[pp.int.general] Preparations for traveling to Helsinki

[Anton Tamminen]

Now that the weather seems to have stabilized a bit I'll do some 
recommendations on how you should prepare yourself for your journey:

1. Bring warm clothes. This doesn't mean thick skiing apparel but you'll 
want some sort of jacket/coat to protect you from the wind. A scarf and 
a pair of gloves are good to have too. It's usually within 0 to -10 
degrees C. in the daytime and -10 to -15 in the evening/nighttime. It 
sounds worse than it is.

2. Connectivity. If you have one, bring a laptop with a wireless network 
card. Helsinki is swarming with wireless networks. GPRS/3G with a 
foreign telecoms operator might cost you a lot. European mobile phones 
should work well in Finland. If you intend to be making a lot of calls, 
you might want to invest in a pre-paid SIM-card that you can get from 
most local convenience stores (known as kiosks).

3. Health. Unless you have extraordinarily moist/oily skin, you might 
want to consider buying some moisturizing skin lotion for your face. The 
air can be very dry and you don't want your skin to flake off - it 
itches, then hurts. You will not have to worry about any exotic 
illnesses to fend off; the Finnish climate regulates microbes quite 
well. Just keep warm and you shouldn't face any problems. Finns are very 
hygienic on an international scale, so there is no special need for 
mysophobia. In contrast to many countries, Finnish tap water is fresh, 
drinkable and cleaner than bottled water sold in stores.

4. Language. Finnish people, especially those under the age of 40, are 
at least moderately good English speakers. You'll have a hard time 
finding young people who don't speak English. Thus, the phrase "do you 
speak English" is mostly redundant. There is no need for you to learn 
basic Finnish. Some tourists use basic Finnish words as a courtesy.

5. Transportation. Helsinki has quite a good system of public transport. 
Single adult tickets that entitle you to transfer within 90 minutes cost 
2,20EUR. You can also buy day passes that cost around 6 euros that 
entitle you to move around as much as you want. The YTV Journey Planner 
http://aikataulut.ytv.fi/reittiopas/en/ (shorthand reittiopas.fi) will 
make your life easier - nobody around here uses paper schedules anymore.

6. Power. Power plugs and sockets in Finland are of the Schuko standard 
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuko ). The current supplied is 230V / 
50Hz.

7. Culture. Finns represent a somewhat discrete macho culture, which 
means men will generally not be very wordy unless they are drunk. When 
they are drunk, they get loud and unpredictabe, meaning either very 
friendly or sometimes aggressive. Finnish men have a need to prove their 
masculinity at times.
It is not customary to start conversations with strangers for the sake 
of having a conversation, except in a bar. Finns will avoid eye contact 
and often feel awkward if they can't run away from you when they realize 
you have noticed them. This is very apparent in public transport. Keep 
your distance when talking to Finns, otherwise you might appear as 
intimidating. Don't get funny with drunk young males in the streets.

8. Services. Regular stores are open on workdays until 21:00 whereas 
they on saturdays open at around 10:00 and stay open until 18:00. On 
sundays, larger stores are closed but kiosks and small supermarkets 
remain open. Restaurants aren't as stricly regulated, except they have 
to close for nighttime between 02:00 and 04:00 depending on license.
Food is expensive in Finland compared to many other countries. A meal at 
a not-so-fancy restaurant is expected to cost around 12 to 16 euros.


If you have any questions about your journey, or things you'd like me to 
comment on, please ask.

Regards,
Anton Tamminen
International secretary, Member of the Board
Piraattipuolue - The Pirate Party, Finland