sunnuntai 23. syyskuuta 2012
Karaoke
I went to a karaoke bar last night. It was a lot like in Finland except that people were less drunk. I witnessed a live proposal on stage during a very cheesy Portuguese song, a guy who sang "the bad touch" by Bloodhound gang and had background dancers with choreography and I also realized that looking at the lyrics would be a great way to learn the language. Maybe I just found myself a new hobby.
lauantai 22. syyskuuta 2012
Friday
You would think that a sudent would go out and party on a Friday night. No. After 12 hours of lectures, of which the 3 last ones were statistics, you're kind of braindead and you just want to lay down and watch the roof.
Special case 2
"Now we are going to have the best 10 minutes if the class: a break. But not Portuguese 10 minutes, not Brazilian 10 minutes, but FINNISH 10 minutes (pointing at me). So please check your watches and come back in exactly 10 min."
torstai 20. syyskuuta 2012
Special case
Sometimes the professors get a bit excited when there is a foreigner in the class. This is how my life is these days:
"It's a bit hot in the classroom. It's like a Finnish sauna, hehehhehehehehhe. BTW, we have a Finnish student here." (the professor is pointing at me)
"Sometimes in Portugal it gets very hot, imagine working inside a factory on a hot day like this. Maybe it's better in Finland, where it's so cold, hehheheheheheheh."
"You're engineers, you need to know statistics! How many courses of statistics do you have in this master's? And in that one? And in Finland?"
"You need to answer in English so your colleague from Finland will also understand."
And there was another joke that I cannot remember now. All this today in a 1,5h lecture. Plus countless of sentences starting with "I don't know how it is in Finland, but in Portugal we...."
It will be kind of obvious if "Emiiiilia" ever decided to skip a class form this course.
"It's a bit hot in the classroom. It's like a Finnish sauna, hehehhehehehehhe. BTW, we have a Finnish student here." (the professor is pointing at me)
"Sometimes in Portugal it gets very hot, imagine working inside a factory on a hot day like this. Maybe it's better in Finland, where it's so cold, hehheheheheheheh."
"You're engineers, you need to know statistics! How many courses of statistics do you have in this master's? And in that one? And in Finland?"
"You need to answer in English so your colleague from Finland will also understand."
And there was another joke that I cannot remember now. All this today in a 1,5h lecture. Plus countless of sentences starting with "I don't know how it is in Finland, but in Portugal we...."
It will be kind of obvious if "Emiiiilia" ever decided to skip a class form this course.
keskiviikko 19. syyskuuta 2012
Saturday
There were these big demonstrations all ove Portugal on Saturday. Apparently the biggest one since 1974 (yeah, I still need to do my homework about the dictatorship) Anyway, the demonstration was big in Porto as well, but very calm and peaceful.
The cuts that the government has been making that directly affects a normal person are becoming ridiculous. Earlier they took away 2 annual holiday days. Then one salary (they used to get 14 salaries a year, a bit like our holiday salary) was taken away. Now they increased the social security payment from 11% to 18%, at the same time increasing the income taxes. That is another loss of at least one month's salary. The price of electricity is so much more than in Finland, VAT increased and things are generally getting more expensive. The unemployment rate has reached a new record. And these are just things that I am aware of. No wonder the people are fed up.
I'm hoping for a revolution.
But actually, people take it calmly. They realize that for years the country has lived in a level that it cannot support, but now it's a really shitty situation when all the savings come at once and it's the regular people who are the target of all the savings. Many friends of mine are actually planning to leave the country as soon as they graduate, or even go do the internship abroad. I'm one of the few who would really like to stay here.
So I was a bit down after going to the demonstration. But then, just some hours after that there was this happening in the centre with 40 bands playing around the city, the streets PACKED with happy people dancing in the streets.
Gotta love this country.
The cuts that the government has been making that directly affects a normal person are becoming ridiculous. Earlier they took away 2 annual holiday days. Then one salary (they used to get 14 salaries a year, a bit like our holiday salary) was taken away. Now they increased the social security payment from 11% to 18%, at the same time increasing the income taxes. That is another loss of at least one month's salary. The price of electricity is so much more than in Finland, VAT increased and things are generally getting more expensive. The unemployment rate has reached a new record. And these are just things that I am aware of. No wonder the people are fed up.
I'm hoping for a revolution.
But actually, people take it calmly. They realize that for years the country has lived in a level that it cannot support, but now it's a really shitty situation when all the savings come at once and it's the regular people who are the target of all the savings. Many friends of mine are actually planning to leave the country as soon as they graduate, or even go do the internship abroad. I'm one of the few who would really like to stay here.
So I was a bit down after going to the demonstration. But then, just some hours after that there was this happening in the centre with 40 bands playing around the city, the streets PACKED with happy people dancing in the streets.
Gotta love this country.
Brazilians
Don't know what's going on but the city is full of Brazilians. And they are ruining my life!
Like in the past two semesters, there is this small "fight" of which classes are in English. The rule is that if there is even one non-Portuguese speaking person, the class should be in English. Anyway, sometimes they forget to tell that to the professors OR the professors think we are all Erasmus students and they just tell us to pick another class. Well, I have to have five courses, so far two of them is in English. And the problem is the following: they accepted a lot of students from Brazil, who came here so they can take classes in Portuguese. At the same time they accepted Erasmus students that need to have the classes in English. When you put 20 Brazilians (some of them do not speak English at all) and 2 Erasmus students, plus 20 Portuguese in a class, what do you think the solution is? Classes that were in English last year are held in Portuguese now.
My feedback letter is going to be EPIC.
Like in the past two semesters, there is this small "fight" of which classes are in English. The rule is that if there is even one non-Portuguese speaking person, the class should be in English. Anyway, sometimes they forget to tell that to the professors OR the professors think we are all Erasmus students and they just tell us to pick another class. Well, I have to have five courses, so far two of them is in English. And the problem is the following: they accepted a lot of students from Brazil, who came here so they can take classes in Portuguese. At the same time they accepted Erasmus students that need to have the classes in English. When you put 20 Brazilians (some of them do not speak English at all) and 2 Erasmus students, plus 20 Portuguese in a class, what do you think the solution is? Classes that were in English last year are held in Portuguese now.
My feedback letter is going to be EPIC.
Roomie
I have a new roommate from Brazil. She likes to listen to Brazilian music and sing along. I like to keep my door closed.
Back to school
Me and my cool Fjällräven backpack are back to school. Luckily nobody knows how mainstream that bag is in Finland so I can pretend to be cool. Today I was walking around carrying a big book trying to look like a serious student. Actually, the book was too big for my backpack. Coolness before practicality.
maanantai 10. syyskuuta 2012
Language issues
I went to the grocery store. I always like to pay with card cause I hate coins. I packed my stuff and tried to pay with my card, but the clerk was pointing at this paper in the counter. I didn't bother reading it, I thought she was asking if I had a loyal customer card or something so I just said "não, não, não" (beautifully pronounced, of course). The woman just gave me a bored look and probably said something like "yes, yes, yes" and then I actually had to read the paper and it said that I couldn't pay with card if the value was less than 20€. Stupid new rules. And now I'm searching for language courses.
Urban market
Yesterday I went to a cute designer market in a small park and found earrings made out of old buttons and this:
A cupcake and a glass of lemonade for 1,5€. That felt good after the Finnish prices. After that I went for a beer. I was going to this place once before, but then there were just these two freaks sitting in the terrace and the other one was probably just released from the hospital, because he (or she, I'm not too sure about it) had a bandage all over his head. So I sat down, was enjoying my drink and after 3 minutes I noticed this weird guy sitting on a chair, bleeding in his head and then the emergency crew got there, put a bandage on his head and took him to the hospital. I'm scared to go there again, maybe it's me the next time.
A cupcake and a glass of lemonade for 1,5€. That felt good after the Finnish prices. After that I went for a beer. I was going to this place once before, but then there were just these two freaks sitting in the terrace and the other one was probably just released from the hospital, because he (or she, I'm not too sure about it) had a bandage all over his head. So I sat down, was enjoying my drink and after 3 minutes I noticed this weird guy sitting on a chair, bleeding in his head and then the emergency crew got there, put a bandage on his head and took him to the hospital. I'm scared to go there again, maybe it's me the next time.
Passport and a toothbrush
...and a 20kg backpack + 2 bags for hand luggage and I'm BACK! I envy people who know how to pack light, I always seem to carry a lot of stuff with me. 7 hours in the train, then metro, then bus, then plane and finally taxi. But here I am.
I bought this amazing passport cover from Marimekko factory store, and I just had to show it to the first person in the check-in counter and she said "that is a beautiful passport cover". I know.
Then in Porto I met the only english speaking taxi driver, who was actually a civil engineer so that really got my hopes high for finding an internship or a job here.
I bought this amazing passport cover from Marimekko factory store, and I just had to show it to the first person in the check-in counter and she said "that is a beautiful passport cover". I know.
Then in Porto I met the only english speaking taxi driver, who was actually a civil engineer so that really got my hopes high for finding an internship or a job here.
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