Erasmus Experience in Kuopio, Finland by Giordana

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Would you recommend the city and the University of Kuopio to other studenyou need to try?

I would recommend this place to other students, it has been quite difficult at the beginning because everything was so different from my country, Italy, but then it was great! Finns are a bit closed and shy but they just need their time, don't give up on them.

Despite being shy, they are always available to help you! I've had some problems at the beginning and they always helped me.

They are always smiling and it's so difficult to see them angry, they are really calm people and I love it.

What is the food like?

I am not the best person who can speak about their food because I am vegan, but I can try, I love cooking so I am always curious about others' foods. They use and eat a lot of butter, heavy cream, and meat. They always drink milk at lunch, but they have always a lot of vegetables too.

But on the other side, they have always something for vegetarians and they are paying attention to any food intolerance (they always have dairy free milk for example).

There are some great foods I really appreciate! I know that the special dish of Kuopio is Kalakukko or something similar, and it is made of bread, meat and fish! Of course I never tasted it but people told me it is good.

Then they have a special fruit which is called puolukkarahka, that is a red fruit full of good qualities for body and health. They eat them a lot and they put them also with vegetables and it's good.

Then they have a very good sweet I can't remember the name, and it is like a sweet bread with a strong taste of cinnamon. I love it so much because I love cinnamon! I bought my first one in the market square, in the flea markets they have every week and I ate it as it was still hot... you need to try it!

But then there's another speciality whose name is karjalanpiirakka. It's like a little salted cake made with buckwheat and it can be made with rice or potatoes or carrots. It tastes sooo good! They normally put on top of that a mixture of butter and eggs. Try it!

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Kuopio?

It wasn't easy to find an accommodation, the only way to find one is by contacting the most important housing agency of Kuopio, which is Kuopas. Rents could be higher, but I was quite lucky, sharing a room with a friend.

I know that there are some other possibilities to find a room, like searching for private properties but it's not so easy, especially if you look for them when you're still in your country.

I had problems with Kuopas at the beginning, they gave me and my friend an empty house and we didn't know that. These are called family houses, so if you get one of those, you have to know that they are unfurnished, except for kitchen. So if you book a room, make sure that it's furnished because they told me that they are used to rent unfurnished houses.

How much does it cost to live in Kuopio?

Kuopio is not so expensive, I have to say that I was expecting higher prices, but instead they aren't. But it always depends on the city, I went to Helsinki too and the prices were really higher than here! so if you have chosen Kuopio, then maybe you are lucky.

Supermarkets are not so expensive. There is a lot of variety though, so you can decide where to buy the cheapest things. The cheapest is Lidl, and they have three of them, one in the south, one in the north and they have just opened one close to the centre, it's like 5 minutes by bus from the city centre. Then there are K and S market and they can be a little bit more expensive, but they have good things.

Then if you are looking for alcohol, you need to go to Alko, but you can find something also in the supermarkets listed above.

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

The language is really difficult, I haven't learned it yet, just a few words! I met some Italian people here that told me that they have studied it for a whole year before being able to speak.

I don't know about the courses, I am a musician so I am attending the music centre and I have just some individual lessons where the teachers are speaking English to me.

But you can be sure that quite everyone here speaks a fluent English! So you won't have problems!

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

Coming from Italy, it took me 2 flights, one from Milan to Copenhagen and then one from Copenhagen to Helsinki, and then a bus from Helsinki to Kuopio, the trip is quite long by bus, at least 6 hours! There is a very cheap bus company that is called Onnibus, but then there is also Matkahuolto that could be cheap too. I don't recommend using the train because it's quite expensive even though it has some students discounts. But pay attention! As we are just exchange students it's not sure that we can have some student discounts because we need to show a Finnish student card and when I asked for it they told me that I couldn't have it because of being just an exchange.

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

There are many places here, you just have to go out and you'll find your own.

I like a lot going to a pub called Intro, they have also some great concerts there.

But it depends on what you are looking for! If you want to party all night long then you can go to dance in some clubs. They are also used to sing for hours to the karaoke.

They go out late, like at 11 pm because before that they use to meet at someone's home and they start to drink there. Everyone has his own alcohol, nothing is shared.

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

As I am vegan maybe I am not the best for recommending, but I went to a very good Indian restaurant in the centre, Mount Sherpa.

I recommend you going at lunch in any restaurants because they have special menus at very lower prices (around 10 €) and you eat a lot. They are also used to have buffets so you can serve yourself as much as you prefer.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

As Kuopio is not a big city, it's quite all concentrated in the centre, you can find a map in Kuopio Info, which is in the shopping centre called Sokos, in the central market square.

Don't miss to go to a good trip on lake Kallavesi, maybe on a ferry too, and see the sunset from there... breathtaking! Then there is their Lutheran Church which is really close to the central square. Close to it there are some museums and also there is a big library!

There is also a really famous Orthodox museum.

There is a tower quite outside the city, which is Puijo tower. You can go upstairs and enjoy the beautiful view of the lakes surrounding Kuopio and the very little islands! If you walk up to the stairs it's free but if you use elevator it costs money, but I don't know how much. You can also eat in the tower, in the upper side, with a beautiful skyline.

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

If you go in winter, then you need to know that it is really really cold! I just could imagine how cold it could be before coming, but then only when you experience this cold, you figure out what it really means! Living with -20 is not easy but it's curious! Of course you need the best equipment, mountain trousers are the best!

Then darkness comes and it's not always easy, sun arises at around ten but then sets at 15. And it becomes really dark. If there isn't any snow it's a little bit harder cause it's really dark, but snow will make everything easier!

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