We are the Champions!

Rauma, although a small town, has its own professional ice hockey team called Lukko (“lock” in English)! And Rauma’s icehockey team is the best in Finland!

On May 11th, 2021 the citizens of Rauma went crazy, as Lukko won the Finnish men’s ice hockey Championship Series for the first time in 58 years. The one and only gold medal before came in 1963.

Lukko beat TPS of Turku 6-2 in the fourth match of the final series. In 1963 they beat Tampere’s Tappara.

To avoid people from gathering in the city center, the champions drove around the city to greet their fans. Video by rauma.guide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuibI4lncNE

According to head coach Pekka Virta he had been building the team for four years with a focus on each player understanding their own role as well as the team’s culture, broadcaster C More reported. The good shape of the players was not a surprise.

“Our game was in good shape after last season, so we were able to invest in team spirit,” Virta said.

The coach spent 27 days in intensive care earlier that year after contracting coronavirus, and missed nearly two months of work in the lead up to the play-off series.

Although gatherings were prohibited due to corona restrictions in town, the town was full of joyful people. Many without a mask on the streets of old Rauma and on the rooftop of Tifosi pub. Bars and pubs were crowded and masks were not worn there either. The doctors of Rauma are worried .

Photo by rauma.guide

You ask what Rauma men do on Wednesdays or Saturdays (the days before corona was introduced)? They go watch the game or take their kids to play ice hockey.

What do women do? Well, every 7th Rauma person participates at the art and handicraft courses of the local Adult Education Center Rauman Kansalaisopisto. Most of the fans of the fine arts are women.

Lukko plays in the Finnish Liiga, the top tier of Finnish ice hockey.

The club was founded in 1936 as the Rauma Wood saw mill’s league. The home icehall is Kivikylä Areena, which has a capacity of 4700 spectators.

Since 2011, Lukko has had a team in the Women’s Baseball Championship League (Superpesis).

Lukko shop

The calender of Lukko icehockey games

Museums of Rauma

Today, May 18 is International Museum Day and the following museums have a free entrance in Rauma:
1. Rauma Museum in the old town hall
2. Shipowner’s house museum Marela
3. Rauma Maritime Museum -> free yoga course in their yard! Take your own water bottle and the mat. Looks like it won’t rain today. 🙂
4. Sailor’s museum Kirsti has already opened its doors this summer! Check the opening times here.

Teresia’s house museum is open on Sundays.
Rauma Art Museum will be opened in June.
Kodisjoki art house will be opened in July. Location out of town.
Muina village museum will be opened in June. Location out of town.

Click on the links to read my stories about the museums.
Enjoy the day.

Top Finnish companies

A friend of yours or a visitor asks to name some of the big Finnish companies.

Finnish Nokia

You are in trouble, are you? You know Fazer, Muumi and Marimekko, but these are just the brands you see as a consumer.

The biggest Finnish companies in terms of turnover. In billions of euros in 2020.

1Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy11, 15
2Neste Oyj7, 95
3Suomen Osuuskauppojen Keskuskunta6, 625
4Kesko Oyj5, 78
5UPM Sales Oy5, 29
6Outokumpu Stainless Oy4, 05
7Neste Markkinointi Oy3, 05
8North European Oil Trade Oy2, 66
9Outokumpu Europe Oy2, 63
10YIT Suomi Oy2, 49

The biggest Finnish companies by the number of employees.

1Helsingin ja Uudenmaan Sairaanhoitopiirin kuntayhtymä (medical workers)26 536
2Helsingin Yliopisto (university)8 079
3Posti Oy7 777
4Attendo Oy (reqruitment company)7 413
5Kesko Oyj (retail)7 138
6Nordea Bank AB (publ), Finnish branch6 615
7SOL Palvelut Oy (cleaning business)6 569
8Nordea Bank Abp6 238
9HOK-Elanto Liiketoiminta Oy5 797
10Lidl Suomi Kommandiittiyhtiö5 668

See source here

Read about Hok-Elanto here

Finnish most valuable companies (value in billions of EUR according to 6/2020 data)

1. Kone (31,6)
2. Neste (27,0)
3. Nordea Bank (26,0)
4. Nokia (21,5)
5. Sampo (18,6)
6. Fortum (15,6)
7. UPM-Kymmene (14,1)
8. Stora Enso (9,2)
9. Elisa (8,7)
10. Orion (6,4)

The Finnish top 10 list has undergone interesting changes in a year (August 2020 compared to August 2019). In total, the combined market value of the ten largest companies had risen by 2.4 per cent. The largest value drivers were Orion (+ 47%), Elisa (+ 19%) and Kone (+ 16%). Respectively, Nokia (-21%), Fortum (-15%) and Sampo (-11%) had the biggest fall. (See source here)

And yes, you were right about Fazer. It was number 2. Marimekko was number 40 in top list of Finnish brands.

The TOP10 most respected brands in 2020 in Finland were:

  1. Fiskars (you know the scissors?)
  2. Fazer (chocolat)
  3. YLE (public tv)
  4. Hyvää Suomesta -merkki
  5. Joutsenmerkki
  6. ABLOY (keys)
  7. Arabia (dishes, old history)
  8. S-Etukortti (Prisma and other stores)
  9. Iittala (dishes)
  10. Avainlippu-merkki (the product has been manufactured, or the service has been produced, in Finland)

    See source here

    See more brands as you move right with the arrow here

    Hyvää Suomesta merkki means “made in Finland” sign on food products

Hyvää suomesta -merkin käyttö pakkauksissa, graafinen ohjeisto | Hyvää  Suomesta


Learn Finnish at home

You want to study Finnish? A list of websites available for you to study Finnish independently. The list has been compiled by the Multicultural Association of Satakunta.

An advert with Finnish women on it. Kivikylän Kotipalvaamo

BEGINNERS LEVEL OF FINNISH

Koti Suomessa
You can study Finnish yourself on the Home in Finland website. There is also information about Finnish working life and society.

Donnerwetter – suomen opiskelua englanniksi, saksaksi, ranskaksi ja bulgariaksi
Study Finnish in English, German, French and Bulgarian.

Digital dialects – suomen opiskelua englanniksi, ranskaksi ja japaniksi
Study Finnish in English, French and Japanese.

Suomi-englanti – sanastotestejä
On this page you can learn Finnish words using English.

Euro Mobil – suomen opiskelua eri kielillä
You can study Finnish on this page with the help of these languages: Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Finnish, Czech, German, English, French, Hungarian. You need to download a program from the site that allows you to study Finnish.

Suomen kielioppia englanniksi
On this page you can study Finnish grammar in English.

Suomen kielestä englanniksi
The site contains information about the Finnish language in English.

BASIC LEVEL FINNISH

Ylen sivut suomen opiskeluun
Yle’s website has Finnish training in Finnish and English. You can study Finnish at different levels of competence on Yle’s website. YLE is a government owned media source.

Verbix – suomen verbejä englanniksi
You can study Finnish verbs in English on the website.

GOOD OR SMOOTH LEVEL OF FINNISH

Kuuntele suomen eri murteita
On the website you can listen to dialects and spoken languages from all over Finland.

The author ‘s ABC – information and learning material for writing in Finnish. On the website you can study how to write good text in Finnish. This page can also help when writing a job application.

Verkkokielioppi – suomen äänteet, muodot ja lauseet
On the website, you can study Finnish phonetics, form, and sentence theory.

Ammattisanastoja eri ammatteihin
The site has vocabularies related to some professions in different languages.

Other materials

Selkosanomat – suomen harjoitustehtäviä suomeksi
The website contains exercises in Finnish in Finnish. You can also read news written in an easy way.

Ylen selkouutiset
On the website you can read and listen to news in plain language. With the help of the news, you can study Finnish.

Suomen kielestä englanniksi
The site contains information about the Finnish language in English.

Source: The Multicultural Association of Satakunta

Kansalaisopistot.fi has a number of online courses. Please check out here.

Finnish courses at the Rauman Kansalaisopisto adult education center

Leave a comment about which source you liked the most.
Any other pages you want to suggest?

Winter fun in Rauma

The many ice rinks to skate in Rauma are:
Raumanmeren tekojää, Pyynpäänkatu 27 (artificial ice)
Otanlahti, Urheilukatu 17
Lähdepelto, Kodisjoentie 91
Lappi, Kirkkotie 6
Uotila, Sippolankuja 2
Vähämaanpuisto, Kanavakatu
Pohjoiskehän koulu, Pohjoiskehä 14


The places to ski (check out its condition and the style here)
Lähdepelto 2,9 km
Talvialho in Lappi town 2,9 km
Pyytjärvi 3,5 km
the ski route on the golf area 3km (which actually has slides too)
The ski routes have lights on at Lähdepelto, Pyytjärvi and Lappi on workdays from 6 to 22 and weekends from 8 til 22 o’clock.

I doubt that foreigners are interested in swimming in an ice cold water, but the 3 saunas that provide such an opportunity are
1. Kisaranta sauna at Purjehtijankatu 2
http://raumantalviuimarit.net/
2. Meriristi sauna at Varhontie 14
3. Narvijärvi Puusaun wooden sauna at Ruonantie 319 in Lappi
https://www.facebook.com/puusaun/

See the schedules here

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is rauma_sledge.jpg


My favorite places to sledge down the hill is at the so called Lensu hill (near Viherkäine flower shop, if you drive towards the Äyhönjärvi lake).
The city’s official sledging hills are located in Pyytjärvi (the parking lot at Metsähdentie) and Lähdepello.

All of the sledge hills of Rauma (according to the kid’s events’ Facebook page ) are
1. There is a big hill next to Lensu’s old school. Parking space on Lensunkalliontie. (on my picture)
2. In Kappelinluhta at the intersection of Hirvitie and Luoteisväylä. No parking spaces.
3. Behind Suvitie street R-kiosk.
4. There is a small hill in the Paroalho playground.
5. There is a small hill in the middle of the Lajo apartment building area
6. There is a big and steep hill at Syvärauma.
7. There is a hill next to the Lotanpello playground (Nallepuisto) in Kappelinluhta
8. Slope next to Lonsi field- Nyberg Park
9. In the ruins of the old Rauma church towards Catherine’s Park
10. A small hill in Sinisaari Park

Please keep an eye on your children. Sometimes snow piles are only for a short time use before tractor comes to remove these. The driver might not see your kids in the snow. They may also drown in a soft hill.


Enjoy the free sports of this wonderful winter!

Parking in Rauma is free

Parking in Rauma is free, but you have to follow the parking rules on how long time you can park. It is either 1 hour, 2 hours or 24 hours. The latter means that you move your car next day.

Free parking in old Rauma

You can use the parking clock or a piece of paper to mark down the starting time (last spring anything else than a Finnish parking clock was forbidden). And pay attention, you mark only full hours and half hours. If you arrive 13.01, you mark 13.30 as the starting time!

Unfortunately this means getting late to lunch and meetings in order to win half an hour extra parking time 😊 Imagine seeing a friend or feeding 2 small kids at the favorite Wen Jing restaurant in such a hurry in 1 hour. You don’t want to run out to park somewhere else, but changing the clock numbers is also forbidden.

The city also reminds you that a parking sign with a bus or a motorbike picture under P sign means that only such vehicles can park there.
And please follow the parking squares painted on the old town streets that refer to the places where parking is allowed.

In Rauma, several parking spaces have a two-hour time limit on weekdays from 8 am to 6 pm and on Saturdays from 8 am to 2 pm. But the 2-hour starts to count in the morning -> for example, if you arrive on a weekday at 5pm, the car can then be parked in the same place overnight until the next morning at 10am.

Read more from Rauma town’s website

Tax reduction on household expenses

You have someone shovel your snow. There is an invoice. You can deduct part of these taxes from your tax return.

I want to inform you about the tax deduction of household expenses. This is something we do not have in Estonia and the idea of the Finnish government is to support the official taxation of all services provided, even when done at home.

When you buy services for your home or vacation home, you can deduct part of your expenses in your taxation as a household deduction. You will receive a deduction for routine household, care and maintenance work, maintenance and renovation work, and IT installation and consulting services.

You must apply for the household deduction yourself. Work performed and wages and salaries paid must be declared for tax purposes either online via Omavero.fi or by post, for example on form 14A (household deduction from wages and salaries paid to the enterprise).

The deduction is calculated from the VAT price. The deduction is only given for the share of the work, not for the materials, for example. In 2021, you can deduct as a household deduction 40 per cent of the salary paid to an entrepreneur or company on the prepayment register or 15 per cent of the salary paid and incidental expenses.

The maximum amount of the household deduction in 2021 (as in 2020) is EUR 2,250 per. The amount may consist solely of household, renovation or IT work, or all of these. The reduction is accompanied by an annual deductible of EUR 100.

In 2021, you will receive the maximum reduction, ie a reduction of EUR 2,250, if the total amount of work in the services you purchase from the company is EUR 5,875 [(5,875 x 40%) – 100) = EUR 2,250].

The deduction is granted to the spouses as they request it. If the limit of € 2,250 is not exceeded, the deduction should only be requested for the other spouse. In this way, the deductible is reduced only once. If the amount claimed for deduction exceeds the maximum, the authority will automatically deduct the amount not deducted from the other spouse’s taxes. Spouses can receive a total of € 4,500 in deductions. If there is only one tax, the deduction can be made from the taxes of the person who has them.
Source

The household work that is usually deducted is:
• cleaning
• shopping
• cooking
• lawn mowing
• snow cleaning
• home party catering

However, interior design or emptying a dirt well are not work that qualifies for a deduction.

You can deduct from care and nursing work that is done at home, such as caring for children or the elderly at home.  Hairdresser, manicure and other beauty services are not considered to be normal nursing and care work at home.

Maintenance and renovation work that qualifies for a household deduction
• renovation of the kitchen, bathroom or other rooms,
• renovation of sauna and basement facilities,
• painting buildings,
• installation of balcony glass,
• plumbing and electrical work as well,
• renewal, improvement and repair of heating systems.

A household deduction can also be obtained for maintenance of the boiler oil bulb, cleaning of the boiler, efficiency measurement of the boiler and cleaning, measuring, adjusting and maintenance of ventilation equipment. However, no deduction can be made for „chimney cleaning“.

The installation and repair of household appliances and equipment, such as refrigeration appliances or dishwashers, is not considered deductible maintenance work, unless it is carried out in connection with major repairs.

Information technology advisory and installation services entitling to a household deduction include:
• installing and repairing a digital device or antenna,
• installing and repairing your computer,
• setting up telecommunications connections,
• installation of security services, purchased software and purchased, updates on the IT equipment,
• guidance work on home information and communication equipment and connections (if it takes place at home).

The installation work of the alarm and security system is now subject to a household deduction. The surveillance system can be installed both at home or in a holiday home. No household deduction for maintenance and other service charges for alarm and security systems.

Source

And the official website about this is vero.fi

I wanted to share this information, because this is something complicated for a foreigner to understand. 🙂

Rauma Church of the Holy Cross

Rauman Pyhän Ristin kirkko

The Franciscan monastery was here probably already when the town received its city rights to make trade in 1442. This church has served both catholics and lutherans.

The impressive wall paintings are from when the church was inaugurated in 1512.

A few years later, during the reformation of 1538, the monks had to leave the country. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church 100 years later, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire in 1640.

Rauma Church of the Holy Cross (Rauman Pyhän Ristin kirkko) has the oldest votive painting of Finland.

I tell you the stories of the war trophies as we visit the church on my historical tour 😉

The music in this church building was a magnificent combination.
In the video: Ave Maria e organo concert on July 15th, 2020
Saara Kukko (mezzo-soprano) and Henri Tuominiemi (organ and piano)


The needs of local foreigners

Mona Elo (left) carried out, Kairi Rintanen wrote down the International Rauma survey of foreigners. The lack of information in English was perceived as the biggest shortcoming in the survey. Photo: Juha Sinisalo

Here is a quick translation to our media report about the survey we had in June. The article was published on July 14th, 2020 in Länsi- Suomi newspaper and it’s online version. Available online here.

Foreigner moving to Rauma needs local support network: International Rauma survey reveals everyday problems

“I’m sitting at home now, because I don’t know the language and I don’t know where I can find information about cultural events. Before moving here, I lived a socially active life. Actually any activity is good.” 

This is how foreigners living in Rauma commented in a survey that was conducted on Facebook and Instagram by the International Rauma (founded by Mona Elo).

The survey of Elo, a Danish student studying international trade at SAMK, was conducted at the beginning of June during one week and involved 100 foreigners living in Rauma.

Elo originally founded the International Rauma group to improve the connection between the international students and companies in Rauma. Since then, the group has expanded to include non-students.

Local contacts important

According to the survey, more than 2,000 foreigners live in Rauma. They are mostly young (more than half are aged 31-40). Based on the survey, they would like to meet local people, learn more about the Finnish language and need more information about hobbies.

They need more guidance in English, for example at a health center.

Noëmie Le Forestier, a French woman, who was at the yard of the art museum with her child, agrees that more information should be available in English. She made a French-language website to help other people moving to Rauma.

– I was pretty lost when we moved here a year ago, says le Forestier.

About one-seventh of respondents were unemployed: they felt they needed more courses to enter the job market.

– Many jobseekers needed help to make a job application and CV, Mona Elo states.

International Rauma was already organizing a seminar in spring, where foreigners would have had the opportunity to get a feel for local companies and hear tips on entering the labor market.

– Corona postponed the Thonkathon event. It is open to everyone and will now take place in the autumn, Elo says.

Demand for a spare grandmother

According to Kairi Rintanen, an Estonian who wrote about the survey to the media, foreign families also need a local support network, a Finnish family member who would teach how to make Finnish food and find, for example, baking powder on the store shelf.

– That is not a need for a young babysitter, but for a grandmother type of a person who would teach life wisdom and play with children every now and then.

Rintanen has in her mind been running the paid “Rent a Grandmother” service.

– If there are extra grandmothers somewhere, we need them, she smiles.

Getting out of home

Some of the foreigners have come to Rauma alone. According to the survey they would want to have company for a sports activity or a local trip. Joint outdoor activities would give an opportunity to meet other people.

Foreigners also need guidance on everyone’s rights. Some were unsure of where to get their fish and pick berries and mushrooms.

– Here would be an opportunity for nature guides to sell tours to local foreigners, Rintanen suggests.

In addition to International Rauma, the Rauma in English and Rauma Guide pages on Facebook share local information in English. The pages are edited by foreigners living in Rauma.

The international community of Rauma gets together every second week. The first events of the Thursday Mingle have so far taken place in Amarillo from 17.30-20.

Rintanen is a Rauma guide and also has a blog Rauma Guide.

Author: Maarit Anttila, Länsi-Suomi newspaper
in cooperation with Kairi Rintanen, your rauma.guide page blogger 😉

Flea markets in Rauma

Now that people had time to clean their cupboards during the corona break and they feel like selling and buying new things, second hand shops are very popular again!

Rauma is a small town, hence people do not have an access to huge shops and they go to the flea markets, especially to buy the kids’ clothes and old Finnish dishes. For some it is an ecological way of life.

Besides the shops listed here for tourists, there are a number of online Rauma flea markets on facebook. The best known online market in Finland is tori.fi, that is totally free to use.

  1. Retriika, Hakunintie 10
  2. Ratamakasiini, Hakunintie 6
  3. Torin Kymppi, Kuninkaankatu 25 (old town)
  4. Mimin Kierrätysaitta, Aittakarinkatu 12 (good for children’s clothes)
  5. Eveliina, Monnankatu 39 ( a little bit away from city center, but still a busy place in Kourujärve living area)
  6. Kirpputori-Kahvio Radanvarsi, Rautatienkatu 6 (near the railway; couple of flea markets next to each ohter in old railway warehouses)
  7. The flea market of the salvation army is now called Peippo Kirppis. Located near the old town, at Savilankatu 9
  8. The three flea market shops (Ala-puoti, Ylä-puoti and Soffakammari) of the Finnish Red Cross, Karjalankatu 15 (this is a place I take old clothes to and the Red Cross gets money as they sell it). Now called Kirpputori Puoti ja Wanhat Tawarat?
  9. Lokki kirpputori, Satamakatu 2 (near the central park) Keskuspuisto
  10. Kasitien kirppis, not in Rauma, but Kangasnummentie 1, Eurajoki (people say they have found good deals)

    So how does it work if you want to sell at kirppis (the Finnish word for flea shop)? You rent a box for a week for about 20 euros. You tag your products with a paper, that refers to the product / size, its cost and box number. The cashier collects your papers, when people buy and weekly gives you the money. All money you make is yours, but make sure you sell more than you pay rent, hahaa. No need to pay taxes from this revenue.
    Sometimes shopkeepers sell your things for you and they get 40% of the sales. This way you do not have to pay the cupboard rent, neither make your box look nice.
    The flea market owner makes extra money buy selling things bought from old houses and with a coffee corner.

    Other common ways to sell in Rauma are on such facebook pages:
    FOR KIDS
    Children’s clothes and toys: lastentarvikekirppis ..rauma ja lähialue..
    Children’s clothes and toys, with strong admin intervention: rauman lastenkirppis

    SELLING/BUYING everything
    A page in English. 800+ members rauma “buy & sell”
    Sell/buy/give away. 12 000+ members myydään ostetaan annetaan vaihdetaan (rauma ja lähialue)
    Rauma ja lähialue: Myydään, ostetaan, annetaan, vaihdetaan with 7000+ members.
    Myy/osta/vaihda – Rauma ja lähialue with 3800 members
    Free to give away page on facebook: ANNETAAN Rauma ja lähialue

See the map here (Rauma’s flea markets, second hand shops)

Pictures from Eveliina flea market->


Another source listing the same flea markets.

What is your experience with the flea markets in Rauma?
What is the one you like? Why?
Am I missing any?

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