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Student Magazine of Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences | 27.09.2013. | Volume 16

EXCHANGE STUDENTS: WHO THEY ARE AND WHY THEY CHOSE FINLAND

EDITORIAL STAFF Hoang Minh Vietnam

Elena Prokofyeva Russia Iiulia Safonova Russia Bac Le Vietnam

Olga Rusakova Russia Annukka Repo Finland

Hoang Anh Nguyen Vietnam Mariia Kiseler Russia Mattea Näveri Croatia

Victoria Zhorina Russia Reetta Somppi Finland

Pham Ngoc Vietnam Sarah Rosenthal Germany

INSIDER is published and printed at: Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences Campus Paraatikenttä 7 45100 Kouvola, Finland Tel: +358 44 702 8758 Fax: +358 5 230 2433 E-mail: insider@kyamk.fi Web site: http://insider.kyamk.fi Personal e-mails: firstname.surname@student.kyamk.fi INSIDER ISSN 1457–1587 Copyright © Insider 2013

EDITORIAL

t is the middle of September; everyone now is in the own daily routine.The weather is becoming colder and colder, rains are becoming regular and a lot of people start to feel sick. Be careful, do not catch the flu! Almost a month passed from the beginning of this academic year and our new exchange students, who came from absolutely different parts of the world, are ready to share their first impressions about life here in Finland, and studying in Kyamk. Hopefully, all new people in the university have already got used to the new lifestyle and do not feel homesick anymore. For those who still miss home and relatives: be strong, keep together with other students, meet new interesting people, communicate with them! This is the key for the easier adaptation.

Mariia Kiseler

Not only coming exchange students tell about their experience in this issue. One former member of INSIDER staff also reports about her life during her exchange studies in Netherlands! Check this! There are a lot of interesting things happening around. In the Art Column you can see information, which some readers might find useful. It is about upcoming art events in Saint-Petersburg. If you are bored in Finland and want to explore new places, would not that be a good enough reason to visit Saint-Petersburg, which is very close? In addition, quite interesting interviews can be found in this issue, one of them is about someone who you can see every day, but probably do not know anything about! Have a look on the profile page. Another profile is about one former Kyamk student, who has got own music band now. This week has been full of different multicultural things as it was an INTERNATIONAL WEEK! If you have missed some events and want to know more what was happening-check the main article in the next issue of INSIDER. Participate actively in different events, keep summer mood for the whole year, stay healthy and read INSIDER! Good luck!

Mariia

INSIDE INFO KOUVOLA 27.09., Bar Aula, 23:00: J.Ahola acoustic duo 03.10., Bar Aula, 19:00: “Kun Katsoit Minuun”, Women’s choir of Kouvola and female singers from Kuusankoski 05.10., Bar&Restaurant Rytmi-Katti, 22:00:”V”& Wiréns KOTKA 04.10., Kotka concert hall, 19:00 A joint concert of Kymi Sinfonietta and St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra

TAMPERE Untill 01.12., Tampere Museum Centre Vapriikki, the Terracotta Army and Treasures of the First Emperors of China The exhibition includes: Terracotta Warriors guarding the emperor´s tomb Bronze carriage and some other cultural artefacts from the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC) ruled by Qin Shi Huang, the "First Emperor" of a united China. Open days: Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 Source: visittampere.fi VANTAA New exhibition in the Finnish science centre HEUREKA! 5th October 2013 – 23th March 2014: Facing Mars exhibition Would you go to Mars? This exhibition focuses on the physical, psychological, technical and ethic challenges that people may face on their way to Mars and possible solutions to them. Among the issues covered is what kind of people should be chosen for Mars trip, how to live in a small space and under psychological pressure, what about surgery in space, etc.

Send us your artwork to insider@kyamk.fi and have your work published for the world to see!

A Russian in Netherlands

EXCHANGE VIEW

Greetings from Hague, my dear readers! As far as some of you know, I am currently on student exchange in the Netherlands, in The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Our life is such that we switch the roles. So, how does it feel like to be an exchange? I made a few observations and realized that we have a “squeezer syndrome”. We try to have as many things done as possible in scarce time. We attend all the possible events and parties, explore Hague and nearby cities (Leiden, Delft, Rotterdam, Amsterdam) and travel to other countries, like Belgium. It has only been a couple of weeks and we already feel like going crazy. As several exchange students have mentioned in the interviews, people are extremely open and helpful. In the university the distance between students and teachers is low, which makes the lectures interactive and studying experience more pleasant. Luckily, Hague is the right city for becoming a “squeezer”. If you arrive at certain time, friendly students will pick you up and deliver to Student Housing agency and then to your dormitory. As soon as students arrive they dive into student life. Every week there is an event happening in Hague. In the end of August jazz musicians were playing in one of the numerous canals of the city. On the 5th of September there was a huge event for students called “Oh Oh Intro”. It was in a park where students could listen to local bands, get memorable photos wearing glasses and moustache and buy refreshing drinks and delicious snacks. On Saturday the 7th of September, people experienced some cultural spirit in several museums on The Museum Night. In this month Hague will be a centre for different international forums and fairs. I do not think that I need to mention numerous parties and concerts which happen almost every day. The other side of this syndrome is to squeeze as much out of ourselves to pass all the courses during the exchange. Exchange is a real maturity test on self discipline. As one of the exchange students from Slovakia said: “Enjoy yourself responsibly.” Having your head on your shoulders will bring you both success in studies and exciting pastime. Wish all the best to all the current Kyamk students. Hope to see some of you on the pages of Insider. Have a great time!

Polina Racheeva

KYAMK´S EXCHANGE STUDENTS

Every year there are new exchange students coming from different parts of the world.There is always an interest about the cultural distinctions between people from various countries and their way of life. Here are the stories of some of these people who shared their point of view on this issue and the reasons why they chose to go to Finland. Gerald Cicero,Australia /University of Wollongong/ Media and Communication This guy has an absolutely unique story to come from Australia to Finland for exchange program. Because of the closeness of Bali Island to his country he went there to surf as usual and met his future girlfriend there, who was also on vacation. It appeared that the girl is originally from Finland. In order to be together he found out that he could go to her hometown Kouvola for an exchange period. And so he is here.Now that he has studied here for a while he can define the differences between his university in Australia and Finnish one: “Well, here students have less classes and more time for self education. At my university there are more strict attendance regulations. If you don’t show up on lectures the teacher will call you and ask why you did not. In these cases we have a video archive of all lectures that already passed and it’s possible to watch the lecture that you missed. Also we have a bar at our campus, thus you can have a glass of beer and go to the next lecture”.

Maria Sousa,Portugal /Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas / Fashion and Textile Design We were sitting in a lobby where Maria was doing her photo collage for some lesson on the laptop. Even though she was working while I was interviewing her, she successfully was answering my questions, smiling and joking nicely. Why did you choose Finland for exchange period? “I came here because one of my friends had already studied at Kyamk last year as an exchange and thus he advised me to choose it. Of course there are some differences between studying and living here and in Portugal. For example my campus in Castelo Branco is much smaller and we don’t usually use bikes, it’s not typical for our country. Now we have really inspiring classes here – practice of doing make-ups, hairstyles, working with textiles and so on and at the end we will have an assignment to use all these skills in final photo shoot.”

Nadine Ahlevs,Germany/ HAWK Hildesheim/ Color Design “I read a book “Die spinnen die Finnen” which translates like “Finnish people are crazy” and I got a desire to come here. The book was written by a guy, who got married to a Finnish woman and moved to her country.

He writes in very nice informal style and with a very good sense of humor about all daily stuff that sometimes amuses him. For example there was a story how he was skiing at one evening and there was a person on a track that was faster and outrun him.Then the Author saw that this person fell and tried to help him to get up, but surprisingly that man didn’t want his help and just wanted Author to leave him alone.That was one of the examples of Finnish culture, that it’s not polite to offer help to somebody if he didn’t ask for it. Now I have my own experience of living here and I can tell that I enjoy of local nature and of course sauna. I came here considering advice of my teacher in Germany, he told me that in Kymenlaakso University there are very good workshops, many possibilities to explore different techniques and to gain experience of working with different materials as well.”

Enrico Ros,Italy/ ISIA Roma Design – Pordenone/ Industrial Design Being a guitar player in a rock band, he had already done some projects as an industrial designer: “I made working benches for a computer repair shop, tables and some more furniture for my friend’s business. I wanted to go to Finland because it’s well known that Scandinavians are famous for their unique and beautiful design. At my university in Italy we don’t have workshops and student café, and here, there are more facilities to develop different skills. Less crowded as well. ” Tomas Rejmon,Czech Republic/ University of Jan Evangelista Purkyne/ Industrial Design

Clement Carin,France/ UVHC (University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambra)/ Business “In France we don’t have this personal approach of teachers at all, they don’t know us by our names or faces. Large audiences, where lectures are held and there are no attendance lists, so literally you can be absent at all lessons, but still have to pass final exam. I came to Finland because I wanted to practice my English and meet other cultures.”

Are you a Kyamk student and want to go on exchange? Visit Karoliina Daelemans in her office 123 on the 1st floor or email her to karoliina.daelemans@kyamk.fi. You can also find the information on www.kyamk.fi/exchange.

Text:Iiulia Safonova,Photos provided by the exchange students,Cover photo of Maria by João Ramos

This person is really hard to catch even though he is 24 hours at the university.It is possible to notice that he puts his heart and soul in everything he does, that’s why his sketches and drawings can really amaze you. Surprisingly he still has some spare time, which he spends snowboarding and skiing.His father is one of the leading designers, who is in charge of creating new models of cars for Skoda Auto company. That’s why Tomas wants to help his father and work shoulder to shoulder with him.

SWAG, OR THE MOST KOSHER ART PLACES IN SAINT-PETERSBURG If you are going to Russia for a weekend in the near future and you want to explore the favorite places of the intelligent youth leisure time in St. Petersburg – here are the top three best options where to spend time.

ТАЙГА | TAIGA

LOCATION: In the heart of the city near the Winter Palace on the bank of Neva River. Old classic building was renewed by small group of young designers so that it became multifunctional spot for professionals from different fields. INSIDE: Design clothes store, barbershop, lounge hall where master-classes and exhibitions are held, atelier, typography, hostel & etc. In the courtyard there is a vegetarian Scandinavian style café-bar, open zone for DJ-sets, concerts, festivals and flea markets. NOW: 12 Sept.- 5 Dec. Documentary film program “Inside”. This season is dedicated to ART and there will be shown films about famous personalities in art (sculptors, designers & etc.) Each film will be organized in the format of talks with representatives of the Public Talk Modern Art and APERTO gallery: curators, artists and art historians. 30 Aug.- 29 Sept. Exhibition L. Christeseva (Sweden) “Stairs to Heaven”. Artist carries paintings of the sky cities in which it had to happen for a long time. The second series of works includes dresses and sculptures which are the reflection on the theme of femininity in the context of different cultures. At the opening there will be a presentation of the book “The Sky over ...”, accompanied by the music of DJ Concrete (Sweden).

ЭТАЖИ | ETAZHI

LOCATION: Not far from the city center near the one of the biggest city malls in Saint Petersburg. To find it you will need to pass through the guarded checkpoint into the inner courtyard of the former industrial area and immediately you will find brightly decorated building, which actually was a Bread Factory. INSIDE: This cultural center is a pioneer in loft design and one of the largest exhibition spaces in St. Petersburg. Namely there are two contemporary art galleries, 4 exhibition spaces, Café Green Room, open roof and Lokeyshn Hostel. NOW: Here are always some permanent exhibits going. Besides that: 25 Sept.- 15 Nov. Spatial sound installation “Upgrade of noise.” The project involves the active participation of viewers / listeners who have the opportunity to directly influence the change in the sound environment, creating a unique combination of noise. One of the rooms will be open natural environment, in the space of a “closed” room will be set up industrial plant, and the “podium” will appear as seaside. 9 Jul. – 9 Oct. Project “Animals of the day”. A magical performance with the participants of a photo shoot “Vita. Homo. Bestiarium” – namely the animals from Leningrad Zoo, specially brought to the opening. Also there will be lecturer from Moscow, a great DJ from St. Petersburg (21 Outside), a fashionable London artist (mina_milk), actors, dancers and self-proclaimed ornithologists. 13 Aug. – 13 Oct. “The girl with a politic leader, or beauty will save the world!” The exhibition will present a series of pop art posters.

ЧЕТВЕРТЬ | QUARTER | ¼

LOCATION: Pretty far from two closest metro stations, but if you are interested to have a walk – this is worth passing as a part of the city has its own unique beauty and enjoyable architecture. An old mansion house which owners decided to keep the main halls interior without any repair so that when you are inside it feels the atmosphere of abandoned mystery castle with burning candles and ghosts. INSIDE: Design shops, workshops, 24-hour coffee-bar, rehearsal spot for young musicians and the most pleasant - Vespa scooters rental. NOW: 28 Sept. “First urban day of apples”. During the day there will be a possibility to eat the creations of hundreds of chefs, amateurs and professionals, to learn something of the theme, including master classes, also to visit the store and flea market of St. Petersburg master’s creations and stock up on apples. The holiday will finish with a concert in the Throne Room. 25 Oct. Concert “The Holydrug Couple”.Young psychedelic rock band from Chile will visit Russia for the first time. The concert will be in the Throne Room that fits perfectly for such concerts thanks to a special room acoustics.

Text: Iiulia Safonova

PROFILE PÄIVI KYTÖ

In life, there are people you may meet every day, but you hardly know them at all. Same thing happens in our university when you see our staff here so often, but you don´t even know who they are.This week, we meet Mrs. Kytö – who is currently working in our school cafeteria.*

Hello! Could you please tell something about your background? My name is Päivi Kytö and I am a local woman coming from Koria which is a neighbor area of Kouvola. I had spent my early life in a small village by the Kymi river.

Is there any difference between working in a normal restaurant and school restaurant in Finland? Well, since I had been working in other restaurants before, it is a bit different. In a normal restaurant, people usually come in the evening while here we are open only for lunch.

Could you tell us about how the restaurant is run here?

What is your favorite food so far?

I like different types of fish. At home, I usually cook salmon – as well as Baltic herring.

(*): the interview was done with the help of Aleksanteri Repo as a translator.

Text and photos:Bac Le

Basically, at 6 o’clock, we will come to work and food is made directly here so that at 10.30, everything is ready. Bread is also made here by the chef. Every day, there are about 400 to 600 people – both student, teachers, staffs and military people from nearby area having lunch here. Sometimes, we have special orders coming outside when high school students or people go to the university for a visit. After 13.30, everything will be cleaned as well as leftover food. Some particular food that has been in the serving area for less than three hours may be used for the next day.

MUSIC

JONESAN

DYOU

Hello Joonas. Tell us about your background: as I know, you were a student at Kyamk, weren’t you?

Well, to put it short I am Joonas a 29 years old singer-songwriter from Kouvola. I have been making music and playing in different bands for the last 15 years, most recent of them being JonesAndYou. As a second career I am a visual content creator in a Kouvola based audiovisual production company Aranu Oy. And yes, I took some courses at Kyamk audiovisual media during my apprenticeship at Aranu Oy.

How and when ‘JonesAndYou’ was born?

As a band and a brand, JonesAndYou was born 2011. I already had a lot of songs waiting to be recorded and published so I quickly approached the best two musicians I knew. With drummer Otto Ala-Huhtala and bass player Aki Virta we started hammering out the songs. I crafted the songs with the band and honed the approach I would take to publishing the music and gaining an audience for a full year before going public with our first music video single “Lie to me sweet” which was published in YouTube. At the same time JonesAndYou’s Facebook page was launched and we were all set.

When did you realize that music is not only your hobby?

I have never been a person for hobbies. For me it is do or don’t. Music was a passion for me way before I could make it and I just picked up a guitar and decided to get the skills I need to realize my vision. So to me music went much deeper than a hobby right away.

Why “JonesAndYou”, who’s idea the name of the band was?

The name “JonesAndYou” was my idea, and it stands for my desire to truly connect with people who like my music. I don’t want to be a distant star or an idol, but rather a friend and an equal. It is supposed to be a conversation between the artist and the audience. Anyway it is the audience who makes music relevant, audience makes art culture and culture is always much more important than art.

And from this perspective, which band or singer inspires you? Probably ‘J&U’ takes into the account some aspects from someone?

My school of music was really the pile of vinyl records I found from my father’s collection. I listened to David Bowie, JJ Cale, Queen and absolutely wore out his Eagles records. I think it is very common for us musicians to be less concerned about who we sound like than the people listening to us. I understand it and totally accept it, I just don’t pay that much of attention to it.

Could you tell us about the band’s future perspectives if it isn’t a secret?

Maybe something you want to wish to our readers?!

Well naturally I would like everyone to go to our YouTube channel and listen to our songs! If you happen to enjoy it you are welcome to leave a like on our Facebook page as well. We really love to connect with our audience, so any comments and greetings are more than welcome! Thank you very much! Hope to see you in our university soon. Thank you for this great interview, it was a blast!

Text:Victoria Zhorina,Photo:Ida Pettersson

Ha-ha, not a secret at all! We are going to keep on making videos for YouTube first of all. I’m currently planning and designing new styles of content to be created for my channel in addition to the regular music videos that will naturally continue. In addition to that we will probably start playing live shows even more as we have only played moderate amounts so far, and only covered few large cities like Helsinki and Tampere.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK 26.09.-03.09. STUDIO 123 Kymenlaaksonkatu 1 45700 Kuusankoski 05 3792082

Riddick

www.studio123.fi

The Royal Opera: TURANDOT (S)|23 € encore Sat,21.9. ,12:00 | 3h 10min SMURFFIT 2 2D/3D (dubbed) (7)|8/10 €

Directed: David Twohy Starring: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban,

Katee Sackhoff Genre: Action, Sci-fi

3D every evening | 17:10 2D Sat, Sun 15:10 |1h 44min THE HEAT | (12) |10 €

In the third installment of the Chronicles of Riddick -series, anti-hero Riddick has been betrayed by the necromongers and left to die on a seemingly lifeless planet. Riddick reverts back to his instinctual roots and fights his way through a planet of monsters with one thing in mind: to get back home. There really is very little to be expected in this installment as the plot summary sums up the entire events of this two hour action film. Vin Diesel dryly scavanges through incredibly long, boring and meaningless scenes that make you think this film was only created thanks to his production money. Whilst Diesel gets his action film fix, the audience is left with nothing but hope that the film slowly unfolds to a more exciting climax, which alas, never occurs. To further increase the dissapointment of a bland plotline there is but two characters which insinuate a promising turn of events. Luna (Nolan Gerard Funk), who's androgynous name recalls the character of Jack/Kyra in the second installment, is given attention just enough to get the audience curious then be oliviously forgotten about as the film proceeds. Dahl (Katee Sackhoff), a second in command mercenary, also put in the spotlight is capable of kicking anyones butt and can hold her own to the point of making the rest of the cast look like baboons. Her exciting performance is what earns this film its only praise, until its revealed that having her supposedly lesbian self show her nipples on camera and hint coitus at Riddick is only a catch to get more people interested in a film full of manly action. In hopes that there will be a better fourth installment in the Riddick series, you wont miss out by not watching this film beyond the five minute mark. An elaborate sci-fi world that creates the universe of Riddick is perhaps meant to remain a mystery, as this film holds true that the creators are no way near ready to reveal anything about their mystical world.

Laila Lehtinen

KINO KOUVO Keskikatu 12

ti.net

Illustration by Reetta Somppi Student Magazine of Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences