Studying in Helsinki University

Some people have been asking me about my average schoolday, so here it goes.

About two hours before my school starts, I try to get up. Too often I hit the snooze button so many times that I end up running around the apartment, trying to sip my coffee while I'm making my bed, feeding the cat and eating breakfast myself.

8-10 minutes before my train leaves, I rush out of the door. I walk 0,7 km to the closest train station in Malminkartano, and take the train to Huopalahti (this takes 6 minutes).




(c) Vartti.fi

  In Huopalahti I switch to the bus (normally I have to wait for 5 minutes at the bus stop right below the train station). Bus number 550 takes me to the campus area in 20 minutes.




(c) Pääkaupunkiseudun bussisivut

 

When all goes well, it takes about 45 minutes for me to get to school. When the traffic is jammed or I have to wait for a train or bus longer periods of time (which is the case in the afternoons), it might easily take over an hour for me to get home. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I'm used to travelling to Viikki and back and the time that you can freely use just to relax on the bus is often needed just before and after school.

And now we have got to my school. From the bus stop I walk a half a kilometer to this building (picture below) where we have most of our lectures etc. It's called the EE-building.

Other than lectures we dissect animals (mainly cats and dogs but other domestic animals as well), do laboratory tests and use microscopes.



Doing my independent studying with the microscope. We've gotta draw what we see (plus a lot of stuff we don't see but are supposed to...)




Lung tissue. See all the alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs and the alveoli? Me neither.


When the actual school day ends, the actual studying begins.

After a snack and an episode of Bondi Rescue I open one or a few of the books and study ... until I get hungry, or sleepy, or I really need to get on facebook. Or I realize that I haven't organized my drawer in a while and it aboslutely has to be done at this moment, otherwise studying would be impossible. I'm sure you know what I mean.

So, that's it. Occasionally I try to have a normal life and socialize with people. Just kidding, I do lots of other stuff too besides study - sometimes so much that I find myself freaking out a few days before an exam, wondering if I'll ever manage to pass the test. But I guess that just makes me an average university student. :)

New Year's Resolutions

The days just before and after Christmas always pass by quickly. I was blessed to have my Austrian friend Clemens over for a week and spend the New Year's eve with me and my other friends. I had a great time. On Wednesday I will be going to Helsinki for two days, and then come back to Turku to spend the last weekend here before school starts again.

The change of the year always brings potential changes in people's lifes. New year's resolutions often have something to do with a change of lifestyle. There is something in everyone's life that needs to be changed. By that we admit that none of us is living a perfect life, that all of us struggle and fail at times. Imagining someone entirely perfect is difficult for us, let alone someone who knows everything and always does justice to everyone. But that's exactly who God is - and much more. God has no need for New year's resolutions - He has always been perfect and will always be. He will never change. That's what makes it so marvellous to read of all of His promises in the Bible.

God's love for us is so huge that I don't think any human being could ever understand it entirely. Because of His love He took our sin to the cross, and thus provided us a way to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Once you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and repented of your sins, God sees you as if you had never sinned. As a person who would have no need for new year's resolutions of better lifestyle. It's all His work and a free gift for you, out of grace and love.

"I - yes, I alone - will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again".

- Isaiah 43:25

"I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior. First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God," says the LORD. "From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done."

- Isaiah 43:11-13

Let us all keep the gospel message as our focus this year. May it be our resolution for 2012 ;)