The first day of school

Today is a very special day for me, because it is the first day of my adventure in erasmus with great hopes.
I woke up early in the morning.


I came erasmus with my friend from Turkey.We are studying nursing at Gazi University in Ankara.We are classmate.Her name is Beyza.She is my best friend.
We stay in the same house, so we prepared and left the house.

We will meet the coordinator at 9 o'clock in ICT-City Campus.So we took our computers with us.
We came to school. The school is really beautiful. We got inside and went to our coordinator.

She was also very excited to tell us this process.
After meeting, she began to explain.
About exchange students, lessons, materials, etc. The education system in Finland is very different. Almost everything is done on the internet. Homework, materials ..
I will write another blog about the education system😉.

Our orientation is complete and we have discovered some school.
Dining hall, classrooms, study areas are a nice and comfortable school for students.

After school, we went to the K-market to get our needs. After we got our needs, we went back home.

It was an exciting and tiring day, but it was a beautiful day.

One day in Turku

I first went to Turku city center today.
I live in Krööpilankatu.You can get to the city center by getting off at the last stop by buses 32,42.

First I went to the market place and traveled a bit there. The products were really both fresh and affordable.

I entered the shopping mall because the weather was cold. The shopping center is called Hansa. There are many stores.

Hansa, or Hansakortteli (Hansa Block) as it is called by the locals, is the largest, most distinctive, and oldest shopping centre in Turku. Hansa is located right in the heart of Turku and at the focal point of events - by the Kauppatori (market square), where you can find almost all you can possibly need.
Finland's oldest theatre, Åbo Svenska Teater, is also located in Hansa.

Then I walked to the Aura river, walking by the Aura river is really enjoyable.
In fact, you can walk to many places in Turku. This is an advantage. You can visit many stores in the day.
Then I returned to my house watching the sunset.
Sunset may be one of the most beautiful views.

Kaupattori "Market Square"

"Kauppatori" is the Finnish word for "market square" and refers to several market squares in Finland:

• The Market Square, Helsinki in central Helsinki.
• The Market Square, Turku in central Turku.

The Market Square, Turku in central Turku.
The buildings around the Market Square are also part of the city's central business district. They include, for instance, the Hansa and Forum shopping centres, the Wiklund department store, an Orthodox church, a private medical clinic, and several instances of media such as an office of Finland's major newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, locally most significant newspaper Turun Sanomat and Yle.

The market is set up in the center of the city.
It is quite crowded on weekdays.
The most crowded, touristic area of ​​the city.
There are souvenir stalls, food stalls, plant stalls in the square.
This market place, which is quite affordable, is preferred by many people.
Sometimes products are both fresh and very affordable, especially compared to the market.

It is quite pleasant to visit.

PIKKULASKIAINEN - Finland's student event!

PIKKULASKIAINEN - Finland's student event!

Pikkulaskiainen is Finland's largest winter festival, which brings together the enchanting atmosphere of students and young people from all over Finland to spend an unforgettable winter day. Joy and fun share a hill event, a round trip and the leading roles of artists on the front.

This student activity takes place with the participation of students from many schools. There are also many sponsor brands. At the event, everyone is setting up their stand and introducing themselves. You are awarded with various fun games and questions.

At the same time, part of the event, girls wear silvery makeup on their faces. This is a beautiful detail.

Each student comes to the event with the clothes that represent their school.
The pants of each school are in different colors.
After each activity, students sew a piece of fabric from that activity on their pants.
Literally a feast.




The event also has an environmentally friendly side

• In addition to these, the decorations have been reused and efforts have been made to make the new decorations durable. Pikkulaskiainen also collaborates on festivals. This means they use elements from local festivals in their own event. In addition, balloons have been abandoned.

• Pikkulaskiainen has introduced a new deposit system in cooperation with POW. All bottles and cans left in Pikkulaskiainen's collection bins are recycled and the profits from the pledges go entirely to the POW charity campaign.

• The Little Calculator uses renewable electricity and encourages its event visitors to take advantage of public transport by offering various benefits to these. The size of the appropass was significantly reduced compared to previous years and its material was changed to environmentally friendly recycled paper.

They brought pieces of snow and made an ice rink and slipped from there. You feel exactly like at the winter festival.
At the same time, artists come to the event and give concerts. It's part of the fun.

The environment was so crowded that there were students everywhere.
It was really fun.

Turku Natural Beauties:Littoistenjärvi.

If you love nature like me and love hiking, there is a lot of opportunity in Finland. One of them is Littoistenjärvi.
Sometimes  we want to go out to listen ourself.
I would also like to go out and find myself in a natural environment, especially when I am very bored sometimes.

In the face of fresh air, silence and magnificent scenery ...
There was a lake very close to my house.
This is a really great environment.
The perfect harmony of both green and blue.
It is a very good environment for both have a picnic and reading books.

I want to give some information about the lake.
Littoistenjärvi is a lake in the village of Littoisten on the border of Kaarina and Lieto municipalities. The lake covers an area of 147.5 hectares. The average depth of Lake Littoistenjärvi is about two meters and it is at most three meters deep.
The Shores of Lake Littoistenjärvi are a town-planned detached house area on the Kaarina side, while there is a wooded area on the Lieto side. Motor traffic on the lake is prohibited in all seasons.

Of course, since I was there in winter, the lake was frozen.

I love hiking, it is a good idea sometimes to go to this lake .

Historical Church:Turku Cathedral-Turun Tuomiokirkko

Turku Cathedral-Turun tuomiokirkko

Turku Cathedral is located in the old square of the city and draws attention with its unique historical structure.
Its history dates back to the 13th century.
The cathedral, thought to be the most important religious building in Finland, has witnessed many important events in the history of the nation and has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the city.
It is also regarded as one of the most important records of Finnish architectural history.
I felt very different when I walked inside the Turku cathedral because it was the first time I entered a church and the architectural structure of the interior impressed me.

It looks quite big and magnificent from the outside.

To me, it is a symbol of Turku. Quiet calm.
Maybe how many nations have come and gone? to whom did it testify?
Who knows.
In general, historical buildings affect me a lot. It is a great success that the cathedral has survived until today.
Generally, when I always go to the city center, I pass by. 
It connects many roads. The view is also quite beautiful. Against the Aura river.
A living legend
I recommend it to anyone who comes to Turku and especially to those who love history.

Second hand stores of Finland

Second hand stores are very common in Finland. People buy everything they need from these stores and at a very affordable price.
You can find everything you are looking for in these stores. Curtains, beds, quilts, utensils, clothes, mobile phones, television, books, antiques etc.
Many products you can think of are available in these stores.
As I was walking around the store, it was as if I was losing myself.
Especially , a very old sphygmomanometer caught my attention because I'm studying nursing.

Because there are so many items that people don't realize how time passes when they examine.
If you live as a student, these stores are for you.
In addition, brand clothes and items are sold. Some people said that they especially buy from here because they like to wear brand outfits.
It is also very convenient to buy something as a gift. You can buy gift items here when you return to your country.
For example, I needed a grater for my house. I paid 1.50 € for it. I saw the same product in the store and it was 3 €.
It is quite reasonable to buy it in a second hand store.
People of all ages, young and old, shop at the store.
In fact, it is very logical to have these stores because many unused items are getting to those in need. Thus, it is both environmentally and economically .

Finnish flavors and Culture

If you live in another culture, of course, you also learn and taste the food culture.
While the eastern side is mostly consumed with various vegetables and mushrooms, the western side is mostly consumed with fish and meat dishes. 
During my stay in Finland, I had the opportunity to taste some dishes.
I would like to talk about these dishes and Finnish food culture.
1-Salmon Fish

Of course, when you think of Finland, cold sea fishes come to mind immediately.
 Salmon has an important place in Finnish cuisine and Finnish people consume almost every day. 
Salmon is a very tasty and fatty fish. Salmon is very useful and contains many vitamins.






2-Blueberry pie
In my opinion, blueberries are like the symbol of Finland. Blueberry is used a lot in Finnish cuisine. Blueberries and red blueberries grow wild in forests in Finland. This really delicious fruit,  to be an excellent flavor when used in pies.









3- Karjalanpiirakka

Karjalanpiirakka is a pastry made from rye flour.  It is mostly prepared with rice porridge. But it can also be made with ingredients like carrot or mashed potatoes. A tart baked in the oven. The taste is really great. A taste that must be tried.





As an extra, I love bread types. I especially liked the carrot bread. The flavors of the breads are really good. Rye bread is especially consumed by Finnish people. They also use rye flour in their pastries. 5 types of Finnish bread limppu, reikäleipä, loaf bread, reissumies and hapankorppu. As I have observed, they generally consume bread together with butter.
I also tasted chicken soup. It contains various vegetables, pates, carrots, etc. and chicken soup with spices is also a famous dish.
They consume milk for lunch. This is really different in my culture. Because we Turkish people usually drink milk for breakfast or evenings.
Another thing that I am interested in is that candy is consumed a lot. There is a candy aisle especially in the markets. At the same time, candy shops.
In general, I wanted to share the flavors I tasted. I also mentioned the Finnish food culture as far as I can see.

If you come to Finland, I recommend you to try these flavors.

Naantali Trip with exchange students

I went to the city library in the morning. Some of the erasmus exchange students and the Tiina teacher were there. We waited a little and then came our bus. Our trip to Naantali started, the trip lasted about 25-30 minutes. We got off the bus and a few someone from the school in Naantali was coming, so we waited for them.
Then a few people came from the school and we walked to school with them.they told us the schedule of the day.Then our trip started.The weather was very cold.




We walked to Moomin World.Moomin World is a theme park based on the Moomin books by Tove Jansson. It was designed by Dennis Livson, and located on the island of Kailo next to the old town of Naantali, in Southwest Finland.

They was doing the pancake there! 😋

I was very happy. I really liked that they were thoughtful and surprised. 
We ate our pancakees and they have prepared some questions about Finland.

We split into groups and answered. It was fun and I learned new things. Ice skiing is an important part of the sport in Finland. 

Then we continued our walk. The environment was beautiful. 
After the walk we went to school. We had lunch.After dinner we attended the Wanhat show. 

Wanhat is an official prom of high school students each year. Participants in the show are called ‘Vanhat’. Everyone is so stylishly prepared. 
The show was absolutely perfect. Everyone was well prepared. I liked the dance carographers.

We did the hiking at the same time and watched the prom in Finland I have learned new information from their culture. 

Day was excellent.

One day in Salo

I'm going to Salo today. There, we have teachers from Turkey. -At the same time, she is an exchange student at TUAS.-

There are 4 different options to go from Turku to Salo. These are trains, buses, taxis and cars.

We chose to go by train with my friend. 

In the morning, we came to Kupitta stop by bus from our home. We asked the officer there, but there was no place to buy tickets at the train stop. So we missed the first train. Fortunately, there is the R-Kioski market nearby. We went there and bought our tickets. A student ticket to Salo costs 6 €. The journey took approximately 20-25 minutes.

Our teacher greeted us when we got off the train. First we went to the second hand shop in the city center. Finnish people mostly buy the items they need from second hand shops. You can find anything you really need at a very affordable price.

Then we went to the Salo Art Museum, but it was closed because it was renovated.

But also I would like to inform you about the place.

The building of the Salo Art Museum is an old locomotive shed. The exhibitons halls and also the museum office are located in the same building. Space at the Salo Art Museum can be rented for different occasions. In the Salo Art Museum operates Café Veturitalli, which is open upon request. Sculptural art pieces are exhibited. It also provides creative kitchen service.

Next is Salo Electronic Museum.- Salon Elektroniikkamuseo

The Collection of Electronics houses devices manufactured in Salo by the Salora, Mobira, Nokia and other Finnish and international electronics industry. The main focus of the exhibitions are displays of radios, televisions and later on phones and monitors.

Finnish people are among the first to use the phone after the invention of the normal phone. Because Nokia is a Finnish brand and plays a big role in the development of the phone.

This is truly a technology paradise. Technology journey from past to present is inevitable. Technology is incredibly advanced compared to 

our current situation.

It is really fun to visit here. My elders always talked about playing mario on television. It is possible to play this game on an old TV.😄

I literally seemed to have experienced both the old and the new together. This museum really impressed me. Thanks to Finland, which has a great role in the development of technology. If you come to Salo one day, I would definitely recommend you to visit the Electronic Museum. A truly fascinating place.

Then we walked in the city center and went shopping in the mall.

It is possible to go to most places on foot in the city center. We could not travel much because the weather was cold. Despite this, the day was perfect. I had a lot of fun, I saw new places, of course I learned new things about Finnish culture.

At the end of the day, we returned to our house by train. I was very tired and had a lot of fun today.

It is possible to go to Salo daily trip. If you do not have a car as a tourist, it is not possible to visit most places, but you can still go to museums, shopping malls, the famous market, library. But it is possible by bus or taxi.

Salo is a beautiful and calm place. I would recommend to anyone to visit.

The Center of My Erasmus Adventure is Turku

First of all I would like to tell about Turku.
Turku is a harbor city and known as the 2nd city of Finland.The oldest city. Once it was the capital.

Turku offers people a lot of choices, both with its natural beauty and city life.
I love to walk. Walking along the river Aura in the city center is a good activity. The Littoistenjarvi lake, located very close to my home, is also worth a visit. And if it's sunny, it's definitely perfect to hike. Good option for a nice hiking with clean weather and sun.

Turku is also a city with many exchange students. So it's inevitable that you encounter one person of every nation.

The city is also foreground with its historic structures. Turku's history dates back to the very old one (13 th century).

I really loved Turku. Quiet and lovely city.
All and more in my blog😊