Realistic cost of living in Tampere for exchange student

[mrshourula]

Thank good i never had to exhange large sums of money


Is your doughter still stunned about cultural clash? Cried about rude finns
Well in student apartments its more free so maybe she got shoft landing

I and my friend got cultural clash when we visited Tallinn, we pondered if they sent ugly and poor people to siberia

She did get a little soft landing because I paid for a hotel room with breakfast for her first night in Tampere. She spent the first few nights suffering from jet lag and was up all night and sleeping all day (or not sleeping at all). Finally, she has got her days and nights sorted out and is starting to explore Tampere. She found a market near her building and bought an odd assortment of food on the first trip (orange juice, raisins from California, and rye crackers) and sliced turkey and cheese on the second trip. I think she is really looking forward to being able to eat at the university restaurants (much cheaper and don't have to think where to eat). She does have a kitchen on her floor but she said it is really gross and dirty so she may never use it!

She has a really nice tutor who helped her open a bank account (and for which she got a very good deal of no fees because she is also Finnish citizen between age of 18-29 ) and buy some things she needed for her room (there was a big sale where she shopped (not Stockmann's but another department store) and the sales clerk was exceptionally nice and helpful.

On Friday, she met three German girls here for the semester who live in her building. They are very organized and interested in seeing every possible sight in Tampere and daughter is tagging along with them. On Saturday they went to the theme park and Sunday to the Lenin-Museo and lunch at someplace called Rax's Pizza Buffet. They enjoyed the museum but the restaurant got of a review of

Monday is beginning of week-long orientation. Fortunately for my daughter, the Germans have already figured out the system so I think it will go well

No one has been rude and have been very kind about speaking English with her. She thinks Tampere is very beautiful and clean and is enjoying being surrounded by people speaking Finnish.

So things are good now. According to the handbook she got from her study abroad advisor, the excitement of being in a new place will be replaced with unhappiness that things are not like at home but eventually she will arrive at an equilibrium of this isn't home but it is good. Having tutors who help with acclimating to Finnish culture is a wonderful thing.

Hard to believe she has only been gone one week; it feels like forever

[onkko]

Rax pizza no wonder she didnt like it, youll go there if you want eat half day and burb bubbles of grease
Its eat all you can place whit greasy pizza.

And kitchen is probably for common use, shouldnt be problem if its for girls only. Just clean up.
And if there is only few boys girls can get them on order whit bit yelling
If kitchen is really unfixable then call to owner of apartment and whine.

Good everything is started fine

[onkko]

More, there is few recipes http://www.nicehouse.fi/keittio/resepti ... 04.htm#paa for cheap food, its in finnish but good training
There is no school food in weekends/holidays so really sort out that kitchen problem.

Jauhelihaa ja perunoita

Lidlista mahdollisimman iso (ja täten mahdollisimman halpa) pakkaus
jauhelihaa. Suoraan omasta pellosta perunoita syöjien määrän mukaan. Keitä perunat ja paista jauheliha. Syö. Halpaa ja hyvää. Salaatiksi kurkkua. Mausteeksi ketsuppia. Jos jostain lähiraflastasi voi ottaa pusseittain mukaan, niin hyödynnä se.

Minced meat and potatoes.
From Lidl as large as possible (and most cheap/kg) pack of minced meat.
Potatoes directly from your own fiel (i had that but potatoes are cheap) according to how many is eating.
Boil potatoes and roast minced meat. Eat. Cheap and good. For salad some pickles and for spice some ketchup (if your local restaurant haves ketchup in bags use it)

just like my food

If she needs some kitchen stuff i think "kierrätyskeskus" or something have 2nd hand stuff cheaply.

[mrshourula]

More, there is few recipes http://www.nicehouse.fi/keittio/resepti ... 04.htm#paa for cheap food, its in finnish but good training
There is no school food in weekends/holidays so really sort out that kitchen problem.

I imagine if she gets hungry enough (or runs out of her monthly allowance) she will find the kitchen to be acceptable

Minced meat and potatoes.
From Lidl as large as possible (and most cheap/kg) pack of minced meat.
Potatoes directly from your own fiel (i had that but potatoes are cheap) according to how many is eating.
Boil potatoes and roast minced meat. Eat. Cheap and good. For salad some pickles and for spice some ketchup (if your local restaurant haves ketchup in bags use it)

just like my food

Do you make some kind of sauce for the meat? It sounds a little dry. And in those recipes you linked, what is "a pigs-head of a cattle?"

This is the school menu for the coming week. From some of the descriptions I think they are using your linked recipes

Monday
Chicken escalope (L,M,Vs)
Pineapple and curry sauce (VL,G,Vs)
Potato (L,G,M,K,Ve)

Finnish potato hash and fried egg (VL,L,G,M,Vs)

Aloo Gobi vegetable casserole
Brown rice (L,G,M,K,Ve)
----------------
Tuesday
Chili frankfurters (L,G )
Mustard relish sauce
Creamed potatoes (VL,G,K)

Salmon in unripened cheese sauce (VL,G,Vs)
Potato (L,G,M,K,Ve)

Vegetable patties (VL,K)
Tartar sauce (VL,G,Vs)
Rice (L,G,M,K,Ve)
----------------
Wednesday
Turkey steaks (L,G,M)
Cheese sauce with mango (VL,G)
Potato (L,G,M,K,Ve)

Metwurst sauce (L,G,M,Vs)
Rye pasta (L,M,K)

Vegetable bologna sauce
Rye pasta (L,M,K)
----------------
Thursday
Ground meat patty (L)
Wild mushroom stew (VL,G,K,Vs)
Potato (L,G,M,K,Ve)

Pea soup with meat (L,G,M,Vs)
Crepes and jam (L)

Gratinated carrot and broccoli
----------------
Friday
Baked salmon (L,G,M)
Sour cream and dill sauce (VL,G)
Potato puree (G,K)

Game meatballs (L,G)
Dark rosemary sauce (L,G)
Potato (L,G,M,K,Ve)

Cajun vegetables
Basmati rice (L,G,M)
-------------------------------------------------
Special diets
L=Lactose - free
VL=Low - lactose
M=Milk - free
G=Gluten - free
K=Vegetable
Ve=Vegan
Vs=With garlic
Light
Hot

[rinso]

lunch at someplace called Rax's Pizza Buffet. .... the restaurant got of a review of

Again something everybody knows, but nobody tells.

[mrshourula]

lunch at someplace called Rax's Pizza Buffet. .... the restaurant got of a review of

Again something everybody knows, but nobody tells.

Life lesson: never, ever eat at a pizza buffet

[Rosamunda]

This is the school menu for the coming week.

Well Thursday and Friday sound OK to me.
The pineapple thing is weird.... tinned pineapple finds it's way into everything up here (pizza, green salad etc etc). Apparently this is some kind of a war legacy. Finns who had settled in the USA sent food packages home in the 1940s and tinned pineapple became the Wow! factor in every Finnish dish.

Thursday is a staple.... it is ALWAYS pea soup and pancakes.

[Rosamunda]

double post

[sinikala]

She did get a little soft landing because I paid for a hotel room with breakfast for her first night in Tampere.
Snip... a large amount of detail.
Hard to believe she has only been gone one week; it feels like forever

I'm sure you only want to vent, but does your daughter know you are discussing pretty much her every waking move on a public message board?

Perhaps she reads it too? Maybe she's over the moon. I can only say that if my folks posted loads of things I told them on an internet message board, I'd be a bit peeved.

[onkko]

She did get a little soft landing because I paid for a hotel room with breakfast for her first night in Tampere.
Snip... a large amount of detail.
Hard to believe she has only been gone one week; it feels like forever

I'm sure you only want to vent, but does your daughter know you are discussing pretty much her every waking move on a public message board?

Perhaps she reads it too? Maybe she's over the moon. I can only say that if my folks posted loads of things I told them on an internet message board, I'd be a bit peeved.

Do you understand her doughter is unknown, no one knows who she is or what she looks like. I may bump on her in city and dont know.
What bad is to tell happening of "transfer student" in public board, nameless and faceless. Those are just happenings what can happen to everyone.
To me this is just interesting and i cant imagine how it could be offending.

[onkko]

Do you make some kind of sauce for the meat? It sounds a little dry. And in those recipes you linked, what is "a pigs-head of a cattle?"

Seems something lost in translation again, i think minced meat is one like this.
And i picked up word "roast" because it was first to come mind, i dont know what "ruskistaa"(to make brown) is in english but if you "ruskistat" minced meat there is lot of meat juice and you can add water+flour to make more of it.
Well you can basically add everything in it, i like onion in it

and i didnt with fast look find "a pigs-head of a cattle" so can you say what its in finnish

[Upphew]

Do you understand her doughter is unknown, no one knows who she is or what she looks like. I may bump on her in city and dont know.
What bad is to tell happening of "transfer student" in public board, nameless and faceless. Those are just happenings what can happen to everyone.
To me this is just interesting and i cant imagine how it could be offending.

Maybe she would like to stay unknown? I stopped telling about anything to my parents when they started (or I noticed that) to tell "everything" I do to friends and relatives. And don't underestimate skillz of cyberstalkers. This is interesting but I can see how someone could feel it also offending. And now I feel like a dirty stalker myself. :/

[Pursuivant]

Do you understand her doughter is unknown, no one knows who she is or what she looks like.

well, lets say she is easy to find after all we can put the bloodhounds on her scent just knowing the hair products...

[Tiwaz]

And let's put it this way, she might hear (from mommy dearest) good advice on stuff to do. Like, never go to Golden Rax or Pizza Buffet unless you are feeling like getting some filler to your blood vessels.

Another to avoid, in my opinion, is Kotipizza. Non-chain pizza places are generally better IMO, but they take some testing and experimentation.
I heard rumor that decent pizza is nonexistent in Hervanta and best ones (or closest decent) are in Hallila.

If one were to desire hamburgers, for example, I would point out to either New York on Hämeenkatu or American Diner in Finlayson.

Personally I have preferred products of those two above most alternatives. Though Diner is so tasteless it gives me slight heartburn.

WokWok is nice as it comes to fastfood. Pick what you want and pay accordingly.


Oh yes, and smell of chlorine leaves water if you let it be for a few seconds. Because of this, we tend to prefer to keep our water in fridge. Keeps it cold and removes the aroma.

[Pursuivant]

Non-chain pizza places are generally better IMO, but they take some testing and experimentation.

the thumb rule is - if the pizza is good, don't experiment on other stuff on the menu... if the other stuff is good, don't order pizza...

other places to avoid is the "Rosso" chain IMNSHO...