For our first issue, Her Campus Helsinki stole a quick interview with one of the Better Than Sliced Bread editors and webmasters, Jesper Simola. Jesper is a sixth year student, and he has just started his own podcast, which is being published in Better Than Sliced Bread.
HC: Why did you choose to go to Helsinki University?
After graduating from high school, a lot of my friends left Finland to go study abroad, but, for me, the thought to go abroad never really crossed my mind. I spent most of my childhood living abroad in various countries (ask me to list them sometime), so I think I just wanted to stay put for a while in the same area. I didn’t really actually know what I wanted to go study, but I eventually decided to go with English because I wanted to study in that language, and I’d also developed an interest in analyzing literature based on past experiences at school. So, in conclusion, it all came down to location, past experiences and a dash of whim.
HC: You have been in the STEP (Subject Teacher Education Program) program this year – what has that been like?
STEP has certainly kept me incredibly busy this year. This is my sixth year at university, and I have no hesitation in saying that it’s been my most intense year yet. Unfortunately, the work load has been rather frustrating at times because some of it has felt quite repetitive or generally much too abstract to feel worthwhile at times. That’s the downside. The upsides are there, too, and there are many of them. In addition to having some eye-opening lectures, I’ve had also had two wonderful experiences at two different practice schools. I’ve been incredibly lucky to get to practice in an elementary school as well as a high school, and both times, I’ve had incredible mentors whose passion and knowledge have been inspiring and helpful. In addition, this group of STEP-brothers and STEP-sisters that I’ve come to know through the past year has not only led to some unexpected learning experiences but quite a few new friendships as well. Together, we’ve bonded over the good and the bad. Overall, I don’t regret for an instant taking part in the STEP program, and I believe it will continue to improve as it gets past its growing pains.
HC: You have been very active in the English philologists’ webzine Better Than Sliced Bread. How has being an editor shaped your university experience?
Being an editor for Better Than Sliced Bread (or BTSB, as we like to call it) has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It’s been a great source of inspiration, prompting me to dabble in different genres of writing and to think about concepts in brand new ways as I survey the world thinking about where my next source of inspiration will come from. I also can’t say enough good things about our BTSB community. BTSB’s writers are truly a dedicated and supportive bunch. For us, it’s meant to be a fun experience, and it’s a hobby, yet we don’t take it any less seriously because of those two factors. We’re all committed to making something that we can be proud of, and I think we’re all excited about the possibilities of BTSB. Plus, it’s been an experience that is, in many respects, entirely unique to the university setting. I’d urge anyone reading this to look into clubs or other extracurricular activities offered by your fellow students because you might find yourself not only meeting new people but finding out new things about yourself. Best of all, you might find yourself part of something whose potential knows no bounds. That’s how I feel about BTSB.
I do urge people to check us out at www.betterthanslicedbread.info, as we truly have some talented writers there. The latest issue coming out in April won’t feature any writing from me, but it will feature my podcast. If you’d be curious to read something by me, I’d like to recommend my most recent article, which is called Transgender Euphoria. It’s been, by far, the most challenging article I’ve written so far — causing me to start it over more times than I can remember — but the end result was something that I’m truly proud of and would love to hear what people think of it.
HC: You started your own podcast “Intercultural Happy Hour with Jesper and Friends” – what has that experience been like so far?
Well, I’ve only done two episodes so far, but I can tell you that it’s far more grueling than I expected. Sitting down to have an hour-long conversation with someone can be surprisingly draining and, honestly, I think it’s the knowledge that you’re being recorded that has that effect. It’s like we’re too aware of the setting and thus exhaust ourselves by being unable to become comfortable, but I guess it will get easier with practice. My desire is to be aware enough of the podcast setting in order to fully use the podcast format to our advantage but to also be unaware enough of it so that I can be less self-conscious while recording. Being self-conscious is surprisingly tiring.
All that being said, I’ve absolutely loved the experience so far and consider myself very blessed to have already had two terrific guests appear on the podcast. I’m such a fan of podcasts in general that I’m ecstatic about simply having my own podcast, let alone one that people seem genuinely interested in listening to and helping me with.
HC: Why did you choose interculturality as the theme of your podcast?
Well, the topic was something that I’ve just been very conscious about, especially during this past year or so. I come from a family made up almost entirely of Finnish people, but I myself was born in Chicago, Ill., and spent quite a bit of my childhood growing up in all kinds of different environments. As a result, I’ve sometimes struggled with even simple questions like, “Where are you from?” because I don’t really have a strong answer for that — or at least not one that I can give in a couple of words (which is really what people are usually expecting when asking that). What this meant was that I sometimes felt like I didn’t really have a strong sense of myself. These have been issues that I’ve had for a long time, but I never really gave them a proper amount of thought until I attended a lecture by a man named Fred Dervin, who spoke at length about this. I’ll try to keep this short and sweet but, in general, he talked about our identities being liquid constructs rather than solid ones. In essence, what this means is that every aspect of our identity is constantly changing rather than remaining stable. We like to try and attach solid or stable ideas to ourselves because it helps us make sense of the world, but in reality, our identities are constantly evolving. To use the visual example that Dervin gave, think of your hand under a water faucet. You can’t grab hold of the water; instead it just flows over your hand. This is how our identities work. Hearing this, I came to look at my own identity in a whole new way, and exploring these concepts is why I created the podcast. Honestly, I just find them fascinating. If I can get people half as interested in these concepts as I am thanks to Dervin, I’d be ecstatic.
HC: What would be the dream scenario for you as far as after-graduation life goes?
Honestly, I don’t know what my dream scenario is, and I know that’s a bit of a cop-out of an answer, but let me explain. As a teenager, I was making movies all of the time, and some people felt that I would probably be doing that for the rest of my life, yet here I am studying to become a teacher. Plans change. However, it’s not like I just gave up on making movies. I still think about it relatively often, and there are days where I feel like getting rid of everything that I’m currently doing in order to make a film. But then I get back to my teaching or I get back to my podcast or I get back to the guitar in the corner of my room that I’m still desperately trying to learn. One of these days, I may get back to my filmmaking — I just don’t know at this moment. I don’t live life without goals or without some form of an idea of where I’m going, but I also let myself be carried off in different directions. I’m currently learning to become a teacher, but who knows where that might lead? In addition, who knows where my podcast might lead or who knows where my work with BTSB will go? The point is, I don’t really know exactly where I’m going, but I’m trying to focus on what I feel like doing to get there.