Finnish life lessons. Part 1

1. Bikes are essential. They are not a want, but a need. Unfortunately the arrival of students in September leaves the bike shops in short supply.
2. Lunch is accompanied by a glass of water and a glass of milk.
3. Locks are locked by turning them to the left. No more "righty tighty, lefty loosey"
4. Shredded carrots are an acceptable replacement for salad. They are not simply sprinkled on a salad to add more colour, they are a main dish.
5. Do not trust cookies that have an unidentifiable grey icing. Beware, the chocolate cookie is deceiving.
6. Group meals are complicated by the fact that the majority of exchange students currently own one for and one knife. The key is to know the pattern on your cutlery so that you can take it home to wash it yourself.
7. It is important to walk in a straight line. If you do not odds are you will be struck by a bike.
8. It is normal for a male to have a flowered or pink blanket for their bed... well that is if they are an exchange student with a survival kit!
9. Being fluent in multiple languages is the norm. Good thing my finnish courses start next week!
10. Canadians are awesome.


All in all things here in Jyväskylä are pretty good. I'm slowly learning my way around and there seems to be a lot of cool little stores that I will have to check out. Classes start next week which will be awesome for meeting more people. I've been very busy this week with an orientation for international students. Learned a bit but sat through a bunch of seemingly pointless presentations.