The Trouble Link to heading

As I was on the first draft of this entry on the flight to Helsinki, I still have a vague plan on what to do in the following days. It all boils down to several basics.

Where to Sleep Link to heading

Even with a deal from the tenant for subleasing his AYY studio, the term does not start right away, which leads me to spending a week in an Airbnb (which is definitely not cheap).

My flight landed in Helsinki Airport at around 5am. For god’s sake, the SIM card that I bought before arrival did not work (because it only starts working from 9am), and I had to resort to WiFi provided by the airport to find my way.

Fortunately, I had the HSL app ready for use, so reaching the Airbnb wasn’t that much of a problem. Just make sure you know where to find the host and your host knows about your situation.

Note: Get the best ticket for yourself. Single ticket is the most expensive of all options. Even without student discount, you are eligible for day ticket and could save a lot if you take public transport more than once a day.

As things settled down, I received the subleasing agreement from the tenant. It took several back and forth with AYY officials, but the agreement was eventually accepted by the Domo system. (P.S. the Social Security Number column on the agreement is actually asking for your Personal Identity Code, which you should already have from Migri)

Note: To prove that you are a resident in the address listed on the subleasing agreement, you should print it out and bring with you to present to officials whenever needed. It was a Sunday, so I had no access to campus printing services. Turns out the Oodi public library in Central Helsinki is pretty cool, and apart from printing, I also collected a public library card and found something else to my liking.

Take careful note of when and how you should pay the rent and deposit, and be completely open with the tenant if you’re unable to get a Finnish bank account by the payment due date. Don’t forget about signing an electricity contract, as is normally the case.

How to Pay Link to heading

Now, the problem with getting a Finnish bank account is that you need to have your municipality of residence registered by DVV. It sounds perfectly easy, just book an appointment, submit an online form and go to the office. Let’s check, for example, when I’m writing this sentence, it is 2nd Sep.

and you get 19th Sep as your earliest appointment, like wtf. This is essentially saying that you won’t have your bank account, data plan subscription or HSL student discount for more than 2 weeks because of the stupid appointment. But if you are patient enough to refresh the page, you might get lucky.

It also happens that during the orientation week, there is a DVV pop up point on campus.

“Even that one is not early enough”, I thought. Somehow I managed to make an appointment two days before it shows up on campus. On the same day where we were prepared to go to sauna in the afterparty, I had towels and slippers in my backpack, in place of my passport. And I didn’t know it until I was in the DVV office. Fuck me. No luck without passport.

The other day I arrived early on campus. Had all the documents with me. Got myself in a very good position of the queue. Didn’t end well. “Your moving date is in the future. You don’t live there yet.” Gosh it’s never gonna end.

The officer this time made it clear that they will be able to register my municipality of residence on Monday (one day after my moving date), and made an appointment for me at 9am, so I won’t be missing any lecture. Hopefully.

Thank God.

What to Eat Link to heading

Täffä, Kaivopiha, Kvarkki, A-Bloc, Subway, Lidl

Orientation Week Link to heading

OtaFest marks the end of the orientation week.