Child labour

What is child labor ?

Not all work done by children or adolescents should be considered as child labor. It refers to work that affects their mental, physical, moral or social health in a negative way or deprives them of the opportunity to attend school. In extreme occasions child labor involves children being enslaved, separated  from their families, exposed to serious illness and left alone in to the industrial areas.

Child labor in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is often associated with child labor and it's no surprise since there are over 7 million children aged 5-17 working in sweatshops at a minimum wage. This is due to the fact that child labor is widely accepted in Bangladesh and many families' rely on the income of the child labor. Bangladesh has been trying to fight this problem by creating a law in 2006, which prohibits employment of children under 14 years old and hazardous forms of child labor for children under 18. However this hasn't worked as well as hoped.

It was recently revealed that the Swedish clothing company H&M uses child labor to produce their products. Most of these sweatshops are situated in the impoverished areas with young children working in dangerous conditions and in factories that aren't well constructed. Most of the children are forced to work over 12 hours. Surprisingly, H&M hasn't admitted publicly to these accusations unlike other companies as Nike. For example, many companies are blind to the actions that take place in the factories since they want to produce their products in the cheapest way possible.

Even though, this matter is talked on the media there hasn't been any signs of improvement. There are organisations that try to fight child labor, such as UNICEF and the International Labor Organisation, but they haven't been able to put a stop to this on-going problem. We think that this is a serious violation against human rights, and it should be stopped. Then again, in some cases, it's better to have a chance to work in a sweatshop and be able to support your family, than do nothing. It's a better way to earn money than selling drugs or becoming a prostitute, which is also very common in third world countries. 

We decided to write about this subject, because it affects our everyday life, as we turn a blind eye to who made our clothes and in which conditions they are made. This is quite a heavy subject, but we thought that people should realize, that we are supporting this cause unknowingly.

-  Annika, Dina and Katrin

Sources: www.unicef.org, www.ilo.org, www.brodenmagazine.com

A visit to Harvard University

I was lucky enough to visit Harvard during my stay here in Boston. I walked around the main campus – the Harvard Yard (which is the oldest part of Harvard University) and got to see several classroom and departmental buildings, libraries, freshman dormitories as well as the houses where sophmores, juniors and seniors live, not to mention the infamous statue of John Harvard. I was also able to visit Harvard Business School, which is usually not open to the public.

Harvard University is a private university and one of the 8 Ivy League universities. It’s situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was established in 1636. Harvard is known as one of the best universities in the world.

I spoke with a Harvard freshman whose name is Jessica. She’s majoring in computer sciences and was kind enough to tell me more about Harvard. She was part of the 5.8 percent of applicants out of 35 000 to be admitted to the Class of 2017 and has really enjoyed studying at Harvard. She told me a fun fact about the Statue of John Harvard. Apparently all the students in Harvard call it the “Statue of the Three Lies” because of the inscription on the statue. It says:

John Harvard, Founder, 1638.

The first lie is that the person is John Harvard, when in reality it’s just some 19^th century Harvard-student. There is actually no surviving image of John Harvard. The second lie is that he was the founder, when in fact he was just a financial contributor, after whom the university was named. The third lie is the year on the statue. Harvard was founded in 1636, not 1638.

She also told me that “sexism” at Harvard didn’t end until 1999, when women were finally able to get actual Harvard diplomas and not separate ones from men. That’s when Harvard and Radcliffe University (which is a female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard) merged. Before that, the university was strictly male dominated and you couldn’t even find portraits of women on the walls. Nowadays the number of male students and female students is nearly equal.

The campus grounds are very well-maintained with lots of green parks and groomed paths. There's also lots of chairs and tables around which you can sit and study (or have lunch). You can tell that Harvard wants their students to make the most of their college years. Harvard also has many clubs, teams and free time activities for the students. The Harvard Crimson are all the athletic teams of the university. There are teams for lacrosse, golf, football, basketball, sailing, fencing, rowing etc. Harvard also has a student newspaper The Harvard Crimson which has a rivalry with The Lampoon (which is a humor magazine also at Harvard).

The visit to Harvard University was certainly a very inspiring and motivating one. Also some of the stories that I heard, regarding present and former students, proved to me that hard work always pays off at the end. Oh how I wish that one day I could study in such a prestigious university.

Here are some pictures from the main campus area:

And then some pictures from Harvard Business School:

- Sofie

Traveling

We decided to share some of our traveling experiences, as we all enjoy traveling very much. In our opinion traveling is also a sign of freedom and we are extremely lucky to have this privilege. Traveling is not only a way to get away from all the mundane stress, but it also broadens our aspects on different things. It is a way to learn things you aren't able to learn here in Finland.

Here are some places we have visited and enjoyed more or less.

EUROPE

St. Petersburg, Russia

I visited St. Petersburg in March 2015. We went there by train, which took about 3,5 hours. During our stay we visited several world-known places such as the Winter Palace, the Church of the Savior on Blood and the Peter and Paul Fortress. Inside the Winter Palace you can find thousands of paintings and statues which are divided into different sections by its origin country. If you happen to visit St. Petersburg you should also see the Church of the Savior on Blood, which was spectacular.  The main street, Nevsky Prospect, is full of different stores for shopping. Visiting St. Petersburg was a great experience and Russian's eventful history could be seen everywhere. - Annika

London, United Kingdom

I stayed with my British friend Lauren last summer when I visited London. She showed me many nice places, especially ones that tourists don't know about. Camden Town is by far my favorite place in London. Its colorful street art, diverse food stands/shops and lively atmosphere are just a few of the reasons why you should most definitely pay a visit there if you're ever in the area. South Bank is a nice place to go on an evening walk and for a quick bite. You also get a beautiful close-up view of the London Eye. - Sofie

Rhodes, Greece

Rhodes is one of Greece's largest islands and a real paradise. I travelled there last summer with my family. We stayed in a small town about one hour away from the "capital" of Rhodes, Rhodes City. The beaches were incredible and the water was clear and blue. One of my absolute favourite places was Lindos, a small town full of small white houses and narrow streets and surrounded by the sea. Rhodes City was also very nice, especially the Old Town which was surrounded by huge stonewalls. Inside the walls you could find similar narrow streets and alleys as in Lindos. The Greeks were extremely nice and the food was absolutely delicious. - Annika

AFRICA

Tunisia

I'm half Tunisian so every Summer my family and I spend a month there at our summer house. Tunisia has a special place in my heart because it's like a second home for me.

What I love to do there is spend time with my whole family, go to the beach, eat spicy food and enjoy breathtaking views.

For tourists I recommend visiting the capital, Tunis. Sights like Sidi Bou Said, Carthage and Tabarka, which is also another lovely city. - Dina

Tanzania

I've visited Tanzania twice, in 2007 and 2008. Tanzania was incredible. It's definitely the place to visit if you want to be in peace with no other tourists. We were on a week-long safari in the national parks (Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro). I haven't been to zoos since my visit to Tanzania. Seeing animals in their natural habitat made me realize that keeping wild animals in captivity is not good. The food was also amazing and very exotic as you can assume. Tanzania is a very safe country compared to many other African countries e.g., you were able to walk on the streets without any worries about being robbed.  - Katrin

ASIA

Shanghai, China

I went to Shanghai with my mother two years ago. It was actually quite an extempore trip. We were there for five days. It was my first time in Asia so I was anxious to travel there.

What I liked about Shanghai was all the cool skyscrapers, which we don't have here in Finland. Also the food there was delicious.

A lovely place we visited was China town. It's a place everyone should visit to get a real taste of the Chinese culture. -Dina

Goa, India

In India, which I visited in 2013 because my dad was working there, the poor and the rich are separated with fences. I visited Goa, the richest region in India, and still, I wouldn't say it was anything near rich. Goa's largest city Panjim was very pretty with a lot of beautiful churches, shops and markets, but also very restless. During our stay we went fishing with a local fisherman, saw dolphins and spent a few hours at a secret beach, these were all very memorable experiences.

There are many pros and cons in visiting third world countries, such as Tanzania and India. Often they're heavily polluted and with lots of litter thrown on the ground. There are a lot of nice and expensive hotels for business or vacation purposes that have high security and good service. But when you walk outside the hotel area reality hits. And it hits hard. - Katrin

NORTH AMERICA

I visit the United States of America practically every year with my family, so I've been to a lot of different states and cities there. One of my favourite places in the States is South Beach in Florida. It has a laid-back summer vibe all year around and it's not so much of a touristy place as Miami. We usually rent an apartement there, so I've learnt to know the area quite well. Lincoln road is filled with shops, but if you want a good place to eat at, I would head to the Art Deco District and find a nice restaurant there. I also love New York, the Manhattan area to be exact. It is definitely one of my favourite cities in the whole wide world. My dad used to live in New York so he knows Manhattan like the back of his hans and likes to take us to cool new places. I also love the SoHo area because it's all about stylish people, "hip" cafés and restaurants and trendy boutiques. - Sofie

- Dina & Annika

Food = Happiness

Some people eat to live, but we live to eat. Eating good food is a way to gather friends and family around the same table and have a good time together. Whether it's a yummy, creamy carrot cake or a healthy plate full of stir-fried vegetables and chicken, we love to experience with exotic foods and new recipes. Especially while growing up, we have acquired a new appreciation for nutritious and home-made food and have started making healthier choices when it comes to everyday basis.

Last weekend us four and three other girls spent a fun and cozy evening at Dina's house, playing Alias and eating great food. Each of us brought something so it was kind of like a potluck party. We love to have these types of evenings every once in a while because it's a nice way to relax from all the stress and obviously have long talks and laugh a lot (and gossip).

On the menu that evening we had sesame chicken, falafels, sweet potato fries, quacamole, hummus, veggies, rye chips, normal chips, carrot cake, double chocolate chip cookies and blueberry-oat-cookies, milk and white chocolate and to finish off loads of candy. 

Now we're going to tell you a little about some of our favorite easy-to-make snacks. Smoothie is always a go-to snack. It's very quick to make, it's healthy, it's yummy. What more do you even need? We never get tired of drinking smoothies because you can switch up the ingredients so it never tastes the same. In our smoothies we like to put e. g. berries, frozen bananas and mangoes, and either water/juice or yogurt. When making a green smoothie we like to go for kale, spinach, avocados and kiwi, just to name a few.

We also love making chia pudding. You just mix chia seeds with liquid (water or juice) and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The next morning you can mix it with what ever you please, for example vanilla yogurt, topped off with some frozen berries and granola. One thing you need to know about chia seeds, though, is that you shouldn't have them dry, so always mix them with a liquid because they absorb a lot of water. You don't want to get dehydrated!

For a more filling snack, avocados are always a good idea. You can have them with cottage cheese (+ lemon juice) or make it into a delicious guacamole dip (and then put some over a slice of toast).

When we're craving something sweet we like to opt for candy, cookies, ice cream or some type of pastry. Katrin and Annika are both very good at baking so they like to make their cookies/cakes at home (while Dina and Sofie prefer to pay a visit to a nearby store, and buy them pre-made). 

Dina is a huge fan of brunches. She literally knows all the best spots in Helsinki, so if you ever need any tips - just go and ask her. Her favorite place to eat brunch is Sis.Deli.

Some of our favorite restaurants in the capital area are Fafa's, Konnichiwa, Teatteri, Sandro and Bronda.

We're going to leave you with a good quote to keep in mind: 

" One cannot live well, if one has not dined well." 

- Sofie & Katrin

Music

For us music plays an integral part in our lives. Music is a way for us to relax, cheer us up, for some of us it's even a hobby. We love to blast out music and dance around to it. To show you our love for music, we answered some question related to our favorite songs, concerts, etc.


Which song is your favorite ATM?

Sofie: Years and Years - Kings

Annika: Ain't Noboby (Loves me better) - Felix Jaehn

Dina: Flowers - Willow Smith

Katrin: Are you with me - Lost Frequencies (Kungs Remix)

All time faves?

Sofie: Gates - Speak

Annika: Another Love - Tom Odell

Dina: Naive - The Kooks

Katrin: Halo - Beyoncé

What song gets you in the mood?

Sofie: Still the one  - One Direction

Annika: Love Love Love - Jackson (Radio Edit)

Dina: Baby I got that - Bondax

Katrin: Stronger - Clean Bandit

Concerts/Festivals/Musicals?

Sofie: I've been to lots of different EDM (electronic dance music) concerts and festivals such as Weekend Festival, Avicii concert and Swedish Mafia concert, even though it's not really my type of music. I hope one day I'll get see some of my favorite indie artists perform live. I also love musicals and the Mamma Mia musical in Svenska Teatern was truly an unforgettable experience. 

Annika: I enjoy listening to live music and have been to several concerts, festivals and musicals. The most memorable musical is definitely The Lion King, which I saw last autumn in London. The show was spectacular and so was the music. I've also been to Weekend Festival twice and I enjoyed both times very much. I am also looking forward to the One Direction concert next summer which we're all going to. 

Dina: One of the things that is part of the Summer are festivals. Last Summer I went to Ruis Rock. It's a rock/indie festival in Turku. It was a great experience. Many of my favorite bands were playing and the weather was lovely. I would recommend this festival to people who enjoy good music and great atmosphere.

Katrin: A passion of mine has always been musicals. Since I was little, I've always dreamed of being on stage myself. During the winter break I went to Ed Sheeran's concert in Tallinn, which was amazing. And then I went to see The Lion King in London. To be honest, it was one of the best musicals I've ever seen in my life.