Realistic cost of living in Tampere for exchange student

[Jukka Aho]

Only today I reminded her to look both ways before crossing the street because there may be not be laws there requiring cars to stop for pedestrians in cross walks

There’s a law all right, but it’s a bit of a dead letter. Most drivers will not slow down or stop for someone who is just passively standing there by the side of the road and waiting to cross by... unless there are traffic lights forcing them to.

Once you’re actually walking on the zebra stripes, the drivers will stop for you, of course... but you’re still generally expected to wait for a suitable gap in the traffic before stepping on the cross walk... instead of forcing it. Stubbornly “exercising your rights as a pedestrian”, by stepping right in – without making sure that you will actually be noticed by the drivers and without leaving enough reaction time for them when they’re driving towards you at full speed – is not a good strategy in Finland as most drivers just don’t plain expect that from the pedestrians. (That’s the general mindset, anyway... not necessarily what the law says, but the unwritten rule which people live by.)

[Pursuivant]

Only today I reminded her to look both ways before crossing the street because there may be not be laws there requiring cars to stop for pedestrians in cross walks

yes there is a law... a few laws... drivers *should* give way to pedestrians on a zebra with the "intent of crossing" - not just walking on the sidewalk and having the thought... if theres a car stopped at pedestrian crossing the other lanes must stop... actually if you park in front of a pedestrian crossing that gets yiou ticketed (we don't have fire hydrants but the same kind of no-no) as then everyone needs to stop to check theres nobody coming.. but theres a lot of accidents because people don't much always pay attention...

Finnish laws: http://www.finlex.fi => http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/

[Pursuivant]

[quote="but you’re still generally expected to wait for a suitable gap in the traffic before stepping on the cross walk... instead of forcing it. Stubbornly “exercising your rights as a pedestrian”, by stepping right in – without making sure that you will actually be noticed by the drivers and without leaving enough reaction time for them when they’re driving towards you at full speed – is not a good strategy in Finland as most drivers just don’t plain expect that from the pedestrians.

thats Helsinki... in Porvoo the old ladies wait for the car and jump in front of it just out of spite.

[onkko]

Yes as Ahon Jukka and Pursuivant said there is law but atleast i was taught to look left then right and then again left to see if there is car coming. Even if car is wrong walker is one to get hurt.
About raining, its autumn starting so of course there is lot of raining. Soon starts dark part of year, dark cold and wet.
I do like autumn, it brings back memories. Dark gets devil out of me, dark evenings just tell you to do something unproper

[Pursuivant]

and in Helsinki there are trams and there are boulevards. boulevards have leafy trees - leaves on the track is lubricating mush... and then the tram as it is on a "rail" has always a right-of way and with the breaking not as effective... so its really a good idea not to "be right" when arguing few tons of metal...

[sokser]

My recommendation is not to accept the exchange rate that Wells Fargo is offering you and to transfer the money to Finland in USD. I had a similar situation with Bank of America trying to charge me an additional $0.08 per euro. This adds up over the thousands of euros required to live in Finland each year. OP bank in Finland will give great exchange rates for USD , last time I did an transfer from the states I got within $0.02 of the actual rate that the dollar was trading on the foreign exchange that day. Have you bank send the wire in USD and let the Finnish banks convert it. Even FOREX (Finland's commercial foreign exchange shops, www.forex.fi) is willing to take less than half the commission that Wells if offering you. But make sure that your daughter asks her bank what rate they are offering for the amount she is transferring.

[mrshourula]

My recommendation is not to accept the exchange rate that Wells Fargo is offering you and to transfer the money to Finland in USD. I had a similar situation with Bank of America trying to charge me an additional $0.08 per euro. This adds up over the thousands of euros required to live in Finland each year. OP bank in Finland will give great exchange rates for USD , last time I did an transfer from the states I got within $0.02 of the actual rate that the dollar was trading on the foreign exchange that day. Have you bank send the wire in USD and let the Finnish banks convert it. Even !!!SPAM WORD!!! (Finland's commercial foreign exchange shops, http://www.!!!SPAM WORD!!!.fi) is willing to take less than half the commission that Wells if offering you. But make sure that your daughter asks her bank what rate they are offering for the amount she is transferring.

Okay, yes, good information. Thank you. Wells Fargo will charge me a slightly higher transfer fee (may $30) if I send in USD but worth it for better rate. Her bank is Nordea so will tell her to check their rate

[EP]

Now I have to take my words back, sorry. There is an article in today´s newspaper about ATMs. With three exceptions (Tapiola, Aktia, S-Pankki) they DO charge withdrawals. The most common ATM is called Otto, and they charge 1 € + 2 %. And that I didn´t know! And seems like many others don´t know either, it does not read on the machines. Which I think is against the law. Think how carefully grocery stores have to put down their prices, how much per kilo etc.

And now there is a new ATM called Anna, and that is even more expensive.

[sinikettu]

Now I have to take my words back, sorry. There is an article in today´s newspaper about ATMs. With three exceptions (Tapiola, Aktia, S-Pankki) they DO charge withdrawals. The most common ATM is called Otto, and they charge 1 € + 2 %. And that I didn´t know! And seems like many others don´t know either, it does not read on the machines. Which I think is against the law. Think how carefully grocery stores have to put down their prices, how much per kilo etc.

And now there is a new ATM called Anna, and that is even more expensive.

That is not quiet what the Hesa says...
There are some new AT machines which the main banks do not like...They only support Otto
Most banks have decided to charge a hefty fee of customers withdrawing money from their accounts on anything other than an Otto machine.
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Cash+w ... 5238823225
The banks that are behind Automatia, the company which operates the Otto machines, are taking a dim view of the newcomers.
The banks do not charge any fee for the use of the Otto machines by their customers. Nordea and the OP cooperative banks charge customers using other bank machines one euro, in addition to two per cent of the amount of the withdrawal

So the bottom line is if you bank with Nordea or OP, and only use Otto, it will NOT cost you.(Tapiola, Aktia, and S-Bank not yet decided)

[EP]

Ah, you are right. I just read the text in the box, not the title.

[mrshourula]

So the bottom line is if you bank with Nordea or OP, and only use Otto, it will NOT cost you.(Tapiola, Aktia, and S-Bank not yet decided)

Thank you for this information.

[Pursuivant]

yeah there used to be the bank's own ATM's "back in the day"... I remember the "birch leaf" banks when they split from the OP group had ATM's that charged a fee... then the banks sold their ATM's to that Automatia they established and basically the "Otto" machines bacame a monopoly... now they're having the trade ombudsman going over the ATM fees with the new Anna and was it "Nosto" ATM's - as the "Otto" network is owned by the biggest banks and there is an issue over free competition and subsidising and whatnot...

[mrshourula]

I found an article http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20050624b1.asp which gives an overview of currency conversion charges for the some major credit/debit cards. The differences can be astonishing.

[sokser]

The problem with the rates issued is that they are after the bank charges the exchange rate. 3% on top of an exchange rate that charges a couple of percent commission can equal very large sums of money. I've experienced banks that add this extra rate and some that don't. In short, always check your bills, and do the math yourself.

[onkko]

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