YFU Finland Welcome Letter

TERVETULOA! VÄLKOMMEN! 2012-2013

WELCOME TO EXPLORE YOUR NEW HOME FINLAND! Contents:

I. WHAT IS FINLAND? 2 Finland is very special 2 A brief history of Finland 2 Government & political parties 2 Geography & nature 2 Technology 3 Four seasons 3 People 3 Language 3 Communication style 3 Religion 4 Youth in Finland 5 Family life 5 Sauna 5

II. YFU STUDENTS’ SURVIVAL KIT TO FINLAND 6 Passports, visas & residence per-mits 6 Flight tickets 6 Insurance 6 Your host family 6 School 7 Friends & free-time 8 Transportation 9 Clothing 9 Money 9 Language studies 9 Food 9 Travelling 10 YFU in Finland 10 Your personal YFU contact 10 Check-list for preparing to leave your country 10

III. PROGRAM 2011-2012 11 Programs 11 Orientations & seminars 11 Optional trips 11 Other activities 12

IV. STORIES FROM FORMER YFU STUDENTS IN FINLAND 12 V. FURTHER INFORMATION 12 Websites 12 Websites for learning Finnish 12 Books 12

VI. FINAL WORDS 13 VII. NOTE TO PARENTS 13

FINLAND — SUOMI AT A GLANCE Population: 5.4 million, 15.8 inhabitants per km² Languages: Finnish (spoken by 91%) and Swedish (5.4%) official languages, Sámi is the mother tongue of about 1,700 indi-genous Sámi people of northern Lapland Religion: Christianity; 79.9 % Lutheran and about 1.1% Orthodox Area: 338,424 km², the fifth-largest count-ry in Western Europe Climate: Cold winters and fairly warm summers (2010 extremes: coldest day in Kuhmo -41.3 C/-42.3 F, warmest day in Joensuu 37.2 C/99.0 F) GDP per capita: 33,618 euros (2010) Independence Day: December 6, 1917 Form of government: Republic, par-liamentary democracy International cooperation: Member of United Nations since 1955 and European Union since 1995

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I . WHAT IS FINLAND?

Finland is very special Tervetuloa Suomeen, welcome to Finland – you have chosen a very interesting country for your exchange! But what do you know about Finland and Finns? You no doubt conjure up a pic-ture of polar bears (which we do not have), ice, snow, lakes, mid-night sun, sauna. Or maybe you have heard of Sibelius, one of the greatest modern composers, or Tove Jansson, the author of the Moominland stories. Not for-getting Santa Claus who lives on the top of a mountain called Korvatunturi in Finnish Lapland. Apart from these cultural celebri-ties Finns are nowadays also known for advanced technology, world famous sportsmen and also rock artists. Maybe you have heard of Linus Torvalds, the inventor of Linux, Microsoft Corporation’s competitor, or Kimi Räikkönen, Formula1 World Champion. If you’re more into music you may have seen our rock bands the Rasmus, HIM and Nightwish being number ones on international music charts. You have probably also heard of the success of Finnish education system and the lack of corruption in Finland. But what are ordinary Finns like? Firstly there are very few of us – 5,4 million people, spread over an area of 338,000 square kilo-meters – the fifth largest country in Europe. This means that Finland is rather scarcely popu-lated. Nearly every country in the

world knows Finland by that name, but in Finnish we simply say SUOMI. So how is this coun-try called Suomi – who live here and how do we live here? In the following pages we would like to help you to get an idea of your future home country. However, please keep in mind that when describing a culture, certain gen-eralizations will always have to be made. Thus, you might find some parts that are totally the opposite in your host family etc. As much as there are cultural differences, there are always personal differences as well.

A brief history of Finland The first people who called themselves Finns came to Finland at about the beginning of Christianity 2000 years ago. Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden for 600 years until 1809, when she became a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. On December 6, 1917 she declared independence. A civil war ensued which lasted until the spring of 1918, followed by 20 years of economic and social progress. This period was ended in 1939 by the Winter War with the Soviet Union, which lasted 105 days and resulted in Finland having to give about 10 % of her territory to the Soviet Union. Finland and Soviet Union clashed again in 1941 and Finland had to give up the Pet-samo region in the northeast tip of Lapland, which included her

winter harbor. All the people (400 000 inhabitants) who lived in these areas had to move and be resettled in other parts of the country. After the war, however, Finland retained her independ-ence and multiparty system. Neutral foreign policy and good relations to both West and East were rare during the Cold War, and Finland profited from her choice not just politically, but also economically. Finland over-went a great recession in the 90’s, but since that economic growth has been steady.

Government & political en-vironment Finland has been an independ-ent republic since 1917. It is a western parliamentary democ-racy and a neutral European country similar to Austria, Swe-den and Switzerland. Finland joined the European Union on January 1, 1995 and is part of the Schengen area. Finland has a multiparty-system The political situation is stable and peaceful. Finns are generally not very poli-tics-oriented. The voting percent-age particularly among the young Finns is low, even though altogether the percentage for example for parliamentary elec-tions is around 70 %. However, the young might not start a de-bate about domestic or interna-tional politics all that eagerly.

Geography & nature Geographically Finland is a large country, by area actually the 5

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largest country in Europe. At its longest 1160 km from north to south, and its widest 540 km from east to west. This explains great differences between differ-ent parts of the country. Geogra-phy varies from archipelago, for-est hills, inland lakes to Lap-land’s unique fells and tundra. Finland’s natural attractions are world-renowned. Helsinki, the capital in the south is like a microcosm of Paris, Lon-don or Hamburg, or any other bustling city you care to name,

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but with a unique Finnish tran-quility that adds a special relax-ing something. Other major cit-ies are Espoo, Tampere, Turku, Jyväskylä and Oulu, not forget-ting Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland and home of Santa Claus. In Lapland you find great expanses of uninhabited fells where only reindeers roam. About 70 % of Finns live in ur-ban areas and 30 % in rural ar-eas, but nature is never far away. Overall Finland is a very scenic country with approxi-mately 189,000 lakes of all sizes and with dense forest cover (about 70 % of the area is cov-ered by forest). We are proud to be one of the cleanest and pollu-tion-free countries in Europe.

Technology Finland enjoys one of the high-est standards of living in the world today, and in many hi-tech areas, like mobile phones, kän-nykkä in Finnish, Finland is one of the market leaders. If you did not yet know that NOKIA comes from Finland, it is time for you to learn that! In addition to the kännykkä, Finns love all kinds of technical gadgets and equipment. As for the number of Internet connec-tions, Finland is one of the lead-ing countries in the world. All in all, Finnish technology is ex-tremely sophisticated and the level of technological research is high.

Four seasons Everyone has heard about cold winters and the snow, but there is a lovely summer in Finland too. The contrast between all four seasons is great. Finland can be considered to be more favored than most countries at the same latitudes in regard to temperature. There are cold win-ters in the north, milder seasons in the south where the snow falls at around Christmas and disap-pears in March/April. In Helsinki and other coastal areas, there might not even be snow at all.

Sun does not rise above the Arc-tic Circle, in the northernmost part of Finland, for nearly two months in midwinter (kaamos-time) and the days are very short all over Finland in Decem-ber. Fortunately the long Finnish summer days more than make up for the darkness of winter. By mid-April Southern Finland has approximately 14 hours of day-light which lengthens until Mid-summer (juhannus), when there is hardly any darkness at all. The average temperature in July is +18C (67F), in January -6C (21F) in Southern Finland. In the summer, the temperature might even rise up to + 30C and in the winter, it might get as cold as -25C. However, due to the inter-mediate climate it always feels warmer than the actual tempera-ture indicates, both in winter and summer. The course of the seasons probably characterizes Finns better than anything else. Peo-ple live in harmony with the sea-sons and nature. In winter, life is quiet and peaceful, but with the approach of the spring, Finns wake up to a new life, and in summer, they blossom. In addi-tion to the seasons, the Finnish way of life is characterized by the annual festivals: vappu (May Day) heralds the coming of spring, juhannus (Midsummer’s eve) marks the middle of the summer, and joulu (Christmas) brings warmth to the heart of winter.

People Finland has a population of about 5,4 million, 70 % of whom live in urban areas. Ethnically Finland is an extremely homoge-nous nation compared to other

European countries. The num-ber of foreign residents in Finland has been very low, but is slowly growing. Finns are a hard working, con-scientious and well educated people. The relations between women and men are based on equality. Did you know that the president of Finland, Tarja Ha-lonen, is a woman? Also the share of female representatives in the parliament is among the highest in the world (86 women in 200 representatives). Women who do not work outside home are a rarity in the Finnish society today. Other important values are honesty, punctuality and re-sponsibility and respect for na-ture. As a friend a Finn is solid as a rock. (S)he will stand steadfast beside you when others are long gone. You will see when you make friends with us. You also hear people talk about sisu when describing the Finnish mentality. Sisu means strong willpower and made itself known during the Second World War where Finnish men fought against the Soviet Union in inhu-man conditions in the middle of winter. It is often also mentioned in the sports arena, where it has offered further explanation for the successes of Finnish sports-men like long distance runners.

Language Finland has two official lan-guages: Finnish and Swedish. Most people (91 %) speak Fin-nish as their native tongue. In the northern parts of the country the Sami language (Saame) also holds the position of an official language. Because neither Fin-nish nor Swedish are major European languages, foreign languages are given great em-phasis in Finnish schools (the first foreign language is usually English). Finnish people speak more foreign languages than in several other countries put to-gether. This means that you can definitely manage with English in Finland, but don’t worry – Fin-

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nish and/or Swedish can most certainly be learnt as well! Learning the local language is the key in understanding Finland and its people. Your host family speaks either Finnish or Swedish and also your school classes will be in either one of the lan-guages. Thus, you will have sup-port for learning the language in all your surroundings. But don’t worry, to get you started, you will get an intensive language course at the arrival orientation and YFU Finland strongly encourages you to continue with Finnish/Swedish classes in your host town. Also, generally the level of English is relatively high in Finland and at least one member in your host family will be able to speak Eng-lish, so you can get your every-day life going. However, try to use as much Finnish/Swedish as possible already at the beginning – and suddenly, by Christmas you are already using the local language surprisingly well!

Finnish communication style At first sight Finns may seem a little shy and reticent. This does not mean that people have something against each other - just that deep emotions are not necessarily part of the everyday communication in Finland. Finns are regarded as honest and straightforward and that really is true. Actually Finns are so direct and unceremonious that a stranger may sometimes consider us rude. To avoid this misunderstanding you must re-member that a Finn does not pad out the truth nor anything else. “If the weather is bad, there is no use calling it beautiful“, a Finn thinks. A Finn says what (s)he means and means what (s)he

says. That is why you can al-ways count on the word of a Finn. Vice versa, if you say something to a Finn, (s)he will take it seriously and think that you do mean it. Our actual meaning is in the words them-selves and not behind the words or between the lines. A Finn will expect you to speak your mind. The impression of rudeness might also be intensified by the fact that the Finnish language does not contain many polite-ness wordings or politeness forms. Only when talking to eld-erly people or high authorities, politeness forms are used. For example, teachers in Finland can be called simply by their first names or by opettaja, meaning teacher in Finnish. So if a Finn does not say please and kindly and so on, it does not mean that (s)he does not acknowledge your efforts; we just don’t say it explicitly. Saying kiitos (thank you in Finnish), however, is al-ways appreciated in Finland. Even though Finns might say things in a startlingly direct way compared to many other cul-tures, we usually do not express great emotions even among fam-ily members. Warming up a sauna for the rest of the family might be the biggest sign of af-fection and appreciation, for in-stance. Our relatively neutral facial expressions might also give the impression that we do not get enthusiastic about many things, as we tend to keep our calm even though we are happy or sad. Finns are also a rather modest people – we are proud of our country etc, but we tend to tone down our messages in order to not to seem too proud. After suc-ceeding in something, a Finn usually says “well, I just had luck this time”. Finnish silence… It is not just that our forests and lakesides are quiet and peaceful, but also that our people are very comfort-able with just being silent. Finns do not feel that it is necessary to say anything, unless there is

something meaningful to say. For this reason, a Finn most likely will not start a conversation with a stranger sitting next to him/her in a bus or even at the same table. This might seem strange at first and it might even feel awkward before you get used to it, but after your ex-change it could be that you actu-ally have learnt to appreciate the silence just like us! The younger generation, how-ever, might already be rather different from this “stereotypical Finn”: the youth particularly in bigger cities might be very talka-tive and expressive and have grand gestures, totally opposite to the previous generation. There are relatively few taboo topics in today’s Finland. For example, religion and politics might have been sensitive topics at some point, but these days, a Finn feels rather comfortable with speaking almost about any-thing.

Religion Like in the other Nordic coun-tries, in Finland the Evangelic-Lutheran Church is the state church. Majority (80 %) of the population is Lutherans and about 1 % of the population is Orthodox. The constitution guar-antees freedom of religion, and there are also small denomina-tions of Jewish, Catholic, Muslim and other congregations. Even though most people are members of the church, religion is not practiced to great extent in the everyday life. Many people

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go to church once or twice a year, if even that often. Still, the attitude towards religion is re-spectful. It is not a good idea to make jokes about religion; it might be an attack against someone’s unspoken beliefs.

Youth in Finland Youth in Finland is given quite a lot of freedom in their comings and goings, as Finland is a rela-tively safe country. But with the independence comes responsi-bility, and this is always ex-pected from the young people. Even though parents may seem to give their teenagers a lot of freedom (e.g. late curfews), they know that their children can be reached at all times on their cel-lular phones. The Finnish youth are expected to take responsibil-ity over their actions and to show initiative in order to solve their problems, which also means that Finnish parents are used to their children being relatively inde-pendent but also trustworthy. Furthermore, Finnish youth seem rather mature and they have a good awareness of cul-tural, social and global issues. In their free time, Finnish youth are active in sports (ice hockey, foot-ball, floorball, slalom, snow-board, roller-skating, skateboard-ing, gym, etc.) as well as in many cultural and volunteer groups. Finnish teenagers also like to go out - to the movies, cafes, and discos. In the summer months there are a lot of rock festivals and other cultural events (Tango and Opera festi-vals, fairs…) all around Finland and Finnish people love visiting them after long winter days.

Family life It is not an easy task to describe a typical Finnish family, since the diversity of families is huge. Many are traditional families of a mother, a father and a couple of children. However, divorces have brought up a group of new-structure families, single parent families existing in greater num-bers as well. Also common-law

marriages are a common type of family, even when the couple has children. The position of grandparents varies. While in some families grandparents might still be living with the families (the traditional way), some will be visited by their elderly relatives only a cou-ple of times a year. At Christmas time families usually get to-gether; it is possible that a family Christmas (joulu) get-together of 15 people may be organized in your host family, too. Another important event of the year will be juhannus, midsummer at the end of June, which families will usually spend in the countryside if possible. Many families live in large apart-ment complexes in towns and enjoy all modern conveniences. In the countryside, separate houses are more typical. Many families also have a summer cottage in the countryside where they spend most of their week-ends especially in the summer-time, sometimes even through-out the year. In Finnish society family roles are not so clearly defined. The equality between spouses is a highly respected value. You will most likely see your host father ironing his own shirts and/or host mother mowing the lawn. A mother can be the head of the family as well as a father, it really depends on the family. In most families both spouses work outside home. Because of parents’ long working days, the children are expected to help with household chores (such as washing the dishes, keeping rooms tidy, shopping for daily groceries etc.). Your host family will certainly appreciate it if you also offer your help with the chores and do your share with-out them having to ask you. Chil-dren are treated equally regard-less of their gender. Finnish family members are usu-ally quite straight and open to-wards each other, even though they might not be very used to

showing their emotions and feel-ings to each other in words. In Finland, caring is shown rather through practical gestures: checking by SMS where children are, vacuuming the house as a surprise for the mother or warm-ing up the sauna for the father. All kinds of subjects, however, may be discussed. Most likely your host family will expect a great deal of openness from you, since they want to get to know you and your culture. Also, you are unknown to them, so learn-ing about each others’ lives is essential when living the every-day life together. Finns maintain high ideals of loyalty and reliability: promises and agreements are taken seri-ously. That is why the parents in Finland expect that they can count on their children’s prom-ises.

Sauna The sauna is the best known Finnish phenomenon in the world. Finland has 5,4 million inhabitants and over 1,5 MIL-LION SAUNAS! If you don’t know sauna, you don’t know Fin-nish history and people. For the Finns, the sauna is more than just a place to wash - it is a com-plex of many traditional customs and beliefs. Wherever there have lived Finns, there have also been saunas nearby their residences. In the early days of Finnish history, it was a small wooden hut near a lake, and people used it not only for cleaning themselves, but for childbirths, some medical opera-tions and other duties that re-quired a clean, bacteria-free en-vironment. Today, practically all houses in Finland have a sauna.

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In urban areas, you usually have one per building, but even in a relatively small apartment it is not a rare piece of luxury these days. This being the case, Finns discover at an early age what a refreshing way it is to clean one-self both physically and mentally. The tradition is not a dying one. Sauna is in principle a very sim-ple invention. In the steam room there are wooden benches to sit on. In one corner there is the sauna stove with red-hot stones. Water is poured over the stones to fill the room with hot steam. The more water you pour on the stove, the hotter it will be. And the more your skin feels hot and itches a little, the better it feels, Finns think. The pleasure is complete if you can run straight into a lake or sea – or during the winter months to a pile of fresh snow. To a Finn the sauna represents happiness, bliss and glory of life. In sauna you are not supposed to talk loudly as sauna is consid-ered to be “a holy place” which cleanses both the body and the soul. It removes your stress and worries, it relaxes. Historically it has been common that mothers gave birth in sauna as late as at the first decades of 20th century. Usually Finns go to sauna once a week, some more seldom, some more often. The summer-time makes an exception. That is the time when Finns may go to sauna even every day in their summer cottages by the lake or the sea. Be ready to meet this challenge with your host family. By the end of your stay, you will be like a real Finn feeling that you cannot do without sauna!

II. YFU STUDENTS’ SURVIVAL KIT TO FINLAND

Passports, visas and resi-dence permits All students arriving in Finland need a valid passport. Even if you come from a European Un-ion country and would be able to enter Finland with just a valid identity card, you might be trav-elling with your host family to some other country and need the passport for that reason. It is a good idea to take a copy of your passport as well and keep it safe. Regarding visa and residence permit, you will get detailed infor-mation from your National YFU office a good time before the de-parture. If you need a visa and/or a residence permit, please make sure that you apply for it as soon as you get all the neces-sary documents – it might take from two weeks to two months to issue the visa and/or residence permit! YFU countries needing a visa for coming to Finland: Moldova, Tur-key, Ukraine, Russia, Ecuador, South Africa, India, China and Thailand. All non-EU countries (except for Norway and Switzerland) need to apply for a residence permit BE-FORE coming to Finland. Citizens of the EU and those of Switzerland and Norway have to register their residence, after the arrival in Finland, at the local police station.

Flight tickets Your return flight ticket will be col-lected from you at the arrival orien-tation and you will receive it back

when you leave the country. This is in order to secure that it won’t be lost during your stay, in case you have it already booked. Just remember to write down the date and time of your departure so that you can check it when needed!

Insurance All students arriving in Finland need to have a medical, third-liability and travel insurance. Please read carefully the instruc-tions of your insurance. In a case of an emergency you personally need to contact the insurance company. Ask your parents to give you written instructions of the claim procedure if you have to go to a doctor or you break or lose something. Finnish hospi-tals or doctors do not usually accept insurance cards for pay-ment, so most likely you will have to pay and then make your claim to your insurance com-pany.

Do not forget to take your in-surance card and claim forms with you!

Your host family The YFU program is a family living experience, meaning that you should try to adapt as well as possible to live as a member of the family according to their way. This sounds easier than it actually is - you will be living in a foreign country and a family with customs and values different from yours. However, this is the most important learning chal-lenge you will face during your exchange. As to your preferences stated in your personal application forms, we will do our best to respect your wishes whenever possible. This doesn’t mean that the Fin-nish host family will remind your own family. On the contrary, the host family may be very different from your own family. Take it as a positive challenge. What ever kind of host family YFU has cho-sen for you, please remember that all families are opening their homes and hearts to you volun-tarily. As your family, they will be your most important source of support during your stay. Please notice that there may and most likely will be different ways of behavior due to cultural differ-ences. For instance, don’t be

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surprised if family members walk in their underwear at home. Finns are relatively comfortable with nakedness owing to our sauna culture and in some fami-lies it is considered to be per-fectly normal to walk around in underwear. If you do get con-fused about our customs, don’t be afraid to ask if you don't un-derstand something. Your host family will be willing to explain you things and help you with anything ranging from postage fees to home sickness. In the host family one or more family members will have a working knowledge of English. The host families are prepared into hosting and are also given handbooks, but they might not realize to tell you something unless you ask about it yourself. Communicativeness and open-ness are the key characteristics for making your exchange suc-cessful. You will have to be the one to find things out, since the people around you cannot know what you expect and what is strange and unknown for you.

Your host family is responsible for you during your stay in Finland, so it is crucial that you follow the guidelines and instruc-tions they will give you. Don't assume that you are there to be served; be active and offer your help - this is very, very important for any host family. Be interested in your host family, their hobbies, work and take part in ordinary, everyday things. If they show you around Finland, do thank them and show your interest and

appreciation. In Finland, the young take ac-tively part in household chores. This means that also you will be expected to help and do your share around the house. If you are not too familiar with cleaning equipment etc, do not hesitate to ask your host parents for guid-ance. A tip: the easiest way to make your host parents happy is to do something even without asking – Finnish parents do not like always having to ask chil-dren to do their part! Please keep in mind also that the YFU program is supposed to be a mutual experience. Your host family is certainly willing to hear about your country, your family and your way of life. At its best the YFU program is a re-warding experience both for the student and the family. When the time to return home is at hand, you may notice that you have a new home here – at the other end of the world. Most host families in Finland and worldwide live in smaller towns and rural areas. This is mostly due to the fact that in less densely populated areas people have more room in their houses/apartments. Keep in mind that the exchange program offers you the chance to experience some-thing different from your ordinary surroundings. In the countryside you might have a lot more to ex-perience than in your own home-town, if you just keep an open mind and try new things! Starts to sound exciting and you are probably already anxious to meet your host family… Please be patient! If you have not yet received your placement infor-mation from YFU, do not worry. We will inform your national YFU office as soon as we have found the best possible host family for you. If you have received the contact information of your host family from YFU, we sug-gest that you get in touch with them by writing them a letter or an e-mail. They will certainly appreciate hearing from you be-fore your arrival. They are

equally excited as you are. School Year and semester students will be attending a lukio (the Finnish Senior High School). Lukio is a generally informative school, meaning that a large variety of subjects is studied. Finns know history and geography quite well. However, the general level of mathematics, physics and chem-istry is not necessarily as high as in some other countries, due to the lower amount of hours spent on them. Usually there is a choice of foreign languages, nor-mally English, Swedish, German and French, Russian and maybe Spanish in larger schools as well. Besides academic classes, it is possible to have art, music or sports. All in all, the Finnish school system has been ranked as one of the best in the world for example in the international PISA studies. The school year in Finnish high schools begins in mid-August and ends in the beginning of June the following year. There will also be a 3-6 days long “fall vacation” in September-October, some two weeks of Christmas vacation around weeks 52 and 53, and also a one-week long “skiing break” in February-March. Either Finnish or Swedish is the language of the school instruc-tion. Therefore it is important that you as an exchange student are motivated to learn the language. For following the lessons, basic knowledge of the language is crucial. Language problems will definitely first exist, as you probably do not know Finnish, but try to keep in mind that each day you will understand more and more. Some teachers might give you material in English as well. School schedule: In Finnish lukio, the school year is divided into 5-6 smaller periods, jakso, each of which has a different schedule. This means that you choose your courses for each

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period and your schedule thus changes for each period. At the end of each period you have a test week with tests every day. Exchange students are expected to take tests as well, but some teachers might ask you to write an essay etc. instead of a test. If you are uncertain about what the teacher expects from you, you will need to ask the teacher your-self – they are happy to see some initiative in students! The school days are usually 6-8 hours long, depending greatly on how many and which courses the student has selected. The breaks between classes are 5-15 minutes long and are important periods of socializing with other students. The lunch break is 30 minutes long and a warm meal is served for free in the school lunch room. It is common among some stu-dents to criticize the school food. Nonetheless, it is made accord-ing to the nutrition directions of the health department and is very healthy. Some schools do serve vegetarian meals upon request, and if you are allergic, take along a report from your doctor to get special food and notify the staff about it. YFU expectations: You, as a YFU exchange student, are ex-pected to attend school a mini-mum of 5 hours a day, 25 hours a week. It is expected that you show good motivation and strong effort to participate in classes. Also, no absences with-out a valid reason are accepted. Usually exchange students have a possibility to make their own schedule with more freedom than Finnish students. You can choose subjects like computers, arts, music, home economics, sports and languages (Swedish, German, French or Russian) in addition to English. You will plan your own schedule together with your teacher or a school guid-ance counselor. Your YFU area representative (support volun-teer) and your host family will also help you, if needed.

Costs: The students have to buy the school books in lukio them-selves. It is worth asking the school if there are some used books available. Very often stu-dents sell their books after finish-ing the courses, and the books are recycled to the next user. You can also find some books at the library. For high school stu-dents the book costs are the only major school cost, about 170 € per year, if the books are bought new. Your possible host siblings may also have old books for you to use. Furthermore, you are expected to pay the transporta-tion to the school (e.g. monthly ticket). If the transport costs are exceptionally high (more than 70 €/month), YFU Finland will be offering a partial contribution. Application forms and instruc-tions will be handed out at the arrival orientation. School uniform: There are no school uniforms in Finnish schools and students are al-lowed to wear quite informal clothes. Most Finnish schools like to ac-cept foreign students to their school. We suggest that you bring photos and other material from your home country with you to school as well. Teachers and other students will be interested in you and they want you to tell about your life, your family, your country, your culture. In addition that this is interesting to them, it will also be an easy way for you to get in contact with other peo-ple.

Friends & free time At school you will probably find most of your friends. Be active with people. It might seem diffi-cult to get to know Finnish peo-ple, yet once you get to know

them, you will get lifelong friend-ships. Most likely you will be the only exchange student in your school. During the first weeks you are a totally new face, so do not just stay on the side. Even if you do not know Finnish/Swedish well enough in your opinion, it is worth trying. A lot will be forgiven because you are a foreigner, and particularly Finnish is quite a dif-ficult language. Other languages (mainly Eng-lish) can also be used, when it is important to get the meaning clear, but take learning Finnish/Swedish as a challenge. Most exchange students who have been in Finland also learned Fin-nish/Swedish. Finnish teenagers also have a working knowledge of at least English, so that will help you to get started. However, your ability to take part in the social circles really improves by the knowledge of some Finnish/Swedish. Somebody might also invite you to a party, where you get to know people. Sometimes get-togethers with your class are also organized. A party may be a nice evening with other people, pizza, games etc. Or it might be a party where there is alcohol. The age limit for drinking alcohol is 18 in Finland. You may find this strict, but the problems with alcohol are quite serious. Unfor-tunately, getting drunk is, despite being prohibited, popular among youngsters. It is to some extent tolerated but should not go too far. Above all, do not break the rules of your host family! This applies even if you turn 18 in Finland! Drugs are illegal, and they are (fortunately) not as available in Finland as they are in many other countries. They are strongly condemned, and you will not gain popularity by using them. Remember that all drug usage is strictly forbidden also by YFU rules; getting caught will always lead to an immediate re-turn to your home country. Please note also that possession

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of cigarettes and other tobacco products is illegal in Finland, if you are under 18. Regarding hobbies and other free-time activities, we strongly encourage you to try new things while in Finland. Finnish families are used to having the young busy with their hobbies on many evenings and it is an extremely good way to meet new people outside the school and the fam-ily. Also, keeping active will also help you to deal with possible home-sickness. In any case, please keep in mind that you might not be able to continue with the same hobbies as in your home country, but why wouldn’t you try something surprising like Finnish traditional dances or hik-ing in the woods with your cam-era instead?

Transportation The public transportation is very advanced in Finland. It is safe, quite punctual and effective – and also expensive. Train and bus connections cover the whole country. Especially in bigger cit-ies (the Helsinki area, Turku, Tampere, Jyväskylä and Oulu) it is very convenient to use public transportation, but it might be a bit expensive compared to some other countries. Even if the fam-ily owns a car, the children are often expected to use the public transportation to get around. You may also use a bicycle, but please remember that YFU pro-gram policy does not allow you to drive a car, motorcycle or moped. By the way, did you know that Helsinki has the short-est underground in the world?

Clothing There are great differences be-tween the four seasons. In the winter (November-March) the temperature might go as low as -25 degrees (Celsius) so heavy winter clothing is required, such as a thick winter coat, warm un-derwear, a cap (pipo), gloves, winter shoes and sweaters. In the summertime the temperature might rise even up to +30 de-

grees. The spring and the au-tumn often bring some rain and the temperature is around +10 - +15 degrees. There are also great differences between the North and the South – in the South you might not even have the chance to see a lot of snow.

Money The currency unit of Finland is “euro“ (€), divided into 100 “cents“ (snt). 1 USD = about 0.7 €. Traveler’s cheques are ac-cepted at all banks, travel agen-cies and hotels. Furthermore, most international credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diner’s Club etc.) are widely accepted. Cash and cards are the main means for paying; cheques are not used. All banks are open Monday-Friday 9.15-16.15 (office hours may vary regionally). Further-more automated money ma-chines are widely accessible throughout the country. The amount of spending money you will need varies depending on your lifestyle. We recom-mend you to have approxi-mately 150-200 € per month. Below are some examples of costs of some typical activities and items: Movies 8-10 € Haircut 13-45 € Hamburger meal 5-7 € Shampoo 2-5 € T-shirt 10-25 € Coca Cola 1.5L 2 € Monthly ticket for bus (differs by town/area) app. 40 -120€

School books 11-30 € / each If you have a bank account in the EU and you have internet bank-ing, you can use that account in Finland as well. For other stu-dents we strongly recommend to get a Finnish account, so that you can take care of your money issues yourself. YFU strongly discourages mixing your and your host family’s money.

Language studies Finnish language belongs to the Finno-Ugric language group. With 6% of the population (some 300 000 inhabitants) speaking Swedish as their mother tongue, Finland is officially a bilingual country. Therefore it is possible that you will be placed either to a Finnish speaking or Swedish speaking host family. However, most host families are Finnish speaking. At the arrival orientation you are given a good start into the Fin-nish language. It IS possible to learn Finnish or Swedish and the students usually have a working knowledge of Finnish (or Swed-ish) in six months. We strongly recommend that you continue your language studies after the orientation. The course fees you have to pay yourself. There are several or-ganizations offering Finnish/Swedish evening courses for foreigners. Many so-called sum-mer or open universities function at various localities in Finland around the year. Different insti-tutes and open colleges also arrange language courses. By the end of your exchange (if you want to!) you will have a working knowledge of the Finnish/Swedish language. Unbeliev-able, but true!

Food Finnish food has elements of both Western and Eastern cui-sines, with a lot of variations and local specialties. Potato is the basis of food, served with vari-ous fish or meat sauces. Further-

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more, Finnish people nowadays eat a lot of pasta, pizzas, kebab, tex-mex etc. The issue of family meal varies a lot. Some families never eat to-gether because the work, school and evening activity times might be very difficult to fit with a meal at a certain time. Some families, on the other hand, always eat together. In the weekends, family meals are quite common. It is also common that some families eat their Saturday or Sunday meal at a restaurant once a month. The afternoon snacks are typically tea or hot chocolate with bread, yogurt or corn flakes and fruit. In the summertime Finnish people love to use the barbeque as an addition to their summer kitchen. Keep in mind that part of the learning during your ex-change period is to get accus-tomed to our food traditions and it is very important that you at least try different dishes. Re-member to always say thank you (kiitos) after your meal to the cook.

Travelling Please read carefully the travel regulations which are attached to this letter. As you and your par-ents have read this paper you most probably understand that your exchange is not a holiday nor a traveling program. The YFU exchange is above all a program which concentrates on a deeper home stay experience. Some host families may have a possibility to travel with their ex-change students, but do not ex-pect to see the whole of Finland and/or Europe. If your host fam-ily is able to give you a tour, please take seriously one ad-vice: don’t sleep in the car like you may be used to at home because of the long distances. In Finland this kind of behavior, as well as staying in your hotel room etc. during a trip, will cer-tainly insult your host family as they would think that you are not interested in the places they show you.

Please note that travelling back to your home country is not allowed while you are in the program. Also, visits from home, for example by your parents, friends, boy-/girlfriend, are also forbidden. This interrupts your adjustment and might offend your host fam-ily. All exceptions will have to be discussed with YFU first. Attached is also a ”Parent´s dec-laration of permission on private travel during the exchange”. Please ask your parents to fill it and send it to your local YFU office before your arrival! They will then forward it to us. You can also bring it with you and give it at the arrival orientation.

YFU in Finland YFU Finland was founded in 1958. The national office of YFU Finland is located in the capital of Finland, Helsinki. Apart from the staff of nine happy people who work at the YFU office, there are approximately 250 ac-tive volunteers all around the country. Most of our volunteers have been exchange students or host families themselves. In some areas the volunteers might organize activities even in the summertime. The YFU office is in Helsinki and it is open from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 4 pm. After office hours, you may leave a message to the answering machine. In cases of emergency you will hear the emergency number on the tape. This number is to be used only in emergency situa-tions! YFU in Finland is very much re-spected among Finnish authori-

ties and the public. It has a repu-tation of being a professional and a reliable organization which sends students to about 30 dif-ferent countries all over the world and in return receives stu-dents from these same coun-tries. YFU Finland has sent over 13,000 Finnish youth abroad and hosts every year approximately 80 foreign students. Your personal YFU contact Your own area representative (support person) will be your nearest help during your stay. (S)he is the one who will help you and your host family during your exchange. Please keep in regular contact with your area representative throughout your whole exchange. If you have any questions or worries on your mind, you can always contact him/her. Even though (s)he is happy to help you, (s)he is not a mind-reader and thus cannot know what you think unless you let him/her know! In the same way YFU Finland also expects the area representative to be in touch with you. You will get your area representative’s contact information at the arrival orienta-tion and (s)he might welcome you to Finland already before you arrive.

Check-list for preparing to leave your home country:

Have I applied for a residence permit and visa early enough, if needed?

Do I have a valid passport?

Do I have an insurance and do I have the necessary docu-mentation about it?

Do I know what to do if I need to make an insurance claim?

Have I read the YFU rules, leaflets and information let-ters?

Have I read the travel regula-tions with my parents? Have they signed the permission forms?

Have I discussed with my par-ents how much money I can spend per month?

Have I discussed with my par-ents if I am allowed to take

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part in YFU trips?

Have I learned as much as I can about Finland and my new home town?

If my host family is planning a trip outside of Finland already, do I have the necessary vacci-nations for that and does my insurance cover also that trip?

Have I agreed with my parents how and how often we will be in contact? Remember that YFU discourages too close a contact!

Does my mobile phone work with a Finnish SIM card?

Does my SIM card work in Finland?

Have I bought a tiny gift for my host family?

Do I have brochures and mate-rial about my home country with me?

Have I taken the latest school grade certificate with me?

Have I learned the names of my new family members..?

Do I have my passport with me and is my luggage marked properly with a name tag?

Do I have the YFU emergency contacts with me when I am leaving?

Do I have my host family’s contact information with me?

Have I written down my return flight information if my local YFU has booked it already?

Do I have some euros with me for the first days?

Am I travelling to Finland with an open mind, ready to jump into an adventure?

III. PROGRAM 2012-2013

Programs In the academic year 2012-2013 YFU Finland offers the following programs: Year program: - arrival on August 1, 2012 - departure by the end of June, 2013 or the YES seminar Semester program: - arrival on August 1, 2012 / January 5, 2013 - departure on January 5, 2013 / by the end of June 2013 or the YES seminar Summer program: - arrival on June 27, 2013 - departure on August 10, 2013

Orientations & seminars Your program includes as obliga-tory parts the following orienta-tions. For European students also the possibility to take part in the huge year ending event, the YES seminar: Obligatory: arrival orientation (for year and semester students) After arriving to Finland, all in-coming students will participate in an arrival orientation. Students will travel directly from the airport to the orientation site. The orientation will take place on August 1st – 4th. You will get a basic introduction to the Finnish language and will be introduced to the culture, traditions and the way of life in Finland. The learn-ing material will be free of cost and it will be distributed to all of you at the orientation. Detailed information about the orientation is attached to this letter. Obligatory: mid-year orientation (for year students) The mid-year orientation will be held locally near your home area in January-February. It will last for 2-3 days. Together with other

exchange students you will have the chance to discuss your ex-change so far and get prepared for the rest of the spring. Obligatory: re-entry orientation (for year and semester students) All the students will attend the re-entry orientation 1 month-2 weeks before returning home. Re-entry orientations are held locally in the YFU areas by vol-unteers. The re-entry orientation gives you a chance to discuss your exchange experience and realize changes in yourself. The meeting will help you to deal with saying goodbye to the Finnish lifestyle. YES seminar for European stu-dents In addition, for all European stu-dents on YFU exchange in Europe there is a magnificent possibility to join the Young European Seminar organized in Germany at the end of the year, on June 28—July 2, 2013 (tbc). For German and Turkish stu-dents the seminar is obligatory.

Optional trips Trip to Tallinn, Estonia in De-cember 15-16, 2012 (tbc, for all students in Finland that time) YFU will organize a cruise to the capital of our southern neighbour, Tallinn, in mid-December. Just before Christ-mas you will have a chance to explore the lovely medieval town in its Christmas spirit. The price of the trip is about 100 – 120 €, depending on the size of the group. The price does not in-clude possible trips to Helsinki, where the ferry takes off, or the possible visa. YFU volunteers will be accompanying the group. The trip will be organized if there are enough participants. Trip to Lapland in March 11-16, 2013 (tbc, for all students in Finland that time) Every year in March-April YFU organizes a trip to Lapland in the

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North of Finland. The Above the Arctic Circle, you will face the northern landscape and different way of life. Lapland, where dur-ing the winter months sun never rises and during the summer never goes down, is an unforget-table experience. The trip creates a great group spirit and gives you energy for the rest of the stay. There will be active sports: cross country or downhill skiing, or snowboarding every day. You will also see the northern lifestyle, traditions and culture. The trip is chaperoned by experienced YFU volunteers. Each year students say that this trip is one of the best weeks dur-ing the whole exchange. The trip will last six days. The cost of the trip is approximately 350-450€, depending on the group size. The price does not include the travels to the bus route or the skiing tickets. You might want to discuss already now with your parents if you can take part in the trip. The trip will be organized if there are enough participants.

Other activities

In addition to the orientations, seminars and trips, volunteers organize their own regional events which differ depending on the area. Regional directors of each YFU area will contact you directly concerning what is hap-pening near your home town.

IV. STORIES FROM FORMER YFU -STUDENTS “When I found out that I had been accepted to the YFU pro-

gram, I did exactly what I had been told not to do. I created unrealistic expectations. I imag-ined myself taking the bus every-day to the city to sit by the river and have a cup of coffee. I imag-ined myself joining the local pesäpallo team and learning how to play Finnish baseball. I imag-ined myself doing all sorts of things which would have been impractical or just plain impossi-ble. A few weeks after learning of my participation, my initial excite-ment waned and I began to see my stay in Finland a little more realistically. I read up on Finnish history, architecture, food, and family life among a number of other things. I read through all the introductory materials that YFU provided and I was confi-dent that I was prepared for an amazing time. So far in this trip I have not yet used any of the information that I had gathered before leaving. It doesn’t matter that I know about the Winter War or know that Kar-jalanpiirakka is a traditional food from Karelian region. What I’ve learned on this trip is that facts and statistics don’t make Finland, the people and culture do. Even the information con-cerning the ‘Culture shock Finland’ could not prepare me for my summer in Finland.” - Exchange student from the USA “Oh, how many trees there are here! And how funny their lan-guage is! And why do they eat so much? Especially potatoes… Strange country. There were so many things in my head. Every-thing was so new. Today I have just so much. One more family in which the mother cooks the best pulla, the father drives the snow-mobile very fast and a sister who says “oish” and laughs very fun-nily. I fell in love with Finland. I have a new home.” - Exchange student from Lithua-nia Just talk more and be humble, be warm, and everyone will treat you as their friend, open your heart, to know the big world,

open your eyes, to see the wonderful world, open your hands, to hug the colourful world, open your mind, to be a pioneer of the world. - Exchange student from China

V. FURTHER INFORMATION Information about Finland http://thisisfinland.fi A very good general overview on Finland, provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. See especially section “People”. http://www.studyinfinland.fi/ A website provided by the Cen-ter for International Mobility of Finland, includes useful informa-tion on studying in Finland. http://www.formin.fi/ See the website of the Embassy of Finland in your country – par-ticularly if you need a visa and a residence permit. From the Min-istry for Foreign Affairs link, see Diplomatic Missions -> Finnish Missions Abroad by Country. http://www.suomi.fi A website with general informa-tion about Finland and about its public services. Do not forget to see your future home town’s website when you receive your host family informa-tion!

Learning the language http://www.yle.fi/opinportti/supisuomea/01/ Offered by the National Broad-casting Company http://donnerwet-ter.kielikeskus.helsinki.fi/FinnishForForeigners/ Offered by the Language center of the university of Helsinki

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Books Deborah Swallow: Culture Shock! Finland: A Guide to Cus-toms and Etiquette. 2003. A guide to the Finnish culture and to what might surprise you while in Finland. Richard D. Lewis: Finland, Cul-tural Lone Wolf. 2005. An insightful description of Finland by an expert in cross-cultural communication. Roman Schatz: From Finland with Love. 2007. Written by a German writer who has lived in Helsinki for years, the book gives a humorous view on Finland.

VI. FINAL WORDS Being chosen as a YFU student means that you have quite a special kind of time in your life ahead of you. You will be living in a foreign family in a foreign country. It will hopefully be an experience which improves your abilities to learn, to adapt, to communicate and to understand. Ask questions, when you do not understand. Keeping your eyes and ears open is crucial. And do not forget humor - with a positive attitude you will go far. Being an exchange student is definitely not an easy task. You will find life in Finland at least as challenging as your life at home is. However, this is a unique way for you to experience a new, maybe a totally different way of life – and learn about yourself while doing it. The exchange experience is different for every student. Yet, the fact that you are going to Finland as a YFU student will add something special to your experience. There will be inter-esting things happening and certainly your abilities to be a world citizen will improve thanks to this period in your life. We are looking forward to meeting you soon.!

WELCOME TO FINLAND!

TERVETULOA SUOMEEN!

VII. NOTE TO PARENTS We at YFU Finland are very happy that you have entrusted your child to go on YFU ex-change and that (s)he has cho-sen Finland as his/her host country! Please find some prac-tical information below for you as well. Your child holds the keys to a successful experi-ence, but also your support is crucial. Many Finnish families speak at least some English, so if you want to express your apprecia-tion of their hospitality and let them know a little bit about yourselves, it should be possi-ble. This gesture will be warmly appreciated. We would also like to recom-mend that you would not con-tact your child all too frequently during the exchange. It is our experience that this can induce or enhance homesickness while giving host families the impression that their student doesn’t feel quite at home. At the same time, it your child’s draws attention away from his/her exchange experience. Finland is a rather expensive country and it is not common for teenagers to work for spending money in Finland. Thus, it is important to make sure that your child has enough

money to cover personal ex-penses. The exact amount of money your child will need de-pends on personal spending habits and the need of public transportation in the host town. However, we recommend about 150-200 € per month. Please also note that as the winter ap-proaches, your child will need proper winter clothing in Finland, requiring a little bit more money in October/November. Regarding YFU pro-gram, you can find more infor-mation on the YFU trips in this newsletter and discuss with your child whether (s)he wants to take part in them. As mentioned under “Travelling” above, we would need your written permission for trips which your child de-cides to take during the ex-change. You can submit your permission either on a trip-to-trip basis or in the form of a letter declaring your general permission. If your child plans to travel abroad, we will always ask for a separate permission. We have enclosed a form with this letter, which you may use, if you wish, to declare your per-mission. Regarding travelling, we would also like to remind you that visiting your child dur-ing the exchange is not al-lowed, as this usually interrupts the child’s adjustment and also, many host families might find it a little bit uncomfortable. Also, we have attached a form for your child’s participation in “dangerous activities” during the exchange. Please either send it to the local YFU office or place it with the other docu-ments that your child will be bringing to Finland and we will collect it here. Finally, we fully understand how difficult it can be to let go of your child for a longer period of time. However, we ask you to trust YFU and the host family — we will take a good care of your child. This is your child’s time to grow into an independ-ent world citizen.