Once again I am a bit late on my postings but these last few weeks have been filled with final exams and final papers so I completely forgot about writing last week's post. I want to use this post to talk about Jyväskylä as a city. Jyväskylä is like Knoxville as it is a college town with roughly the same overall population. The university is located right next to the city center so it is super easy to go downtown from campus. The main ways to get around the city are by bike, bus, car, or walking. I decided to walk every day and bought a bus pass that did come in handy when I was feeling lazy. When studying in Jyväskylä I had 2 options for living arrangements...either Kortepohja or a KOAS building. Kortepohja is also called the student village so I applied to live there. The village is about a 30-minute walk to campus and a 40-minute walk to the city center. KOAS buildings are scattered all across the city and if you pick to like in KOAS you will not know where in the city your building is until arrival. I knew many students that lived on the opposite side of town and it was a much longer journey for them to get to school even by bike. Kortepohja has some super nice buildings and some not so nice buildings...which I lived in. I live in the MNOP block also called DDR (a reference to East Germany during the cold war). The nickname is appropriate as the buildings have not been updated since the 70's, with very small rooms, and old appliances. I share the dorm with a roommate but we each have our own separate rooms which is nice. Kortepohja also has a student restaurant right in the middle of the village that is open 7 days a week and a meal is only 2.60 euros. I am glad I chose kortepohja though.
Within the city there is a lot to do and if you have a bike it is easier to access other places outside the city center. Downtown consists of 2 malls, many shops, and a wide variety of restaurants. Every place I went to had great food the only issue is that Finland is a very expensive country so meal prices tend to be high but lunch discounts are usually fair. There are also many bars and clubs downtown which are always packed with students. There is also a bus station in Jyväskylä so it is very easy to travel within Finland for a relatively low price which was always fun. Jyväskylä is a fun city but you have to look for things to do other than partying. Overall, I've enjoyed my stay here. I have gotten to travel to many countries and I met so many amazing new friends. While there are some downsides to living in Finland and Jyväskylä I am glad that my exchange took place there.
Within the city there is a lot to do and if you have a bike it is easier to access other places outside the city center. Downtown consists of 2 malls, many shops, and a wide variety of restaurants. Every place I went to had great food the only issue is that Finland is a very expensive country so meal prices tend to be high but lunch discounts are usually fair. There are also many bars and clubs downtown which are always packed with students. There is also a bus station in Jyväskylä so it is very easy to travel within Finland for a relatively low price which was always fun. Jyväskylä is a fun city but you have to look for things to do other than partying. Overall, I've enjoyed my stay here. I have gotten to travel to many countries and I met so many amazing new friends. While there are some downsides to living in Finland and Jyväskylä I am glad that my exchange took place there.