Vol 20 Issue 09

INSIDER 08.12.2017 | VOL. 20 | ISSUE 09

STUDENT MAGAZINE OF XAMK

INDEPENDENCE DAY GALA    

THIS WEEK INTERNATIONAL MIKKELI DAY  PROFILE INSIDER IN MIKKELI  DESIGN MARKET BOOK REVIEW  MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO RUTABAGA CASSEROLE

EDITORIAL STAFF

Anastasiia Abgarian Mikkeli Current Affairs

Daria Chekalskaia Mikkeli Current Affairs

Stela Demaj Kouvola Current Affairs

Hafsa Farah Kouvola Current Affairs

Lingli Jing Profile

Suvi Karell Overseas Reporter

Trang Le Recipes

Lotta Lehtinen Movie Review

Long Nguyen Layout Editor

Setareh Nourzad Abkenar Kouvola Current Affairs

Hugh Clack Editor in Chief

INSIDER STUDENT MAGAZINE South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences Paraatikenttä 7 45100 Kouvola Editor in Chief: Hugh Clack INSIDER ISSN 1457-1587  /INSIDERSTUDENTMAGAZINE 2

PHONE +358 44 702 8758 WEBSITE insider.xamk.fi EMAIL insider@xamk.fi

EDITORIAL As we this w know, anniv eek’s F we are Indep ersary. inland’s celebra ende So, ha 100 Y ting nce D ppy late ears ay!

In this issue, we have some interesting articles. From profile, Mikkeli international day to a traditional Finnish Rutabaga Casserole dish that is simple and easy to make. I can’t wait to try it myself.

There is info from suvi you don’t want to miss, If you are planning to study or work abroad. For the people who are interested to know how Finland’s 100 year was celebrated in kouvola than there is exclusively an article you could read. So, check it out.

Plus, if you are wondering what to read or watch than have a look at the recommendation for this week! Stay tuned.

Hafsa Farah 3

INTERNATIONAL MIKKELI DAY

The celebration of IMD in Stella International Mikkeli Day "IMD" again boosted in November in Mikkeli for the sixth time. International Mikkeli Day is an international event organized annually by the Mikkeli region, which is open to all and is free of charge.

The main idea of it is to show that cultural diversity is a human advantage: we can exchange opinions, visions, traditions. All together we can make the world better place to live in.

During the main event in Stella there were the presentations of different countries, cultures, tastes and national costumes, educational workshops, music and dance performances from different cultures.

Some international organizations took part in the creation of the book consisting of different stories from all over the world. Another international act was to take photos on the topic of ÂŤMikkeli InternationalÂť: Mikkeli people abroad and international people in Mikkeli.

After the event in Stella, Mikkelin Kaupunki organized reward party in the city Hall, where all active international organizations were awarded. The prizes were given by the mayor of Mikklei, Timo Halonen. He said that everyone matters when it comes to building the strong country. XAMK also was a part of it and contributed to the building of international connections by having the International Club. IC helps exchange students to understand Finnish people, their culture and experience real-life of Finns.

Daria Chekalskaia

Timo Halonen (the mayor of Mikkeli) congratulates the participants

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The award for Xamk

INSIDER IN MIKKELI

Insider Team After a long time of preparation, Mikkeli reporters are glad to present an Insider special edition from Mikkeli. And also, the Insider welcome the new members from Mikkeli campus.

The special Mikkeli edition main theme is Christmas. In the first issue, Mikkeli team interviewed teachers about their Christmas routine, shared the recipes of vegan gingerbread cookies and DIY tutorials, and prepared an ultimate guide on responsible drinking.

The editorial team members of first issue are: Daria Chekalskaia and Anastasiia Abgarian (Mikkeli current affairs) together with Alisa Kivirian, Erik Parkhomenko, Hoa Le and Sara Zajac. In the plans is to publish separated weekly Insider in Mikkeli with a fresh design and new topics.

The first issue was published on 1st of December. And the Insider team came to Mikkeli to support the promotion of it! The new and old members of Insider had a great time together. 40 copies of Christmas special edition with the main 8th issue was distributed all around the campus. Together with Insider team, Mikkeli team reached the new audience like IT students in Mikpoli and Environmental Engineering students in A-building. The other goal of the promotion was to attract the new reporters to Mikkeli Insider team.

The promotion of the special edition took place in the main lobby in Dexi. The Insider team attracted new readers with amazing hand-made cookies and collected the feedback about the future of Mikkeli issues.

Anastasiia Abgarian

Cookies and magazines

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DESIGN MARKET Last week, on the second day of December, in Paja came an interesting event from our design students - market design. That is an marketplace held by a student organization TIKKI in order to encourage pupils from designing departure to be more creative and introduce these masterpieces to customers as local buyers. The atmosphere was fastinating and might amaze you with many kinds of unique designs. Besides fairs and lovely sellers, TIKKI also organized a small canteen with pizzas, coffee and tea for attendees to have a rest after tiring shopping.

From my experience on that day, the thing that impressed me a lot was the carefulness of the organizers from the entrance - they put candles on the entry door to guide attendees - to the design of the hall building.

Long Nguyen

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PROFILE

NIKOLAY SIMONENKOV I always think profile section is a brilliant part of insider magazine, it gives us the chance to get to know the people around us, students and staff, about their works, interests and so on. For this issue, I interviewed Nikolay Simonenkov, a Russian student from IB16.

What are your interests?

Mostly mountain skiing, cycling and sometimes playing games.

You mentioned mountain skiing, what do you benefit from it?

I improve my balancing skills, it was as good as exercising and just enjoy it.

How often do you do exercises like skiing and cycling?

Mostly in holidays. Like week and month holidays, I go mountain skiing because it’s one of the interesting things I can do in Finland.

What games do you like and why?

The only reason I play games nowadays is when my friends call me. Either Dota or. I can’t see my friends in Moscow very often since I’m here, so games kind of build a connection between us, basically it’s the only way I can socialize with them because if I text them it’s like” meh”. But during the game I can talk to them.

There’s a question form my last interviewee, if there is a facility you want our university to have, what would it be?

The only facility that I can think of is that where helps students directly to find a job in Finland, it’s not like the basic training you have in the first year, but something make students to find a job easier.

Lingli Jing Photo taken by Danil Chernyshov

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INDEPENDENCE DAY GALA 2017 This year marks a huge milestone in Finland’s history. In 6.12.2017 we have 100 years of independence. Finland has come a long way in just one century, and it is surely a cause for celebration. This year Finland is appreciated by numerous events, and so it was in XAMK Kouvola as well.

Student union Kupla Ry hosted the independence gala in the 4th of December, for the second time in a row. Dress code for the gala was “black tie” and the event took place in Upseerikerho(the officer club), nearby our Kouvola campus. The venue was an excellent choice and it gave the gala the right kind of atmosphere.

Antti Huuki from Kupla Ry operated as the master of ceremonies, and the gala began with his speech. The welcoming speech was filled with humor and it brake the ice, and made everyone feel warmly welcomed to the gala. The speech ended with the welcoming toast.

The student union Kaakko was presented by Rurik Rantalainen, who also presented his own speech regarding the Independence Day Gala.

After the first speeches there were some free time before the dinner. They were serving variety of foods including fish, potatoes, variety of salads, gratin, not forgetting the menu for vegans. Food was great, and among many other reasons a good reason to participate in the gala.

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After the fulfilling dinner the evening continued with the speech of Petteri Ikonen, the deputy of XAMK. He mentioned our first-year journey as XAMK, and how it has had it ups and downs. He spoke highly of the students and how they are going to shape the future, each in their own way.

The last speaker of the evening was Matti Lindholm the deputy of Kouvola. He spoke how sometimes people underappreciate Kouvola, just by the fact that in the 70’s cement apartment buildings were built all over the Finland, not just Kouvola. He mentioned the amazing nature and surroundings that we have in Kouvola, and reminded us how a such good place it is to live.

The gala culminated on the performing of duo Stella and Juho, who are known from the music competition “the Voice of Finland”. They performed a variety of Finnish well known songs and couple ones in English, all with the guitar accompaniment.

Finally, the whole Independence Day Gala was perfected with firework show in the school yard.

It was the perfect ending for a great night. All guests willing continued their evening with the afterparty in bar Brooklyn.

Text by Lotta Lehtinen / Photos by Long Nguyen

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RUTABAGA CASSEROLE

Christmas is right around the corner. We have an increasing amount of snow and Christmas goodies are everywhere in stores. In my country, we do not celebrate Christmas. However, as I am in Finland, or as I always say – Santaland, I feel like it is appropriate to join the Christmas spirit. That is why the recipe I am bringing to you this week is a traditional Finnish dish for Christmas: Rutabaga Casserole. I tried to create my own version after watching and reading several online recipes, so this might not be exactly traditional. I hope Finns readers will not get mad at me! All in all, this turned out really tasty. If you care to learn how to make it, please continue reading đ&#x;˜Š How to make it: 1. Peel and dice the rutabagas into small pieces. Place the diced rutabagas into a pot with boiling water. Simmer for 25 – 30 minutes until tender. Drain and mash them with a potato masher or a wooden spoon is also good enough. Let it cool.

2. Add the seasonings and butter into the mash. Mix it up a bit then slowly beat in the egg. It is important to check if the mash is cool properly since the egg can scramble if it is still hot.

3. Grease the dish/mold with butter then pour the mixture in. Spread it out evenly and sprinkle on the breadcrumbs till entirely covered.

4. Bake for ~ 40 minutes or till the top gets slightly golden brown. Carefully take it out of the oven and let it cool before serving.

There you go. Super easy and absolutely delicious. In my opinion, rutabaga casserole is one of the most underrated casseroles out there; perhaps because the vegetable itself is not widely known. That being said, please try this recipe out for your next holiday gatherings. Let’s spread the awesomeness of rutabaga to as many people as possible. Don’t forget to check out the next issue as well since I will be introducing another traditional Finnish delicacy for Christmas. Moi moi!

Trang Le

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Ingredients: 2 rutabagas 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 cup cream 1 & ½ teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 egg breadcrumbs

MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO

STUDIO 123 Kymenlaaksonkatu 1 45700 Kuusankoski 044 375 3686 www.studio123.fi 08.12 - 14.12.2017 STUDIO 1 THE THREE TENORS' CHRISTMAS CONCERT IN VIENNA (S) | 23€ | 1h31min Sun 12:00 Tue 18:00

DIRECTOR: HAYAO MIYAZAKI WRITER: HAYAO MIYAZAKI LEADING ROLES: HITOSHI TAKAGI, NORIKO HIDAKA, CHIKA SAKAMOTO

Now is a unique change to see the classic movie “Totoro” in the movie theatre. “My neighbour Totoro” is one of the most, if not the most famous film Studio Ghibli has ever made. Movie was first released in the year 1988, but remains its popularity throughout all these years.

The movie is a sweet story about two sisters who move out to the countryside with their father. The girls mother is in a hospitalised due to tuberculosis. Regardless of the mother’s illness the family tries to be as happy and cheerful as possible.

The new house has been uninhabited for a while, and the girls see tiny creatures lurking in the corners, called soot spirits. After a while the soot spirits decide to find a new more peaceful home, and fly off into the woods. Soot spirits hardly are the last of magical creatures that the girls come across in their new surroundings. One day, the younger sister called Mei sees something moving in the grass in their backyard. She sees this tiny, chubby, furry creature rush into the woods and follows it. In the woods she founds the creature’s large friendly lookalike. The large creature growls its name, which Mei interprets to be “Totoro”. She falls asleep on Totoro’s belly. Although, when Mei’s big sister Satsuki finds Mei, she is sleeping peacefully in a dense grass. Mei is disappointed when Totoro seems to be gone, but Satsuki comforts her by saying that the Totoro is a spirit of the woods, and will surely reveal itself again when the time is right.

The movie is one the movies that I grew up with. “My neighbour Totoro” entertains all people regardless of age.

This is one of the movies that always makes me feel good.

As a trademark of Hayao Miyazaki’s the story has also some deeper meanings to it. This movie is a classic for a reason.  Lotta Lehtinen

TUNTEMATON SOTILAS (12) | 15€ | 3h Fri - Sat, Mon 16:00, 18:50 Sun, Wed - Thu 16:00 Tue 18:50 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (12) | 11€ | 1h54min Fri - Mon, Wed - Thu 19:20

STUDIO 2 MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (S) | 10€ | 1h28min Sun 15:05 HEINÄHATTU , VILTTITOSSU JA RUBENSIN VELJEKSET (S) | 10€ | 1h31min Every Evening 17:00 Sat 15:00, 17:00 STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (12) | 12€ | 2h32min Wed - Thu 19:09

STUDIO 3 LADY MACBETH (16) | 11€ | 1h29min Sat - Sun 15:20 Tue 19:40 MUUMIEN TAIKATALVI (DUB) (S) | 10€ | 1h22min Every Evening 17:15 YÖSYÖTTÖ (16) | 11€ | 1h26min Fri, Sun, Tue 19:00 JOULUMAA (12) | 11€ | 1h32min Sat, Mon, Wed - Thu 19:00

Students/armed services, pensioners 1€ discount on all full priced tickets of 10€ or more

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BOOK REVIEW

THE ALCHEMIST BY PAULO COELHO “Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear, and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.” -Alchemist “Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear, and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.” -Alchemist The alchemist or also known as O Alquimista is an international best-selling novel and it was authored by Paulo Coelho in 1988. The genre of the novel is adventure, quest and fantasy. The main theme of the book is about finding your own destiny in other words your Personal Legend.

The story goes by a shepherd boy named Santiago. The young boy had a reoccurring dream about a child who told him that he will find a hidden treasure if, he travels to the pyramids. So, the boy starts his journey from Spain to find the hidden treasure. A long the way of his journey he meets an old man who introduced himself as Melchizedek or the King of Salem. As Santiago was unsure of his dream, Melchizedek assured him that it was his duty to follow his personal legend after giving him some advice.

The shepherd boy continues his journey to travel throughout Asia and Africa to reach the pyramids. Where he also, meets other characters in the book such as the alchemist and old Englishmen that guided him, and some robbed him throughout his journey. The story goes on by the young shepherd boy fulfilling his destiny.

The book unfolds the trials and the struggle nature puts it through us, before we realize our dreams as to say the personal legend. Also, the excitement, the people we meet along in life and how we learn from them. The novel itself is quite inspiring, insightful and fascinating. It’s easy to follow and to understand the storyline.

Let us know your thoughts on The Alchemist!

Hafsa Farah

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