Day 17-18-19_Tampere-Oulu-Tampere
Trip Start
Jun 01, 2009
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20
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Trip End
Jun 23, 2009
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Oulu,
Oulu Province,
Finland
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
17Jun - Woke up early and was hoping to take a pic with Alberto but he was still in bed when I left the hostel. Can't blame him if he only had 4 hours of sleep the night before.
A visit to the Uni of Tampere gave me a clearer picture of what its course is about and how it does not fit into my whole scheme of things despite a carrot in the form of a scholarship dangling temptingly. So I went to the train station to get to Jyvasvla in a last minute change of plan because the coordinator at Tampere told me about another programme at the Uni of J so I thought why not go there and take a look. But the train got delayed 2-3 times and before I knew it, the train for Oulu was already on the track ready to depart. Maybe it is the hand of fate so I decided the plan to go Jyvasvla because the Uni might be closed by the time I got there and boarded onto the train to Oulu instead. A 5-hr train.
The area near the train station is actually quite dreary but if you starting walking towards the center or waterfront, you will find it more lively (than Tampere I felt). And I liked having a waterfront, to be able to see flowing water and islands. It calmed me down and provided space for thoughts. But lodging was scarce and expensive here. The cheaper option I found in my Lonely Planet had yet to open for summer so I settled for Best Western at 70 Euro.
Dinner was dishes from the supermarket in Stockmann, the departmental store.
Uni of Tampere
I was actually looking for Grill or Pizza this time but a tour in the departmental store brought the wonderful surprise! I bought pasta, a big drumstick and, on the recommendation of the friendly lady behind the counter, some Finnish style veggie balls =). The meal was partaked in the hotel room, with the accompany of Bleach and Naruto anime on the laptop. =) - some catching up to do. -----------------------------
18 Jun
First stop was the Uni and it was further than I expected. Despite it being out of the city map, I did not expect an hour walk. But people were friendly in providing directions, after I had stopped them on their bicycle rides.
The Uni had a more campus feel and I liked the vibes here maybe because there are students still hanging around to bring life to this place and bold colours adorned the walls that gave it a playful twist.
Perhaps what I liked best was the excitement and passion I heard from the coordinator about their programme and the direction it takes. She was approachable and sincere, and I also got a better understanding of the uni education system here. All in contrast with the experience in Tampere. However there is no scholarship on offer so I had to work out the dollars and coins for survival.
A few facts:
Finland only started a 3+2 education system in 2005 to stay in line with the whole system in EU. Previously they only offer a direct Masters education.
Masters Programme are relatively new in the market so it is not surprising to find new courses emerging in the universities in Finland.
Waiting for train
The government has passed a law to allow Finnish University to start charging fees to foreign students but it will not be implemented so soon
Call it fate but I unknowingly managed to catch them on the last day of summer as tomorrow will see flocks of people heading for the midsummer parties across the country or retreat to their summer houses. . Everyone in the Uni was clearing their work.
So there went my option to visit Jyvasvla but perhaps it was a good thing because I was tired of the traveling and it was important not to miss my flight tomorrow.
In the late afternoon I went to Tietomma, the science center at Oulu. It was interesting and interactive and there was room for exploration by both adults and kids! =). All those physics laws and principles I had learned of are well-manifested in the displays and games provided. But the highlight was at the sport lab whereby I was challenged to a virtual table-tennis game by a little kid. With each win of his, he would pull face at me, thrust his fist into the action and sneered. Naturally, I thrashed him although he did win one game. It was just quite amusing but when his mother came and collect him later, it was not that defiant look that accompanied his wins but that folorn look of longing as he waved me goodbye. So sweet... =)
Dinner was a huge plate of seafood salad (salmon here is recommended) in a rustic building. This place was recommended by a German student I talked to at the bus stop in the Uni.
train ride
=)I was actually very glad for the green veggies after so many days of heavy-going meaty dishes. Fabulous!
But I missed my Stockmann lady who was so helpful so I went back to the department store and asked the same lady to make more recommendation. So I ended up with African chicken curry, fish with cheddar and rice. It was thoughtful of her when she suggested rice because her husband came from an island near Australia/ New Zealand and he could not fathom the lack of rice in Finland and she had been cooking rice for him. =)
Lady at counter (train)
I tried to get onto the overnight train to Tampere and the girl at the counter was new to the job and friendly (3 wks' worth of experience) . I am her first Eurail pass customer, she claimed! Haha! So she had to figure out the system for Eurail. But we built such a good rapport that she gave me the timetable booklet of all the trains in Finland from the cabinet! This will come in handy next time :).
I took the overnight train back to Tampere, only to realise that it suddenly didn';t matter what time I travel because the sky was never gonna be dark. I could jolly well be leaving in the afternoon. But nevermind, it gave me the opportunity to meet Anita who was leaving Oulu to seek out a concert somewhere. The train was late so we chatted at the platform and later we met again at the train station of Tampere where she was waiting to change her train and me passing the time away because it was too early for shops to open and too cold to really venture outside (I wasn't dress for the weather). It was nice to have accompany and maybe we will see each other again.
After Anita left, I ate my Stockmann meal and tried to do some reading. But I was so tired I dozed off. Only 6 hours on the train, it was difficult to have a good rest and so I didn't but luckily all my belongings were safe with me hugging my bag and looping my leg over my additional hand-carry.
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That night in Frankfurt, it was no surprise that I have a restful night at Hotel Continental. Bought a huge pork knuckle, it was so huge that I ate it for dinner and breakfast. Another german food off the check list. =).
TIP for Traveler (Ryanair):
If you are a non-EU citizen, you have to verify your visa (even if you do not need) before entering the security screening to get to the departure gate. In Frankfurt, there is specific counter for it. In Finland, there is no such visa verification counter. Instead, you have to head to the information counter instead of joining the snaking queue that may test your patience
