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Living in Joensuu, North Karelia, Finland

Joensuu is a university town and the lively capital of the North Karelia. With the total population of 74 168 (of which almost 20,000 are pupils and students) Joensuu is the second biggest town in Eastern Finland. The educational institutions include e.g. Karelia University of Applied Sciences (4,000 students), University of  Eastern Finland, Joensuu campus (8,300 students) and a number of vocational colleges and upper secondary schools.

The city of Joensuu offers many possibilities for different kinds of activities. High-quality cultural events and the clean environment increase the attractiveness of the city.

Joensuu in a Nutshell 2020

  • 76 850 inhabitants
  • about 2400 foreign citizens
  • area 2 751 km2
  • population density 32 inhabitants / km2
  • Biggest employers are:
    • Pohjois-Karjalan Osuuskauppa
    • Abloy Oy
    • Elisa Oyj
    • John Deere Forestry Oy
    • Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy
    • Kesla Oyj
    • Posti Group Oyj
    • PunaMusta Media Oyj
    • UPM Plywood Oy
    • Exel Composites Oyj, Kivara factory
    • Valio Oy
    • City of Joensuu
    • Siun sote
    • University of Eastern Finland
    • Riveria

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North Karelia

North Karelia is the easternmost province of Finland with a population of approximately 161,000. About 70 % of the area is covered by forest. North Karelia is divided into municipalities, each offering various cultural and exotic seasonal travel activities from river rafting to wilderness survival experiences throughout the year.

More information:

North Karelia website: Welcome to North Karelia
Visit Karelia website: Visit Karelia

Finland – an exotic and a safe country   

Finland is located in northern Europe and borders such countries as Norway, Sweden and Russia. In 1995 it became a member of the European Union. Currently, its population accounts 5.48 million. Officially, Finland has two languages, Finnish and Swedish, nevertheless English is also widely spoken.

An international student can find Finland as an exotic and a secured country. Picturesque nature, clean air and water are what makes Finland stand out from other European countries. The midnight sun in the summer and the polar night in the winter are among others the features that make living in Finland a unique experience.

Such factors as high standard of life quality and equality are the essential forces in Finnish society. Moreover, Finland is identified to have one of the most developed educational systems in the world. The main aim of Finnish educational policy is offering everybody equal opportunities in receiving education. The system is highly penetrable, so that higher education levels  can be achieved by anyone. 

Both universities and universities of applied sciences utilise substantial autonomy and construct their operations based on the freedom of education and research. In practice, every higher education institution manages its own administration, decides itself upon student admission and creates the contents of degree programmes.

Eastern Finland can be called a Land of Lakes as this region consists of an endless patchwork of lakes and low rolling hills. This is one of the main reasons why it Finland is top destination for summer cottages. Moreover, there is innumerous number of spots to indulge in the Finnish national obsession for sauna, sausages and a dip in the lake. 

Finnish way of life

Finns generally have a relaxed attitude towards manners and dressing, and a visitor is unlikely to offend them by accident. Common sense is quite enough in most situations, but there are a couple of things one should keep in mind.

Finns are generally helpful and polite, and glad to help confused tourists if asked. The lack of niceties has more to do with the fact that in Finnish culture honesty is highly regarded. A visitor is unlikely to receive many compliments from Finns, but conversely, they can be fairly sure that the compliments they do receive are genuine.

Another highly regarded virtue in Finland is punctuality. A visitor should apologize even for being late for a few minutes. 15 minutes is usually considered the threshold between being “acceptably” late and very late. Some will leave arranged meeting points after 15 minutes or 30 minutes (maximum). 

The standard greeting is a handshake. Hugs and kisses, even on the cheek, are only exchanged between family members and close friends.

If you are invited to a Finnish home it is recommended to remove your shoes. For much of the year shoes will carry a lot of snow or mud, and therefore it is customary to remove them, even during the summer. During the wet season you can ask to put your shoes somewhere to dry during your stay. Bringing gifts such as pastry, wine, or flowers to the host is appreciated, but not required.

The Finns are also crazy about coffee, which is odd, when you come to think about it: the coffee beans themselves grow quite a way away. You will rapidly get used to the fact that when Finns get together for a chat, coffee is invariably part of the scene. But note that the coffee in Finland is usually not as strong as in Central and Southern Europe.

But, after all, please keep in mind that people are not all alike and these are generalisations. Your own experiences with Finns might give you a totally different opinion.

Sauna

Sauna is an essential part of the Finnish culture. There are five million inhabitants and one and a half million saunas in Finland. For Finnish people sauna is a place for relaxing with friends and family, a place for physical and spiritual relaxation. Finns think of saunas not so much as a luxury, but as a necessity, and after trying a few saunas you will probably agree.

Practically almost every Finnish house has a sauna of its own. There are also public saunas available at such places as swimming pools and student dormitories (please ask the Elli housing office for the sauna schedule in your building). Public saunas are separated by gender (men together, women together). You are not allowed to wear clothing or swimming clothes in sauna because it is considered to be unhygienic.

More information: www.sauna.fi

Snowbound

Those of you who have not experienced a Nordic winter before may have a lot of questions in mind. At the first sign of winter, the streets occasionally get filled with slush, but eventually everything gets covered up with real snow. The months from December to February are a time of stillness. The sun always rises above the horizon in this part of Finland, but the light hours are not many during midwinter, and sometimes the weight of the dark hours seems to rest heavily on everyone’s shoulders. As for the temperature, a typical midwinter reading in Joensuu would be something between -5° and -15°C, but sometimes it gets colder, even down to -30°C. Fortunately, Finnish houses (including student flats) are equipped with triple-glass windows and central heating, so you will have no reason to worry. However, in cold weather, when you go out, it is always wise to be wary of frostbite – this is best done by appropriate clothing (woollen cap, mittens, warm shoes, etc.). But do not let this discourage you from going out, since very cold days have an atmosphere of their own which you should not miss!

After the winter solstice in December, the amount of light steadily – although slowly – increases again. However, you need to wait until the end of March until the day once more outlasts the night (spring equinox). The day becomes longer and longer and although it still might snow a little occasionally, the snow gradually melts away. Spring is slowly but surely on the way again and soon it is the time of the light nights of the Nordic summer.

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