On Monday morning the big conference room at AYY’s office was buzzing with anticipation: our week with a delegation of Tsinghua University was finally about to begin! AYY’s board, general secretary and some members of previous boards along with Eero Eloranta from Aalto University had gathered to welcome the delegation. Mr Eloranta started the day by introducing the guests to our university. The main point in his presentation was innovation and entrepreneurship, which are hot topics also in China. Country’s premier Li Keqiang stated in January that the power of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” will ensure that China’s economy won’t suffer a hard landing.
General Secretary of AYY presenting our student union.
After some introductions from both universities and AYY we were joined by SYL’s board members for lunch. Their presentation, followed with a meeting with some representatives from political parties (The Finns Party, SDP and Green League), the delegation had the possibility to see how our political system works and how students, for example, can make a difference in Finland.
A closer look to student life was next on our schedule, when Polytechnical Students’ Museum opened its door to the group. One of the most memorable moments of the day was the pure joy our guests expressed after finding ripe raspberries, wild strawberries and blueberries on a path right behind the museum.
Chairman of AYY’s board Niko Ferm cooking at Rantasauna.
At the end of the day we all gathered to sauna with some of AYY’s volunteers and Chinese students to enjoy some barbeque and sauna. Matti Hämäläinen from Aalto Tongji Design Factory shared some of his experiences and thoughts about Chinese culture, which lead to some interesting conversations. The conversations continued well into the night while we introduced our guests to the miracles of sauna and swimming, a perfect way to relax before an early wakeup on Tuesday morning.
– Rosa & Joonas