Erasmus experience in Kajaani, Finland by Magda

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Why did you choose to go to Kajaani, Finland?

Finland has always inspired me, I wanted to experience the winter by myself, take up new sport like snowboarding. Moreover, Finland is a calm country with nice people, where everything goes without any rush.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I have spend 1 semester (4 months) on my exchange. From my Scottish university I got 250 euros.

What is the student lifestyle like in Kajaani?

While studying at AMK, you live in the campus area, everything is easily accessible in the town.

Living in the campus keeps you really close to the other students. Many activities for exchange students are organised by Student Union KAMO. What I liked about my Erasmus experience was the fact that despite of the small town, I never got bored!

Would you recommend the city and the University of Kajaani to other students?

If you are looking for a big, crowded place with a lot of shops, clubs, it's not a place for you. Even though, if you can take pleasure of spending time with your friends, going out to few clubs/bars, taking advantage of winter sports, the town is just suited for you.

The university itself is rather small but it's well equipped and has nice staff.

What is the food like?

Finnish cuisine is very delicious. You should try the Karelian pies or moose or reindeer meat. Finland is also very famous for its berries. You can also eat jams or drink alcohols made of berries.

The only one thing I disliked (contrary to Finns-they love it! ) is Salmiakki- salty liquorice candies.

How did you find your accommodation?

The host university (KAJAK) helped me to find an accommodation. It was provided by the letting agency Kajaanin Pietari.

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What are the accommodation prices like? What are prices like for other things in general?

The apartments consisted of 4 rooms, kitchen, 2 toilets and bathroom. The price for the room was 260 euros. It included the electricity and water. Internet costs 30 euros per month. A good idea is to buy a router and share the Internet with the rest of flatmates.

The life in Finland is expensive; food is relatively expensive.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

Exchange students have the possibility to take the Finnish for Exchange course. It starts right in the beginning of the exchange.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Kajaani from your city?

I have flown to Finland quite many times. There are a few different options. The cheapest from Poland is to take the Wizzair from Gdańsk to Tampere/Turku and then from Tampere/Turku to Kajaani by train. Trains are quite expensive, the route Tampere-Kajaani costs aprox. 30 euros.

You can also fly from Warsaw to Kajaani, with a stop with Finnair.

I have also flown to Finland from Edinburgh, Scotland. It was by Ryanair from Edinburgh to Tampere.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Kajaani?

The most popular places to go out are Onnela and 96. Both are the 'biggest' and the only ones clubs in the town. But also other bars are worth mentioning: Karaoke bar or Hospoda Koruna. Those are my favourite ones, but for sure there are many more small bars.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Kajaani?

Rosso - very good restaurant. Because of the high prices I used to eat more in Kebab places and pizzerias than restaurants.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

I haven't participated much in the cultural events of Kajaani. But of course if anything is going on, the exchange students are informed about the event by school email.

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Kajaani in the future?

Take many warm clothes!

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