WDC 2012

Did you know that the program of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 includes building a new culture sauna?

Did you know that they promise to make the Helsinki public transport costumer orientated including intelligent scheduling at the same time as we might wait 40 minutes for the next M-train to university?

Did you know that they plan to build new apartments at the old harbour areas by using low to no carbon?

Did you know that you can ask for help if you have to chose a colour for your building?

You do not have to.

The only thing you need to know now is what you can do in the city if you are not heading out.
Here are some tips for snowy or cold days:

1. The Finnish Architecture Museum
2. The National Museum of Finland

Or what I would do most likely:
3. Just go out in the snow and have fun with friends.

And if you do not want to go out:

Read a good book. There are so many different libraries in this city and they all have a good selection of english literature.

Just enjoy yourself. You are young. And this is Helsinki.

It is time for vacation again. Ski Holiday week is starting today, so why not look into some of the top destinations for this week.

Like the Blog team, lots of Finnish students head North, e.g. to Lapland or other their winter cottages, to spend the week on the ski run. But tons of snow, warm clothes during and hot drinks after the day on the run aren’t the only possibilities for the 9 days off.

As we only have 9 days to work with, and student budget mostly only have very few zeros, we wight have to stick to Europe for our travels.

The best possibility to make the most of the Ski Holiday is to get a InterRail Global Pass. You can travel 30 countries in Europe on a students budget, because you get discounts when you are younger than 25 years. Although the pass is not valid in your country of residence you could take a ferry to Estonia (Eckerö line for 18 €) or Stockholm and start your adventure there.

For example on 5 days within any 10 day period you can take a train wherever you like and stay there for a night or two before moving on. But you could also travel every day and just use the couple of hours in between the arrival or departure of your trains to visit all the amazing places. Instead of freezing in the cold you can get a nice tan, and come back more relaxed than ever.

The advantage of a train ride: you can sleep during the night – also day – until the train hits its next stop and you are top form to stroll the streets and enjoy yourself. When you return after this stunning experience you will be the person everyone is talking about. While most just saw the same scenery for the holidays, you will have met the most extraordinary people and seen some of the most beautiful places. So pack your bathing suit and camera and get your ticket.

WELCOME TO ST. TROPEZ!!!

By 9 pm the stats indicated that the blog has got more than 200 clicks, which we, the blog team, are totally thankful for. It is a great indicator that we are doing a good job and you like to hear what we have to say.

As so many of you liked the post ‘Admission for Finnish only!‘ and we will keep on posting on the issues of job search, internships and business topics. Still, we are open for any suggestions on topics, so send in your ideas.

wolf-pass.de

We just accept students who are fluent in Finnish.

That is the response I have, probably, received from 50 recruiters or more, since I am looking for an internship in Finland. I am originally German-speaking and I just started learning this very hard language some months ago, and by now I am able to introduce myself and read quite an amount of the signs in stores. But I am very far from talking simple chat. I don’t want to know how many more years I would need to invest until I am able to communicate on a business level.

In the beginning I was looking at Finish companies that might offer internships but after the first 20 refusal due to missing language requirements I actually started to look for my home country’s companies in Finland. I asked DHL, DB Schenker, Kuehne + Nagel and some others whether they would take me, but although they are German originally, they just want interns who speak Finnish. Is it that insignificant that I am German born and might be able to facilitate the communication channel between Germany and Finland. And why is it that Finnish seems to be the corporate language in those companies?

That gets me to the question of what I am supposed to do. It is mandatory for my degree to do an internship abroad, but no company in my country of choice (Finland so far) seems to want me. Why is it impossible to find an internship in Finland without proper knowledge of the language. Someone suggested a Finnish job search portal, but unfortunately I am not able to log on there.

For the seven month I have spent in this lovely country so far, I had not a single problem with not knowing the language. In every store, at the police registration, at university, schools or other public places I got around with English just fine. Every single person knew English, some even do know German, and was able to assist and process my inquiry. Now that I really have to rely on my English skills, no one seems to care.

I wondered whether the same has happened to foreign students in Germany as well.  But actually all large companies, like DB Schenker, DHL / Deutsche Post, offer positions for foreigners in their reigns, that demand sufficient knowledge of English and might recommend German, in this case, to apply and eventually get the trainee position.

What options do I have left now?

• I could decide for another country to do my internship. I could go to Great Britain, where they definitely need English-speaking interns. Even rents might be cheaper elsewhere, so I could together save a tremendous amount of money.
• Maybe I get an internship through good connections (I prefer the German term of Vitamin B (Beziehung = contacts). I can ask professors whether companies they work/have worked for or they know about award internships to students.
• Worst case scenario: Drop the double degree I am striving for and take up an internship position in Germany, where my language proficiency meets the requirements.
• Drop out of  university and marry  a millionaire!
• Well, maybe if I keep on searching some company might have mercy and opens their doors for me and might be surprised by what, or better who, they have employed.

Endurance is patience concentrated. (Thomas Carlyle)

Be aware: I am a very patient person! And maybe I will end up in Switzerland.

The first steps in how to (learn to) deliver feedback were made with the sandwich model where negative feedback is put between two pieces of good news. Even so it makes giving feedback easier there are reasonable doubts about this practices as the positive won’t be able to turn the negative news around.

How to give feedback?

First of all feedback should come immediately and sincerely. It helps nobody if the truth is stretched or weeks after the incident someone starts picking on mistakes. Constructive feedback should be non-personal, prompt, on the point and clear. Nothing is more annoying than unclear feedback as the receiver can not learn from it and most times does not speak up in order to avoid his/her own mistakes being topic again. This is only human and should be remembered by managers.

Accepting feedback instead of receiving

Even so human beings ask for feedback they are more looking for rewarding motivating ones than expecting negative feedback. Especially if someone does not receive feedback regularly he might be offended and not able to deal with it properly. Staying calm and evaluate negative feedback carefully might help to accept and learn from feedback. Hopefully nobody will pressure you to reply immediately accepting is a process that can be learned.

Demand feedback

Often traditional companies do not have any feedback culture but communication skills of managers and leaders can be more important to get feedback than a piece of paper. Besides the demanding of employees the employers need to understand that feedback can be a way to motivate people and create a better working atmosphere in long terms.

Now the Metropolia Blog Team asks for your feedback on their work.
Please participate in our survey about the current media communication and blog performance.

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Some of you might wonder why this post didn’t appeared some hours or days ago. But I didn’t want to ruin someones day.

But actually Valentine’s Day is not what it was supposed to be: the day of pure emotions.
It is getting more and more commercialized.

Furthermore it causes unpredictable trouble as on 14th February 200o when the coalition in USA ask to sell emergency contraception the day afterwards in all pharmacies. Even more funny is the fact that in Hillsborough NJ schools on 14th February 1998  the Valentine’s Day card delivery was prohibited because this day was too religious at all.

But how do we got this wonderful day?

Official pages still struggling whether it is really related to St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity or it had been broad up later. Valentine’s Day became  popular during the 19th century when Miss Esther Howland started doing Valentine’s Day card business in the United States of America. Her business grew fast and most of the todays Valentine’s designs root to her efforts.

Why should we still not drop it?

First of all the thought of celebrating love – either religious or not – isn’t the worst of several traditions. And most people doesn’t care of the origins of the date. The flower, card, chocolate and entertainment industry relays on that day. As long as people are willing to pay the price this day will help some economies to survive.
Maybe it is also time to change the Valentine’s traditions once again, to move on from gifts to give time as most young couples prefer. Get innovative.

What can Singles do on that date?

There are thousands of tips how to build up your self-esteem despite being single on Valentine’s day nevertheless I go more with the finnish substitute the Friends Day. There are always people around you which you like and who would like to spend time with you. I just received a message wishing me a happy Valentine’s Day – I would have prefered throwing a party for all my friends, maybe I will do it next year.

What did you do? What was special about your Valentine’s day?

Finnkino starts a series of Opera broadcasting of the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York City. You will have the possibilities to see the stars of the Opera world in the world’s biggest stage. You have the choice of Ernani starting still this month (28th February) and La Traviata, starting April, 17th, both by Guiseppe Verdi. The last opera in this series, starting April 10th, is Manon written by Jules Massenet.

For those who are not familiar with those plays we will provide you with little abstracts so that you can prepare and choose the best play for you.

Ernani is set in 1519 and concerns Ernani, an outlawed nobleman who is heading a resistance effort against the villainous kin, Don Carlo, who killed Ernani’s father. The rebel also is planning to elope with his beloved, Elvira, who is about to be forced to marry her uncle Silva. Unfortunately, Don Carlo also has designs on Elvira and takes her away himself. A confrontation between the three suitors ensues, with Ernani finding himself indebted to Silva when the latter refuses to hand him over to the king. Silva and Ernani form an uneasy alliance against Don Carlo, with Silva demanding that Ernani pledge to kill himself after they vanquish their foe. Ernani agrees to this, noting that when Silva blows a particular hunting horn, he will commit the deed. Silva and Ernani meet with their conspirators to determine who will assassinate the king, and Ernani is chosen. At Don Carlo’s coronation, Elvira convinces Don Carlo to grant amnesty to the rebels, which he does, going so far as to return Ernani’s title and property to him and to give him Elvira in marriage. The happily reunited lovers return to Ernani’s palace and wedding preparations proceed apace. Unfortunately, a strange figure in black appears, and in the midst of their joy, Ernani hears the hunting horn being blown. Though he and Elvira try to convince Silva to excuse him from his obligation, the old man refuses, and Ernani plunges a dagger into his heart and dies. – Fandango.com

La Traviata

Verdi’s opera La Traviata (“The Woman Gone Astray”) is  a story of doomed love in 1840s Paris. Violetta, who is the mistress of a wealthy baron, hosts a lavish party to celebrate her improved health after a bout with tuberculosis. There she meets Alfredo and becomes smitten with him as he, she, and the guests join in the famous “Drinking Song.” Violetta leaves the baron, and she and Alfredo move into a secluded country villa together, where they live happily for a while. But unknown to Alfredo, his father convinces Violetta that continuing her relationship with Alfredo will prevent Alfredo’s sister from making a good marriage. With great sadness, Violetta decides that she must not only break permanently with Alfredo, she must keep him at a distance by returning to the baron. Misunderstanding her motives, Alfredo goes into a jealous rage that leads to tragic consequences. – Fandango.com

Manon

Sometimes young love can be disastrous.  Massenet’s Manon shows all too well the folly of youth.  A sheltered young lady caught up in the glamours of wealthy life gives up a life of love for the former.  After realizing her mistake, things turn for the worst.  Had she not made one fateful decision, she could have had a wonderful life. – About.com

Maybe we will see each other!

We hope for creative, innovative and funny ideas of yours.
Don’t be too shy to send something in.

You will gain great fame and fortune! And a surprise box.

More pictures.

Bulevardi Campus turned into a scene of fun, games and laughter when students and teachers of the Metropolia Business School gathered to celebrate the Finnish ‘Friends day’ – the equivalent to Valentines to celebrate Friendship.

Although from the same school – some people were able to meet for the first time and during games friendships developed. They even got closer with the ‘fantastic’ group games – thanks to Anu.
The first relatively unspectacular game of standing on one foot with the other one lifted above your knee and holding your ankle while having your eyes closed started the first round of laughter and competition for this evening. To relax and regain your balance people scattered to the various tables to enjoy the board games or twister or where taking another bite of the enormous feast of pizza, sweets, sandwiches, drinks and vegetables.

The most edgy game of the night also lead by Anu brought the participants to their limits of balance, coordination and stamina. And thanks to people not playing we even got a steady drink and sweets supply. Moreover people got closer than their comfort zone would normally allow them especially as Finns rather keep their distance. To come to a faster ending the game finished without a winner.

The glorious end to this night was a round of musical chairs with dance element. It was a perfect opportunity to see Michael Keaney sitting on the ground and Ross being pushed of a chair.

Due to bad time management we had to plan a fast evacuation before the security system kicked in but we were rewarded with a visit from Santa Claus. In the spirit of Christmas, 317 night until this years, we gave away some of the leftover sandwiches on the street.

Finally we have to thank Anu and Rebecca for organizing so much fun and uniting us.

Welcome to the seminar and Contact Forum organized by the Finnish Freight Forwarders´ Association, its member companies and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. Enjoy lectures and career path stories held by professionals and come to the Contact Forum to discuss the recruitment and trainee issues and other co-operation possibilities with the companies. The case competition sponsored by the Finnish Freight Forwarders´Association will be published in this event. Can you solve the puzzle with your team and win the great grand prize?