Fulbright Finland Thanksgiving Events 2024

On this page

• Upcoming deadlines
• Signing Up
• Family participation
• Program
  • Thursday
  • Friday
  • Itinerary for the event 
• Travel plans
• Accommodation
• Travel reimbursements

Upcoming deadlines:

• November 24 - write down what food you will bring to the Potluck dinner
• December 15 - send your travel tickets for reimbursement

Signing up

This event is completely optional for you to attend. 

Check the program and the instructions for accommodation and travel through carefully and remember to sign up by November 5. Activities and accommodation cannot be guaranteed if you don't sign up by the deadline.

You can choose to sign up for either some or for all of the events. One night is covered for those of you who will come from outside of the Helsinki metropolitan area, and who will attend at least the potluck dinner on Thursday evening.

Please note that the visits to the Fazer Visitor Center and Parliament House can only accommodate a limited amount of people. Therefore, it is imperative that everyone who is coming is registered – and that everyone who is registered will be attending.

The registration will be on first come, first served basis.

Family Participation

This is a family friendly event. Please note that the visits to the Fazer Experience Visitor Center and Parliament House are primarily for the grantees due to the limited space. If there are family members interested in participating and room available, family members can join in the order of registration. 

Unfortunately children cannot accompany their parents for the lunch and tour at the Parliament House - we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Check out also instructions regarding age limits for floorball.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Maija at [email protected].

Program

1. Visit to Fazer Experience Visitor Center

Limited space - primarily for Fulbright grantees.

Are you ready to taste all the Fazer chocolates? During the visit we'll get to know the history of Fazer and how their world famous chocolate is made. 

You are responsible for getting to the Fazer Visit Center and paying your travel (bus, metro etc.) ticket. You can find your own way to the Fazer through the HSL Journey Planner, or you can come with the Foundation staff from Hakaniemi, which is what we recommend the most if you are unsure about your navigation skills with Helsinki public transit.

The Foundation staff will be taking a bus 717 from Hakaniemi at 11:40. More detailed information on how to find your way to Fazer will be in the itinerary. 

2. Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner Hosted by the Wilson Family

See the invitation to the potluck dinner

After the Fazer visit, everyone is invited to the Wilson family's residence for the Thanksgiving potluck dinner. All who join are expected to bring something for the dinner. 

This will be an informal and fun get-together for Fulbrighters and their families, enjoying the late afternoon by eating and chatting.

Please read through the potluck dinner invitation and remember to sign-up for a dish by writing in this Excel Sheet what you will bring to the potluck by November 24. 

3. Discussion about Job Search in Finland

In the session, you will learn from previous Fulbright U.S. Students to Finland about their experiences on navigating the Finnish job markets as an international student. The alumni will shed light on the Finnish labor markets from a U.S. applicants’ point of view and explain how they had landed a job in Finland. 

You will receive tips from the alumni for looking for a summer job, internship placement or employment in Finland. Please arrive to the session with a few questions in mind that you would like to ask from the alumni to help you in your future job search.

Coffee and refreshments will be available.

4. Parliament House Visit (Primarily for Fulbright grantees)

Please know that the following information is subject to change. Dress code for the Parliament visit is business.

Due to the limited space available to us, this visit is primarily for Fulbrighters (and unfortunately children cannot accompany their parents for this event - we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause). If space allows, adult family members may be able to attend.

11:20 Arriving at the Parliament
11:30 Meeting with the visit hosts, going through the security check
11:45 Lunch hosted by Members of the Parliament. 

• Hosts
  • Mikko Savola (Centre Party)
  • Mats Löfström (Swedish Parliamentary Group)

13:00 Tour of the Parliament House
14:00 Departure from the Parliament

As you can see from the program above, this is a very special opportunity and we are being treated as distinguished guests at the Parliament. Considering the exceptional nature of this event, we ask that you will take the opportunity to thank our hosts appropriately during the visit.

As mentioned previously, we will be going through a security check as we enter the building, so please bring a photo ID with you -- passports are preferable. Also note that big bags and/or luggage cannot be brought along with you due to the security check demands.

Those of you who will play sähly after the Parliament House visit: please leave your sport gear at hotel's luggage storage, or bring them to the Fulbright Finland office either on Thursday before or after the Fazer visit or on Friday morning before the Parliament visit. 

Please let Maija ([email protected]) know if you're planning to bring anything to the office. You will have time between the Parliament House visit and sähly to pick up your things from the hotel or the Fulbright Finland office.

5. Floorball

What is this "sähly"?

We have reserved a floorball court for us to practice and play upon. They will have the sticks at the hall, so unless you have your own floorball stick, you don't have to worry about bringing one along. But please do bring your athletic clothes (e.g. shorts and t-shirt) and indoor sport shoes! If you don't have indoor shoes, you need to wash your outdoor shoes so that the soles are clean.

We have the court until 16:00, after which you can shower at the hall.

We hope that many of you try this very Finnish game; it's a big part of our Finnish sport culture!

The Arena Center hall is located in Hakaniemi, between the Hakaniemi Market Square and the Fulbright Finland office (see map)

PLEASE NOTE that small kids can’t participate in the game! The pace of the game is very fast, so having small children on the court during the game would be dangerous. 

Everyone who plays has to sign a liability waiver (if you haven't done so already during the orientation in August) expressing that the Fulbright Finland Foundation and its staff are not responsible for any damage or injury that may occur to the participants during the game.

(Note: The Arena Center is also home to the Leikkiluola, a popular indoor playground that offers fun activities for kids of all ages. Find out more about the activities and costs at: http://en.leikkiluola.fi/)

Travel Plans

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your travel plans, please contact Maija and/or Heidi.

If you are planning on joining the visit to Fazer Visitor Center please plan to arrive to Helsinki by 11:00!

If you are located outside of the capital region, the Fulbright Finland Foundation will reimburse your bus/train travel expenses and will book and cover one hotel night for you (the overnight of November 28-29 at the Hotel in Helsinki), as long as you participate in the potluck dinner on Thursday evening. You are responsible for paying your public transportation tickets within the capital region.

For booking bus tickets, please use only Onnibus or Matkahuolto and for trains, use only VR. 

The to-and-from Helsinki travel expenses for family members must be covered by the grantees. Students, please remember to use your student ID cards for your travel discounts. A maximum travel reimbursement will be 150 € per grantee. 

Unfortunately we cannot reimburse any costs which may occur from changing your tickets, purchasing cancellation insurance, or buying extra services e.g. the seat next to you or a cabin.

Accommodation (Scandic Hotel Hakaniemi - it's a different Scandic to where you stayed during the Orientation)

• Remember to take your passport with you

Fulbright Scholar Program grantees: you will be accommodated in one person rooms. If you have family members accompanying you, please note that only one room per family will be covered (rooms take max. 4 people). If additional rooms are needed, they will be at your own expense.

Fulbright Student Program grantees: you will be accommodated in two person rooms, shared with another student Fulbrighter. If you want to have a single room, or if additional rooms are needed (for family members), the extra costs will be at your own expense. If you agreed with another student to share a room, please let us know the person's name in the registration form. 

If you wish to stay additional nights at your own expense, feel free to contact the hotel directly at [email protected]. 

We recommend doing this after November 7, after the name list has been sent to the hotel. You can mention that you're in the Fulbright Finland Foundation group reservation, and would like to be accommodated in the same room as on November 28-29.

Since these events are voluntary, we are unfortunately unable to cover any other accommodation expenses. 

Please check with your Fulbright Fellows in the capital area to see if they can accommodate you. If you yourself are based in the Helsinki region and can accommodate a Fulbrighter or two, please do let us know!

Travel Reimbursements

If you wish to be reimbursed for your journeys to and from Helsinki for the events, please submit your original and/or electronic tickets to us by using this SurveyMonkey by Sunday December 15, 2024 at the latest. 

Please note that regardless of the date of the final payment you are required to send your travel tickets and receipts by the deadline after each event. 

This is because Fulbright Finland Foundation needs the receipts in order to close the accounting for each of the events. 

Please know that we unfortunately cannot reimburse any costs which may occur from changing your tickets, booking a ticket in the extra class, for a seat above the restaurant cart, or any other extra expenses.

As we cannot cover public transportation in the Capital Region, we recommend you purchase an HSL day ticket for 1 or 2 days for the zones AB. A day ticket is valid for 24 hours from the first use.

If you have any questions about accommodation or travel, please contact Heidi Tiainen at [email protected]!