felt that they were really happy to meet with me and it was pleasure for me to talk with them. Generally people in Mikkeli are very friendly, everybody speaks the english language (even the only homeless man with whom I met during the whole 4 months).

In Mikkeli there are many possibilities for having fun. You can visit one of the pubs, you can play pool, there are many football fields....etc. So I am thinking about coming back in the summer to see Mikkeli's other face.

Impressions from a BME student 2.

Two students from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) were studying in Mikkeli in autumn of 2008. As Attila posted before, the requirements were lower than in my home university.The other differences in brief:

- More activity on the courses. For example on CISCO course, you have to use the devices, on other courses you have to write assignements, develop projects... For me it was more practical than always just learning and taking exams.

- Courses in english language. If you want to improve your english knowledge, it is the best practice.

-  I got to know a totally different culture in Finland.

In my home university we also have english courses, we take part in the Erasmus program as well. You can find some useful informations here: www.bme.hu

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden, with a population of 794,494 inhabitants (1.95 million in its metropolitan area) is home to around 21% of Sweden's population. As the state capital, Stockholm is the site of  and the Swedish government and parliament. It is also the residence of head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. With more tourists than anywhere else in Scandinavia is also considered the capital of the Nordic countries.

Stockholm is built on 14 islands, water is a pervasive element in the city that has 57 bridges to travel between the different neighborhoods, it is often called the Venice of the North. It is full of bridges, marinas and docks. The water is so clean you can drink it and catch salmon in the middle of the city. The weather is influenced by sea breezes that featured the alleys of the city.

Some interesting places in the city are:

• Vasamuseet (The Vasa Museum). The impressive warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 but was salvaged 333 years later in 1961. She has since been restored and can now be seen with her complete lower rigging at the Vasa Museum, the only museum of its kind in the world.

• Skansen (Open-Air Museum). Skansen, the world’s oldest open air museum, was founded in 1891 and features some 150 cultural and historic buildings from all over Sweden. With a zoo featuring wild and domestic Nordic animals, Skansen is the place for traditional annual festivities, markets and folk dance displays. You can learn all about traditional Swedish folklore here at Skansen.

• Gamla Stan (The Old Town). The historic center of Stockholm is renowned for its narrow cobblestone alleys, beautiful houses, boutiques, restaurants and sights. Explore the Old Town on your own or join one of the many guided walks.

• Kungliga Slottet (The Royal Palace). The Royal Palace is the official residence of His Majesty the King of Sweden. Completed in 1754, it is one of the largest palaces in Europe. Most of the Palace is open to the public, such as the State Apartments, the Royal Armoury and the Treasury.

• Stadshuset (The City Hall). The City Hall is one of the best known landmarks in Stockholm and the city’s administrative and representative center. The Blue Hall hosts the world famous Nobel Prize Banquet every year, followed by a ball in the Golden Hall. Guided tours daily.

• Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art). Designed by one of the world’s most distinguished contemporary architects, Rafael Moneo, The museum houses one of Europe’s finest collections of modern art.

• Nationalmuseum (The National Museum of Fine Arts). Sweden’s largest art gallery with collections of paintings and sculptures, drawings, engravings and handicrafts also features a permanent exhibition of Swedish design. Works by Sweden’s foremost painters as well as Rembrandt, Rubens, Goya, Renoir, Degas and Gauguin.

• Millesgården (The Milles Museum). The home of sculptor Carl Milles. Some of his best works are on display in a beautiful outdoor setting.

• Nobel Museum (The Nobel Museum). Cutting-edge design and technology lie behind the Nobel Prize. Learn about Alfred Nobel, the Laureates and their groundbreaking discoveries and ideas.

Apart from being a large city with an active cultural life, Stockholm, as Sweden's capital, houses many national cultural institutions. There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Stockholm area: the Royal Palace Drottningholm (within Ekerö Municipality) and the Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery). It was the 1998 European City of Culture.

Yearly events:

• Stockholm Jazz Festival is one of Sweden's oldest festivals. The festival takes place at Skeppsholmen in July.


• Stockholm Pride is the largest Pride event in the Nordic countries and takes place in the last week of July every year. The Stockholm Pride always ends with a parade and in 2007, 50 000 people marched with the parade and about 500 000 watched it.


• The Stockholm Marathon takes place on a Saturday in early June each year.


• The Nobel Banquet takes place at Stockholm City Hall every year on December 10.


• The Stockholm Culture Festival.


• The Ung08 festival takes place every year the week before school starts, mainly the second or third week of August.

Stockholm is also known for its great food. Due to immigration, the city have plenty of restaurants with all kinds of food from worldwide, such as American fast food, Asian, Italian, French, Greek, Scandinavian, Spanish, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Cafeterias and bars are easy to find in the city anywhere.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm
http://www.stockholmtown.com/default____2023.aspx?epslanguage=EN

Riga

Riga is the capital of the Baltic Republic of Latvia. It is the largest city in the Baltic states and the biggest cultural, educational, political, financial, trade and industry in the region. It is located on the shores of the Baltic Sea, near the mouth of the Daugava River in the Gulf of Riga.

The city has unique values due to its rather intact medieval architecture and that of later periods, the urban structure, the richness and quality of Art Noveau architecture and the 19-th century wooden architecture of the city. Inscribing the historic centre of Riga on the World Heritage List of UNESCO recognized it.

Riga belongs to the cultural space of Western Europe. For the city, dynamic and diverse music and arts activities are typical. Over centuries, the creative atmosphere evolved in Riga and inspired composers, poets and artists. It has a life full of cultural activities such as the festival that is held every 4 years National Folk Song and dance and go to more than 30,000 people each time it is organized. It also has the Latvia Latvia National Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra. On the other hand, its nightlife is very lively. There are many clubs, pubs, casinos especially in the old part of town with a very appropriate decoration to the medieval city.

Riga has hundreds of ways for enticing visitors – its rich history, architecture, spacious gardens and parks, museums, art galleries and world-class opera…and daily treats like a walk in the enormous colorful central market or going to a cosy café, club or pub…

Some interesting places in the city are:

• Old part of town. It goes back to the thirteenth century and is a fascinating series that has remained safe from fire, shelling and looting.


• The Lutheran Cathedral.


• Art Nouveau architecture. On central streets such as Alberta and Elizabetes Iela.


• Saint Peter's Church. It has a 123 m high tower.


• The Occupation Museum of Latvia.


• Riga Castle (Rīgas Pils). It houses the Museum of Latvian History and the Museum of Foreign Art.


• Riga Circus. The only permanently situated circus in the Baltic States.


• St James's Roman Catholic cathedral.

The city was European Capital of Culture in 2001 along with Basel (Switzerland), also hosted the Song Contest Eurovision 2003. In 2006 the capital of Latvia hosted the World Championships in ice hockey, the most important sporting event in the history of the Baltic States.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga
http://www.rigatourism.lv/EN/Channels/Tip/default.htm