Contents 2 3 4 5 6 9 16 18 20 23 25 26 27 29 31 38 39 40 44 45
Contents Editorial Notes From The Project Rat Words from the Chair The First Chapter: The Ramblings of a Piltti Board In Short Exchange At Bath Spa University What Makes Anglica Go ‘Round? This Staff Is Great! Centerfold The Ballad of Costa Mayflower Comics The Legend of Saint Angelica Vistas En Praga Spexual Activities NMES 2018 Home Is A Feeling Anglica’s 60th Anniversary Party Comic Puzzle Pages
Johannes Suoranta Elina Keskitalo Paul-Erik Niit Manu Pajuniemi Emilia Tähkävuori Riina Laakso Teemu Helenius Aapo Rauha Reea Ruusuvuori Emma Nokkala Mikko Rytö Reea Ruusuvuori Johannes Suoranta Elina Keskitalo disappoiNtMEntS crew Sam Contreras Pihla Eskola Katri Sohlman Emilia Tähkävuori
bacchanalia 1. (often capital) orgiastic rites associated with Bacchus 2. any drunken revelry Baccanalia Anglica ry. 2018 Printing: X-Copy Run: 90 Editors: Johannes Suoranta and Elina Keskitalo Layout: Johannes Suoranta and Elina Keskitalo Cover: Nina Lusto and Reea Ruusuvuori Centerfold: Reea Ruusuvuori Photos: Elina Keskitalo, Johannes Suoranta, Nina Lusto, Riina Laakso, Reea Ruusuvuori, Manu Pajuniemi, Rasmus Nordman, Sam Contreras, Lotta Säilä, Aapo Rauha, Pihla Eskola, Pirkka Hallamaa
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this project in every possible and impossible way, you are the reason we have a magazine. And thanks to the entire readership, you are our best inspiration!
Editorial Johannes Suoranta
The absence of Anglica and its hordes of friends was a far greater stain than I could even imagine. The blue glare of a laptop is cold comfort for the lonely mind, and Anglica has for the past sixty years brought people together and made life-long friendships, and I have no doubt it will keep doing just that as long as there are like-minded people to keep it up. I thus challenge everybody to get to know someone new and make a new friend next year! The undisputed main event this year was Anglica’s sixtieth anniversary party and I think we can all safely say it was an absolute blast. Being with loved ones and honouring our superb student party organisation at the same time was really the time of my life. If you were not there you really missed out a lot. The rest of us made some memories to last a lifetime. Some of those memories might be a little hazy, but that usually happens anytime Anglicans are involved.
The days run away like wild horses over the hills, because yet another academic year has gone by. Now, I will let you enjoy the rest of this It seems also that our newest batch of students have publication and the May Day in general. My fellow been super active this year, which is always a good Anglicans, you truly shine a light in the darkness. thing. One could even say that this year in particular required a little extra from everybody, and a whole lot extra from the committee of the anniversary party. I cannot stress enough how tremendous the work load was for these people and you all should shower them with gratifications and complementary libations. In the undying words of Kevin Durant: Committee, it feels good to be part of history. My own academic year was more or less wasted during my Erasmus stay in Prague. Now, I will not bore all of you as to why my whole Prague campaign went to the ginger bread, but there certainly were multiple factors. Still, the most notable difference was the absence of Anglica, with the exception of few radiant individuals who came visit me and prevented me from being hit by an omnibus. You all I thank specially, you know who you are.
Notes from the Project Rat Elina Keskitalo
It’s been a long year, despite being the exact same length as any other year. 365 days ago, I released my first Baccanalia into the world. Incredible things have happened in that time, both personally and to Anglica. Our beloved association turned sixty, and that consumed so much time from both the board and the anniversary committee that it feels like we did nearly nothing else. But regardless, life went on. Every Anglica event was organised alongside the whirlwind that was the anniversary party, and I also managed to participate in another huge project outside Anglica (read more on page 31!). Anniversary celebrations are often about traditions and honouring the past. For me, this year has been both about making new traditions and exploring new things. Inspired mainly by working on last year’s Baccanalia, I applied for the projects position on the board and got it unanimously without opposition. For that trust I thank you all, and I hope I’ve been able to honour that trust so far. Doing projects is fun because I get to organise all those things that are a little bit special among our daily routine.
year I’m sharing the editorial and visual duties with my friend Johannes, again highlighting the wonderful sense of friendship and cooperation student associations foster at their finest. All in all, like everything in Anglica, Baccanalia is a collaboration, Last autumn we got another amazing bunch but unlike other projects, this results in something of new freshmen, who have turned out to be very tangible. I still remember the sense of pride when I active and valuable additions to the sixty-year story opened the box of print-fresh Baccanalias last year. of Anglica. Many of them have contributed to this issue of Baccanalia as well, with the brilliant quality Everyone who has contributed to this issue I’ve come to expect from my fellow English students. has something concrete to remember for their work. This autumn I’ll be the one arranging Turku Survival And everyone who manages to grab their copy has and related activities for the new freshmen, and I a lovely memory to return to in the future, possibly can’t wait. Adopting new people into the community you stumble into this while cleaning the attic sixty is always an honour, and I trust that each and every years into the future. I hope it will evoke pleasant one of you will be as welcoming to them as previous memories. generations of Anglicans have been. Now go forth and create those memories. Among nearly countless Anglica traditions, Happy May Day! this magazine is still my absolute pet project. This
Words from the Chair Paul-Erik Niit
Another May Day has arrived, and another academic year has gone past in what seems like an instance. This isn’t to say that the year has been unremarkable, though. Many memorable events, both old and new, have taken place, with our 60th anniversary crowning the year with all its glory. Anglica’s long-lasting traditions are alive and well, while new ones have also been established. Overall, I think it’s safe to say that the future of Anglica looks bright. Referring to what I said in my speech at the anniversary dinner, I believe that the stories we create today will inspire and entertain future Anglicans for decades to come. Nowadays, as opposed to say the 70s, the great things we do aren’t described so much in the minutes of board meetings or Anglica’s annual reports. Instead, our stories can be found here in Baccanalia. Reading the Baccanalias of previous years is already a pleasant trip down memory lane, and I can only imagine how it’ll feel like in the future. I could go on and on about all the moments of pure joy that I’ve shared with you, but that’s not the only thing Anglica has given me. See, just like moments of success and happiness, moments of disappointment and sadness should also be addressed, since that’s also where Anglica comes in. What I mean is that when things haven’t gone as planned, it is the support of Anglicans that has often helped me overcome the difficulties in life. Be it the aftermath of a failed exam in Kaffila, or the continuous support of life-long friends found in Anglica, the help that we give each other is, without doubt, one of the best things about being in this community. We all naturally have our own ways of dealing with difficulties, but to continue the tradition of giving some words wisdom in this greeting, I’m going to share with you what works for me. It’s a simple recipe highlighted by the likes of Monty Python in the past. It’s to laugh. At the absurdity of life, or perhaps even at your own clumsiness. We all make mistakes, and
even if we didn’t, life will still slap us in the face every now and then. All we can do is try to control how it affects us, and having a laugh even in the grimmest of situations is a good start. As students, it’s good to be ambitious about your studies and life in general, but it’s also important not to take the inevitable setbacks too seriously. So, whenever you feel down or stressed, take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, talk to someone if you wish, and don’t hold back a joke when it comes to you. To conclude, my advice to you is to never lose your sense of humor, since as Ricky Gervais put it, “if you can laugh in the face of adversity, you’re bulletproof”. With that, I wish you all a wonderful May Day and a relaxing summer!
The First Chapter: The Ramblings of a Piltti Manu Pajuniemi
It’s early in the morning on a Wednesday in mid-August. I’m inching closer to the campus, about to have my young life thrown inside out. “Don’t let me down, Turku”, I thought, as I rather nervously stepped inside Educarium for the very first time, beginning the first chapter of this new life. Boy oh boy, Turku. You didn’t let me down. Not in the slightest. Skimming through the chapter, many memories from the past seven months arise. Do I go and cherry-pick the best ones to tell you about? Fuck no. There’s no point in even identifying them; they belong to the chapter just as much as all the lows, and together they form a part of what has been an otherworldly story. However, it hasn’t always been a bed of roses. The first three days were catastrophic; I was already overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of everything, and then the situation got even worse. The whole city was shaken by the stabbing which took lives of the innocent. Questions were swirling around in my head. What the hell have I signed up for? Will I ever be able to cope with all of this? I’m still figuring out the answer to the first question, but as for the second one, my worries were clearly in vain. This is due in no small part to my fellow freshmen. Quite the Class of ’17, I’d say. One quick glance at this wonderful group of people, and all worries and concerns about being abandoned from the get-go evaporated. In fact, these people I’ve come to know are so fascinatingly unique that they have made me spent countless moments just scanning my surroundings from under the brim of my baseball cap, finding out some of their peculiarities.
collectively losing the plot before important deadlines and exams to gambling during Fiction and Poetry lectures, we have already gone through so much. I could not have asked for more; when things have gone downhill, knowing who ya gonna call and that somebody has your back has made all the difference. Due to people having been willing to give their helping hands rather than just their middle fingers, no uphill battle’s been insurmountable. It goes without saying that I am truly glad to have such a colourful group of characters making the story that much more enjoyable.
Unfortunately, it’s March already and the first chapter is nearing its end. To think it’s only been seven months since everything started… it’s mad. “Who the hell carries playing cards with him?” Despite the occasional moments of pain, going back “A fan of Friends, eh?” down memory lane to the very beginning and back “Can you not survive one morning lecture without is something I will gladly do time and time again. coffee?” However, when the chapter eventually comes to a halt, “She’s actually attending a lecture? That’s a first.” most of us, the freshmen of 2017, will probably be quite unhappy about this spectacular year coming to With each new observation it crept up to me; an end. Fortunately, the story won’t end just there; we this is one diverse group. And man, has it been a fun have plenty of time to write more chapters together. one to be with. Ranging from the Turku Survival And I can’t wait to find out what the next one holds. and Sitz parties to vicious board game clashes, from
Board in Short Emilia Tähkävuori
Once a year, you, the members of Anglica, vote eleven people plus one vice member to represent your best interests on the board of Anglica. This is what you got in the last eletion. Do you feel lucky?
The Chair
State your name, age and favourite plant. Paul-Erik Niit, 24, tulips What is your favourite thing that you have ever said? “A seven-year membership, please.” If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Breaded fish pieces with an endless supply of sour cream with dill. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? I could ask about the future, but I don’t want any spoilers. I could ask how to go back in time, but then I wouldn’t properly live in what we call ‘the now’. So, I guess I would simply ask if people still say ‘lit’. Who will you be at the age of 60? Still me, overthinking things and hopefully doing what I love, while still attempting to crack a joke whenever I see the chance. Speaking of jokes, one would fit just here, but I simply can’t come up with anything. I probably would eventually, if I thought long enough, but I don’t want to force it, you know? It probably wouldn’t be that good anyways. I could google some puns though... Right, next question? What will Anglica look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. Anglica will be alive and kicking, even after 120 years of adapting to the changes around it. It’ll still honour its traditions while constantly aiming to develop itself. Hopefully they’ll have finally acquired a loud, functioning megaphone as well.
The Vice Chair
State your name, age and favourite plant. Valtteri, 26, Vehka If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Just a bowl of my favorite candy. And maybe some salmon. Hopefully not served together though. What exactly is your relationship with coffee? Every day I unsuccesfully avoid it. If you had no constraints whatsoever, what kind of an outfit would you create for the Halloween sitz? I would just be black and white (and beautiful) from head to toe. With of course some checkered pattern. Perhaps I would be a piece from a chess game.
If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? I would like to remain blissfully ignorant, thank you very much. Who will you be at the age of 60? Myself. And happy, I hope. What will the World look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. Better, I hope.
The Treasurer
State your name, age and favourite plant. Rasmus Nordman, 26, mango (does it count as a plant?) If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Meatballs and mash with a bit of brown sauce, no contest. It’s casual, you know. I drink it, it gets drunk, that sort of thing. We cool. What is your favourite letter of the alphabet? S. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? A million euros, but every fourth teddy bear you see steals your most valuable possession. Do you take the money? Who will you be at the age of 60? Rasmus Nordman, tall, skinny and weird. What will Anglica look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. Anglica will still be around and will have developed to better serve its members’ needs, as it has thus far. I believe Anglica will still be a welcoming community for all kinds of people and probably the most important part of university life for many of its members. Furthermore, in 2078 Anglica will have won six NMES trophies on the bounce, after the golden generation of 2072 takes over.
The Secretary
State your name, age and favourite plant. Pihla Eskola, 20, succulents What is your favourite thing that a fellow member of the Board has ever said? “Nyt oli liikaa Vinei’’ - Aapo Rauha, as I was quoting the same Vine for the 100th time. ‘’Drinking water is never a bad idea’’ - Mikko Rytö at Villa. He doesn’t remember saying this. If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? I have a sweet tooth, so the menu would consist of a cake buffet and vegan chocolate mousse. What is your favourite event, or type of an event that Anglica has organised, and why? Villa! Since everyone else is also going to say Villa I’m going to stand out and say I love Britpop (which I do, not a lie!). I also like Lil’ Xmas (for the food) and sitz parties (not for the food). Who will you be at the age of 60? Traveling as much as I can while taking care of my shelter dogs. I make my own bread and ground my own coffee beans. I hope I have a lot of tattoos to show and a bunch of great memories to share. What will Anglica look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. Anglica will be celebrating its 120th birthday! Judging by how amazing the 60th anniversary party was, the 120th anniversary party has big shoes to fill. I hope we still love Africa in 60 years.
The Info
State your name, age and favourite plant. My name is Mikko Rytö, I’m twenty-one (21) years old, and my favorite plant is the unassumingly charming Fern. If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Though I am a picky eater, I think that for the sake of the other diners I could settle on any dish that isn’t infested with the malicious tumor known as The Onion. What is your favourite event, or type of an event that Anglica has organised, and why? I’m a big fan of having a good time all the time, so it’s hard not to say Villa. The holy trinity is Willa, Wuosijuhlat, and Wappu. WWW, the triple double U, the trip dub, as I like to say. That’s why they call it “www.anglica.org”. What is, to you, the most significant piece of Anglophone media? It’s either East of Eden by Steinbeck or Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira. Both really helped me live my truth. Who will you be at the age of 60? If all goes to plan, the Dalai Pope. I’ve said too much already. What will Anglica/English as a University subject/the World look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. In sixty years The English Department will consist of ruins, cockroaches, and Grammar 1. This fate can only be prevented with barricades and Ironic Dabbing. We should be fine.
The Educational, Social & Environmental Representative
State your name, age and favourite plant. Teemu Helenius. 24 (25 on the day you are reading this, gasp!). Basil If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? A cheese platter of course, with all the imaginable and unimaginable bells and whistles. How has it been to be back as a member of the Board? Despite some absurdly long (but not, tedious!) board meetings, it’s been some of the best time I’ve had in Anglica. I am ever so grateful and excited to be in this position and to make Anglica a better place for us all. I truly feel rejuvenated by this comeback to board. You can take a person out of the Board, but you can’t take the board out of a person. Which is cooler, dragons or dinosaurs? Dragons it has to be. They make for great barbecue hosts. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it
be? How many pairs of shoes do you own? Who will you be at the age of 60? The best dressed head of state in the world. What will Anglica look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. Researchers of folkloristics still debate over what makes Anglica Goes Villa such a coveted event. But only an Anglican could really understand that.
The Projects
State your name, age and favourite plant. Elina Keskitalo, older than Jesus, arrowhead If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Seeing as I nearly died eating so much of the incredibly delicious afterparty food, I would have to go with that. If you had no constraints whatsoever, what kind of an outfit would you create for the Halloween sitz? Biblical angel, or any of the looks from Death Becomes Her. I do already have some impossible outfits planned so I can’t reveal all my secrets. Which is cooler, dragons or dinosaurs? Dragons, on principle. But I very much enjoy the current paleontological consensus that dinosaurs were basically chubby colourful earth-bound birds. What is your favourite letter of the alphabet? H, because it has the most nonsensical pronunciation. Who will you be at the age of 60? World-renowned translator/makeup artist. Or just the freaky old
me as I’ve always been, only slightly older. What will English as a University subject look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. Most likely there shall be courses on vintage meme discourse and classical fanfiction. Hopefully the board of Anglica is still protecting our interests in the face of the cyborg faculty.
The Party & Culture
State your name, age and favourite plant. Aapo Rauha, 19, plastic ones If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Semolina porridge with strawberries lol What is your favourite event, or type of an event that Anglica has organised, and why? Anything outside or sports-related, because I'd never do sports if it weren't for these events. What have you thus far learned as a member of the Board? Most importantly that I don't know anywhere near as much about anything as I thought. Which is cooler, dragons or dinosaurs? Duh, can dinosaurs breathe fire? Who will you be at the age of 60? Umm, still me? Either that or something else. Or both. Or neither? What will Anglica/English as a University subject look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. Hard to say because things change so rapidly. Hopefully English as a subject won't be as digitalised as it most likely will. Hopefully Anglica is still going strong and looking after its students.
State your name, age and favourite plant. Lotta Säilä, 20, white carnations or a monstera deliciosa If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Crème brûlée all the way. Topped with some raspberries. What is your favourite event, or type of an event that Anglica has organised, and why? Any pick from those that involve getting crazy on the dance floor. Best times. What have you thus far learned as a member of the Board? It's okay not to know everything about everything. Yet. Who will you be at the age of 60? A super cool steel granny. What will Anglica look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. A welcoming, fair and awesome organization.
The Members
State your name, age and favourite plant. Maija Riikonen, 19, any cactus If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Pizza, probably. What have you thus far learned as a member of the Board? I’ve realized how much work goes into every event and how much planning and organizing it takes. However, I’ve loved all of it and I never thought I could actually have fun cleaning up (especially after usually getting hardly any sleep)! If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? What are the lottery numbers for next week? Who will you be at the age of 60? Myself, just three times older and hopefully three times more awesome! What will the World look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. We will probably have computers in our brains and people will live forever, there will be flying cars and we will have invented teleportation, time traveling and prevented global warming. Or, everything is the same except we have a bunch of new memes.
State your name, age and favourite plant. Ada Iso-Kouvola, 21 and small cactuses What is your favourite thing that you have ever said? When I was a small child I used to say something like “My brain is telling me to do stuff but my body won’t obey”. That is still the case when I should be studying but find myself watching yet another episode of Friends If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to it could be, what would you choose? Maybe some kind of a mushroom risotto. What have you thus far learned as a member of the Board? How much effort it really takes to organize all the events, and how much fun it can still be. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? What minor subjects should I take? Who will you be at the age of 60? Hopefully a wife and a mother (and a dog owner!) who has enough money to explore the world. What will Anglica look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. In 2078, Anglica is just as awesome and has a lot of active members. The board has come up with new exciting events but the bake sales and Britpop are still popular. The staff will be new but I hope the communication with them is as good as it is today.
The Vice Member
State your name, age and favourite plant. Saku Hellbom, 26, Cactus. What is your favourite thing that you have ever said? Yes, I would like to go get a beer. What is your favourite thing that a fellow member of the Board has ever said? Would you like to go get a beer? If you could decide upon a single dish for an Anniversary dinner, with no limitations as in to what it could be, what would you choose? Big ‘ol burger. Ingredients may vary. How has it been to be back as a member of the Board? It’s been fun! I like the position where I’m at, since I get asked to assist in certain tasks, kinda like Batman is called when needed. If you had no constraints whatsoever, what kind of an outfit would you create for the Halloween sitz? This is ultra specific, but Venom Snake’s outfit from MGSV. It’s gonna cost a looot of money. Who will you be at the age of 60? An even balder crotchety man who complains about bad videogames and stuff. What will the World look like in 2078? That is, in 60 years. A post-apocalyptic desert world. WITNESS ME!
My Exchange at Bath Spa University Riina Laakso
Let’s start off with a cliché, shall we? Time flies when you’re having fun. That well-overused sentiment really captures my current feelings about being an exchange student at Bath Spa University in Bath, UK. The place does really feel like a home in many ways, and there are a lot of things that feel familiar and safe – despite my terrible sense of direction, I finally sort of know my way around; I instinctively remember which way to look first when crossing the street; I have a group of amazing, likeminded friends for whom I’m immensely grateful; and in town, there is a bookshop in which the staff recognise me. I love that a making a cup of tea really is the acceptable response to any emotional distress, and that you can say ‘sorry’ to most anything that happens, just to be sure. My exchange has been, for the most part, an excellent experience. I really enjoy studying English literature, although the amount of books I have to read during one term has at times seemed daunting to say the least. The teachers are excellent and really enthusiastic about their subjects. Fellow students do come across as less than excited about their studies at times, and I’ve been slightly surprised by how much more school-like the studies can be here compared to Finland. On the occasional bad day, I try to see me being here in the first place as an encouraging nudge from past me, and looking back on it now, I’m really thankful to the me of last spring that made the decision to go on exchange. I guess I’m a bit of a homebody at heart, and coming out here I sort of surprised even myself. And yet, at the same time, this feels like something I couldn’t just not do.
door, and whenever I feel lonely, I can pop in to their chaotic, warm, cosy kitchen where it’s not unusual to find naked Trollz dolls swimming in the sink, equally naked Barbies having their hair dyed, a unicorn piñata on top of the fridge, or a picture of the Queen waving on the window. The campus, while slightly inconveniently located in the middle of nowhere, is absolutely gorgeous. The area is surrounded by rolling hills, the very image of what you might think of when picturing idyllic English countryside. There are sheep roaming around just on the other side of the fence, and a family of swans glides regally in one of the lakes on the grounds. Just a short walk away there is a picturesque little village and a farm that hosts pigs and cows. Naturally, I prepared for a culture shock, but, so far, there still hasn’t been any sign of one. I can only guess that I was far better prepared than I imagined. Only the tiniest things have caused anything that even remotely resembles a culture shock –things like the lack of a coffee maker in the communal kitchen, or the fact that it’s freezing cold in all public buildings (as expected, nobody seems to have heard about double-glazed windows around here).
It’s amazing what you get used to. Even I, a definite introvert, bordering on hermit at worst, am now relatively okay with sharing a shower, a toilet, and a kitchen with seven people who, just a few short months ago, I’d never met. I’ve even found myself craving for company after being alone for just a little while. I get along with my flatmates quite well, despite our slightly differing views on general cleanliness and them relatively quickly catching on to my use of the word ‘interesting’ in reference to most of the food they offer me. Luckily, just about all of my closest friends out here also live right next
The lack of a culture shock might also be explained by the vast numbers of Finns I peculiarly still found myself surrounded by. There are altogether seven of us here, and four of us are from the University of Turku. This quickly became apparent on our international orientation day when I immediately caught the attention of four other Finns simply by carrying a ‘Varför Paris, vi har ju Åbo’ canvas bag. By far, the most unexpectedly exotic thing I’ve experienced here was the whole university shutting down for a couple of days following the first snowfall Bath had had in five years. This was caused by Storm Emma, a bout of cold weather that also went by the rather dramatic name ‘The Beast from the East’. The snow was only about ten centimetres deep, and the temperature was only a couple of minus degrees at its coldest, but that was enough for us to get snowed in on campus, with no access to the town for four days and everything on campus shut down. On the bright side, I did get to impress my Taiwanese flatmate with my snowman-building skills, as she had never even seen snow before in real life. As an English student, one of my main motives for coming to Britain was obviously to try and further develop my language skills in all aspects. Initially, one of my favourite games was trying to see how many locals I could trick into thinking that I was a fellow native speaker, but, surprised by how well this usually succeeded, I then immediately covered my bases by revealing that I was actually not British, just in case I did something to make myself look foolish. The number of times I have played the exchange student card and comfortably remained slightly clueless is quite large.
For many people the idea of going out as an exchange student is about finding oneself, and I guess it was partly about that for me as well. Mainly what I’ve discovered, though, is that I’m just about the person I thought I was, with just a little more courage and adaptability than I thought. As I’ve given myself a permission to be clueless and a little lost at times, I’ve learned to ask for help in a way I never did at home, and for that I’m truly grateful. Despite me being terribly homesick at worst, I already know that when I leave Bath in June, the whole situation is going to get reversed, and there’s going to be a whole new place and group of people that I’m going to miss. Admittedly, the thought seems quite silly - why would anyone do that to themselves? – but I also know that at the end of the day, it will have been worth it and more.
What makes Anglica go ‘round Teemu Helenius
Even a casual observer at Anglica’s events can’t fail to notice that there are certain songs that seem to pop up more often than others. Some songs seem to elicit strong emotions from our fellow Anglicans. These emotions often materialise in the form of sing-alongs and dancing as well as other exuberant forms of adoration. So I thought, why not showcase some personal musings and anecdotes about these songs with all of you lovely folk? I will now present you with the banging songs which I’ve found to have the qualities of making Anglica go ‘round! Africa by Toto (From the 1982 album Toto IV) If there’s currently only one song whose placement on this list doesn’t require any explanation at all, it must be Africa by Toto. I currently don’t have the faintest idea how the infatuation with this song began in Anglica but I’m glad it did. After hearing the downright stunningly beautiful rendition by Englannin Torvet at Anglica’s 60th Anniversary Dinner, there’s hardly anyone that can deny the genius of this song. Here’s to many more “Anglica’s Africa moments”! Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (From the 1975 album A Night at the Opera) Well this song’s of course a stone cold classic but I can’t help but feel like it’s also a special Anglica song. Those countless times I’ve sung this along with Anglicans are forever imprinted in my brain. The most memorable would probably be in my first Villa back in 2014. At the latest, after that event it was hard not to feel like you’ve really found a special community. Careless Whisper by George Michael (From the 1984 album Careless Whisper) What can I say? I love the sound of the saxophone! This song always reminds me of an awesome playlist made by a fellow Anglican that only has Careless Whisper 20 times on it. Truly one of the best playlists I’ve come across. Why use the repeat function when you have that? Seriously though, one of the most amazing uses of saxophone in music anywhere, ever.
Disco 2000 by Pulp (From the 1995 album Different Class) One of the essential sounds that Britpop (the event and the genre) is made of is totally this song. An Anglica playlist is not complete without this song. It’s good that there always seems to be someone who has put it there! Can’t wait for the next time I get to dance to this! Fireball by Pitbull feat. John Ryan(From the 2014 album Globalization) Well, this one has some personal significance for sure. The anthem of Kanelikerho. If I still were a serious music nerd, I’d hate this song with passion. But hating things is just not cool. And Fireball also tastes nice. Especially with other cinnamon treats and this song and actual cinnamon. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston (From the 1987 album Whitney) The quintessential song whenever you want to dance with somebody. And Anglicans truly love to dance. There aren’t many better joys in life than to dance in the “Anglica circle”.
I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys (From the 1999 album Millenium) This song really seems to bring Anglicans together. And why wouldn’t it! It actually reminds me of my childhood home. My sister had planted a sticker on the wall upstairs that simply said in very plain letters: “Backstreet Boys on paras!”. Clearly Anglicans heed that call even today. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers (From the 1988 Sunshine on Leith) Anglicans do not only love songs about dancing but also about walking. If I had to walk 500 miles and then another 500 more, I’m sure I’d do it in tune to this song. Knights of Cydonia by Muse (From the 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations) This song reminds me of playing air guitar at Villa 2014 and in any applicable event after that. I must say that Anglica could probably win the air guitar world championships for I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing some rather terrific performances. Keep on rocking Anglica! Kylie by Akcent (From the 2006 album French Kiss with Kylie) What a song! I only learned the dance moves for this earlier this year due to one amazing performance by some freshmen board members (you know who you are!). This is, as they say, an ultimate banger.
September by Earth, Wind & Fire (Apparently just a single!) Perfection needs no unnecessary words to be acknowledged. Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits (From the 1978 album Dire Straits) My fondest memories of this song come from two different times in my life. The first one showcases the excitement of finding new music. I remember first consciously hearing this song at my childhood home after going to the sauna. It was on the radio when I got out. I asked my dad about the song and he told me more about it. By the influence of that I eventually already learned to memorise both of the guitar solos in full (just memorise though, it’s not like I can play them on guitar). The second one is from last year and is yet another showcase of Anglica’s community. This was at NMES in Jyväskylä. Victory was but a faint glimpse in the eyes of us Anglicans on the quest to bring the boy home. Already on the Friday-Saturday night the locker room was our haven. There took place the most memorable times I’ve had with this song. I believe video material of that performance exists. It was magical like the whole NMES-experience was. Wonderwall by Oasis (From the 1995 album ((What’s the Story) Morning Glory) I have a non-Anglican friend who’s a kind of a diehard fan of Oasis. During last Britpop he said that he can continue living his life without ever hearing Wonderwall again. Well, I cannot. And especially I cannot continue life without getting to experience Wonderwall with Anglicans time and time again. I’d say the optimal time is of course at the end of Britpop. And how wonderful it was that this alphabetised list ends in Wonderwall. All good things come to an end but Anglica is forever. You know what? There’s also a playlist on Spotify with these 13 songs (search with the name of the article on Spotify and you should find it). Nothing less, nothing more. Listen to it in this order, on shuffle, on repeat, any way you want. Or even use it as a template and add your own favourites and make it look like your own. And when you do, I hope you relive all your music related Anglica memories. Thanks for reading!
This staff is great! Aapo Rauha
So we’re students. We study. But we don’t have to do it alone – what in the world would we do if we had nobody to explain the most complicated linguistic twists to us? Without our professors and lecturers we’d be lost, so we decided to ask some of them some questions, hoping to receive some extremely important and valuable information. Here are the questions and their answers. 1. What’s your name and why? 2. What do you see in Anglica’s future? 3. Who would you be the most impressed by if they revealed something to you you didn’t know they knew? 4. What do you want to be when you grow up? 5. Please describe your job in one (or two) word(s). 6. What would you say to someone who wants to be a professor/lecturer at a university? Outi Paloposki 1. Outi. Funnily enough, it has never occurred to me to ask my parents why! I will, now.
4.- My initial aim was to find myself in journalism. As I can perform in that role within my current job I guess that aim is fulfilled. The next step is to be a poet.
2. Great Expectations!
5. - Research-based teaching.
4. A serious walker. 5. Exciting. 6. Welcome! Joel Kuortti 1- Joel Kuortti – my first name I inherited from my father’s father, the surname is a mystery: its origins have not been satisfactorily explained – it may have been derived from a sámi word, a German name, etc. 2. As the position of English in the world, in Finland and in UTU is in no way under threat, Anglica will prosper in the next decades. We get very good students and they will no doubt keep up Anglica’s profile as an active and influential student body. Jolly good work! 3. Tricky question as it is difficult to know what people know.
Damon Tringham 1. Damon - My mother found the name in an ‘Aargh! I have a child and I don’t know what to call him’ book. Anthony - My father’s first name. Please note, the ‘th’ is pronounced ‘t’, as it should be... Tringham - Unknown origin - probably dating back to when the town Tring was small enough to be a hamlet. There was some Norman noble about 1215 or so who had the name ‘de Tringham’. 2. A longer glorious past than at present 3. Any of my first year students (Assuming that the question doesn’t imply that the person is stupid - in which case Nigel Farage or Trump) 4. Younger. 5. Computer. People.
Pekka Lintunen 1. Pekka Lintunen, comes from my dad - also my first name as Pekka was his imaginary friend as a child.
4. Eventually I want to be someone who knows something about English. 5. Twenty-four seven.
2. 61st Anniversary celebrations and other fun times
Matti Peikola
3. my mum
1. Matti Peikola. The surname was invented by my grandfather in 1935. According to a family story, my parents also considered Mauno and Ilkka before deciding to go for Matti.
4. this is not very likely (it’s all about the process, folks) 6. -get your PhD first and then we can talk about it
2. I expect that Anglica will keep up their great and important work also in years to come!
Päivi Pietilä
3. - our dog
1. My name is Päivi Pietilä. Why? That is an unusual question! Well, my mother liked the name Päivi, obviously. And actually, my surname would be Iso-Pietilä if my father hadn’t changed it to Pietilä a long time ago. So there!
4. - I hope it won’t happen. 5. Please describe your job in one (or two) word(s). - endlessly interesting
2. I see a very bright future for Anglica. What else could it be with such a competent and energetic bunch of young people? I wish you all the best! 4. Someone older and wiser. 5. Fascinatingly challenging. 6. Be prepared for hard work & constant competition – never a dull day! Janne Skaffari 1. Janne Skaffari. My parents gave me a fashionable first name that resembled that of two of my great-grandfathers, and the surname has been in the family for over 200 years. I’ve also been called Skaffe since before most of the current Anglicans were born. 2. Anglica will remain forever young in this city of eternal youth. I can see both parties and collaboration with the staff in Anglica’s future, and sometimes staff members at parties. 3. I have a feeling I’m expected to say something about the grammar courses here. But I won’t.
No cute pctures of our staff, I’m sorry to say. Have a puppy instead.
The Ballad of Costa Mayflower Mikko Rytö
When I found out that there is an annual event for student-made sleds, my inner child, who makes up most of my psyche, damn near fainted from the excitement. However, I remained conscious, as I also heard that Anglica had not participated in this delightful arms race in years. This filled me with determination, and I immediately signed up to be a part of the crack team our Board Members were charged with assembling.
It was truly luxurious! The captain’s seat was fastened to the hull of The Mayflower with ample amounts of duct tape. Its sails were held aloft manually with a mast contrived almost completely of duct tape. The interior was the color of silver. Sitting in the captain’s seat, even for a brief moment, made you feel like Scrooge McDuct! It even had some screws thrown in there for some sweet, sweet structural integrity!
It all seemed so simple. Whenever questions arose, they had clear, logical answers. “What song do you want to have playing in the background?” – Toto’s Afica, obviously! It’ll boost morale.
Almost all the planning and building had been done on the day before FastLaskiainen, and we went to sleep proud of our work. We woke up like kids on Christmas morning, and around noon we were ready to transport The Mayflower to Vartiovuori. On The way, we were delighted to find out She actually slid on snow, making our journey lighter and our excitement more fierce.
However, as the day of sledding approached, it started to dawn on us that a cardboard box and a vague vision of “going fast” might not cut it. Fortunately, that was when our group of foolhardy freshmen was joined by someone with memory of the last time Anglica had participated in the event, all those years ago. They also told us of all the times since, that different reasons had prevented us from doing so again. Their words filled us with ambition, and with their guidance our cardboard box was transformed into The Mayflower, a ship that can take you from here to Atlantis at the speed of gravity.
We were directed to our place in the line of people desperate to hurl themselves down a steep and slippery hill, and while standing there on top of the hill, I finally got to give the other sleds the old once-over. One had pyrotechnics. Another was accompanied by a brass quintet. Another had an eight (8) meter wingspan. We seemed to be the only ones without brakes. This filled me with confidence. Brakes prevent you from going fast, and are pointless.
The people who were supposed to actually ride the sled, however, disagreed with this assessment, and it was reluctantly agreed that a rope should be borrowed from another sled to function as a makeshift brake. Nothing seemed to be going according to plan. We couldn’t hear any music, our previously unlimited potential for going fast had been drastically curtailed, and our turn was coming up. Demoralized, we took our spot at the top of the hill, and prepared ourselves to gradually droop down the slope. At that moment, just before our turn, we we’re suddenly filled to the brim with defiance, and decided to give our maximum effort all the way down to the finish line! We were told to go, we pushed with all our might, and The Mayflower started its descent! And that’s when it all went downhill…
Frantically, we tried to steer Her to stay on course, and mostly succeeded. I fell down towards the end, but as I looked up, I saw a dozen drunken engineering students screaming along to the chorus of Africa, which I then realized was playing through the PA system, just as planned. We made it to the finish line, with Ship, crew and pride intact, and Toto in our ears. Everything turned out just as planned. We made it to the finish line, with Ship, crew and pride intact, and Toto in our ears. Everything turned out just as planned.
The Mayflower survived Her maiden voyage, as well as a few reruns. While Her cardboard parts could not long weather the eroding effects of the snow, according to legend, the hull of The Mayweath Except it literally didn’t, seeing as the fucking er was stored deep in the archives of Anglica, where it thing got stuck in the snow. awaits the next band of dreamers willing continue its legacy. We could hear the laughter around us as we pushed and pulled on Her. With every passing second the pressure grew as it felt more likely an organizer was going to stop us and tell us to make room for the next sled. We couldn’t let that happen. With the strength of a soccer mom lifting a car to save her child, we dug The Mayflower out of the snow, and just like that, gravity decided it was time to go. The Mayflower took off, with some of us sitting in it and the rest of us tied to it. By Golly, we were finally going fast!
Comics
Emma Nokkala
When you try your best but you don't succeed
The Legend of Saint Angelica: A Summary Reea Ruusuvuori
How much do you know about our heavenly protector Saint Angelica? Have you ever heard of her? At all? If you have, then awesome, but if you have not that is absolutely fine too as you may now consider yourself educated - even more so when you have finished reading my article.
not it happens in a very painful way, while defending an important cause. A martyr’s death. However, in Angelica’s case things took a different route. She did die, yes, and with a great probability it was was very painful. But she did not really have a cause to die for and was not really a martyr either. As a matter of fact, Angelica originally became known as the infamous Saint Angelica of Coffistow sure might be the Coffistow witch who got hunted down and burned protector of all the English student kind here at the alive in the early 1100s for being, well, wicked. This university of Turku, but nevertheless remains surpris- was later revealed to having been untrue - fake news ingly unknown. In honour of the 60th anniversary as they say nowadays - but it did not really make a of our student organization, we decided it was about difference for her as she had already died by then. time to do something about it. Obviously the honour has since fallen into my hands, and therefore you There have been many theories as to why must now bare with me as I take you on this stub of a was she burned if she was not a witch, ranging from journey through the days of auld lang syne. So, with- a big and unfortunate misunderstanding to her actuout further ado: Her biginneð þe liflade ant te passiun ally having been a witch after all. One of the most of seinte Angelica of Coffistow. Here the story begins. well-known theories is that she, in one way or another, managed to anger an influential clergyman, who Saint Angelica was born in a somewhat un- then constructed this story to take his vengeance on known little village called Coffistow, where she un- her. Whether such man truly existed is questionable, fortunately ended up spending every last minute of but the supporters of this theory have come up with her miserable (and relatively short) mortal life, which, two possible scenarios. Number one is that she was apart from being so short and miserable, was surpris- awfully clever and humiliated the cleric by outwitting ingly eventful. So, in order to keep this article to a him in an argument. Number two, the less exciting reasonable length I was forced to cut it down a bit. but more popular one, is that, having no interest in A bit, in this case meaning perhaps a little bit more men twice her age, she simply refused to marry the than in the more traditional cases of ‘a bit’ being poor man. Whichever the case, she burned. used in a sentence. After the burning there are mentions here and Quite a big bit more, actually. there speculating the true story behind her death. In these writings she is typically referred to as Angelica A ‘Let’s just skip her early childhood altogeth- the Coffistow witch, but what is interesting is that at er and go straight to the not very thrilling and possi- one point these mentions just stop entirely for a few bly confusing part where she becomes a saint’ kind of hundred years and when she finally gets mentioned bit. again, she returns as saint Angelica of Coffistow, which clearly indicates that during those ‘dark ages’ Yeah. But then again, let’s face it, nobody re- so to say, she somehow became a saint. The questions ally wanted to skim through a tedious pile of pages of “How the heck that happened?” and “Why on earth on this matter anyway. Keeping this article as brief as is she our patron now?” remain unanswered and maypossible really is in everyone’s best interests. What I be one day we will know but for now, my dear reader, mean is that it saves a lot of work and time for both your guess is as weak as mine. Her endeð nu þis hisme and you. torie - this is where the story ends. So, Angelica became a saint, and in order to become a saint one usually has to die. More often than
A picture of Saint Angelica from (presumably) the 17th century. Saint Angelica has often been depicted holding a book, popularly believed to be the Longman Student Grammar of spoken and written English. The visual resemblance is indeed uncanny, but little to no evidence has been found to actually confirm such claims, and therefore it seems like the similarity might be just a coincidence after all.
Vistas en Praga Johannes Suoranta
Some of my readers might already be familiar with the facts of this particular case, but as my fellow students deemed this story to be a worthwhile read for everyone, I might as well repeat it here as well. As you are probably aware, I spent one semester in Prague as an Erasmus student, which was an experience to be sure. Both my studies as well as my living arrangements were a bit more rustic than their Finnish counterparts, and that is putting it as delicately and mildly as possible. During the orientation in Prague the university staff and tutors marketed the city and the country in general as “very Central-European, sophisticated and full of life”. That statement might had included few white lies here and there.
Our little kingdom was not perfect and maybe a little too expensive for the condition of the place, but we made do. Now, I am not the type of person who needs everything to be perfect, far from it; I do not mind stewing in my own filth from time to time nor having people up at unorthodox hours. However, if these conditions are constant with the addition of bed bugs, hot water not working, random paint fumes after returning from a lecture and a window renovation project to stagger humanity, the going gets a tad too thick for ol’ mister J. Indeed, that whole renovation process was on a biblical scale. To give you some context, my sources told me that the whole process had been going on for thirteen months at the point of me moving in. This made sense, since the workers came and went according to their own schedule and general accord, sometimes just briefly visiting with a massive saw in tow and other times staying for hours and hours. This meant that I could wake up to a completely strange Czech man bursting into my room. Once I was just about to start polishing my shoes, just to be thwarted by Piotr the Builder. Most inconvenient!
Do not get me wrong, Prague was certainly a vibrant and interesting city with lots to experience, but it also had certain flaws of the more Slavic nature. The courses for example did not offer any challenge even for a feeble-minded individual such as myself. The whole system felt somewhat fragmented, both at the university and on everything else. It is also ironic that one of the oldest universities in Europe offered teaching ranging from excellent to sends-drunken-emails-to-cancel-class-the-following-day-kind. I ended up drinking ädelbrännvin in class with that Fortunately, the men who ended up doing very same teacher, so I guess it evened out in the end. most of the work were always the same three ones, so I got to know them slightly. Or at least I knew what Regardless of inebriated intellectuals, this sto- they all looked like, as none of them spoke any Engry is about my living arrangements. I shared a flat in lish. After a few months, Casper, Jesper and Jonathan a really good location with two really nice guys, both simply became ambient noise, even if it meant them of which became my good friends. barging into your room whilst you slept, lighting cigarettes, opening beers and starting to sand the door frame with the world’s most decibel-inducing angle grinder at 10 AM. That is Eastern Europe for you.
Anyway, the weirdness was simply getting started. Me and my flatmates started playing a game in which we guessed what the workers had done during the day, since nothing was ever clear and concise. For example, my flatmate’s room was missing one pane from one of the windows on the inside. Guess how the workers solved that problem? They had simply placed the outside pane on the inside.
Needless to say, the next week, the door was gone. It took them three more tries to finally get it right with hindrances ranging anything from the door not shutting properly to the handles being installed upside down.
In addition to the slight hiccups with the general upholstery, the apartment also had one door and one window which were screwed completely shut Once my other roommate came home to find for no apparent reason and the bathroom giving off out that all his inside panes were missing excluding a bouquet of what Mr. Moilanen described as “cabone frame, which still had the inside pane but noth- bage-esque”. It would have been trivial to air out the ing on the outside. So yes, window panes were dis- room and its oppressive miasma, but the workers had appearing and reappearing as if Penn and Teller were forgotten to install the handles on the bathroom winvisiting the flat. I also had two doors to my balcony, dows. We instituted a strict protocol of always closing one on the inside and one on the outside, which I did the cabbage room door, as it tended to swing open by not even realise at first. One day I simply had an in- itself. side door as well, installed and everything! It had one crux though: it was missing both the lock and the door I believe I managed to live two to three weeks handles, so I could not really use it very effectively. in the apartment after it was somewhat finished. This I deduced from the fact that one day my three gentlemen came in with an Italian man, whom I assumed was the owner of the building along with his interpreter. I was knee-deep in one of my highly academic essays at that moment, so I was slightly startled when they came in without knocking and started running between the rooms in a torrent of Czech and Italian. The apartment might have been cursed, because I never saw any of these people again. Maybe the saga had a happy ending after all and someone is now peacefully living there, albeit probably still with bed bugs, because I doubt anyone came to take care of that situation. Oh, c’est la vie, when one door closes a window is disappearing someplace else.
Spexual activities Elina Keskitalo
“Omstart!” A small word that strikes fear in performers and often audiences as well. What does that mean, and what does a downtrodden literature student, his dog, space Santa and an addiction-addled reindeer have to do with it? Speksi is a traditional academic improvisational musical play, which, like so many other fun things, originates from Sweden. University students of technology brought the tradition to Finland in the 1930s, and speksis fully established themselves in Finnish academic culture in the 1990s. University of Turku has hosted a continuous speksi tradition for nearly twenty years, and is the only university in Finland whose every faculty has a speksi of their own. The newest addition, Turkulainen Humanistispeksi, reached toddler age this year, turning two. After looking at the application posts with longing and fear for a year and a half, I mustered the courage to submit an application of my own. That started a roughly six-month process that ended up being the best thing I’ve ever experienced. As is with all plays, speksi too requires talents from many different areas, not just acting. As some people might have noticed, special effects makeup is my forte, so that’s what I went with. A few weeks of hemming and hawing, some prodding from a friend, and a quick facepaint for my portfolio at 3am and I had sold my soul. The four-member makeup team consisted of one other Anglican as well.
The members of all background teams met up for some information about the production and just to see each other’s faces. The excitement was palpable, and I had some great conversations with people. A Facebook group and a group discussion were formed, and soon enough we got the first glimpse of the script. The characters were inspiring, and I for one got into planning immediately. Before this production I had done mainly horror designs, so I was both excited and nervous to create characters with decidedly less blood and gore. For the performers, the early months were decidedly different. Toni Kerttula, an actor and a fellow Anglican, spent several times a week at practice from October on. The early weeks consisted of improvisation practice, games, and team bonding exercises. The actors were not given the script yet, since the final casting had not been decided. Even though they had to wait for the script for only a little over a month, Toni says that it felt like forever. Come November, we met up for our first rehearsal weekend. We played socialising games and got to know the other members of our production. The entire weekend was a huge blur, all I really remember is being eight years older than the next oldest production member, besides the director, and that there were so many people from the history, culture and arts department. That, in fact, was one of the biggest perks of the production. Us language students almost never meet our fellow humanities students from the other side of the campus, but participating in a speksi is a stellar way to get to know the rest of the faculty.
Now I have a considerably lower threshold in par- that would serve as our planning canvases for their ticipating in events organised in the famous yellow makeup and hair. Really working with the actors and house. the director for the first time was inspiring. They all had great thoughts about their characters already, and Even though the roles weren’t even assigned were clearly committed and passionate about the play. yet, we made up a performance of the play based solely on the character descriptions and scene list. The The first readthrough that we got to see took background teams had already seen the script even place that weekend as well. The actors got their first though performers hadn’t, but we giggled silently and pieces of clothing and accessories, and even though spoiler free as people made up an entire plot. Many looking back at photos from that time is hilarious, the times during the rehearsal weekends, us background excitement of seeing the characters come alive for the team members got to participate in simple improv as first time was palpable among everyone present. Us well. Even though it was scary, it was a wonderful in the background teams were meant to take notes, bonding experience and a great way to get out of our but that was more or less forgotten in the thrill of becomfort zones and learn new things. I am in no way ing in the audience. In retrospect, the play was still an actor, so I appreciate I got to experience things I very much just forming, but I remember thinking that otherwise never would have done, in a safe environ- everyone already felt incredibly talented and skilled. ment. I was particularly impressed with Must, our dog, who indeed remained my favourite throughout the produc After what felt like an eternity, the final cast- tion. Must was played by Reetta Kokkonen, a freshing was announced. Us in the background teams had man of Finnish language. been doing some preliminary planning and tossing thoughts around, but now we could get to some real During this weekend I finally got to work for work. Now our characters had faces. real for the first time, as we shot a teaser trailer/Christmas greeting. The preconception tends to be that the One rehearsal weekend was spent interview- makeup crew works mainly during the performance ing the actors about their ideas for the characters’ season, but we have a lot of tasks before that as well. visual appearances. I also took mugshots of them Besides the planning and designing of the characters, we created the makeups for the teaser, the trailer, and promotional picture photoshoot. Besides that, certain makeups and hairdos were done for several rehearsals to test them out, how they looked in action and whether they were durable enough to withstand the entire show.
We often worked together with set design and costume design.
The teaser happened to be my time to shine. Seeing as Toni is both my friend and my makeup victim outside the speksi as well, I had already booked his character for myself. His character, and our dog Must, were featured in the teaser. From what I knew of the other members of the makeup crew, their talents laid in making people beautiful. My skills are mainly making people into monsters. Both this, and our respective schedules, meant that Must and Spacepukki were both assigned to me. I had next to no facepainting experience, so I had to learn fast. If it had been solely up to me, I would have created a prosthetic snout out of latex for Must, but alas that limits both speaking and singing to an impractical extent, so paint it was.
I spent a fun afternoon and evening testing out various dog paints on my own face. All I had as my guidelines was the furry pants Reetta was to wear onstage, and what she had spoken about Must, which gave me wonderful creative freedom. At this point being on the makeup team was lonely work, but I had the rest of the team in a WhatsApp group. And the solitude would change soon enough. Shooting the teaser was a thrilling experience. I had been anticipating actual work ever since I got accepted, and I finally got to do not one but two characters in their entirety. Seeing the actors transform into their characters in a whole new way with costumes and makeup on was inspiring and really highlighted the significance of our work in character-building. Toni’s experience was similar as well. He has worn a few odd and scary masks under my rule before, but he says seeing Spacepukki in the mirror for the first time was a mind-altering experience. The completed look gave him a base onto which to build the character. Looking back, so much ended up changing in the characters. I rewatched the teaser right before writing this, and it was frankly hilarious, mainly because of what Toni sounded like. Toni told me that his
something like this, something bigger than yourself, alters your perception. Reetta, however, was already utterly adorable as Must, and remained consistently brilliant throughout. Christmas break was welcomed with open arms by the performers, since they had already been working very hard for months. Background teams, however, were getting a little antsy. The makeup team couldn’t convene at all at the end of the year, since one of our members was living her best life in Australia. We finally met up in early January and settled the theme colours and general outlines, and divided the characters. I got all the characters that involved prosthetic work, meaning Spacepukki with his beard and Petter Niem with his dad mustache, and two animals on top of that. Must, who was already mine, and Petteri Tähtipölykuono aka Pölis, the reindeer companion of Spacepukki. Other people way more versed in beauty makeup than me got the characters who needed to be pretty. We agreed on the colour schemes (black, white and gold for the company team, blue and silver for the family and red and copper for Team Christmas) and the amount of glitter (insane), and got to planning. While we were plotting, the actors were hard at work with the band, rehearsing the songs. Toni told me that this was the part of the play he most anticipated, since he is a singer first and foremost. His song was based on Crack It by Bomfunk MC’s, which he described as “not my song at all at first, but it grew on me”. The rest of us got to hear the songs during the few rehearsal weekends we had. Rehearsal weekends were my favourite time during most of the production, because that’s where we got to meet up, chat, work together, and see what the other teams were up to.
What the performers had been up to, besides singing, was dancing. The first rehearsal weekend nearly gave me a heart attack for several reasons. Toni had told me that he had been learning breakdancing, but as they say, seeing is believing, and seeing him do backflips on the floor was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. Yet. distinctive voice for Spacepukki formed right around January, when the actors started singing practice. I’ve been listening to Toni talking with his Spacepukki voice for only a few months, but I’ve already forgotten how life was before that time. Being a part of
For the past few weeks, I had been very hard at work on the horns of my reindeer. I’ve been building them out of pipe cleaners, masking tape and papier mache, which is incidentally the most disgusting sludge I’ve ever made. They looked pretty realistic and frankly beautiful. I was really proud of them, and had been looking forward to giving them to Totte Pajuniemi, the freshman of French who played Pölis. I was putting the finishing touches on them with hot glue during rehearsals, and as they dried, I went to see Toni and Totte practice. Seeing him do the first full on front handspring made my soul escape my body and all my lofty ideas about the horns go out the window. That was often the reality of the background teams. You had to be very flexible about your ideas, because anything could be proved impractical at any time.
my forte, and I would have made prosthetics for all the animals if it wouldn’t have been impractical. But during one rehearsal, our directors and cast had thought it would be funny if our reindeer’s nose would actually light up. That was cue enough for me, and despite some, albeit modest, protests, I got the green light to make my first electronic prosthetic. At this point our work was settling into a comfortable routine. But routine had never felt this exciting. Our plans were progressing, we were having fun, and things were coming together beautifully. In February, we went through our first real acid test. The pro-
Early 2018 we started holding production meetings as well. Members of every team met up with the director and producers once a week to catch up and to exchange ideas. It was always a fun time, the makeup team did work very closely with the costume and set designer teams, but this was the only time of the week we heard from everyone else. I did have my own personal spy among the cast, but these meetings were the official source. One of these meetings was where our director and assistant director learned that giving me ideas was inadvisable. As I mentioned earlier, prosthetics work is
What a beautiful room! ....? motional photoshoot. The promo shoot was the first time all characters would be created to completion. Besides the teaser, we had shot a trailer earlier that year, but that didn’t feature any of my characters so my job was just to take pictures and watch other people work. But now, shit got REAL. Armed with my makeup case and bags and boxes of every skin safe chemical imaginable, we got to work. In the crowded and hot as sin office at Turun Ylioppilasteatteri, we created twelve beautiful creatures who were unleashed in front of the camera. Seeing everyone in character in one place for the first time was frankly transcendental. This was it, what all of us had been working towards. Soon they would be out in the world.
After about four-ish failed attempts to make horns that would be both visually pleasing and practical enough to withstand my reindeer’s antics, those were ready too. The nose did in fact light up, and wearing the prosthetic didn’t make Totte want to die inside so we were good. The few last playthroughs before moving to the actual theatre were stress tests for the prosthetics, both for Toni’s beard, Totte’s nose and the mustache I made for Sisu Juhanoja, a student of music studies and Petter Niem extraordinaire. Since prosthetics were considered makeup that affects acting,
At this stage we were experiencing mild panic, since our male lead was sick. But our assistant director was an absolutely hilarious stand-in, and he recovered in due time. Being in the actual theatre added exceptional energy to the performances, as did the fact that they finally got to improvise. We were allowed to yell omstarts. Omstart is the heart and soul of speksi. Any time an audience member wishes to see a scene done differently, they can yell “Omstart!” and the performers will improvise the previous scene or few lines in a different way. If wanted, they can also yell omstart plus definition, like “Omstart in Swedish!” The general assumption is that omstarts are only directed at actors, but they do apply to the band and dancers as well. The plot and the script are still adhered to, but improvisation just makes everything more hilarious. Us background teamers had a field day. Yelling omstarts was the best fun we’ve had so far, but the actors were nervous wrecks. Toni told me that he was particularly nervous because his lines were long, and there was a distinct possibility of forgetting where he left off. And because omstarts could be literally everything. Rehearsing them in a safe environment did ease nerves, though. Possible romantic omstarts were the most worrisome, but since the cast had such good group dynamic, that worry dissipated. As people in the audience ended up witnessing several times over.
First day on location! the poor lads had to endure wearing latex and glue way more often than they would have liked. I also had way more fun torturing them than they would have liked. But they were good sports about it. There’s a video of our rehearsal weekends, and looking back at it I’ve never seen anyone look at me with such trust as my victims. February 11th was the day we had all been waiting for. The day we finally got to go to Aurinkobaletti, where our performances would be held, for the first time. When I saw the makeup room I might have screamed a little. It was the most beautiful glorious place I’ve ever set my eyes on, and the feeling never really dwindled even as the production progressed. But we still weren’t moving in for good. Not yet. My beauty would have to wait.
At this point I had decided which glue stuck and how, so I allowed my boys a break. They were allowed to rehearse a few rounds without the prosthetics. A welcome break, I heard. On February 21st we moved in. I hauled all my makeup and every prop and accessory I’d been amassing to Aurinkobaletti and we set up at our second home. Nearly all the time the doors were open, I spent there. Maintaining the prosthetics, helping other teams, watching the rehearsals, all in all butting my nose in everything. And having the time of my life. Curled up in the bleachers, running around making coffee or extra stitches, teaching the boys how to apply their own eyeliner. Being useful. Our playthrough was the day before dress rehearsal. We created full performance makeups on performance day schedule, to see if we were measuring up to the promises we had been making. I was damn near doing work with a stopwatch, I was so nervous. Performance days would have minute schedules and no room for slacking.
Occasionally the work of a makeup artist also included creating an impromptu makeup for the lobby hostess.
and it was starting to look like she would have to be replaced. But possibly because all of us had been offering our souls to every demon imaginable, she ar Those nerves, however, were nothing com rived with a shy smile and spoke with a normal voice. pared to dress rehearsal day. We were getting an ac- I might have screamed. tual audience. And I got to create the haircut of my life. One of our actors had been very sick and entirely voiceless ever since we moved to Aurinkobaletti,
One of our other actors had been making unwise promises months earlier, and about these things I have the memory of several elephants. It was paydirt time. The first thing every rehearsal weekend, we had a feelings circle, where we sat in a circle and shared a few words about what we were feeling. The returned voice caused some epic screams, but it was nothing compared to the sheer riot that happened when Sisu removed his beanie and revealed that I had cut his hair to a 50-year-old’s receding hairline. A highlight of my makeup career, to be quite honest. The dress rehearsal came and went, premiere came and went. We were all in an absurd high, like nothing was real except the theatre, the stage. Audiences were brilliant, and obviously loved our talented performers. The premiere party ended up with me sharing a bed with four other people and waking up with my covers and pillow stolen. Even hungover, everyone was a star. My performance week was spent putting on makeups, which took me roughly three hours every day. And yelling at my victims to come and park their butts immediately into my chair, from wherever they were at any given time. Besides Reetta, who was always where she was supposed to be. I had happy people, I had tired people, I had apprehensive people, I had expectant people, but most of all, I had trusting people. Plastering glue, hair, paint, hairspray and glitter onto these people made me happiest I’ve possibly ever been.
helping with costume and headset changes, reapplying glue and whatever little things was needed. It was spectacular how happy I was handling sweaty people every day. Being backstage was surprisingly laborious, seeing as the performers did the actual work. But there’s so much more in holding a theatre performance together than is visible to the audience, as I ended up learning. Despite having seen every single rehearsal and every single performance, I never got tired of watching those amazing people. Being a part of this production taught me so much, about working in theatre, about working with other people to bring about a unified vision, and so many practical skills, like how to facepaint efficiently, how to make horns that could withstand a guitarist, a bassist, a singer, and goodness knows who else being tossed on top of them, how to attach glitter to a bare torso for the most epic last performance possible, and how to dance with unbridled joy at the backstage. My favourite memories are from performance week, but seeing as every single moment from performance week was my favourite, listing them would be inadvisable. Routine never feels less boring when you do it with people you love.
If you’ve read this far, kudos to you. Also I don’t believe you. But I will tell you one thing. Of anything I’ve ever done, I’ve never loved anything more than being a part of this. And of all the people I’ve ever met, I’ve never loved anyone more than I During the performances, I was backstage with at love these people. least one other makeup crew member, fixing hair,
NMES 2018 This year’s National Meeting of English Students was held in Helsinki. The weekend was a disappointment we even lost The Boy. We don’t even have a proper article for NMES this year, it’s just photos.
Home is a feeling Sam Contreras
In the beginning, I was told that leaving home would be the hardest part. I was told that I would ache with homesickness and writhe in culture shock. No one really bothered to mention that leaving your new home would be so much harder. Leaving Finland was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do. I remember crying in the Helsinki airport on the phone with my mom, saying over and over, “I’m not ready yet.” In hindsight, I should have seen it coming. How could I have expected to inhabit a place so lovely and surround myself with such wonderful people only to think that saying goodbye would be easy. What it really boiled down to was this: I had made a home in my small apartment in the student village and I felt at home surrounded by my fellow exchange student peers and my fellow Anglicans. When I left, I lived in my overalls. I walked Irish streets in Finnish attire. I swallowed my memories like daily vitamins just to keep me going. Eventually, it got easier. It wasn’t even that hard to leave Ireland, or Europe entirely, just to scramble home to my roommates, my cats, my boyfriend, and the mundane day-to-day that I’d been living for so many years. On the drive to my apartment from the airport, my whole experience felt so much like a dream. Not only could I not believe where I was, but I had the hardest time believing where I had been. I had danced with the northern lights, drove a dog sled, hiked in the most gorgeous of places, played volleyball with teams from around the globe, found myself as an armored knight in Turku Castle, rocked a ropes course, celebrated Vappu, and sang my nights away with a little bit of booze and a lot of the people that I cared about most. And that barely scratches the surface.
A year later, I see memories emerge on my Facebook Timehop. I see the places I was and the people I spent my time with and I smile. At times, it’s still hard to believe that I could have existed outside of my city, and there are still days when I ache to wake to Finnish skies above my head. I still collect patches for my overalls and sew them on as if Vappu is right around the corner. I still thrive on reliving the memories and reminiscing with all the people I met along the way. What I’ve come to realize between then and now is that Turku was a home of mine and that leaving didn’t mean that I could never return. I imagine all the time what it would be life to walk into Assari, find myself a table, and see who noticed. I think about the reaction I would get if I casually sauntered my way into Kaffila or arrived uninvited to a sitz. I bet that I would find a piece of myself that I buried, that I left there to grow just as I had. But here’s a big thanks to all of you for letting me in, showing me the ropes, and helping build who I am today. I would not be where I am without you, without the things you taught me along the way about life, about the world, and about myself. I miss you all so dearly. One day I’ll return, probably just as shellshocked and confused as before if not more, but I’ll be there. In the meantime, I’ll carry Turku with me in my heart from across the pond. Sam Contreras was an exchange student at University of Turku in the spring semester of 2017, and an active member of Anglica. You can find his article about his time in Turku in last year’s Baccanalia.
Anglica’s 60th Anniversary Party Pihla Eskola
In case you’ve been living under a rock, An- and anniversary committee were gifted with a bottle glica celebrated its 60th anniversary on the 17th of of whiskey, which was passed around those it conMarch. cerned. The work of the anniversary committee was not only visible in the dinner itself, but all the events leading up to it. Such events were the song and dance teaching earlier in the anniversary week, as well as the anniversary lecture by Janne Skaffari. Even before the anniversary week the committee had organized a bake sale, tour in a brewery and a trip to a trampoline park.
After enjoying sparkling wine at the cocktail event, we made our way to Suomalainen Pohja, the restaurant where the anniversary dinner would be held. The struggle of walking a mile in high heels didn’t turn out to be a problem, since the restaurant was literally right next to the Art Museum. The anniversary party continued to wow us with premises at Suomalainen pohja. On our places awaited the new,
purple, Anglica’s 60th anniversary overall patches. At 5 o’clock it was time for the long-await- Skimming through the program and getting acquainted celebration to start. The cocktail-event was held ed with our less-known tablemates was a good way at the Art Museum and kicked off by a few opening for the dinner to start as we sang Finland’s nationwords from our ceremony hostess. The cocktail event al anthem and the flags of Finland and Anglica were was a mixture of excited mingling and posing for brought in. photographs. The museum’s premises were perfect for taking photographs and publishing them to Insta- This year two other English student organisagram with the official hashtag #Anglica60. The new tions had come to Turku to celebrate: Magna Carta member sashes in Anglica’s colours were a popular from Jyväskylä and Verba from Oulu. I found myaccessory amongst the party people. self seated next to the representatives of Magna Carta (who are also celebrating their 60th anniversary this During the cocktail-event Anglica was given year!). Time flew by with interesting conversation and presents from its guests, including a wooden moose in good company. My table even made our to Magna from Skandica and thermoses and Fair Trade products Carta’s Snapchat as the ’’turkulainen pöytäseurue.’’ from the staff of the English department. The board
ce-lebrations would not end there. We took the bus to Q-talo to enjoy formal dancing and the afterparty. Sohon Torwet played songs for our formal dances, which we had practiced earlier in the week. With the meals at Suomalainen Pohja being the size of, well, fancy meals, the food served at the after-party was well appreciated. The anniversary party committee had made an epic playlist consisting of classic Anglican bangers. As I couldn’t keep my eyesopen for the entire night and went home, I’m not the best person to describe the afterparty. Many of our party guests spent the entire night at Q-talo, celebrating and dancing the night away. When I arrived at Q-talo for the silliaamiainen on Sunday morning, the atmosphere was tired, but happy. The array of food and Mikko Rytö’s comedy (?) on the open mic was enough to keep the guests awake in the hazy post-anniversary mood.
We were treated to three delicious meals and Suomalainen Pohja surprised us with a special drink called “Angelica Kelkka”. On the side of our meals we sang songs from our songbook and got to enjoy amazing performances by our fellow Anglican members. We heard Saara Lindberg playing the piano as well as Englannin Torvet, who delighted us with their take on two Anglican classics: Greensleeves and Africa. Later in the evening with got to enjoy two dance performances by Juho Päivinen and his dance partner, Mari Munne, on both slow and fast versions of Boogie Woogie. Carla Suhr, the guest of honour, gave a speech which I heard someone describe as a very ’’Anglican’’ speech. On the podium we also heard our sitting chair and vice-chair, as well as our alumni and active members. For the first time in Anglica’s history, some of our alumni received medals for their hard work towards the organization. After the desert it was time for punssikorvas. My table was sweating nervously because none of us had ever done them before. After trying and failing miserably, our table was visited by a very well-timed hero, who taught us how to fold our napkins. Having only just learnt how to fold them myself, I made my way to the table next to ours to help them. That was definitely one of the best experiences of the evening. (The best part of the evening was taking off the shawl after the main course). At last, it was time to end the dinner and say goodbye to Suomalainen Pohja, but the anniversary
Listing everyone to say thank you would make this a very long – although justified – piece of writing because there are a lot of people responsible for making the amazing day happen. However, to keep it short and sweet, biggest thank you to everyone involved in the making of the anniversary party! Cheers to another 60 years of Anglica!
The 1st of May Bingo – Compete with your friends, make up your own rules – People-watching? Just within your friend group? Interacting with strangers? All from different people? A bingo (5 squares in a line) just from a single person? – now go mark them all – Overall patches from a single event for at least three consecutive years
Anglica’s overalls on a person you’ve never seen before
A couple who is Overalls, which celebrating an anni- have the coolest versary accessories
Anglica patch in Non-Anglica overalls
Someone you talk with in a language other than Finnish or English
A childhood friend
NMES-patch
An exchange student, new to the whole experience
An overall patch from before 2010
Patches of three different student organisations
Someone with at A member of anleast 10 patches that other 60-year-old you have as well student organisation
A non-anglican who has at least 5 patches that you have as well
Patches of three different Anniversary parties
A patch you identi- A 60-year-old fy with on a molec- person ular level
GOOM-patch
A person you’ve met before, but can’t recall the name of
Someone you’ve only just met
A person who is Someone who is planning on apply- celebrating their ing to study English birthday
A person you’ve had a crush on
A person you mistook for someone else
Overalls of a student organisation that isn’t from Turku
The Anglican Crossword of 2018 1. What time is it? A cry for help! 2. Our least shabby pen 3. Pekka Lintunen’s favourite singer, whose Ls are just that Toxic. 4. The Great American Musical – About A Man Who Just Won’t Ever Stop 5. The event that saw the fastest sign-up in the history of Anglica 6. The author who created an epic saga about the power of short people 7. Our dearest hometown 8. This US Agency was formally created in 1958, which was also the year its name was first recorded by the OED 9. The 35-year-old song about a continent 10. A media franchise about space and discovery, which is just eight years younger than Anglica 11. The most wonderful number of this year
How well do you remember 1958? 1.
Which popular toy was patented this year?
2.
Which musician, who has also been referred to with a royal title, was inducted to US Army this year?
3. On the May 1st of this year, five countries finalized the establishment of a Passport Union between them, allowing for free movement from one country to another. Which countries? 4.
Which American restaurant chain was founded this year?
5.
What war began between the United Kingdom and another European country this year?
6. Which food product, often associated with the lifestyle of a university student, went on sale for the first time this year?
1.Lego 2. Elvis Presley 3. Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland 4. Pizza Hut 5. The first Cod War 6. Instant noodles