A Visit to Vapriikki's Exhibition Tampere 1918

On 18th September the students of an optional history course "The history of every-day life" and their teacher had an instructive visit in Vapriikki's exhibition Tampere 1918. The exhibition was about the civil war of Finland in 1918 and it concentrated on what happened in the Tampere area. It was very illustrative, including photographs, videos, items, maps and a lot more about the civil war. Furthermore we had a good guide Sallamari Kuusela from Vapriikki's staff who told us many interesting facts.

 

The purpose of the visit was to explore ordinary people living in the middle of the war. It was of course interesting but also shocking to find out what kind of life people had to live. I'm sure that everyone got a lot to think about afterwards. Here are some photographs taken in the exhibition.

 

 

 

A deep gap between rich citizens and poor laborers was one of the reasons of the civil war. In those two pictures on the wall the difference can be seen.

There were many reasons of the war. There were economical insecurity and political difficulties. Some of the red wanted to have a revolution like in Russia. The white feared that Finland could lose its independence. There was a lot of suspicion between people.  The politics didn't work and all that became a full conflict.

On both sides most soldiers fought in their own equipment. This is an example of the clothing of a red soldier.

In many cases people coincidentally ended up in their side. The choice was often because of their background, relatives, friends or social status. Even brothers could be on different sides. That's why the civil war was very cruel and caused tremendously hate and bitterness.

Even some children fought in the civil war on both sides. Those who didn't have to work for red or white army helped their families by searching for food, for instance. Many children had to hide during battles and they experienced a lot of fear, suffering and hunger.

 

This map is about the battles in Tampere. There were brutal fights and most women and children had to hide themselves in cellars or other places.

 

This photograph is about the 12 000 red prisoners in Tampere after the war. About a thousand of them were executed after hearing their judgments. Only a few were set free and the rest were taken to prison camps.

The results of the civil war were sad. A huge number of people, red and white, had been killed. Thousands of children became orphans and many homes were destroyed. There was bitterness between people for a long time. Even today there is a lot of discussion about the civil war. It took many, many years to Finland get over the trauma.

The visit in Vapriikki was very interesting and everybody learned a lot. In my opinion it is important to know the past for that we can make a better future.

Written by

Elena Alakomi 2b

Interviewing exchange students

This year our school has two lovely exchange students: Audrée-Anne Germain from Canada and Enrique Penagos Moreno from Mexico. Both of them are going to stay here in Finland for a year. Audrée-Anne and Enrique have already learned many phrases and expressions in Finnish even though Finnish is known as a very difficult language to learn. Here are some questions I asked them.

                                            Enrique, Katri and Audrée-Anne

1.       What did you know about Finland before you came here?

Audrée-Anne: -I had read many books about Finland, so I knew some things about Finnish culture, climate etc. For example, I had heard some stereotypes of the Finns; everyone has always a poker face here and people are reserved and cold. But I’ve noticed that it’s not true! What I didn’t know is what kind of clothes people wear here. Neither did I know any traditional Finnish dishes.

Enrique: -I knew it’s very cold in Finland! I’d heard that Finnish people are quite silent and that Finnish is a very difficult language.

     2.       Why did you decide to spend your exchange year in Finland?

 Audrée-Anne: -Well, I love challenges! Finland is quite similar to my own country so I decided to come here.

Enrique: -I like Finland! I got to choose from Thailand, Finland and Brazil, so I chose Finland!

3.       What are the best things here in Finland?

Audrée-Anne: -I think the best thing is that you get to choose which subjects you want to study the most and later on you can still change them if you want to! We don’t have that opportunity in Canada.

Enrique: -I love makkara (=sausage)! And I love our football team, Apassit! I also like to go to our school’s gym and play floorball with my friends.

4.       What do you think about sauna?

Audrée-Anne: -It’s so hot in sauna! But it’s a lot of fun. You can talk, relax and just chill out. I almost fell asleep the last time I was in sauna!

 Enrique: -It’s very hot in sauna! It’s quite difficult to breathe there but it’s also very relaxing.

5.       What are the main differences between Finland and your own country?

Audrée-Anne: -There are lots of differences. For example the school system is different in Canada. We have only three school periods but here in Finland we have five. In my own country we study the same subjects all year long and you cannot change your schedule. In Canada we have a school bus but here in Finland you can come to school by a public bus. And well, almost everyone in Finland has a blond hair!

Enrique: -It’s hot in Mexico but here in Finland it’s very cold! Finland is much more expensive than Mexico. And here I can come to school by bike but in Mexico I always go to school by car.

6.       Do you like Finnish food? What’s your favourite one?

Audrée-Anne: -I have to admit that I hate mustamakkara (=Finnish black sausage), hernekeitto (=Finnish pea soup) and salmiakki (=salty liquorice)! But I love meatballs, porridge and Finnish rye bread. All kinds of breads taste good here. And leipäjuusto (=Finnish squeaky cheese) is also very tasty!

Enrique: -I only like makkara (=sausage). Finnish pea soup both smells and tastes awful!

7.       What do you think about our school (lessons, pupils, teachers etc.)?

Audrée-Anne: -Lessons are very different here. In Canada lessons are only 45 minutes long and you have to be quiet the whole time. Here you can talk and discuss much more. All the pupils and teachers are friendly and funny!

Enrique: -Lessons are very difficult, because I don’t really understand the language. Teachers and pupils are very kind and friendly here. The school system is completely different in Mexico. The school starts at 7 o’clock and the lessons are 50 minutes long. In Mexico we have also siesta in the middle of the day.

8.       What do you think is the weirdest thing in Finland (or in Hämeenkyrö)?

Audrée-Anne: -Baseball! Everything is so different comparing to Canada and people are taller here.

Enrique: Sports like baseball, floorball and ice hockey. People also look different here. Almost everyone has blond hair, blue eyes and a light skin colour, but in Mexico everyone has a black hair, brown eyes and a tanned skin! People are also shy and very tall here!

9.       What does Finnish sound to you?

Audrée-Anne: -Finnish sounds like Japanese or Chinese! The language is completely different because you have these weird letters Ä and Ö.

Enrique: -It sounds quite weird! The pronunciation is very different comparing to English and Spanish.

                                       


Written by Katri 1B

Our student council

Our school has a new student council with 14 positive and smart students full of ideas. The council’s number one priority is to arrange all kinds of happenings and events to make studying more fun. It also makes sure that our school looks nice, and everybody wants to come there every morning, even on those dark, rainy autumn mornings when motivation is at not so high a level. The student council has a chairman, actually a woman, vice chairman, secretary and the student who looks after the money. There are also many other things to do so everybody has their own job. The student council is the link between teachers and students.

The student council has a godchild in Vietnam, and two members write her letters and send some gifts for example at Christmas time. They also decide every year where to give the money from our working day collection and arrange money collection for developing countries. Sports days are also a part of the student council’s operations, as well as all kinds of dressing up- days.

The student council’s latest project was to re-decorate the second floor’s hall and students' room. They bought flowers, sofas, posters, pillows and all kinds of other things to make our school more cosy. The results are amazing! See for yourselves:

 Written by Eeva 2B

                                      The grand opening of the newly redecorated students' room.

First-Year Students' Welcoming Party

Friday 7th September

The every-year tradition of FES is to welcome the new first-year students to the school. This new semesters' students were welcomed on Friday 7th of September. Normally the welcoming party is orchestrated by the second year students and basicly their aim is to make the new students (more commonly known as "the Skins" on that day) embarrass themselves by doing weird stuff during the schoolday and by showing proper respect towards the second-year students.

 

                                                                          Class 1B

 The first-year students also had to wear costumes that were decided by the second-year students and this year's "theme" was Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". What this meant was that the boys were dressed up like Esmeraldas and the girls were dressed up like Quasimodos, and personally I have to admit that everyone was dressed up well in my opinion. Of course you didn't have to participate in the event if you didn't want to, but a good thing is that usually nearly everyone participates.

 

 The first-year students' day started with practising the dance that they were supposed to perform to the second-year students later that day. There were also designated areas for the first-year students where they could not tread. Also, always when a first-year student encountered a second-year student on a hallway they had to bow deeply and say the following mantra: "Oh you great second-year student, you are like a royalty and I am not your equal". Since every first-year student was wearing a large paper nameplate over their chests, the second year students were able to draw smiley-face symbols or minus symbols on it according to how well the first-year student performed the mantra.


                                                               Practising the dance.
 

 

 In addition to dancing, the first students also had to sing a song to praise the second year students.
                              

                                               The special areas reserved for the new comers.
 

 Overall, the event was great fun and I'm sure that everyone who participated in it had fun. At some times, though, it seemed that the second-year students had a little bit too much fun during the schoolday. 

                                                                                        The royal ones.

                                              The second year students also served a drink to the first year ones.

  After the healthy drink, the new comers had to complete an agility track.  To make it a bit  more complicated, the participants were tied together.

                                                                              The winners of the day.

Written by

Ismo Vulli, 1B

New school year

Straight on towards matriculation examinations

A new semester has begun in our high school. The seniors of FES Upper Secondary School are just now preparing themselves for the autumn’s matriculation exams. Most seniors have decided to spread their exams into both autumn and spring. This way it may be easier to concentrate on each subject and to get better results.

We talked about this autumn’s exams with a few of the seniors. Here are some of their thoughts:

 Veera, 3a

 What subject are you going to take this autumn?

- I'll take religion.

Are you feeling very nervous yet?

- Yes! I almost feel like panicking a little. I regret not starting to prepare properly already in the summer holiday. I also feel a little envious about my friend who doesn’t have to have any stress about the final exams until the spring..

Henna-Riikka, 3b

What subject will you take?

- I'll take psycholochy.

What technique have you found the best when preparing for the exams?

- Well, my ability to concentrate properly is so low that I need to schedule my reading. I need to read a little at a time and many separate times in a long period of time. I also need to underline sentences and make notes besides reading.

Are you still happy with your decision to spread your exams into autumn and spring?

- Absolutely! I knew I could do this among the other work and it has gone very well.

Are you afraid of the matriculation examinations?

- Well, maybe I’m a little afraid of forgetting everything on the spot or that I have highlighted the wrong points. But complete failing scares me the most.

Aleksi, 3a

What subject will you take?

- I'll take health education.

Do you expect the exam to be especially difficult or easy?

- Average, I guess. It depends on the assignments and questions.

If you could change your mind now, would you still take health education? Or would you prefer to leave it till the spring, too?

- I wouldn’t like to take another subject or to  leave it till the spring.

Are you going to start the preparation for the spring’s matriculation examinations right after the autumn’s  exams?

-  Well I think I should but we’ll see what happens.

What is your main feeling about the matriculation examinations right now?

- I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.

I, the other author of this post, am also going to take part in the matriculation examinations this autumn.  I am going to take only mother tongue but I have to say I regret it a little. It was really hard to realize early that this subject needs studying just as any other subject you are going to take. Shortly, this means I may not reach as high grades as I was planning.  Luckily I’ll still have a chance in the spring, but this doesn’t mean I’m going to leave the final preparation entirely this time, I just want to leave some alternatives open.

Written by 
Maiju 3A ja Janette 3B

Graduation 2012

On 2nd June it was time to say goodbye to our 3rd year students.  The day they had been waiting for so much was unusually rainy and stormy but it did not diminish the joy.  As we say goodbye, we wish you all good luck for your entrance exams and a very great future!  And for the rest of our students and teachers we wish a very happy and relaxing summer holiday!  See you in August!

                   Our guests of honour, the students who graduated from our school 50 years ago.

                                                                       The school choir.

                                                       The white caps still waiting.

                                                           The principal's speech.

                                                       The moment of graduation.

                                                  The graduation speech by Emma V.

                                            
                                                            The whole group together.

Greetings from Kaunas

One of our special courses in FES is a geography course no. 15 in which we deal with travelling. The course also includes a trip to somewhere nearby, this time to Kaunas, Lithuania. I think it was a good choice because no one had been there before (expect for the teacher and her husband), and it was an amazingly cheap place to visit! At least I was quite excited already before the trip because of the shoes I was going to buy there… 

 So, now I’m going to tell you via pictures about what we saw and experienced in Kaunas. But first I would like to tell you about our experiences and feelings when arriving to Kaunas. Well, after surviving the flight by Ryanair we stumbled upon the language barrier and also the angry behaviour of some Lithuanians. After this I noticed that we Finns are actually really friendly in spite of our different fame. 

The sights we visited: some monuments, the Ninth gate (a former concentration camp), the Devil museum (the only one in the world!), the zoological museum, Resurrection and another church and two shopping malls, Akropolis and Mega (Mega only briefly). 

  

             Kaunas city, the main shopping street called “Laisves aleja” and our hotel called “Kaunas city hotel”. 

  

                                     The longest (1,6km) pedestrian street in Eastern Europe!

 

                               The old town of Kaunas reminded me quite a lot of that in Tallinn. 

 

        There was a huge, about a 10-meter-high aquarium at the Mega shopping mall! You could also see  

                                                       little sharks there, it was quite amazing!

 .                “Our hotel room”, we were joking. But in reality, it was so shocking to see how cruel people 

               have been to each other –and still are. This was in the Ninth gate (a former concentration camp).

       And when the evening came, we were playing young and wild souls in the streets of the Kaunas city! Unfortunately we couldn’t ease our “homesickness” by watching the World Championship ice hockey, because they didn’t let the interested ones watch it in the restaurants.. It seemed the Lithuanians preferred watching fashion shows or Elvis…  and on the other hand, aren’t the pubs usually the places where you watch sports?

                                 Views from the bridge of love in Kaunas in the evening. Gorgeous!

               We were entertained by  young street dancers in the streets of Kaunas! This little boy in the picture  

                                                 wanted to join the dance, too ;)

                                 There we were, on the roof of the Resurrection church, at the vantage point! 

                                        …and saw the best and the largest views of the whole of Kaunas. 

      We also met a sweet old Russian man who had been in Siberia for a really long time, about 40 years! He just kept talking to us even though we could only understand a few words in Russian. He also showed us his great skis made of bear or some other animal skin. And absolutely wanted a picture of him with his great skis! 

                                          The best students, as our guide said in the very beginning!:)

Great and large shopping malls, small and sweet boutiques, delicious ice cream, lots of amber and shoes, and even more beautiful views and new tastes and experiences! Emphasis on the word “ice cream”.

So, overall we had a really successful trip in Kaunas, the mood was great and at least I had really fun and an exciting time! And this is the saldo of the 4 days: cheeks aching from smiling, feet aching from walking, lighter wallets but heavier baggage and memory full of unforgettable memories (and shoes and ice cream…)! 

…but finally Finland with its thousands of lakes was calling us again. But, I really would like to get back to Kaunas, who will come with me? 

Written by Janette Välimäki, 2B