http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/Sami's Page - Lietuva2017-05-03T09:40:36+00:00Random things of a random worldSami KuhmonenBlogEngine.Net Syndication Generatorhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/opml.axdSami KuhmonenRandom things of a random worlden-GBSami's Page0.0000000.000000http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2017/05/03/the-curious-case-of-an-expat-companyThe Curious Case of an Expat Company2017-05-03T09:30:00+00:00Sami<p>As you may know I moved to Lithuania from Finland almost three years ago. I have been running a company in Finland for almost 20 years, the current one for almost 13 years. Now that I moved I naturally didn't want to change anything. Why would I? I know how Finnish things work and my company is running there without problems.</p>
<p>But the moving part... That's another story.</p>
<p>It seems that other companies don't know how to handle this situation. A company in Finland with address in Lithuania. It's unfathomable to them. And to me it's unfathomable that they can't handle it.</p>
<p>Microsoft was the first one. I tried to change address. No can do. Finnish company, address <em>must</em> be in Finland. Country cannot be changed. No sir, no. It's impossible. Ok, I guess they don't need to send me anything because I don't have an address there.</p>
<p>Then Apple. I've had a huge problem with address changes with them anyway. They used to require <em>faxing</em> on <em>official company letterhead</em> the request, and paper proof of the address. Now they don't want that at least. But they still want papers.</p>
<p>In Finland we have online system for company information. It can be checked by anyone. Official page telling my company's address. Not ok for Apple. They have never heard of digital records it seems.</p>
<p>But that's not all. Now they want me to sign papers transfering our developer account to another company. I've been trying to explain that there is no other company. Our company is a Finnish one. Has been the same always. Only address changes. Nothing else. But they just don't understand it. I don't know why.</p>
<p>A local internet company in Lithuania also has this issue. They won't allow Finnish VAT number to be used if I have Lithuanian address. Nope, can't do it. They couldn't even manually change that. So they just added a Finnish address that is not mine so they could have a Finnish VAT number for us.</p>
<p>Upwork is the same. They claim they check VAT IDs from a European system. Funny, that's not true. They don't even allow the input of a Finnish VAT ID, because of Lithuanian address. The same as everyone else. Unbelieveable.</p>
<p>So am I the crazy one here? Doesn't anyone else ever move countries and keep their company running in the other country? Do I have to buy an address in Finland just to get wrong information to be a bit less wrong? Since the company still wouldn't exist at that address.</p>
<p>Unbelieveable. In this day and age of movability and everything, I still can't do things easy.</p>
<p>And the funniest part? The instance that would be the first to have an issue if anything I did was illegal has no problem with it. Finnish company registry is fine with it. Finnish tax office is fine with it. They've never wanted me to have a Finnish address. Why do other companies require it then?</p>2017-05-03T09:30:00+00:00SamiAs you may know I moved to Lithuania from Finland almost three years ago. I have been running a comphttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=7c7b28f0-d1f2-4f67-9b67-0560bafe137f0http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=7c7b28f0-d1f2-4f67-9b67-0560bafe137fhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2017/05/03/the-curious-case-of-an-expat-company#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=7c7b28f0-d1f2-4f67-9b67-0560bafe137fhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2016/03/02/vilnius-vs-helsinkiVilnius vs Helsinki - A Series on My Experiences2016-03-02T19:08:00+00:00Sami<p>I've already written a post about some things at <a href="http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/it-s-so-same-but-different">It's So Same But Different</a> but that's just a scratch on the surface.</p>
<p>I am starting a series of posts on <a href="http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/category/Vilnius-vs-Helsinki"><em>Vilnius vs Helsinki</em></a>. It could be more of a Lithuania vs Finland, but since I have never really experienced Lithuania in any other way than being in Vilnius, I cannot make such a comparison. I know much more about Finland having lived there most of my life, so maybe it is Vilnius vs Finland. We will see.</p>
<p>The posts give <em>my view</em> on the differences and similarities in things between these places. Maybe even compared to some other places I've been. It's not a way of saying "this is better than that" even though there may be <em>my preferences</em> on how things are better <strong>for me</strong>. So don't take anything personally if you happen to disagree. But do leave a comment if you do.</p>
<p>I find differences in cultures and ways very interesting and since I have been living in Vilnius for over 18 months I have experienced many things. A lot is yet to experience and I am sure some of the things I may mention aren't done by every single person here, or people may think totally differently. But since it is <em>my experiences</em>, I won't go make proper research about it.</p>
<p>I'm writing on several categories and when I have enough to say I'll publish it. There's going to be things about food, apartments, public transport, mentality, this and that. Time will tell.</p>
<p>So I hope the upcoming posts will be interesting to show my view of things as a Finn living here and maybe spark some conversations about other people's experiences.</p>
<p>You can find all the posts as they come at <a href="http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/category/Vilnius-vs-Helsinki">Vilnius vs Helsinki</a>.</p>2016-03-02T19:08:00+00:00SamiI am starting a series of posts on Vilnius vs Helsinki.http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=2732e8d4-aa55-4c53-9bcb-bd78954d5b561http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=2732e8d4-aa55-4c53-9bcb-bd78954d5b56http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2016/03/02/vilnius-vs-helsinki#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=2732e8d4-aa55-4c53-9bcb-bd78954d5b56http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2015/06/26/lithuania-cares-of-expats-what-about-immigrantsLithuania Cares of Expats - What About Immigrants?2015-06-26T02:08:00+00:00Sami<p>There was an article about <a href="http://en.delfi.lt/global-lt/lithuania-launches-website-for-expatriates.d?id=68264376">Lithuania launcing a website for expatriates</a>. While this is a a nice thing, I still have to wonder why no such effort is made to attract immigrants?</p>
<p>When I moved to Lithuania, there were a lot of issues trying to get settled. And there still are, even though I've been here for almost a year. Nothing has changed during that time and I would seriously like to know why that is so.</p>
<p>The country is interesting, but it is very off-putting for foreigners when you can only get by with Lithuanian, many times with Russian and sometimes in German or Polish. English, not so much.</p>
<h2>Migracija</h2>
<p>When you need to go to Migracija to handle your residency permission, the pages are quite unclear and at one point I was sent back two times to get more documents. They couldn't be bothered to say the first time what I need and the website was quite unclear about that also. They didn't say I need copies and originals of documents.</p>
<p>Residency permits are given only in Lithuanian. This is the same in other countries too, but they don't even say that this paper is extremely important. If you lose it, it's not like you can get another one. No, this paper is The One, no matter that they have all the information in their systems. One paper. Good thing I didn't lose it.</p>
<p>One would think that a place where immigrants <span style="font-style: italic;">have to go</span> would have English speaking people, always. Not always so. I've had to speak with my limited Lithuanian skills there.</p>
<h2>Seniūnija</h2>
<p>One has to register their place of stay in Lithuania. You go to Seniūnija to do that and get a personal ID. They don't speak English. You have to handle things in Lithuanian and hand waving. Maybe your landlord will speak some language you speak and can help translate. Maybe not. And don't even think of having good information available in English or other languages.</p>
<p>Maybe your landlord is renting the apartment out without paying taxes and they don't want to help you declare your place of stay. Maybe you have a one-year contract which forces you to pay while you can't legally stay in the country without registering your address. This has happened, and nobody warns beforehand about these things.</p>
<h2>Sodra</h2>
<p>You start working here. You need something from Sodra. Everything is only in Lithuanian. If you need their website, only in Lithuanian. And understanding those words and legal things is immensely hard. You really can't handle it without a lot of Lithuanian studies.</p>
<p>So don't come working here, or if you do, don't get sick and don't ask us for help.</p>
<h2>Tax Office</h2>
<p>Again, everything's in Lithuanian. Want to donate part of your taxes to a certain charity (possible in Lithuania)? Too bad. You won't understand anything there. Most people won't study tax law when they start learning Lithuanian, so it's illegible. Don't come here to pay taxes, thanks. Go somewhere else.</p>
<h2>Legislation</h2>
<p>Of course all laws and legislation is in Lithuanian. But many parts are also translated into English and some other languages, so you are actually able to understand them. This is a big plus.</p>
<p>I haven't had a run-in with the police yet, so I can't say how they treat foreigners or if their language skills are enough for there not to be problems. Hopefully I won't have the experience.</p>
<h2>Clinics</h2>
<p>You go into a clinic to get treated. You take a queue number for the English queue. Your number comes up, you ask politely in Lithuanian if they speak English, just to make sure. "No. Do you speak Russian?" Well, not really. So that's it for the English queue. Why is there one, if nobody speaks English?</p>
<p>You show your EHIC, which guarantees free local service. "We don't have any doctors now, go to a private clinic nearby." And meanwhile locals get appointments without problems.</p>
<h2>Banks</h2>
<p>Even though banks are not part of municipality or state, one would still think they would have English speaking people there. I've only had one person that speaks good English and one that was able to explain some things. While I knew enough of Lithuanian to be able to handle my issues, for many it will be totally impossible to even get a bank account.</p>
<p>The banks have websites in English, since they're foreign banks. But personnell should be available. They could at least have certain times in certain branches guaranteed to have English/foreign language speaking people. Even in a tourist flooded place like Akropolis there might not be an English speaking person.</p>
<p>Of course it's possible someone does speak English, but people working there don't care enough to ask anyone if they could handle this customer. It's go away or try to wave hands.</p>
<h2>Shops</h2>
<p>Another non-governmental thing, but a big issue for foreigners. In my 10 months here only <span style="font-style: italic;">once</span> has a cashier spoken English to me when I haven't understood what they say in Lithuanian. Usually the response I get is eye-rolling and silence. Probably it isn't anything important they just said, but it still makes a person feel like a lower class human being when they don't even try to explain in other ways or look sympathetic that we don't have a common language. Stupid foreigners, coming here to buy things and pay part of the cashier's salary.</p>
<h2>Restaurants</h2>
<p>You go into a restaurant in the center, you'll most likely have no problems. You go two kilometers away, you might be treated like a pariah. In some places when one asks politely in Lithuanian if the waiter speaks English, they just run away, leaving you wonder if there's another person coming or should you just leave. Of course, when that kind of "service" happens, the best thing would be to leave. They don't deserve your money.</p>
<h2>Renting Apartments</h2>
<p>You want to rent an apartment. Find a nice place online. Ask to get to see it and some information. "Sorry, it's already rented out." And it stays on the rental web page for 2-3 weeks after that. Foreigners not wanted.</p>
<h2>Renting Cars</h2>
<p>You want to rent a car: "No, we don't have anything available at that time." A local friend calls five minutes after that to the same company about the same car: "Yes, we have it available, do you want to reserve it?"</p>
<h2>Getting Internet Service</h2>
<p>Oh, you're a foreigner? Then you'll have to pay a deposit and you can't rent a router from us. You'll have to buy one. We don't trust foreigners. We don't care if you have a personal ID here, a job, a residency permit for five years. You're a bad foreigner so we will never trust you.</p>
<h2>Overall</h2>
<p>To sum it up: if you're thinking about coming to live/work/study in Lithuania, you have to have very helpful friends 24/7 by your side, or no rush to get anything done. And lots of patience being handled as a lower class person, even though you might be there doing an important job, bringing money to the state and keeping the economy going. Nobody will care that you chose to come here and there would've been other options also. Learn the language, study the law, then maybe you'll be welcome. Maybe.</p>
<p>The trust issues are very annoying and disheartening. Are there really so many people doing bad things that we can't be trusted? Or are the scars of the Soviet era still so fresh that every foreigner must be a conqueror?</p>
<p>And this is not to say the country is horrible or everyone here is impolite, inconsiderate and cold. That is not the case. The problem is that there doesn't seem to be any hurry to change things to be more welcoming to foreigners, even though all it would take was a few web pages translated and some services enhanced. Not a huge cost and would only hit one time.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr />
<h3>Update</h3>
<p>Unfortunately I have received a comment that seems to explain the mindset of some people in Lithuania and the reason why things are like they are:</p>
<blockquote>Wow! Real disaster! I feel for you! Though I remember living several years in the UK, and those folks apparently don't speak Lithuanian too! WOW! No shops, no restaurants, no banks, no clinics, Job Centre...just name it, - NOBODY spoke Lithuanian. They didn't even have any translations!!! Well, what can you do - I had to try my English then grin emoticon grin emoticon grin emoticon No offense, please, but this is how it works if you live abroad grin emoticon</blockquote>
<p>It is sad that some people don't see anything different in the fact that a country in the EU offers services mainly in their own language, spoken only by a few million people or that another country offers services mainly in their own language, spoken by hundreds of millions of people in the world. Not to mention most, if not all, other EU countries offer services in several of the most spoken languages.</p>
<p>I really hope this attitude is not more wide-spread, or Lithuania will not truly be a part of the western world. And I'm sure it isn't.</p>2015-06-26T02:08:00+00:00SamiLithuania doesn't really seem to want immigrantshttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=ecd5a3b5-54fb-4099-a257-69ca060f90f71http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=ecd5a3b5-54fb-4099-a257-69ca060f90f7http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2015/06/26/lithuania-cares-of-expats-what-about-immigrants#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=ecd5a3b5-54fb-4099-a257-69ca060f90f7http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/09/18/crash-into-a-new-kind-of-studyingCrash Into a New Kind of "Studying"2014-09-18T07:57:00+00:00Sami<p>It's the third week of studies at VGTU and I thought I'd write some experiences. I have to say, it's quite negative at this point. Didn't expect things to go like this, but seems like I'll just have to try to adjust to this.</p>
<h2>Course Selections</h2>
<p>The courses I selected previously had nothing to do with the courses I'm actually taking. At VGTU students are basically going through a preselected curriculum and there is no enrolling to classes or anything. So I had to just take the courses that are available for a suitable group. This means less courses, less credits, possible problems with my university. And changes to the learning agreement.</p>
<p>I have an entire day free at the moment, but can't fill it with any course. There isn't anything available that wouldn't clash with something else.</p>
<h2>Saulėtekis, Saulėtekis, Saulėtekis</h2>
<p>I study electrical engineering and the campus is located in Naujamiestis, therefore I'm also living there. That's 10km from the main buildings at Saulėtekis. If I want to go to the main building it'll take me 45-60 minutes of walking and trolleybus. So one would assume that VGTU/ESN would have things at other campuses also so that people can do things simpler (I think there are 9 campuses altogether). But no. "Here's a trip, come to our office to enroll for it, we're open two hours a day." So I'd have to travel for two hours total to put my name on a list. And I'd have to find a day when my classes don't clash with the opening hours. And of course I must also make sure to go quickly, since there are limited amount of places and they might be taken before having the time to go there.</p>
<h2>Orientation</h2>
<p>There really wasn't any orientation. Yes, I sat at "orientation" during two days and there were people from immigration etc talking about things. Policeman talking about how to live in the dormitories (I don't live there). This and that about the first lectures. There would also have been a tour of Saulėtekis, but I don't go there, so why would I need to know the place?</p>
<p>Nobody told me anything about the electrical faculty. Nobody told me anything about studies. Nobody told me anything about what to do when I need to print, scan or copy things. Nobody told me if I need to do that. No tour of the faculty.</p>
<p>My mentor was from another faculty, so she doesn't know how this faculty works. She probably could've told me general things about the studies if I had asked, but I assumed wrongly that it'd get sorted out.</p>
<p>So I was all alone trying to find out things.</p>
<h2>Timetables</h2>
<p>My timetables are, as I mentioned, decided by the school. I go to the courses and classes that I'm assigned to. I have lectures on four days a week. Wednesday is free and I have nothing to do. I want to study, but the only thing I can do is find my own material and study on my own. Basically wondering why I'm at the university at all, or at the classes. Oh, right, because some take attendance.</p>
<h2>Lectures</h2>
<p>Lectures are pretty much book based. Some have written the book(let), some use ready-made material. Some just read the slides without saying anything else. Some explain more and some have more of a good teaching style. Still I have the feeling that I'm sitting in the class only because I have to know what terms they use for what even if I already know the things we're being taught. Basically the Lithuanian term <span style="font-style: italic;">paskaita</span> suits the situation well (it comes from "reading" etc).</p>
<h2>Labs</h2>
<p>All my courses have mandatory laboratory work. The first lab is usually introduction, which has pretty much no information about anything and sometimes lasts for 10 minutes. Later the actual labs start and it's mainly "here's the task, do it. Why don't you know how or what you should learn? Haven't you used this or that software/tool?" We do <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> have any lectures before the labs! So how are we supposed to know the subject matter, or understand what we're learning from the labs?</p>
<p>We might measure how accurate frequency generators are. Why? How? What's the idea? Where's the theory? What am I supposed to learn from this?</p>
<p>Labs may also include a test in the beginning, so we have to prepare for them. Again, without any lectures, theory, anything. So we learn the things by ourselves, do labs and then get the education of the subject? I really don't understand this backwards method.</p>
<p>Labs require printed reports, which are really not explained. Just a list of things that should be there. And I have to find a copy shop where to make copies of annexes, which are only in Lithuanian in the library, I have to go somewhere to print the reports etc. In 2014. I would think at this time we would be able to handle things without paper, external copy services etc.</p>
<h2>Conclusions</h2>
<p>Basically I'm at the moment trying to survive the labs, never knowing what I should know beforehand, never knowing when I'll be taught something that I would've already needed and not knowing why I don't just do everything by myself.</p>
<p>I know I may be stupid to take the exchange period as a time to actually study. Maybe I should just go to all the parties and get drunk and whatnot. But that's not me. I'm here to study, learn things about different cultures etc. But seems like that's not going to happen. Rather I'm setting my targets for just passing the courses and labs and doing whatever I happen to find interesting and being separated from the other students.</p>
<p>I'm also sorry that I don't live at Saulėtekis, study at Saulėtekis and breathe Saulėtekis. It would make the exchange a lot easier. But I just happen to study electrical engineering and prefer not to spend a few hours a day in buses.</p>
<p>It's still early days. Maybe things will get better. I hope they will.</p>2014-09-18T07:57:00+00:00SamiIt's the third week of studies at VGTU and I thought I'd write some experiences. I have to say, it'shttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=4be1639e-6b97-4201-b28f-11b64d5ec8771http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=4be1639e-6b97-4201-b28f-11b64d5ec877http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/09/18/crash-into-a-new-kind-of-studying#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=4be1639e-6b97-4201-b28f-11b64d5ec877http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/08/12/it-s-so-same-but-differentIt's So Same But Different2014-08-12T11:39:00+00:00Sami<p>After living in Vilnius for over a week, thought I'd write about my experiences. As I was here for three weeks a year ago, the area and some things aren't new to me, but I'll try to gather some comparisons to my life in Finland.</p>
<h2>Shops</h2>
<p>In Finland shops can't be open however they want. They're regulated and it took ages to get permissions to have shops open on Sundays, at least part of the year. Nowadays small shops can be open 24/7 if they like, bigger are regulated. But we basically have shops open every day in Helsinki, some even 24/7 (but those usually aren't open on holidays, others are).</p>
<p>In Vilnius, shops are open every day, and they're open the whole day. There are two hypermarkets near me: Rimi and Maxima. Maxima is open 24/7, HyperRimi from 8 to 23. Every day. I don't know about Christmas or other holidays, but normal days. This is totally unheard of in Finland. And I love it. It's not like I need to go to the store at 8 or 22:30 on Sundays, but it's nice to know that I can. And in Akropolis shopping center even the banks were open on a Sunday evening! Whoa!</p>
<p>The hypermarkets have a huge selection, including alcohol. In Finland only drinks up to 5% are allowed to be sold in foodstores, stronger ones only in the state-owned Alko. And they're not open that late, except some in bigger cities. And you can only sell alcohol in stores between 9 and 21. Here the selling times are longer and you can buy whatever you like.</p>
<p>The selections for store-made foods are huge in these hypermarkets. In Finland there are some, but not this much. Also, have a desire for fresh fish? I mean, really fresh? They have tanks where there are live carps and some other fish. Doesn't get much fresher than that.</p>
<p>Price for chicken fillets: around 5€/kg. Finland: 10-13. Minced meat is 2-4€/kg, in Finland 6-10. Milk is a bit more expensive here and they don't seem to have skimmed milk. I did find one brand that has 0.5% milk, but locals usually drink 2.5% or over. Bread is cheap, you can get a bit store-baked bread for less than two euros and that'll do breakfast for you for a few days.</p>
<p>Vegetables etc are many times just picked up and weighed at the cashiers. But do note that sometimes they will ask what it is you got. And it might be in plain Lithuanian. In Finland people usually weigh things themselves and get stickers on the bags. Of course you can go to the Finnish Prisma in Vilnius too to get this experience ;)</p>
<h2>Water</h2>
<p>Water quality is high, according to officials. Vilnius (and I guess the rest of the country too) gets its water from groundwater, not from lakes or other over-ground sources (which is usually true for Finland). The water tastes a bit different, but in a couple of days you get used to it. The water is hard, meaning it will stain your water heaters, taps etc very quickly. It also affects laundry etc. There is water available in the stores, but it's basically the same stuff, unless you buy mineral/sparkling water. Also, beware the Vytautas brand: it's salted. For some reason some people like salty mineral water. And it's really salty. Some guys say it's great for hangovers, but I have no idea since I don't do hangovers.</p>
<p>Water pressure varies. In some places it's good, in other places it might not be. So showers aren't always as nice as in Finland. Also water is many times heated in every house, so there may be a delay until you get hot water.</p>
<h2>Toilets</h2>
<p>Toilets are mostly modern, but plumbing might not be. Some places don't allow you to put toilet paper into the bowl. There may be bidets around. There may not be a washing basin in the toilet to wash your hands. Public toilets are usually ok and there is someone to take your payment and looking after them.</p>
<h2>Apartments</h2>
<p>Apartments are very varying also. Many rentals have been renovated in the recent years and usually have loads of random furniture. Looks like most people prefer flats with furniture, which is very nice for people moving from other countries or cities. No need to haul any heavy things with you.</p>
<p>Rent is usually paid monthly and in Finland you'd pay to the owner's bank account. In Vilnius it might even be paid in cash. In Finland usually rent includes everything except electricity (or gas, but that's very rare). In Lithuania you pay for what you use: cold and hot water, electricity, heating, gas, possibly internet and other costs. These are not included in the rent. So if you find a nice apartment for a good rent value, make sure to check the heating costs. You might get a 400Lt surcharge during the winter months, which really affects the average rent.</p>
<p>Houses may seem old and not being in the best shape from outside, but inside they are usually modern. If you haven't cooked with gas, that might be something to get used to since only the newest buildings have electric cookers. Also, many apartments might not have an oven, so no baking or frozen pizzas.</p>
<h2>Traffic</h2>
<p>The traffic is very different to Finland. In Finland people mostly drive very nice, but in Lithuania it's "keep looking after number one." So do expect to be overtaken in the highways and keep to the right. Preferably over the white line in the rightmost side. In the city, look around. People won't drive through you, but they do switch lanes whenever and don't necessarily stop where you'd expect them to stop. Some crossings don't have traffic lights for turning left, so you may have to just drive to the center of the road and wait to get through.</p>
<p>Also note that some intersections have a green arrow to the right next to the traffic lights. This means that you can run the red light when turning right, if there's no traffic coming on that lane. So be careful since people do drive through red lights almost to your way sometimes and then break right before crashing. But it's not that usual.</p>
<h2>Public transport</h2>
<p>Buses, trolleybuses, taxis. The first two use a single-use ticket, which can be bought from the driver, or ahead of time. Remember to stamp it, otherwise you'll get a fine! There is no switching to another bus, you have to have another ticket for that. In Helsinki you can switch freely between trams, buses or the metro (there is a special tram ticket that doesn't allow switching) for 60-90 minutes.</p>
<p>There are also day/monthly tickets and electronic tickets etc, but I haven't yet used those.</p>
<p>Note that you can hop in to the bus from any door, many drivers might not even open the front door. In Helsinki you go in through the front door and out from the others. You can still go to the driver to buy the ticket. But I'd suggest getting tickets beforehand, since the driver will be driving while getting you the ticket, change etc. So it's not the safest thing for anyone.</p>
<p>Students get 50% off of the single tickets (do have ISIC card or local university card though) and monthly tickets are cheapest.</p>
<p>If you need a taxi, call and order one. If you see one going past, just take the phone number and call and tell where you are. If you hail a cab, they'll charge you more. </p>
<h2>Language</h2>
<p>Many younger people speak English, but don't assume you'll get service in English in all restaurants, shops etc. Many people do speak other languages, but it might be German, Russian or Polish. The language is very different from most others, so you might not understand anything. There are also strange characters, like ščžąįųū.</p>
<p>What do you think these are: viešbutis, parduotuvė, vištiena, pica, alus, pienas, duona, šaldytuvas? Nautrally they're hotel, shop, chicken, pizza, beer, milk, bread and refridgerator. </p>
<p>I have studied the language for two courses (16 ECTS credits) and should be on the A2 level, but vocabulary is very lacking. I do get by in the shops ok, can order a pizza or tea. But if they ask for something more difficult, I'll have to ask them to speak English, if they can. And people speak Lithuanian very fast and quietly, so it's not easy to understand.</p>
<h2>Clubs</h2>
<p>Clubs usually have "face control", meaning they'll check you out and not let you in if you're not suitable. It might be due to being drunk, dressed wrong or some other things. I haven't been to that many places, so don't know how the bouncers act, but I wouldn't suggest mouthing off to them. And there are other clubs around to choose from.</p>
<p>People are usually friendly, but some might not like foreigners, but that's not uncommon anywhere. People might not speak your language, or speak it badly. People also don't usually come up to strangers, I've heard. Also from what I've heard, guys better not go chat up any random girls. They might have a boyfriend around and some of them aren't that friendly if you even talk to their girl.</p>
<p>Music is loud. Very loud. I'd use ear plugs. Or rather get the clubs to turn it down and not just a bit. But some people like it and don't care about their hearing. Also don't expect to be able to talk near the dancefloor and some places even have speakers in other areas too blaring.</p>
<p> </p>2014-08-12T11:39:00+00:00SamiAfter living in Vilnius for over a week, thought I'd write about my experiences. As I was here for thttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=0ba329d0-cb6c-403e-81f4-9e1b4114dcbe0http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=0ba329d0-cb6c-403e-81f4-9e1b4114dcbehttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/08/12/it-s-so-same-but-different#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=0ba329d0-cb6c-403e-81f4-9e1b4114dcbehttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/08/03/finally-in-lithuaniaFinally in Lithuania!2014-08-03T03:38:00+00:00Sami<p>Finally it happened: I'm in Lithuania! Found an apartment at last and got it quickly, had a stormy packing and then off to ferry and driving. Took two hours on the ferry, two hours queuing and over 600km of driving, but last night we arrived. Still need to unpack and get things sorted, but at least I'm here.</p>
<p>Already visited the local 24h Maxima to get some needful things last night, today walked to the nearby Hyper Rimi. A good walk there and back. School is about a block away, so that's a good thing. That's why I wanted to come to this area.</p>
<p>The apartment is a bit big for one person, but I didn't really have a choice. Also a bit more expensive than I would've liked. But it'll be ok.</p>
<p>I was prepared for quite bad traffic on the way, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I've driven in Estonia before and I knew that I'll be the slowest one there since I obey the speed limits (whenever there seems to be one, very few signs). Then we got to Latvia. I was warned beforehand that there may sometimes be trucks coming on my lane etc. Fortunately it didn't happen and I mostly drove behind trucks since I didn't want to overtake. The others did overtake all the time and usually there were three cars side by side on a two lane road. Sometimes they were all trucks...</p>
<p>You just have to drive on the rightmost side and let others pass and everything is ok. And keep some distance to the next one since the passing cars may suddenly want to come back to your lane because of oncoming cars.</p>
<p>Also when we got to Lithuania there was a police car behind me. Even the police were passing other cars. Then it hung after us when the road had obstacles in the middle. And naturally at that time I made the only error in driving the whole time! Only didn't use the signal when partially changnig lanes when the car in front slowed down to turn left. The police didn't mind, they just drove after us for a while and then sped past us, driving a lot faster than the speed limit. Oh well...</p>
<p>The last part was fast, since we got to the highway. 130km/h! And naturally the locals drove even faster. There are no signs for the speed limit, you have to know it. There are only signs for when the limit goes down to 110 temporarily and you have to know that after the next intersection it's 130 again. Confusing.</p>
<p>Also there are no typical exits on the highway like in Finland. Instead if you need to go left, there are U turn spots intermittently and signs that say that if you want to go here, make a U turn here and then you can get there. There wasn't that much traffic at the time that it didn't seem hazardous if you had to do it. Fortunately we just drove on.</p>
<p>The roads in Latvia were quite bad. There is a lot of trucking going on, so the roads have grooves where the trucks go. It's hard to drive when the car wants to dip into those. Wouldn't want to drive it in the winter with ice. And as a final insult, right before the crossing to Lithuania there was a bump in the middle of the road and my car's bottom hit it. Didn't sounds very pleasant, but didn't seem to make any damage either.</p>
<p>So, now it's time to get settled into the new environment. Good thing I already know something about this region from last summer!</p>2014-08-03T03:38:00+00:00SamiFinally it happened: I'm in Lithuania! Found an apartment at last and got it quickly, had a stormy phttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=e82ae2ee-3add-4c80-8eec-a990b5c3f4891http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=e82ae2ee-3add-4c80-8eec-a990b5c3f489http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/08/03/finally-in-lithuania#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=e82ae2ee-3add-4c80-8eec-a990b5c3f489http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/07/22/getting-somewhere-with-apartmentGetting Somewhere with Apartment...2014-07-22T18:35:00+00:00Sami<p>After asking about ten apartments, getting basically no replies and my friend in Lithuania also trying to call them, I finally got somewhere. I called my first Lithuanian phonecall! The broker didn't speak English, so I had to try to get by with my very limited skills. I didn't understand much, but asked if I could email him and he sent his email address and now I'm waiting for a reply. The apartment is still free and would be quite good, I think. At least based on the information online and the photos. But you never know...</p>
<p>But at the moment almost anything goes. I've got a week until the day I decided I'd go there, so I really need the apartment situation settled right now!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And after getting somewhere, the only answer I received was that the apartment has been rented to someone else. So I'm back to trying to get hold of people with apartments and still getting no answers...</p>2014-07-22T18:35:00+00:00SamiAfter asking about ten apartments, getting basically no replies and my friend in Lithuania also tryihttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=7af0f594-3620-4703-b7e0-82c41cbae6000http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=7af0f594-3620-4703-b7e0-82c41cbae600http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/07/22/getting-somewhere-with-apartment#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=7af0f594-3620-4703-b7e0-82c41cbae600http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/07/17/apartment-hunting-woesApartment Hunting Woes2014-07-17T11:26:00+00:00Sami<p>I never thought finding an apartment would be a walk in the park, but I certainly didn't expect these kinds of problems. I've got only two weeks to go and still no apartment. And not because I haven't been looking or finding anything.</p>
<p>First one I found was a nice studio apartment in the same block as the school about two weeks ago. Decided I'd try to get that so that would be over with. Before I could, it was taken down since somebody else rented it. Damn.</p>
<p>Then I found another nice apartment. Emailed about it. Already rented. But it's still online even on the broker's website. Don't they want me or what? Clearly they didn't use it to hunt prospects for other apartments since they didn't offer me anything else. Just said "it's already rented."</p>
<p>Next one was another modern place. Not the cheapest one, but decided I'd go for it. Broker asked if I'm coming to work there, since they want to be sure the rent is paid. I said I'm coming to study, but I'm not some 20 yo student living off benefits and rent wouldn't be a problem. So they said the owner wouldn't want to wait until the end of July when I'd be coming and I should rent it from July 15th. I said ok, but I can't be there personally until the end of the month, can we take care of the paperwork etc via email? No answer after that. So looks like no go for that either.</p>
<p>Then, I noticed one a bit cheaper flat. Good location, modern, cheap heating etc. Only phone number available. I asked a friend to call them and get it for me. No answer on the phone, going on the third day now. And on the ad they said "QUICKLY!" So probably won't be getting that one either.</p>
<p>So, it's four apartments, zero success at the moment. Getting low on options, unless something nice pops up soon.</p>
<p> </p>2014-07-17T11:26:00+00:00SamiI never thought finding an apartment would be a walk in the park, but I certainly didn't expect theshttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=89099cb3-4cee-49fc-a160-94033f492e010http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=89099cb3-4cee-49fc-a160-94033f492e01http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/07/17/apartment-hunting-woes#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=89099cb3-4cee-49fc-a160-94033f492e01http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/07/06/less-than-four-weeks-to-goLess Than Four Weeks to Go!2014-07-05T21:21:00+00:00Sami<p>So, now it's less than four weeks to the day I'll go start my journey. I decided I'll drive to Vilnius around August 1st, depending on when I'll get an apartment. Still hunting, still can't decide. Almost decided on one, but it was online for only a day and then disappeared again. It's been there before, maybe it'll come back...</p>
<p>I'll drive from Tallinn to Vilnius, since it's the best way to get my stuff there. I'll probably drive the car back after a couple of months, since I have to get it checked out before the year is over anyway. And I probably won't need it that much there. Not to mention I'm not sure if I'm allowed to have it there for longer periods. At least in Finland I think there are some limitations. Anywho, it'll come home and I'll fly back.</p>
<p>Still some things to take care of and I haven't started on the extremely detailed list of things I need/want to take with me. I thought it'd be best to make a complete list of each and every thing, no matter how small. That way I won't forget something important. Or maybe everything important, but I'll at least have lots of little things with me. We'll see how it goes.</p>
<p>The school starts on August 26th, so I'll have some time to hang around by myself, or maybe with some people I know there. And getting to know some people too. After that it's all studies and no time to play...</p>
<p>We had a preparatory assignment where we had to list three things we expect the most from the journey. I could only think of two: meeting interesting people and learning the language. Everything else is a plus.</p>
<p>We also had to think about three things we'll miss most and least. I couldn't really think about anything else that I'll miss than my partner and the things I'll miss the least... well, only my current university came to mind. It's good to get away from it at least.</p>
<p>I'll also be so close to home (only around 600km + a short ferry trip, or a one hour flight) so it's not a problem to come here if something happens. So I'm not expecting anything to go wrong really. And since I don't really have anything special in this country, I won't be missing anything.</p>2014-07-05T21:21:00+00:00SamiSo, now it's less than four weeks to the day I'll go start my journey. I decided I'll drive to Vilnihttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=090502c6-00e3-45b7-9559-79a90ad4d49f0http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=090502c6-00e3-45b7-9559-79a90ad4d49fhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/07/06/less-than-four-weeks-to-go#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=090502c6-00e3-45b7-9559-79a90ad4d49fhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/06/24/confirmation-arrivedConfirmation Arrived!2014-06-24T13:08:00+00:00Sami<p>So, now I have received the confirmation of acceptance from VGTU! The orientation period would start on the 28th of August, so they recommend arriving a day or two before. I think I'll move there in the beginning of August, so I'll have lots of time to acclimatize. And most likely to be homesick.</p>
<p>I have still been checking out apartments and there are a couple that seem to pop up and down intermittently. Quite nice and very near to the campus. Have to see if they pop up again right before I go there. Would be nice to get a good apartment from the start and not having to switch to some other place later on.</p>
<p>I also checked out some insurances. Our school has a basic travelers' insurance, but they recommend getting a personal one too, since its coverage isn't that great. I asked my insurance company and they said that travelers' insurance is only for three months, though I could get some extension for it up to a year. But it would be quite costly. So I don't know if the teachers meant other insurances, like home insurance, or what's the matter.</p>
<p>Insuring my stuff would cost several hundred euros, if I did it via my home insurance in Finland and the coverage would be up to 4665 euros. Getting a coverage of up to 14500 euros locally would cost less than 60 euros for the 11 months I'll be staying there. And this was just the first insurance company I checked out and I have to naturally read the terms. But I think I'll be getting a local insurance rather than extending my existing one...</p>
<p>So, now it's just trying to get things in order for the trip in five weeks. Maybe I should start a list about the things I have to take with me. Wouldn't want to notice there that I left something vital back home. Many things can be bought there, but if I already have something and can take it with me, why not do it.</p>2014-06-24T13:08:00+00:00SamiSo, now I have received the confirmation of acceptance from VGTU! The orientation period would starthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/pingback.axdhttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post.aspx?id=19a1c206-2c8b-468a-af18-763513c8c8370http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/trackback.axd?id=19a1c206-2c8b-468a-af18-763513c8c837http://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/post/2014/06/24/confirmation-arrived#commenthttp://blog.samikuhmonen.fi/syndication.axd?post=19a1c206-2c8b-468a-af18-763513c8c837