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Hi 5, Myths About Sweden Busted

Our reporter has moved to Sweden, and here are her views on what it is like.

1. Swedes Are Less Distant – Superficially!

They say an introverted Finn looks at his shoes when talking to you; an extroverted Finn looks at your shoes. And it’s true! Unless you ask for something specific, they prefer to keep at a distance. On the contrary, Swedes would rather approach you with a smile, shake hands, introduce themselves and start a friendly small talk. So you get an impression that they are way more open. In fact, they only want to look more sociable while being as introverted as the Finns. At least in Finland you know right away where you are at.

2. “Royal” Clubbing Culture

Stockholm is twice the size of Helsinki when it comes to inhabitants, but is that really a reason to act all posh when it comes to clubbing? Firstly, you need to have your name on a guest-list to avoid spending a fortune on an entrance ticket. And if before approaching the overpriced wardrobe you don’t put all your belongings in the purse, they just take them in the blink of an eye and charge you for each of them separately. Secondly, having “drunk eyes” is already a criterion for being kicked out of a club – not imaginable in Finland. The only plus is that people dance in Swedish clubs instead of pushing each other.

3. All Swedes Are Gay? No Way, José!

Finns referring to Swedes as gay is a big misunderstanding, probably driven by the out-dated misconception of recognizing someone’s sexuality by clothing. Now here’s the breaking news: You can take good care of your outer appearance. Manliness is not related to dirty fingernails and long greasy hair. If you mean hipster beards, trench coats or smart-casual looks, they are simply fashion trends that come and go. And some of them are probably set in Sweden.

4. Tolerance Levels

When it comes to official measures taken against discrimination, Sweden is a few steps ahead of Finland. Only last year Finland managed to get enough votes to pass the law for same-sex marriage, while Sweden did that back in 2009. When it comes to immigrants, Sweden hosts almost four times the amount of Finland. When following the media, Finland seems to be more concerned about preserving its own culture than the neighboring country, which does not even keep track of ethnic groups in their statistics. And with a non-interchangeable parental leave also women’s rights are more secured in Sweden than in Finland.

5. 9-to-5? Not With The Swedes!

Recently, Swedish media have been discussing the uprising trend to shifting to a 6-hour workday. Even in the public sector this has been pulled off already: nurses work 6 instead of 8 hours for the same pay. This results in happier, less exhausted and, therefore, more productive employees, who have more time for their families, sports and hobbies now.

Julkaistu 21.10.20151.2.2023

Bianca Beyer

When I don’t sit over plans to erase all evil and meet unicorns, or dream of eating cotton candy, I believe in hard facts and science, doing my PhD in Accounting at the University of Oulu. Using writing as an information transmitter, outlet for creativity or simply for mere entertainment, I believe I am totally living the dream with all my current jobs. Blog: beapproved.wordpress.com

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Hi 5, Companies in Oulu You Would Like to Work For

Normally companies which are steadily growing are also the ones hiring, whether they are young and perky rising companies or older, experienced, and expanding into new ventures.

In English Työelämä

TEKSTI Marcelo Goldmann

Siili Solutions

Siili means ‘hedgehog’ in Finnish. However, this company has nothing to do with actual living, breathing, prancing hedgehogs. What Siili Solutions specializes in is digital services, from design to implementation and data management. At the time of writing this, there are sadly no open positions for recently graduates in Oulu but they still encourage you to drop them your CV. And what do hedgehogs have to do with digital services? Why don’t you ask them? Your interest might pique theirs.

VTT

VTT is a leading research and technology company. They are constantly looking for talented and innovative people (I assume). They even have PhD programs. Their areas range from Chemical Synthesis, Chemical Process Engineering, Software, and Applied Mathematics. VTT’s webpage explains that they are looking for trainees and thesis workers. By starting as either of those positions you can gain a solid platform to launch your career.

Elektrobit

Elektrobit is a company which deals with embedded software for the automotive industry and is a child company of Continental AG, an automotive manufacturing company. Elektrobit is hiring at the moment, looking for both experienced and newly graduated individuals, provided they know a thing or two about programming, security in software development, or software testing. So if you are like Neo and think you are the One, why don’t you apply? Deadline is 30th of September, so chop chop.

The Big Four (PwC, KPMG, EY, Deloitte)

Let’s get down to business! Heh, “business”. Get it? Because they are busin- no? Okay… Ahem, the so-called Big Four are the most prominent auditing companies in the world, and won’t you know it, three of them have offices right here in Oulu. Every year they hire people in the business and law areas. Granted, not so many, but if you got what it takes, you should look into applying for their traineeship programs.

Technopolis

Technopolis offers networking services and office space services, among other things. At the moment of writing this piece, Technopolis has no open positions in Oulu, but you may send them an open application through their website. Office and working space is something that is and may always be in demand, so it is likely that this company will continue to grow and hire more personnel in Oulu as new companies are formed.

Julkaistu 23.9.20151.2.2023

Marcelo Goldmann

A Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Oulu. "Life is like a rubber duckie, you gotta keep it afloat to see its splendor." Instagram: @marcelogman

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Staying In Oulu After Graduation?

Finish school, learn a profession, find a job. Easier said than done. The traditional ways of getting employed don’t seem to work anymore, which evokes despair and scares the living daylights out of university graduates. We talked to Oulu students and learnt how they saw their future.

In English

TEKSTI Bianca Beyer

KUVAT Anni Hyypiö

When you ask people close to their graduation what they plan to do next, the answer is straightforward: Find a job. But what kind of a job and, more importantly, how, and where? Does everybody have to start as an unpaid intern? Are all these years of grinding away at the university assignments and thesis not supposed to be a free ticket into the first best manager position?

It’s true that the unemployment rate has increased in Finland in the recent years, especially among the young people*. In the North of the country the chances of finding a job are particularly scarce, last but not least due to the less dense population up here. “Northern graduates” choose to move south even before exploring and experiencing the local labor market. It’s hard to find a student in Oulu, who does not instantly plan a move to Helsinki.

From Oulu to the big world

Johanna Tolonen has graduated from the University of Oulu this year and is currently employed by her alma mater as a research assistant. Working at the university was never part of her plan but she enjoys the experience. Even though she could stay and continue her job, she is sure to move south when the contract ends in October.

“I always wanted to move south after graduating. I have lived in Oulu my whole life, and it’s time to see something new!” she explains.

Besides, the vacancies in her field, marketing, tend to be open mostly in the Helsinki area. She does not exclude a comeback to Oulu, perhaps for a PhD, but now she feels it’s high time to explore different regions.

So, the Finns escape from Oulu to the south. What about those who come from abroad and pick Oulu as a place to study and live? Do they actually plan to stay?

Puya Purbaba has just moved to Oulu from Iran to do his Master’s in Wireless Communications Engineering. He says that his life so far is exactly how he planned it. He has chosen this university because it has a great reputation in his field, and he wants to work in the industry after finishing his studies. Most probably not in Oulu though – he is used to living in bigger cities.

While for Purbaba our beloved city seems to be just a stepping-stone, Endrit Dosti from Albania, who coincidently starts studying in the same program this year, is more open for staying. He has already adjusted his plan by adding a possibility of working at the university and, if he decides for Academia, Oulu is definitely his first choice.

Back to the roots

Oulu does get some plus points on the students’ evaluation list but quite few show their interest in settling here. Probably, for young people this place is too small to satisfy their hunger for adventures, their ambitions and to fulfill their life-long dreams. The thing is that the situation can change once they experience the world, pay their dues and grow older.

Petteri Keinänen graduated from the University of Oulu with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has worked in Helsinki and occasionally all over Finland for years, and is planting his trees in Oulu again by opening his own business here – Exit Oulu, an “escape room”. Those of you who watch Big Bang Theory know what this is about – solving riddles in a closed room in order to get out of there.

He could have done it in any other city but Oulu is his sweet home. Even though he has lived in Helsinki for quite a while, he never really felt like he belonged there. Nevertheless, if you ask him now whether he has planned this all along, he’ll definitely answer with a “No”. He came up with this idea just a year ago. It wasn’t part of his “plans for the future” when he graduated.

Traveling around and seeing lots of places might bring us back to the one we’d like to settle in, as in Keinänen’s case. Being flexible and open for opportunities, like in Johanna Tolonen’s case, might bring us valuable experience. After all, life doesn’t really care much about your plans. It has been well said that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

*Source: Statistics Finland, 25 August 2015.

Julkaistu 23.9.20151.2.2023

Bianca Beyer

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Halfway Around the World

Going on a huge trip requires weeks and months of careful planning – we all know that. Now imagine, after all this planning, everything suddenly changes. Our author discovered the freedom of ending up alone in a totally unknown situation, in a faraway country.

In English

TEKSTI Bianca Beyer

KUVAT Bianca Beyer

One month of travelling is a luxury one can afford when living and working in Finland due to the generous July-holiday month where nothing really happens in offices around the country. This is a perfect time to discover the world, for example, by train, like my friend and I did this year.

All the way from Oulu you can make it down to South China without boarding a plane. Riding the Trans-Mongolian Railway to Beijing with some stops along the way takes about two weeks. After that you can continue through China for two more weeks, again only by trains.

One train to roam the world

The fact that you are on a train seeing the landscape slowly change and feeling the time zones adjust piece-by-piece gives you a real feel of the distance you are covering. Together with the locals, Russians who take the train to go home or visit their relatives, you share a compartment, 54 beds in one wagon, no walls. You hear, smell and see each other – and somehow, this is ok, even when half of the wagon buys smoked fish offered by vendors at the train station and starts eating it straight away.

Lower beds function as seats, and people generously make space for each other to play cards, eat soups and noodles prepared with the boiled water available in each wagon, and drink teas. At nights a united snoring sound fills the wagon, the lights are lowered and the conductor takes care, with her Russian friendly harshness, that no one would disturb anyone’s sleep.

We met lots of different kinds of travelers. There is a Dutch girl who simply bought a flight ticket to China, and a return ticket 5 weeks later, and left the rest open to spontaneity and improvisation. There is a British guy who was so excited about his trip, which will take him about 9 months, that he had planned every detail in a spreadsheet.

Even though it took only 14 days to reach Beijing, it felt like months of traveling. Covering three different countries, meeting dozens of interesting people and seeing so varied landscapes in such a short time can become almost overwhelming. And finally having reached Beijing was only the beginning of the real adventure, as it turned out.

Me, Myself and I

My friend got sick in Beijing and decided to cancel everything and fly home instead, seven hours prior to our next train departure. Cancelling the trip was no option for me. Instead, I adjusted the schedule slightly, rebooked some train tickets, and changed some destinations. Besides, our travel guide claimed China to be one of the safest countries for a woman to travel alone. As I stayed mostly in hostels, I was actually never quite alone.

I found out that traveling by yourself is an uprising trend. Waiting for the right person to start a world-trip with is just a waste of time – just pack your things and go!

If you are interested in sightseeing, there is always the DIY option, which is cheaper than organized tours, but booking a guided tour with your hostel ensures you to get some contacts with other guests right away. From there, you might plan the next tour as a DIY – with your new friends. And if you are a loner, who does not like to hang out with other people for too long, or who generally gets annoyed easily when staying with the same crowd for several days, this is just perfect – before you get on each other’s nerves, you are all gone to the next destination.

Alone, but not lonely

Approximately 90% of the people I got to know when I was by myself were travelling alone. The only person you need to arrange your daily plan with is you. You can go wherever you want, and eat whenever you are hungry and whatever you want. All in all, you are more attentive, no matter whether it is about tasting the food, finding the correct subway line or a viewpoint you were looking for. And being attentive is the most valuable skill when discovering foreign cultures. This is how you get the most out of it. And maybe, at the end of the day, you might have learned a thing or two about yourself that you did not really know before.

Going on such an adventure by yourself teaches you to trust yourself, rely on your guts, and be more aware. You collect a unique experience of being a silent observer, an object rather than a subject. You absorb different cultures, habits and norms while trying not to intervene but rather adjust and blend in. It is not you who is the main character here; it is the world you see. You become just an extra.

Julkaistu 26.8.20151.2.2023

Bianca Beyer

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Hi 5, Tips For Surviving Your Autumn In Oulu

The Autumn semester is beginning and with it, a whole lot of possibilities and challenges. So remember to stay warm, shop smart, eat well, get some D, and remain at all times at least 30% sober.

In English

TEKSTI Marcelo Goldmann

Eat Well But Don’t Overdo It

Winter is coming! So it is only natural that your body will want to get some reserves for the upcoming season. But if you are like me and are half human and half potato, it might be in your best interest to not get too excited with the sweets and candy, lest you are not able to return to your beach body in time for next summer.

Go Get That D

Autumn is the time of the year where the nights get increasingly longer and the days shorter. This lack of sunlight will most certainly deprive you from much needed vitamin D. This vitamin is good for your bones, skin, and immune system. Lack of D can result in winter depression or, as I like to call it: “The Darkness Syndrome”. Dramatic names aside, the lack of sunlight can impact your mood and energy levels negatively, so take a small trip to the supermarket and get a big bottle of D for those long, dark, and lonely nights.

Be Mindful of Your Shopping

Tuesday afternoon, you’re walking down a supermarket aisle, thinking what to get for dinner. You end up with butter, beer, and 5 kilos of chocolate ice-cream – a typical day or as they say ‘normipäivä’. I’m not judging since I’m all up for stuffing my face with delicious goodies. However, goodies tend to be expensive and then there’s no money left to do cool things like traveling, going out, and saving for a new ice-cream machine. Try making a list of things you need before shopping and stick to it.

Layers, Layers, Layers

Did you know Finland is cold during winter? I’m talking about licking-a-metal-pole-and-getting-your-tongue-stuck cold, not that I would know. The secret to warmth is layers. Layering is an art as much as it is a science, and each person has their own way of doing it. This is my recommendation for extreme cold (-25°C or -13°F): start with an undershirt and undertrousers, followed by t-shirt and trousers. Next, put on a fleece cardigan or pullover, and if necessary add a larger pullover. The last layer can be a ski jacket and pants, as they are trendy and useful. For your feet: two pairs of socks and insulated boots should do the trick. To protect your hands wear undergloves and warm windproof mittens. For your neck, a combination of neck gaiter and a scarf is unbeatable. Finally, a warm headband followed by a beanie will complete your transformation into an unbeatable anti-cold machine. Easy peasy!

Enter Sandman (a.k.a. Nukkumatti)

They say you never forget how to ride a bike. And if you don’t know yet, I would say it’s high time you did. Oulu has one of the best cycling roads in the world, and since the land is relatively flat, it makes the ride much more pleasant. All you need is a pair of wheels, and you are able to explore this beautiful city’s splendor. Just remember to always lock your bike with a sturdy U-lock so you can be sure that your new best friend is safe.

Julkaistu 26.8.20151.2.2023

Marcelo Goldmann

A Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Oulu. "Life is like a rubber duckie, you gotta keep it afloat to see its splendor." Instagram: @marcelogman

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Who Is Supposed To Leave Finland?

Last month Olli Immonen, member of parliament for Oulu, posted his remarks on Facebook in which he called on his followers to ”fight until the end for our homeland and one true Finnish nation” against the “nightmare called multiculturalism”. It triggered a vivid discussion in the society with people expressing their opinions in social media […]

In English

TEKSTI Margarita Khartanovich

KUVAT Alisa Tciriulnikova

Last month Olli Immonen, member of parliament for Oulu, posted his remarks on Facebook in which he called on his followers to ”fight until the end for our homeland and one true Finnish nation” against the “nightmare called multiculturalism”. It triggered a vivid discussion in the society with people expressing their opinions in social media and at the demonstrations. Some Finns agree with Immonen, and some of them disagree.

President Sauli Niinistö said that he hoped the demonstrations would steer the immigration debate in the right direction and added that the country needed a reasonable debate on the difficulties faced by both the immigrants and the immigrant recipient. So, let’s debate!

How is one supposed to fight for the homeland and one true Finnish nation? The first guess would be that someone should be actually forced to leave Finland. Someone not Finnish obviously. How about Russians? According to the data collected by The Finnish Immigration Service in December 2014, there are 30,995 of them here. The problem is that 60% of them are women married to Finnish men. It’s hard to imagine someone to break a family in order to protect “one true Finnish nation”.

Maybe Estonians? They are 48,352 here. Unfortunately, with the language being so close to Finnish and the country so close to Finland, it is easy for them to integrate in the society and find a job. How about citizens of Sweden that come next in numbers? Oh, wait – Swedish is the second official language of the country, and it might be for a reason.

Ok, screw the EU with human rights altogether and let’s ask 11,252 refugees (based on worldbank.org data) living in Finland to go back to wherever they came from. The problem is that they are doing fine too – they are politically active, hard-working and manage to find and create work opportunities. Oh, and what should we do with 1,2 million Finnish expatriates all over the world? Should we tell them to come back to their homeland?

Immonen’s Facebook post is basi-cally a mere political (populist) provocation that doesn’t make much sense or call to anything in parti-cular. But it does lead to a vital social debate on what multiculturalism is and what approach to immigration Finland should take.

We will be happy to hear your ideas and opinions on this issue too. Drop us a line at .

Julkaistu 26.8.20151.2.2023

Margarita Khartanovich

UUNI Editor, Master’s degree in Journalism (University of Tampere). Interested in politics, history, music, social issues and education. Twitter: @marthatcher