Incredible

Why did you choose to go to Oulu, Finland?

I wanted to completely change my style of living and I really like rock/heavy metal music, whereupon Finland is the perfect country for that and my faculty only had contact with the University of Oulu, which is one of the best in Europe in terms of audiovisuals. The school and the courses are incredible.

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How long was the scholarship? How much financial support did you receive?

It was from the beginning of January until the middle of July. My grant was divided into various parts.

• Support from the university of Vigo for the trip: 400 euros
• Support from the autonomous government of the region of Galicia: 800 euros
• Erasmus grant and MEC grant (Ministry of Education and Science): 350 euros a month, if you are a scholarship holder from other years the Mec gives you 430 euros more every month.

They gave me nearly 4000 euros in total.

What is the student atmosphere like in Oulu?

It depends on the university that you go to: the polytechnic is a little smaller but there are lots of students. I think I remember that there are 3000 students, between the Finnish and Erasmus.

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

Of course. It is a beautiful city, you have everything that you need, as well as the great advantage of being near to Switzerland and Lapland. Also, it is very well connected with the rest of the cities just by taking the train.

What is the food like in Finland?

The food there is high in calories since it is quite cold in winter. In my university (being a student there) it was: first and second plate, plus bread and a drink for 1. 58 euros.

Normally, the first plate was a salad where you select the different ingredients with different sauces, and the second was meat or fish, generally with pasta. There are lots of cooked potatoes, since oil is expensive and they don't make chips. If you are vegetarian, there is always an option for you!

Was it difficult to find accommodation?

The university of Oulu offered me a residence that was two minutes walking from the university and where all of the Erasmus students stay, and it is 2km from the centre of the town. The residence is called Otokyla.

In the other faculty, which is a little further away from the centre (6 km), you stay in shared flats but I don't know the prices nor the types of comforts that they have, only that the faculty is reached by crossing a road.

What are the prices of accommodation like? and the prices in general?

You pay 180 euros (more or less) for a shared room with a kitchen, bathroom, heating and internet. Also, they have a laundry room, sauna and gym (a very basic one).

There are lots of discounts for students, so in general it is quite affordable.

What about the language? Did you attend a language course at the University?

They offer a Finnish course at the university, which is practically impossible to learn. The truth is that it is a very complicated language but everybody speaks English. They also speak it well, so you can learn this language, which is cool.

What is the cheapest way for you to travel to Oulu from your home town?

• The cheapest option was with Ryanair if you don't bring too much luggage with you. From Santiago de Compostela to Frankfort-Hanh, and from there to Tampere: 40 euros (with one suitcase). The train from Tampere to Oulu, if you already have the student card, is from 37. 50 euros at the time.
• Also, I had the option from Oporto with Lufthansa return to Helsinki for 170 euros and then the train.
• Another option is with SAS (a Scandinavian airline), if I remember correctly, from Barcelona to Oulu was 130 euros.

Which places do you recommend for going out in Oulu?

• Mondays and Wednesdays: Hevymesta, which is a heavy metal pub but on Mondays there is a jam session and concerts on Wednesdays (on the bottom floor), and the beers and longdrinks are 1 euro from 10 pm until 1 am. Taking into account that beer normally costs 4. 60 euros, it makes sense going even if you don't like the music.



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• 45Special is for rock music, it is incredible
• On Wednesdays after Hevymesta we went to Onnela which is a disco with four rooms with different music: typical Finnish music, rock/heavy metal, commercial music, lifelong classics (including the macarena).
• Paskakaupunni is also very good (literal translation is shit city) for drinking little beers. Another pub which is a bit more chilled is the Never Grow Old
• Commercial music in the Cabaret and another place that is very good as a club (we only went out there on Fridays) is the Karlen
• There is a small bar where they serve milkshakes (with and without alcohol), and all types of cocktails called Kuluma that is great and during the night it is truly spectacular.
• There are lots of Irish bars that are cool. Close to Plaza del policía gordo there is an Irish bar of three floors that is a very good place to spend the night.



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What about eating in Oulu? Can you list your favourite places?

Normally, when you eat out it is always pizza or kebab, whichever is very good. There is a place where you can eat reindeer but I can't remember where it was, plus it was quite expensive at 30 euros per person.

What about cultural visits?

The university makes a cultural visit by bus and in the Finnish course take you to the museum, with which you can see all of Oulu. It is very beautiful if you rent a car (there is an offer from the university of 5 euros a day) and in February, uniquely and exclusively, they open the ice road towards an Island which is 10km driving above the sea, which is frozen. Go to bathe in the river, which is very cold, but it is quite an experience.

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Any advice that you would like to offer to future students of Oulu?

• I recommend that you go to other cities: Tampere, Turku (although it is very small and the only beautiful thing is the castle), Helsinki and the Island of Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Kemi and its Ice Castle (only in winter). To rent a cabin in Lapland and to see the Northern Lights, which is incredible. As it is very near, the university does trips to Russia, Saints Petersburg is very beautiful. ESN Finland program 2 excursions throughout the year in a boat where you go from Helsinki-Tallin-Estocolmo, it is a boat of a lot of partying and not much sleeping.
• From Tempere there are cheap flights with Ryanair from 10 euros for a return, with which if you can, travel as much as you want. Sweden and Norway are worth visiting too
• Very useful advice: the Finnish are not kissy people, so shake their hand when you're being introduced to someone. To begin with, they are a little cold and distant but once you get to know them they are affectionate people.
• In terms of transport, we went everywhere by bike, therefore, I recommend that you buy a good one. You can get one for 50 euros.

I can only hope that have as good as time as me, or better!