Vol 21 Issue 14

INSIDER 25.01.2019 I VOL. 21 I ISSUE 14

STUDENT MAGAZINE OF XAMK

FRENCH COUNTRY NIGHT

THIS WEEK New library system Profile Student life hack French country night

Meditation for beginners Language nerdiez Movie Review 5 ways to survive winter in Finland

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EDITORIAL STAFF

POLINA VISHNYA Kouvola Current Affairs

LEIF HEFLIN Kouvola Current Affairs

MINH-TRANG LE Kouvola Current Affairs

LONG NGUYEN Layout Editor

MARIJA MARASH Kouvola Current Affairs

ANNA RYNDINA Kouvola Current Affairs

LENA GELFERT Kouvola Current Affairs

NIKITA MUNENKO Kouvola Current Affairs

GLORIA TAZZINI Layout Editor

ELIZABETH AKINLABI Kouvola Current Affairs

LIDA BENKOVSKAYA Kouvola Current Affairs

HUGH CLACK Editor in Chief

INSIDER STUDENT MAGAZINE South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences Paraatikenttä 7 45100 Kouvola Editor in Chief: Hugh Clack INSIDER ISSN 1457-1587

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PHONE +358 44 702 8758 WEBSITE insider.xamk.fi EMAIL insider@xamk.fi

FACEBOOK / INSIDERSTUDENTMAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

Hey ho!

While winter covers each and every corner of Finland night after night, Insider breaks through cold, darkness and wind and keeps cheering its readers with fascinating articles and informing about current events.

First of all, I would to warmly welcome our new participants who joined Insider last week! I am so excited that Insider is growing, and more and more people are eager to contribute and share their ideas, thoughts and experience with our reader. I believe it it’s one of the major goals of Insider – to inspire and be inspired!

Let’s see what current issue will bring out this week!

Check out profile about exchange student from South Korea sharing her experience of studying in Xamk.

If you are like me struggling with this bloodthirsty time of the year, then don’t hesitate and try adventurous ways to survive Finnish winter.

Moving on, Lidiia has made an interesting comparison of various traditions of students preparing for exams in Finland and Russia.

Don’t miss opportunity to participate in “Say cheese” project which unites students from several institution to market local food.

If you feel too tensed like the whole world is falling on your shoulders, you should definitely practice daily meditation. Got interested?

See article “Mediation for beginners” written by Lena.

Est-ce que tu parles français? Lena has reported on French night held last week and from now organised every week by exchange students. Explore French culture and way of living!

Starting from this week Long is going to take on a language corner. This week hi has made a collection of griping facts about languages.

So, don’t forget to stop by!

Our movie expert has prepared a review of “Glass”, hope it will help to make a choice next time you go to the cinema.

Stay tuned with news from Insider and enjoy the rest of the week!

Polina Vishnya

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NEW LIBRARY SYSTEM The Library is the heart of the Campus and now it is finally moved back, renovated and improved.

With these changes school books and all information needed will always be within your reach. Besides, now you will not struggle before deciding where to study hard without any noises and distraction or to relax in the break, if Silent Room is occupied.

Hope you have not missed the Grand Opening on Monday, because undoubtedly there is nothing better than the smell of fresh-printed books, hot coffee and delicious cake.

You are always welcome in Kampuskirjasto!

Text: Anna Ryndina Photos: Marija Marash, Leif Heflin

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STUDENT LIFE HACK Students life hack from different countries before session in the University.

ENGLAND Going to the first exam, students attach a white carnation on clothes, for all subsequent pink ones. But students who pass the last exam, be sure to attach a red flower. And those lucky ones who have passed all the exams well are thrown in garbage.

GERMANY After the teacher gives the closing speech in the last lecture before the session. However, German students are in no hurry to leave the audience. First, they pull their hands together with their knuckles and knock on the tables for several seconds, thus marking the completion of their studies. Also, after successful entry to the university and before the exams, students stand in a queue to kiss the bronze cheek of the Gänseliesel statue or bring her a bunch of flowers.

RUSSIA Russian students have a tradition of calling "freebies" before an exam. It is necessary at 12 o'clock in the morning before the exam to open the window, and in the window shout 3 times "freebie, come." then close the window. You can put a notebook or a textbook under the pillow and sleep on it the night before the exam to keep all the material covered in your head better.

Also, the student who goes to the exam is usually “scolded”, thus wishing that he should concentrate and pass all the exams well.

INDIA Students eat Dahi-Shakkar (cottage cheese with sugar) it is believed that this dish brings good luck before exams.

FRANCE At the Sorbonne University, students come to the monument to the philosopher Michel Montaigne and rub his shoes with hand before the exams.

CZECH REPUBLIC Krakow students to successfully pass exams jump on one leg six times around the monument to Adam Mickiewicz.

SWEDEN On Walpurgis Night, students have a lot of fun to relax in front of a difficult session. Champagne breakfast, all sorts of student competitions, loud music, dances, performances and other various amusements.

VIETNAM Students before exams tried to avoid eating bananas, eggs and food cooked with black been. Also, they try to eat as much sticky rice with bean as possible, because in Vietnamese is ‘đỗ’, which also means ‘pass’.

CHINA In hostels, clubs and restaurants, students gather in companies of 10-12 people. The main feature of such feasts is that pork cubes and cashew nuts are served at the table. The fact is that the names of dishes are translated as "the ability to take the exam" and "the ability to be first."

Text and photo: Lida Benkovskaya

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PROFILE Where are you from?

I was born in Jeonju, South Korea. I have lived there, then two years ago, I moved to Busan for studies.

Migyo Choi

What did you study in South Korea?

I am a double major student, my first major is International Art History and the second one is, Language and literature.

What do you study at Xamk?

I am an exchange student studying Restoration.

What are the big differences in living in Finland and South Korea?

Living in Finland is much more peaceful, Kouvola is quite smaller than Busan. Busan is a very crowed city because it is the second biggest city in South Korea. In Finland, I can rest more and live a peaceful life. In my country, people are always occupied with their busy lives concentrating on their work and could not be easily relaxed, while in Finland, people are much more relaxed and stress free. This also implies with studying here as well. The relationship between teachers and students in South Korea is very strict but while studying here, I could see that there is no such gap between teachers and students.

How many countries have you visited?

When I was young, I have visited Thailand, Japan, China, Taiwan. Last year, I decided to move to France alone for a month. I visited mainly art museums, exhibition, and feeling some artistic vibes of French people. After doing this, I now prefer to stay for a long time in a country before moving to Dublin.

Why did you choose Finland for exchange program?

After passing some series of exams in South Korea, I then had the chance to choose a major course which is International Art History. There are no enough courses in this domain in my home University, so I decided to choose Xamk for my exchange program. Xamk has a lot of interesting courses in this field, and I would love to study more deeply that is the important reasons why I am here.

What do you like about Finland so far?

I like the Finnish people, very thoughtful. At the moment, I am the only exchange student who is actually enrolled in taking Restoration courses, my Finnish teachers and classmates are very kind and always want to help me. Finnish people are honest. In my country I always need to worry about my belonging being stolen but here, I don’t even need to worry about that.

What is your favorite color and why?

I love color Purple because I think it is elegant and fully of luxury.

What is your favorite South Korean food?

My favorite food is called “Tteokbbokki” its means Spicy rice cake in English. It is made up of Rice, pepper paste, green onion and white onions, sugar with Korean fish cake.

Do you have any expectations after studying here in Finland?

I hope that after my Erasmus program here, I would return home with more maturity and also have a broaden knowledge about things, become more open minded and also courageous.

What is your favorite place at Xmas Kouvola Campus?

I like the our library because it is very quite unlike in South Korea What do you miss so much about your home country?

I miss the food. Korean food are very spicy while Finnish food taste very neutral, neither spicy nor savory.

Text and photo: Elizabeth Akinlabi

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MEDITATION for beginners Let´s be honest: We have all faced some stressful days now and then during our daily schedules between lectures, assignments, sport, party, group meetings etc.

We know that it can be quite hard to stay relaxed between all these daily schedules and sometimes it feels like the time is just rushing and rushing. But it is as easy as that: only 10 minutes of daily Meditation is needed to calm our mind.

Besides Yoga the Meditation is gaining more and more popularity nowadays and it is not as hard to start as you may think! Meditation can be practiced every day, regardless the time, all you need is yourself, a comfortable chair or pillow to sit on, a pre-set timer to 10 minutes and here we go: Start to focus on your breath – with the eyes closed it is even easier – and that´s it!

The mind may wonder around but that is totally normal, just try to focus slowly back on your breath. And if there is no suitable place to find at home, why not try to meditate in one of the silent rooms at XAMK? Enjoy!

Text and photo: Lena Gelfert

LANGUAGE NERDIEZ To all of us, languages are used when every minute passes by. We use them to communicate with other people, express our feelings and share our ideas and knowledge. Languages was born since the existence of human being on this planet. However, there are some of them have died during centuries because of the perdition or disappearance of those people.

Languages represent the culture, belief, rituals and behaviours of a nation or a group of people in form of spoken language - dialect or written words.

Let’s have a look at 5 facts about languages that will amaze you.

- FACT 01

Generally, the estimated number of existing languages are approximately 7,000 worldwide.

- FACT 02

It is shocking to hear that about 2,400 of them are on the verge of extinction. Namely, UNESCO publishes a Alas of endangered languages on its website, some of which are Oneida (New York), Tuscarora, Bung, Tuzantec, Iduh (Viet Nam), Karaim (Western Ukraine), Munichi and etc.

- FACT 03

The most widely spoken languages according to the total number of people who speak them are: - English - 1.121 billion speakers in total - Chinese - 1.107 billion - Hindi - 534.2 million - Spanish - 512.9 million - French - 284.9 million

- FACT 04

Languages are making influences on each other.

China placed effects on its surrounding countries such as Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. That is the reason why they are words with same characters and pronunciations that you can use in those languages.

Additionally, Spanish, Italian and French share some similarities.

- FACT 05

You can be smarter when exposing to a language besides mother tongue. Scientifically speaking, it helps to boost brainpower, train your mental and slow down the aging process of the mind.

So why do you still hesitate to start learning a new language?

Text: Long Nguyen

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FRENCH COUNTRY NIGHT

Do you ever felt the desire to gain a little insight in the French way of life and experience a bit of “la vie en rose”? Then this is your article.

Last Thursday the exchange students started a weekly event called “country night” in which a group of people present typical food and behaviors of their homeland.

The start was made by the French people as they gave an overall impression how the French food tastes and what France is famous for.

It all started with a little presentation about the country in general, which cities are remarkable and where all the exchange students come from.

After getting a general overview about the country itself there was a little quiz about famous people like Edith Piaf, Napoleon, Marie Curie, Victor Hugo or David Guetta as well as some tunes like “Je ne regretted rien” from Edith Piaf or the National Anthem to taste

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the spirit of being French.

After bringing everyone in a French mood the main attraction of the evening started: the three-course menu.

The first typical French course was a Quiche, a spicy French cake that tastes delicious regardless if it is served cold or warm. Basically, it is a crispy dough with a hearty filling. From Goat cheese to broccoli to salmon, there are no rules what the filling should be made of. The typical French variant is the “Quiche Lorraine” where the topping consists of smoked bacon and a mixture of grated cheese, onions, eggs and milk.

It is not necessarily a starter, it can also be served as the main course. Easy to cook and tasty, worth to give it a try onetime!

Gratin Dauphinois was served as the main course, a dish made from sliced potatoes gratinated with cheese and cream. It comes from the Dauphiné region in the south-east of France. Here, too, applies the rule that there are no rules for the fillings set. Added with some vegetables it creates a unique taste of a vegetarian variant, but it is also possible to spice it up with some meat if the “only potato” variant appears too simple for one.

The Gratin Dauphinois can be served as a main dish itself as well as a side dish. Cheap, easy to prepare, filling and tasty, let´s call it the perfect student meal.

Additionally, some Baguette was served as well as some French wine to round things off.

To end the French country night with something sweet, Crêpes were served. Crêpes are the thinner, French variant of the pancakes we know. As with pancakes, Crêpes can be topped with various things, sweet or salty. Bon appétit!

Merci beaucoup for this little sneak peek into the French way of living!

Text and photos: Lena Gelfert

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5 WAYS TO SURVIVE WINTER IN FINLAND Even though according to the calendar half of the winter is already gone, it seems that the hardest times has just started. And world wide famous Finnish winter hit cities with all its power covering streets and roads with enormous amount of snow and freezing everything around. This year is the first time I gave up cycling and walking to University and gave my preference for old and trusted buses. I started to spend more time at home hiding under the blanket growling at my friends when they wanted to take me out. And then I thought for a second: “What a hell is wrong with me?” Me and my friend came up with a list of ways to survive this winter. I am willing to share it with you, so that the rest of our “game of thrones” goes smooth and fun.

1. Make some minttukaakao and share it with your loved ones or just drink the whole Minttu bottle on your own like a grumpy old lady with forty cats at her home.

But be aware that it might have some consequences which would not seem so fun next morning lol. Minttukakao recipe is simple as that, just buy kaakao from the store, it can be even the shittiest one, but Minttu should be the best, well, it is always the best. Then boil milk according to the number of cups, add kaakao powder, mix everything and when its ready pour it in the cup. Final and the most important step, ADD Minttu according to your taste and level of coldness of your body and soul.

2. After sharing a few cups of minttukaakao you can proceed to the next step – cuddle with someone under the blanket…believe me, it can be very climaxing experience.

3. Thanks to development of winter sports in Finland as you can find many zingy ski centres all around Finland.

People living in Kouvola especially caught their luck as just nearby the city centre there is Mielakka ski resort.

So, take your friends and get your ass up to Mielakka as sliding down the hill like a penguin or super cool dude (it Skiing in Mielakka depends on your skiing skills and amount of munttukaakao in your blood) is the one of the best ways to fight back with winter. By the way, every Tuesday they have a special price of 20 euros for elevator and renting of skiing equipment.

Text and photo: Polina Vishnya

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4. If you are not rich bitch or you prefer traditional methods, then I recommend you trying something really refreshing and crazy.

I must say it is also a good way to wake up. Just crawl through your window and jump in the pile of snow next to it. Don’t hurry to run back instead make a snow angel and simultaneously shout out some swear words in your native language. Important: wear swimming suit or some summer shorts or just jump without a stitch on like a true finnish person.

Jumping from the window in the pile of snow

5. Finally, I was so excited about making up this list of safety measures from finnish cold, that I made a short survey in Instagram asking my followers how to overcome winter in Finland. Here is the short collection of the best answers to my mind: • Fly away from Finland • Warm clothes such as scarfs and thermo clothing and sweet hot drinks, e.g. Glögi.

• Get a someone and get inside its arms • You don’t survive at all lol • Staying at home and looking at my summer pictures All in all, it depends on your attitude and people around.

Stay positive and spend more time with your friends and family. If you have come up with any idea on how to bear the toughest time of the year, then text me asap.

As my true finnish friend has recently said: "I am cold, no, I am not cold, I am finnish."

MOVIE REVIEW Glass. Is it too transparent?

Can’t see the plot!

DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan WRITER: M. Night Shyamalan STARS: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson BUDGET: $20 Million SCI-FI, THRILLER, DRAMA

The trilogy that started nineteen years ago, has finally come to its conclusion… Or has it? One of the most anticipated movies of the year, as Rotten Tomatoes told us, does it amaze or disappoint us?

Glass is a fairly unexpected continuation to Split (2016), which was very unexpected continuation to Unbreakable (2000). When Bruce Willis from Unbreakable appeared in the post-credit scene of Split, a lot of people wow’ed… Or at least those who remembered the film that came out sixteen years ago. It was unexpected, true, and Split was a good movie, wasn’t it? That, plus really good cast (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and James McAvoy are certainly not the unknown names) and of course M. Night Shyamalan as a director, who proved himself in the previous two movies, left us with hope of something awesome. They shouldn’t have; they lied. Split, with a budget of $9 million, collected unbelievable $278,5 million. Glass won’t repeat its success.

David Dunn (Bruce Willis) continues his duty as The Overseer, and now he is able to catch The Beast (James McAvoy), who kidnaps women. However, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) has other plans and intervenes with Dunn’s desire to capture that maniac. Samuel L. Jackson almost recruits a team of superheroes in this movie… Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, despite very high expectations, the movie is… meh.

James McAvoy is terrific, he plays around a dozen characters and it’s a real joy to watch him, this is probably his best actor work so far (he has twice as many personalities on-screen here than in Split, although we don’t get to see all 24 of them), and as Sam L. Jackson says, “Being in a room with James was a real delight to me. I looked at him and was like, damn, am I even able to do it?”. Samuel and Bruce don’t let down too. Badass as ever. The plot lacks very much, relationships between heroes in the asylum are awful. The film doesn’t have its “roots”, it seems like any wind can blow the plot away for good. And even though the actors do their job very well, music and picture are decent for the budget… M. Night Shyamalan’s creativity didn’t last for the whole trilogy.

The year is still young, but it seems like we have already got the biggest disappointment of a movie. It isn’t entirely bad; it just used to promise way more than it delivered.

Nikita Munenko

STUDIO 123 Kymenlaaksonkatu 1 45700 Kuusankoski 044 375 3686 www.studio123.fi

25.01.2019 - 31.01.2019 STUDIO 1 OPERA DE PARIS: LÄNNEN TYTTÖ (S) | 23€ | 2h45mins Sat 16.01 at 12:00, Tues 29.01 at 18:00

NÄIN KOULUTAT LOHIKÄÄRMEESI 3 (7) | 11€ | 1h44mins Fri 17:00, Sat - Sun 15:00 Mon, Wed, Thurs 17:00

ONNELI, ANNELI JA NUKUTUSKELLO

(S) | 10€ | 1h18mins Sat - Sun 17:10 Tues 16:15

GLASS

(16) | 12€ | 2h10mins Fri, Mon 19:10

GREEN BOOK

(12) | 12€ | 2h10mins Sat - Sun 18:50, Wed - Thurs 19:10

STUDIO 2 AILO – PIENEN PORON SUURI SEIKKAILU (7) | 11€ | 1h25mins Sat - Sun 14:45

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (S) | 12€ | 2h15mins Fri - Sat, Tues, Thurs 16:45

IHMISEN OSA

(12) | 11€ | 1h48mins Sun - Mon, Wed 16:45

VICE – VALLAN OIKEAT KASVOT (12) | 12€ | 2h13mins Fri - Sat, Tues, Thurs 19:30

AQUAMAN (2D)

(12) | 12€ | 2h24mins Sun - Mon, Wed 19:00

STUDIO 3 TUNTEMATON MESTARI

(S) | 11€ | 1h35mins Sat - Sun 15:30 Mon - Tues 17:30

AURORA

(12) | 11€ | 1h47mins Fri - Sun, Wed - Thurs 17:20

THE MULE

(12) | 11€ | 1h57mins Fri, Sun, Tues, Thurs 19:30

JUICE

(7) | 11€ | 1h46mins Sat, Mon, Wed 19:30

Students/armed services, pensioners 1€ discount on all full priced tickets of 10€ or more

Participation fee: Euro 129,-

NHL Stenden University, Leeuwarden International Business

This will be the fifth edition of Say Cheese, which has proved to be a great success in recent years to a large part to the great students participating in the project. The theme of the project is marketing regional food products. The project will take place from 18-20 March.

This project is an opportunity for both our own students and partner institutions.

There are three places open for XAMK students.

Interested? Contact hugh.clack@xamk.fi before the end of January!

March 18—20, 2019

Say Cheese!

Marketing of Local Food products An IB&M and Businet Carrousel project 12