1st week of classes=completed

CLASSES

My classes started on Monday (10, Sept) and I don't have any scheduled for tomorrow (14, Sept) so I have officially survived my 1st week of school here at Oulun Yliopisto (the University of Oulu)!

This week I only had three classes: Viking Age, Survival Finnish, and Identification of Plant Species. I am taking seven classes total. The others being Nordic Mythology (which starts next week), Humans and Environment (which starts the week after that), and Saami Culture and Introduction to Finnish History (which start the week of 8, Oct).

Classes here are set up very strangely. As you just read in the above paragraph, they don't all start at the same time. They don't all end at the same time either (e.g. my Viking Age class ends next week but my Plant class goes all semester). 

Not every class is at the same time every week either (e.g. the 1st week of my Humans and Environment class is Tuesday and Thursday from 10:15-11:45 but the 2nd week, it's on Wednesday from 2:15-3:45 and Friday at 9:15-10:45 and the next week is different, and the week after, etc etc.). Some classes don't even meet in the same room every time. 

Yes, it is very strange, but experiencing different ways of doing things is why I'm here so I'm down with it.

My Viking Age teacher is a very stereotypical Finnish metal head. He has long hair, a goatee, wears all black, baggy cargo type pants tucked into his big combat type boots, chains, big bracelets, and a red tie to put the professional touch on it. I like him!

My Survival Finnish teacher is a very stereotypical nice Finnish lady. Long blonde hair, skinny, smiles, pale, and very pretty. I really like that class a lot!

me being a creeper in plant class

My Plant class is a little terrifying.. I just had a plant course last semester, but this guy goes SO fast and it's hard to get all the information down before he changes the power point slide (which we don't have access to). He also pronounces the scientific names differently than how I do so that's a little confusing. And of course he uses the Finnish common names so I have no idea what they mean :P But oh well, I'll get it... Hopefully :S

Each class is different with how you're graded as well. For Viking Age, I do a group presentation and write an essay. That's it. For Survival Finnish, we have homework as well as an exam at the end of the course. My entire grade in my Plant class is based off of how I do on the one exam given at the end of the semester. NERVE WRACKING! O_O

UNI <--what everyone here calls the UNIversity

I haven't really talked about the University itself, so I'll do that now and make this already long post even longer (don't worry, I have pictures!)

Part of the main hallway (which is shown in blue
on the map picture). This is a really busy area.
There's usually always something happening here.

My kummi told me that it was built in the 60's. Makes sense because the whole thing is SO colorful everywhere! Blue, orange, green, red, purple, yellow, you name it! It is also one giant building! Not several separate ones like we have at Missouri State. I'm sure I'll appreciate this when winter comes. There is one main hall that you walk down to go through the entire building. The hallways that branch off of this take you to the different departments where offices and classrooms are located (as shown in the picture on the left).

Throughout the building, there are six restaurants, eight information areas, a bank, a paper shop, various computer labs, random computers along the walls, two libraries, an animal and geological museum, coat racks, and of course all the other typical services universities have (cashier's office, registrar's office, student center, etc).

Inside the Pegasus library. 1st (of 3) floor.

One of the restaurants. The menus and some seating
are in the hall. You go in to get the food and
additional seating.

One of the many coat rack areas available.
When you enter the building you hang your coat up and
then come back to get it when you're ready to go home.

Well I think that's about all I had to say about school. At least for now.. mwahaha >:)

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great day!

<3 Hannah

P.S. I GOT A BIKE! Loooove it! I finally feel like a true resident of Oulu! :D