Stageblog - Irene Walinga- December 2023 - Finland
Stageblog - Irene Walinga - December 2023
Merihaka shelter
This month I had the chance to visit one of the many shelters in Helsinki. Finland has fully functioning underground shelters which during normal times are used for all kinds of purposes like hockey pitches, cafés and playgrounds. In the shelters there is more than enough space for all the citizens, travelers and tourists in the city. Helsinki has a population of 600.000 people and the underground shelters are equipped for 900.000 people.
A preparedness teacher from the Finland’s Civil Defence Unit led us around the shelter and explained how life underground would be possible in the case of nuclear, gas or chemical bombs above the ground. Volunteer teams play a big role in the shelter, they can set up the emergency beds and toilets within a few hours and practice this regularly. The preparedness teacher revealed how being in a shelter underground has it physical but also mental challenges. What helps with this is the white painted bedrock in the shelter. This creates the illusion that you are residing in a regular building instead of 25 meters below the surface. Additionally, big spaces can be split in cubicles to make living there as comfortable as possible.
The preparedness teacher revealed another way the Finnish people are prepared for an emergency. The 72 hour recommendation, in the case of any emergency Finnish people are expected to manage for 72 hours on their own. Therefore, they should always have enough food and water to make it through those hours. This recommendation takes pressure off society and emergency services.
Slush
In November the long awaited arrival of Slush was finally here. Slush is a startup tech event which is held every year in Helsinki. This year Slush had the biggest Dutch delegation so far, over 200 Dutch people came to Finland to attend Slush.
The week of Slush started with a kick-off event at the residence where the ambassador welcomed all the Dutchies. The attendees could warm themselves during the snow storm with the traditional Finnish drink Glögi and salmon soup. The Slush event lasted for two days but the whole week was packed with side events. Some of them were organized by Dutch ecosystem organizations like a sky wheel pitching event and a very Finnish karaoke evening. Slush is all about making an impact and has a focus on the sustainable development goals. It was clear that all Dutch startups attending had a connection to sustainability and one of these goals as well.
At Slush there was an NL lounge where I spent most of my time as lounge manager. This was a great opportunity to help the investors and startups to connect with one another and learn about the startup world. One highlight was seeing Sanna Marin, the former prime minister of Finland, share her leadership lessons drawn from her time as the world’s youngest prime minister. It was inspiring to hear her encourage women to believe in themselves and approach new opportunities with confidence. The whole event ended with a huge afterparty where Käärijä performed the song that brought him the second place in the Eurovision Song Contest last year: Cha Cha Cha.
Life in Helsinki
The end of the year is approaching and I have been able to enjoy the winter weather with days of -15 degrees and a lot of snow. I had the pleasure to visit Tallinn in Estonia and see the Christmas market here as well as the traditions in Helsinki that lead up to Christmas. Like the light parade where many people and dogs dressed in Christmas clothing walk through the city and all the Christmas lights are turned on. These Christmas lights and Christmas market in Helsinki make it one of the best times to be here.Until next time!