Aftermath...

Yesterday, I "enjoyed" the aftermath of Tursajeiset. So, after shaking off the hangover, today I get to write about Thursday's initiation party.

Tusajeiset is what they call it here. There were premonitions of it Thursday morning when we left the lab and asked the people there at what time we had to come in the next day, and they said: "Oh, no, today is the Initiation Party, so enjoy yourselves!" That was a subtle hint that everyone would be too drunk to come to university the next day.

At four o'clock we gathered at an amphitheatre. We got split up into about 8 groups, with about 12 people in every group. These were most of the first year students. I noticed many of them had backpacks, and after sitting down, they started taking alcoholic drinks out of them, mostly beer and vodka. It was very strange, when the organisers said that the student insurance isn't valid throughout the day. So, then it got me thinking... what's going to happen? I was very excited, as can be seen in the photo.

In the end, it was a very long station game that took us all throughout the city and ended at the Onnala, the biggest club in Valkeakoski, where we had the after-party. However, at the stations and during the walks between the stations, our student tutors kept saying: "Drink! Drink!" Indeed! The whole Initiation Party was about drinking! (I like the way these Finns think)

So, from the start of the Tursajeiset until the end of it, I drank the following:
- liquorice schnapps
- beer
- vodka
- pear cidar
- some kind of cocktail, I don't remember the name, since I didn't order it
- initiation party special (another cocktail, don't know what it contained)
- tuica (yep, one of the Romanian guys had a stash of it)
- bacardi breezer
- vodka-battery (vodka + energy drink)
- lonkero

The club was amazing. It had two halls (both had bars). The larger one had a dance floor, and played all sorts of dance music (house and whatnot). The smaller one had a lot of chairs and tables and played rock music. Smoking was only permitted in the smaller hall, so it wouldn't bother you if you wanted to dance. I loved the place. Here is me in front of the club, out for some fresh air (I already had some alcohol in me by that time):

Before that, we also got to have a dip in the lake. It was awesome. The water was a bit colder than the air, so when you got in, it was a bit unpleasant, but when you got out, it was warm. I thought I would catch a cold because of it, but it was just right. Oh, forgot to tell you, we took a dip the hard way:

Yes, it was one hell of a day! I love Tursajeiset!