Welcome back, all degree students new and old! To celebrate the beginning of another term in beautiful Finland, Tsemppi has organised a trip to Nuuksio to enjoy majestic pine trees, glittering lakes, and hopefully delicious berries! This year looks to be good for puolukka (lingonberry) and possibly mushrooms so bring a collecting bucket along! We will have a short info-session on how to identify berries and mushrooms that are safe to eat. Here´s the details:

* Sunday the 19th of September
* leaving from the central railway station on the 11:38 train; be sure to be there in good time. We will be back in Helsinki around 8.
* This event is intended for degree students, but if there are any slots left exchange students can also come.
* walking is about 8 km, terrain is not challenging but sometimes muddy. Bring proper gear!
* You can get water in the park, but not food, so bring plenty : ) We will stop at a fireplace too– tsemppi will provide smores!
* If you are interested in plants, birds, mushrooms etc. you can borrow guides from the Viikki science library.
* The trip is cancelled only if it is really raining hard.
* Please all observe proper forest etiquette! You can review this on Luontoon.fi (also in English) and I will tell you about it at the info session.

Up to ten people can come so sign up fast by sending an email to rachel.strickman@helsinki.fi.

REGISTRATION STARTS ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5 AT 10:00AM.

Mails being sent earlier to that time will not be counted!

ANCIS 2010: Annual National Conference on International Students

Tsemppi and the other organizers are pleased to announce the Annual National Conference on International Students (ANCIS) 2010 will take place in Helsinki on October 19 and 20. This year’s theme, Mobility in Higher Education in Finland: Possibilities and Barriers, will bring students, staff and others together to discuss international mobility in the current Finnish context.

More information will soon be posted to the Tsemppi web site and an official invitation will be sent out by mid-September. Until now, mark these dates in your calendars!

The term is about to start, and we at Tsemppi are preparing a nice program for the orientation week for you. We would like to welcome all new and old students to come to our events, have fun, make new friends and learn about living and studying in Helsinki!

You will get to meet us and learn more about Tsemppi during the orientation week, on Friday September 3. But make sure to look out for us handing out flyers before the orientation course meetings, too!

The term will kick of with a Board Games (and Poker) Night on Saturday, September 4, at the New Student House. More information on this event where you can meet and get to know other international students will be available soon, for now, make sure to mark it in your calendars.

Or come and find us during the Opening Carnival on Monday, September 6, we will be present there, distribute sweets, smiles, and information.

On Friday, September 10, we will host “Stories around the Fireplace”, where international students living and working in Helsinki will talk about their experiences and share knowledge, and you will have the opportunity to ask them (and us) all about Helsinki, study life and Finland you always wanted to know but never dared ask.

To conclude the orientation week(s), on Saturday, September 11, we will offer a trip to one of the Finnish National Parks in the vicinity of Helsinki where we will pick berries, enjoy the Finnish nature, and have fun.

There is yet more to come, so be prepared for an awesome orientation week and lots of activities organized by your Tsemppi crew!

The summer is finally here and, like most Finns, we will be away at summer houses, home countries, and/or the beach for most of the next months. This means that there probably won’t be many activities from Tsemppi, but be sure to check the webpage as we plan on organizing some picknicks and hikes throughout the summer.

You can always reach us by posting a comment on the page or writing an e-mail to the mailing list (information on how to register can be found in the New Student section.

To all of you already in Helsinki or arriving in Helsinki to start your studies here we wish you a sunny and wonderful summer and see you in autumn!

As the days get longer and brighter, and it starts to feel like summer
again, it’s time to think about fun outside in the beautiful Finnish
nature.

Luckily for us living in Helsinki, you don’t have to go far to get
away from it all.  A few minutes on the metro and an appetite-building
paddle away are some lovely little islands, complete with fire-pits
perfect for grilling hot-dogs, banana boats, and other camping
delicacies.

Join us on Thursday May 13 for a wonderful day on the water.  No
paddling experience is necessary – I’ll give you a quick tutorial to
get you going, and there will be some other experienced paddlers
around to help you out as well.  If this is your first time in a
little boat, you may want to rent a wet-suit, but that’s strictly
optional.

The price will likely be about 45 euros for your very own kayak, and
lots of food, but it depends slightly on how many people come.  It’s
cheaper if you want to share a tandem kayak or canoe with a friend,
but there are limited numbers available – so let me know right away if
that’s your preference.  Also, if enough people are interested,
there’s a chance to rent a really nice sauna for when we get back.

So don’t miss this chance to get away from it all right in your own
back yard.  Email me if you’re interested and also let me know if
you’d like to rent the sauna afterwards.

Looking forward to a fun day out on the water!

Email to register, and for more information: ami.ganguli@gmail.com