Blog The Pain Away

So last week, not only did I have a cold, but I had a terrible tooth ache. A week later, the cold is subsiding, but the toothache was still going strong. So I braved it, and headed to the dentist...

After much deliberation, it was agreed that I should have the tooth out. It wasnt decayed, but the tooth giving me jip was my wisdom tooth, and the reason it was giving me jip was because there wasnt enough room for it basically.

So out its come. The actual extraction wasnt too bad. The dental technician was very sweet and let me squeeze her hand during the procedure. I now have a beautiful tooth in a jar to show for it.

Like I said, the procedure wasnt so bad. Being numbed up to the nines helped. But now the anaesthetic has worn off and I'm in more pain than I was before!!! I hope it subsides soon. Else this will be a terrible Christmas :(

Home Safe

I've somewhat gone into hibernation now I've made it home. I'm quite happy to sit at home watching a DVD of CSI with my bro. The simple pleasures in life eh?

The journey home was pretty traumatic. My flight was leaving Tampere at 11pm Finnish time, landing at 11:45 British time. Unfortunately it was late, so we landed at 12:20, and then we didnt get our baggage until about 1:30am! Of course, to my body clock, this was 3:30am! I was shattered to say the least. And still suffering from the final throws of a cold made the whole journey a bit traumatic.

Still, it was worth it to come through the gates where my mum was waiting with a helium balloon and a bacon butty :)

I should be able to catch up with my blogging a bit after Christmas, but for now I'm just resting (still not rid of this blooming cold!) and enjoying some good British food and sunshine! Haha.

Heading Home

I go home tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. But this has been a pretty awful week. I've been sick, which means I just want to stay in bed. But its good-bye partys all round :( Some of which I've had to miss because, well, I've been asleep. The most important goodbyes were said on monday, before the worst of my sickness hit. Its 4pm now, and I want to go back to sleep, but there is another goodbye party that I really should go to. But then I still havnt really finished packing, and I have a long journey tomorrow. What to do?

Cant wait to get home and spread my Finnish germs to everyone else. At least I'll be able to sleep in my own bed. Cant believe its been nearly 5 months since I've been home. Still look the wrong way when crossing the road though. And I waited for the bus on the wrong side of the road last week too. Doh.

Its snowed again!

But I'm sick again :(

Finally up-to-date!

So perhaps we should continue with the dairy posts? I think I gave up on about the 2nd...

3/12
We had the language circle pikkojoulu. Think thats how its spelt. Its just a pre-christmas party. We had traditional food from all the different language groups, and some did presentations too. We decided to combine the two tasks, and gave out the things needed to create a Christingle, and showed people how to do it. The party itself was nice, and our group members said some lovely things about us to the main organiser of the language circles. Will be carrying on with it next semester for sure. Was the best thing I got involved with here, as nearly all my friends were met through it.

4/12
I believe this was the night of the monumental skype between Rach and I. Other than our daily emails at work (its highly important stuff of course, not just random muses on popo's, lunch, and capri-sun) I hadnt had a proper chat with her in ages. Mostly because I hadnt been in a lot. Was so nice to catch up properly though. Although the catch up over Christmas will be even better!

5/12
I had planned to go to Tampere. But I overslept. Which in my defence is very easy when the sun doesnt even start to rise till 10am. Anyway, went and did some shopping instead. Found a really huge second hand shop/warehouse out of town (had been told about it, didnt just stumble across it). Anyway, found A1's third album, The Rasmus's first album, and an old (Finnish) idols CD, which altogther cost less than €5! Bargin, hehe.

6/12
Finnish independance day. Was originally going to meet up with friends in Kuopio. But since we were told there would be no-where open and buses would be irregular, we decided to head to my friends in Seinajoki instead. But then I was told about the military parade that takes place in Turku every year, and also about the presidential palace ball, which was being shown on telly in a pub in town. So they decided to come here again, and we partook in the aforementioned activities. Was good. Although the parade was strange. We thought it would be a celebration of independance, lots of flaf-waving and cheering and such, but actually it seemed a rather sombre affair. More of a show of respect for those that fought for the country's independance.
The ball was also quite strange. I had been warned though. Basically the broadcast is just 2 hours of each guest shaking hands with the president. There's the odd celeb (Anna Abreu) thrown in to keep it interesting, but basically its a big fashion show.

7/12
Just hung out with my friends before they headed home.

8/12
More knitting. Finished one of my arm warmers so started on the next. Thats about it really.

9/12
They showed a Finnish Christmas film for the exchange students. Was a good film actually. Will write a proper film review soon (I hope).

10/12
Christmas baking! There was an ESN party on the 11th, so the girls needed help with preparing the food, so the deal was they would show us how to bake traditional Finnish cakes and we would get to eat some, but not all. Was good. We made these Christmas star things, which were so easy, I made them again tonight. We also made ginger bread cookies, and some cinnamon buns. All very very tasty. Iceing the cookies was fun too, although a bit messy.

11/12
Stayed home. Was knackered!

12/12
Film night at Carries. Watched the Painted Viel. Will write a film review on that soon too. Promise.

13/12
Today was Saint Lucia day. Being of the Lutheran religion, the Finnish dont really celebrate saint days. However this is a Swedish tradition that is upheld by the Swedish-speaking Finns, of which there is a lot in Turku (or Abo to be precise). Anyway, basically, a girl is elected to the role of Lucia, and she gets to dress in a big white dress, with a crown of green and candles apon her head. The congregation sings some Swedish songs, and then the candles get lit and she walks down the aisle. Was quite cool. And not just because Swedish spoken with a Finnish accent is very attractive ;)

I will update both my diary posts with pictures, so check back soon.

New Pic

Oh, and check out the new pic ---------->

Thought I'd get rid of the stolen one and add one of my own masterpieces, hehe. Actually really love the pictures I took of Turku in the snow. Will have to share the best ones with you soon.

Can Anyone Hear My Song?

So, I've been really slack on the blogging front lately. I guess it feels like time is running out, so have been spending as much time as possible hanging out with soon-to-be-departed friends. When I have been home though, I've been spending a lot of time listening to the new CDs I purchased in Stockholm. Here is one song I've been listening to a lot...

Mammoth Diary Post

I havent really updated on my goings-on since Stockholm. Feels like since I went back to work after my illness, I havent really stopped. Work has been getting busier, with lots of new assays and techniques. Good practice for me, but its taking me a while to catch up, and remembering to write everything up in my labbook is taking more time than it should. Plus when you look outside and its pitch dark, you start thinking that your quite happy at work (radio, internet, tea) but eventually you brave it...
Anyway, this is whats been going on in my world for the last 2 weeks. Its pretty mammoth, so dont feel obligued to read it, its more for me than anything...

17/11
Knitting club again. I started on my hat. Seemed to be going pretty well. Although found it hard to say 'knit one pearl one" over and over in my mind and follow a conversation at the same time...

18/11
The language cirlce returned to Poro as they all said how much they enjoyed it the first time. In the end only 2 others turned up, but was nice anyway. I do like that bar, even if it is maybe a bit tacky...

19/11
Carrie and Will decided to host a thanksgiving dinner. This was quite a cool idea, and I was excited about going and trying traditional thanksgiving foods. The turkey was great, as well as all the other food. I was picturing something similar to Christmas Dinner though, and it wasnt really much like that at all (no roast potatoes, no vegetables either really...), but givene the limit resources here, I wont take it as an exact replicar (for instance, they couldnt find anywhere selling Pumpkins for Pumpkin pie).

20-23/11
Stockholm!!!

24-26/11
Stayed in sick mostly. Except I did still make it to knitting. I finished my hat! Looks very nice, and covers my ears (even when I tie my hair back, which I do a lot), so have been using a lot sor these cold mornings.

27/11
The language circle met to play cards for lack of a better idea. Was nice though, got covered in glogi in a heated game of Spoons. Ah, Glogi. Apparently comes from a Swedish tradition, but who cares, its lush. Its a heated drink of juices, cinnamon, and spices. Often has some red wine thrown in for good measure....

28/11
Went out for a hot chocolate with Vlad and Malaurie (those that I met at the cottage weekend). Hadnt seen them much since the cottage weekend, so was nice to catch up. The drunken Finns in the bar also provided some amusement.

29/11
The university arrannges tours of certain attractions of Turku for free. I decided to join the group going round the Handicrafts Musuem. This is normally only open for the summer season, but they also open for the Christmas season, and I was intruiged. It is a museum about old traditional handicrafts, but most interesting it is loacted in the only area of Turku that survived the numerous fires, meaning it is the only part that gives any indication to the fact Turku is the oldest town in Finland. The guide was quite good, and although it was cold, it was worth getting out of bed for.

Then in the afternoon/evening they were holding a ceremony outside the Catherdral for the lighting of Finlands official Christmas tree. For this, my friend from Helsinki headed down for the night. Was an interesting ceremony, with dancing and a choir. Then there was someone talking in Finnish and suddenly the lights came on and everyone went home! Haha.

We headed home for food and glogi before heading out for the night. First to Koulu, where there was more glogi, and then to Zanzibar, a latin bar in town. Was alright, but the music didnt really make me want to dance, and then it was too loud to have a proper conversation with anyone. So we headed for the night bus home.

30/11
Got up relatively early and headed for the castle. Did a tour of the perimiter, before walking up along the river past the Finnish Swan (a boat in the Maritime museum), and came as far as the free ferry from Turku to Åbo. Which we went on. And then back again. For anyone unaware, Åbo is the Swedish name for Turku. The ferry just goes from one side of the river to the other :p

We got the bus back to town, and went up the observatory to get a view of the town, before heading down and round to the Cathedral to have a proper look around the Christmas market. After that we headed back to mine before going to Indre's. A lithuanian girl I lived with in Helsinki that my friend wanted to catch up with too. We had a cup of tea and a chat before going to the station to see my friend back to Helsinki.

1/12
Had the first chocolate from the advent calander that my mum had sent over from England. no idea what gave her that idea, but made me smile.
Then in the evening was more knitting. Since I'd finished my hat, I decided to start on some arm warmers. Same wool so they match the hat.

2/12
My lecturer came to visit us students. We all went out for dinner (univeristy of surrey picking up the bill, many thanks). Was nice. Went to Blanko Bar, which is this trendy looking place in the corner by the river. Go past it on the bus a lot and always think it looks nice in there. It was nice. I had a sort of steak. Pretty yummy. Desert was yummier though :)

Ok, I'm bored of this now. Will finish it off ... sometime. Another busy week this week, but the weekend is totally free, so we'll see what happens...

Just a Day Late

Happy Finnish Independence Day!

Have more guests with me this weekend, so bit short on time. Will post details of the celebrations and some pictures very soon!

Clash of The Titans

MTV Russia recently held their annual Russian Music Awards. They managed to get not only Sergey Lazarev to host, but Dima Bilan as well. Watching some of the clips it seems there was a lot of friendly banter going on. Although without understanding the Russian, I'm sure I was laughing at the wrong parts, no idea what my Russian housemate must have been thinking if she could hear.

Anyway, one clip that requires no knowledge of the Russian language, just knowledge of Believe, Zachem Pridumali Lubov and Lazerboy. I thought it was hilarious...

Stockholm Diary – Part 3

I woke stupidly early Saturday morning. Breakfast wasnt until 10am, but I was wide awake at 8:30. Especially after I saw the snow outside! Deciding not to waste the next hour in bed, I got up and dressed and went for a wonder in the snow. Felt like a blizzard at some points. Was cool though.

Went back to the Hostel, had breakfast, checked out, and discussed on how to get back to T-Centralen where we would get the bus. In the end we all went by metro.

We got the bus to Grona Lund on the island just east of the old town. Grona Lund is a theme park that closes for the winter season, but was opening its doors for its annual 'Christmas market'. Now I'm no expert, but normally a Christmas market should have, you know, market stalls of some sort.

Anyway, it was rather lovely all covered in snow (would have been truly rubbish otherwise) and me and my friend did have fun in the house of mirrors...

After Grona Lund, we decided to look for somewhere to eat and warm up before heading to The Vasa museum. In the end, we got to Vasa before we found somewhere selling food, so decided to eat in the restaurant there.

My friends tried the soup while I decided to go for the more traditional meatballs. This is possibly where it all went wrong. I'm convinced they are what made me sick, as they were the only things I ate that my friends didnt. However after contacting the restaurant, they insisted it couldnt have come from them. So who knows..?

Anyway, after that we got stuck into the museum. It was definitely the highlight of the trip. Numerous people recommended it, and I'm so glad we found time for it. The sight of this beautiful boat alone is worth the entrance money, but there are a ton of extra exhibitions for you to read through also.

In fact there was so much to look at that we were there for the last 2 hours before closing, and I was still left wanting to see more. So if ever I return I think this will still be worth a visit.

Briefly for those who want to know the story behind The Vasa;
- It was a ship commissioned by the King in the 1620s
- He demanded it have extra cannon decks without increasing the width at the bottom
- This meant there was not enough space for the required ballast
- 20 Minutes after leaving Stockholm, the boat began to tip, and water began to come in the low open cannon holes
- Unable to right itself, the boat sank just outside the harbour where it remained for over 300 years.
- Due to the lack of salt in Nordic waters the boat was well preserved, and has been painstakingly restored and set up in this museum.

And that is the story of Vasa in a nutshell. But honestly, if your in Stockholm, you should check it out. I'm not a very nautical person, but still found it fascinating. Unfortunately my photos really dont do it justice.

After that we rushed back to T-Centralen to get our stuff and head for the ferry port. At which point I began to feel ill. A 10 hour ferry ride later, I was back in Turku and went straight home to bed. The poor girls that were meant to be sharing the cabin with me left me alone for the night, and amused themselves at the disco. I'm sure they didnt mind too much.

Overall, the trip itself was really enjoyable, but way too short! Given how cheap it is to get there from here, I will definitely be going again in the spring - if I can find time that is!!

Stockholm Diary – Part 2

So as we returned to the palace there was some sort of ceremony with the guards going on. Not the official changing of the guard as this was supposed to happen on Sunday, but perhaps a smaller version. Guards were parading down the street with a Swedish flag out front. They then did some sort of song&dance out the front of the Palace. I found it interesting to watch. After it finished, the Palace was then open for guests. So we got our tickets and headed in to see the Royal Apartments. It was very grand. Lots of colour and the ceilings were painstakingly detailed in their design.


We also got to have a quick look round the treasury. Soooo many sparkly things. I’ve never seen so many diamonds. Although I found the crowns a bit disgusting up close, so much detail, so many stones, it just looked like too much for the eyes. But the overall effect was nice.

After spending quite a while in the palaces, we headed back to get our bags and check into out hostel. This was a bit of a mission, as some people wanted to walk, some were willing to pay for the metro. In the end though, we all made it to the right place at the right time-ish. So we checked in. The room was a good size and the TV was huge! Haha. I was excited to get out and do some Cd shopping. I hadn’t wanted to bore my travel buddies with it while we had such limited time in the city, so took this opportunity while the others were resting to go exploring. As you may have read, it was very successful.


Apon returning, I was told people were heading off to look for somewhere to eat. We ended up finding an Indian restaurant that looked relatively cheap. I’ve been craving a good Chicken Korma since I’ve been here, so was happy to finally have my wish granted! Twas a lovely meal, with great company. Although I did think it was a bit strange to come to Sweden for a curry! Vowed to try some Swedish food the next day…


We headed back to the hotel where some people had talks of going out to boogie in Stockholm. I liked this idea, but my feet didn’t seem to want to cooperate. So I stayed in with the girls I was sharing the room with and we watched some trashy Swedish telly. We mostly watched Singing Bee, a karaoke style programme where you had to guess the lyrics of the song. Get it right and you go through to the next round, get it wrong and you face elimination. It was a funny show actually, and although most of the songs were in Swedish, I did recognise a few (e.g. Det Gör Ont). In the end the guy we were rooting for won. I think he might have come from the Ålands, as they were waving flags that looked a little different to your usual Swedish flags for him in the audience.

After that I feel asleep.

Holidays Are Coming...

Oh, I'm loving the Christmas tunes going on on Radio Nova at the minute. Been a long day at work, but a fairly laid-back one. My lecturer came from England to do the round of placement visits. He needed some lunch, so we sat and talked in the cafeteria for a while. Was getting really stressy about it last night, but it was actually... fun? I dont know, maybe just talking to someone who knew about my home uni/degree etc was nice. And telling someone about my experiences at work who actually understood. I mean, I bore Rach with my talk of immunoassays and phosphate buffers, but it was nice to talk with someone who has a knowledge of it already.

We're (the other placement students, their supervisors, and our lecturer) going out for dinner tonight, which should be nice.

Oh, and since he spoke to my supervisor first, he passed on some of her good comments to me. Such as the fact that she thinks I'm fairly competent and know when something is important enough to go and ask about when I'm unsure, and that she respects my persistence in going and sitting for coffee with my 'colleagues' even when they continue to speak in Finnish the whole time. :)

Oh wait, James Blunt, Your Beautiful just came on the radio. Maybe its time to go home...

So Much to See, So Little Time

So, in as little as 3 weeks I will be back home for Christmas! My, hasnt time gone fast?! I'm glad I'm coming back though - there is still so much to see and do! Especially since a lot of things are closed over winter, and some things I have left for the spring in particular, such as going to the Archipelago, or the Alands (I cant do the funky Swedish A atm).

Still, I should have plenty of time next semester. I just hope they get used to not seeing me at work much. I need at least 2 weeks off I know already - one for the trip to Lapland, and one for the trip to Russia. Then also my friends and/family should be coming to visit at some point, so would be good to take time off and show them around. And then last night I met up with another girl I know who is staying the year too, and she has all these extravagant plans of trips, so maybe will get to tag along on a few of them. We'll see....

My friend from Helsinki may or may not still be coming to visit. Which means, I probabaly should do some tidying up just in case, hehe. Will continue with my Stockholm posts when I get the time (maybe tues night?).

I hate HTML!!!!

Can't believe how long it took me to sift through the Html for the last post just because I copied and pasted from word (I wrote the post at work). Actually, I'm gonna blame windows for inserting the useless Html in the first place. Gah!

Stockholm Diary - Part 1

We were getting the overnight ferry from Turku to Stockholm Thursday night. So I had the pleasure of a full day at work before heading to the harbour at 7. Once on the boat, we faffed about a bit and missed going up to see it leaving, so by the time we got on deck all you could see were islands of trees… and the odd bird.

So we had a wonder round the rest of the ship (quick look in the duty free) and then back to the cabin for food. Some people went to have a boogie, but I was so tired, I just headed to bed. In order to take up less room for when the other 3 girls returned, I took a top bunk. My god it was scary! I used to sleep in a bunk-bed as a kid, but it had a rail to stop you falling out – this didn’t! I was convinced the boat was gonna start tipping in the night and I would fall out. So I clung to the wall for the night. I survived.

We were woken by a Finnish man knocking on the doors, opening them to shout Huomenta in at you and then closing it again. On the third Huomenta he wanted to take the dirty sheets so we had to get up. On the fourth he seemed surprised we were still there “could you, slowly, erm, get out” Haha. So we left…

It was 6:30am Swedish time. The sun had barely risen. It was -2°C. So after dumping our bags, did we decide to go find a café to keep warm until the town woke up too? No, instead we wondered around the old town. On the way, we found the first of many churches, which we entered through a door that said “no entry for public” on the other side. But we were already through by then… oops.

The next church was closed (all winter!) but I love its church spire. It was hollow and metal, and I’d never seen anything like it before...

We then went further into the old town. I had completely lost my bearings by this point, so was just walking around taking it all in. We went through some narrow side-streets and saw some interesting buildings, but eventually we decided that nothing was open, and we were freezing, so we went and found a nice café.

After the café, we headed off in search of the Royal Palace. We had sort of walked past it earlier, but headed in the wrong direction. So we went back for a proper look and wondered all around the outside. It was beautiful. Although the guards were a little strange. They would talk to you if you stepped inside their little black line marked around their huts, and they were watching you and everything going on around them. Very different to the Beefeaters of London. The Palace opened at 12, so we wondered off for a little while until it was open but come back as we decided we would like to look inside.

So we went to a beautiful church next to it. My favourite church of the trip (I told you there were many). I don’t know what it was about it that I liked more than the others, but it was very charming. The interior was a bit bizarre in places. The most beautiful part though was the area where you could light a candle. Instead of just placing it on the side, you could place it in a giant spherical globe…

We then went to a few tourist shops, and headed back to the Palace….

Busy Busy Busy

Grrrr, blooming virus's (Or Drive-By Downloads, as Rachel has informed me they are called). Stupid thing just wasted half my evening and all I had to do was clear my private data. Oh well, at least it wasnt anything too malicious.

I have sorted through my Stockholm pics, and will do some proper updating soon. Went back to work today, so definitely on the mend. Out with the language circle tomorrow night and then think for hot chocolate friday night, then there's all sorts going on saturday night (plus my friend from Helsinki is visiting!) and then sunday night I've been invited for a Korean food night, then monday night is knitting again (I finished my hat this week!) and then Tuesday my tutor from England is coming for a visit, the Wednesday is a big Language Cicle party, then Thursday I'm meeting my travel buddies to swap pictures from Stockholm, and then friday I'm off to Seinajoki for the weekend, and then Monday will be knitting again and then FINALLY tuesday I might be able to update! Wow! That is gonna be a busy few weeks!

Hmm, so apologies if you dont hear much from me over the next week or so. Will try to type a few things up at work (apparently the new assays I'll be starting on Friday have 2 hour incubation periods = lots of mindless net surfing), so you might still hear from me yet!

Thanks Postergirl!

Before I get into the proper diary-type posts from Stockholm, I just want to post a quick one about my Cd shopping experience.

Postergirl recently wrote a guide to Cd shopping in Stockholm, which I read at the time, and came back to thursday just before setting off for Stockholm, noting down the best of her suggestions. As it turned out, my hostel was on St Eriksgatan, the same street as two of her suggestions. So after checking in, I headed off to do some serious bargain hunting. I was not disappointed.

I went in Record Hunter first (as it was the first one I came to) and decided this would suit me very well, but decided to check out the other shop just a few shops down the street. I didnt take to this shop so went back to record hunter.

In the basement they have many new and used CDs, with the Swedish artists separated out. Most of these were then in a buy 4 for the price of 3 offer (although when I ask the cashier if I was right in thinking that is what the Swedish meant, he jokingly said 'no no, it means these are double the price' - haha, very funny).

So anyway, I managed to find 4 Cds that I wanted - Måns Zelmerlöw, Stand By For... (been waiting for so long to get it), BWO, Prototype (the only BWO Cd they had in the basement), Danny, Heartbeats, and September (her self-titled debut). I also found Sara Bareilles tucked in next to BWO and decided for an extra 50kr it would be worth getting 5 for the price of 4.

Only disappointment was not finding E.M.D's album, which was quite high on my wish list. I found it upstairs for 129kr, but thought I only had another 75kr and therefore not enough even if I put one of the 50kr CDs back.

So I go to the cashier; 'Was there anything in particular you were looking for but didnt find, because we have lots more out back that we just dont have shelf-space for'. I explained that I wanted E.M.D's album, and found it here, but didnt have enough kroner on me. After a bit of bargaining, and finding another 20kr tucked in my purse, they let me have it for just 95kr!

So I walked away with 6 Cds for 295kr, and was a very happy girl. As it turned out, I didnt have time to do any shopping at all the next day, so was so glad to get everything I wanted in one shop!

Surprisingly I didnt find any Charlotte Perrelli, Sanna Neilsen or The Ark in the basement, but I found the ones I really really wanted and a few extra. I havent got round to listening to them all yet, but what I've heard so far makes me very happy :)

So in summary, if you only have a limited amount of time, and happen to be in the area, definitely check out Record Hunter at St Eriksgatan 70 for your cheap Swedish Cd needs.

On The Mend

Feeling much better today, although still not got much appetite yet. Managed some soup with my bread today, and bought some ice cream, but it was perhaps a bit too rich. Lots of lemonade too :)

So didnt get round to blogging much. Spent all day in bed watching Gossip Girl (my new obsession). And uploading my new Cds (see upcoming post). Mån's album is soooo good, I cant believe its taken me so long to get a copy! Anyway, hoping to head upstairs to do a bit more knitting soon, and see how that goes. Not sure if I'm strong enough to brave the snow for work tomorrow given I'm still not really on solid foods, but we'll see how it goes.

Oh, and got the pictures off my camera. just shy of 300! How is that possible in 2 days I have no idea. Will sort through and put the best in an album for your pleasure soon enough.

Back in Turku

So I return to Finland after an nice weekend in Stockholm. Far from perfect but on the whole very enjoyable. Stockholm was quite different to what I expected, but it was still very beautiful. We wondered around the old town, saw the royal palace, I went CD shopping, visited the christmas market at Grona Lund, and went to the Vasa Museum. Quite a lot for 2 days I guess. However, the christmas market was a bit of let down, and I ended up with food poisoning on the ferry ride back to Finland.... So not the best end to the weekend.

Still feeling a bit fragile, so might be a while before I get round to blogging about the weekend properly. But then again, I doubt I'll make it to work tomorrow, so maybe boredom will send me into a blogging frenzy.

Let It Snow!

One last quick post before Stockholm...

We have snow in Turku! Lots of it!

Stockholm Tomorrow

Was planning to write a short update today, but got distracted by thanksgiving dinner... Story for another time. Anyway, I'm going to Stockholm tomorrow!!! Will be back sunday to tell you all about it, and hopefully have some pictures. Apparently the forecast saturday is for snow!

Number one fan?

Love this pic.

(Thanks to blogmax)

Nobody's Perfect

My new housemate isnt perfect! Hurrah!

I live with 2 girls. One never talks to me unless she wants to borrow something. The other used to sit and have a cup of tea with me occasionally, and was generally very nice. She moved out 2 weeks ago. My new housemate (who is Russian) doesnt really talk to me much (although we still say hello etc) but doesnt make a point of avoiding me either like the other girl.

Anyway, when she moved in, she spent the whole weekend cleaning. Which made me feel guilty. She continued this trend, by defrosting the freezer, continuing to clean etc etc. I also thought she was emptying the bins (something that rarely happened before she moved in).

Tonight I went onto the balcony to find 2 weeks of bin bags mercilessly thrown out onto it! It gave me a great sense of satisfaction to know she wasnt perfect. I stood and enjoyed the view for a while (of the skyline, not the rubbish), before returning to my room feeling a lot better.

Observations

That was a bit of a mammoth post wasnt it? I really should update more often. Thought I better put todays activity as a separate post as it will mostly be pictures. I actually took nearly 100 photos within an hour. Which is shocking, since I'm not normally a snap-happy sort. Although I admit to becoming a bit snap happy since i've been here. I'm constantly taking photos on the way to/from work of the sunrise/set.

Anyway, today when I woke up it actually seemed quite bright outside, so suddenly had ideas of going to look at St Michaels Church on the other side of town, and also finally to go and have a look at the observatory. This is a beautiful white building that sits apon a hill, and which you can see from all over Turku. As I went to catch the bus into town, it seemed it was a lot colder than anticipated, and on the way into town it looked as though it was trying to snow. So I decided to just head for the observatory.

This is in part of Turku that is now the handicrafts museum, and the only remaining areas of old Turku saved from the major fire. Its also set in a beasutiful park, so the whole area is very beautiful. First you have the handicrafts museum...



And then I discovered a Summer Theatre, with some nice views...



The best views of the city were to be found in front of the observatory...




Then of course there was the observatory itself...




Oh, and I even got a glimspe of the church I was initially planning to visit...


And then I headed home.
I think this is my favourite area of Turku. Not including Ruissalo. I imagine in the summer it would truely beautiful, although the trees would block some of the views, so there is beauty in all seasons I guess.

The Week Revised

Sundays are slow in Finland, so lets see if I can type up this weeks goings on...

Saturday 8/11
I went along to the Jubilee concert of the Åbo Akademi symphony orchestra. It was really nice to listen to a live orchestra again. I used to play in a brass band back home, and my aunt and uncle would often take me to orchestra concerts, so it was a nice nostalgic feeling. Except of course this orchestra were blooming fantastic (compared to our learners brass band at least). The first half featured a novel composistion by the orchestra's composer and had a Finnish zither as the solo instrument. I have never seen this instrument before and it was surprising the range of different sounds that it could produce. There were then some pieces with a clarinet solo. The second half was my favourite though. It featured a daramtic peice by Sibelius (a famous Finnish composer, who has a monument dedicated to him in Helsinki, which I have vistied). I prefered this purely because there was much more brass. They then finished off with Finlandia, Sibelius's most famous piece and a sort of unofficial national anthem for Finland.

Sunday 9/11
I went back to Ruissalo to the sea sauna with Carrie, my fellow native speaker of the English Language Circle (except she's american, but dont let that put you off). The weather was miserable, but it meant that the sea actually looked like the ocean rather than just a lake, as the winds were causing waves that splashed along the coast. Also it was so misty you couldnt see the islands. The sauna was in a beautiful littel wooden cottage, with a real og fire in the main room, and then the sauna round back. We had the sauna to ourselves for the most part. We did try and follow the Finns down to the sea where they were swimming without a care in the world, but it was absolutely freezing. I managed to go in once, but my hands were nearly blue by the time we came out, so after that we just stuck to putting our feet in to cool off. All in all, a relaxing way to spend sunday afternoons.

Monday 10/11
After talking to Finns in the language circle, Carrie had the idea of setting up a knitting club as a kind of spin-off from the language circle. So now every monday we plan to meet, knit, drink tea and chat. Last week I missed them in the Kauppatori, so didnt have any yarn, but carrie lent me some of her left-overs and I made a bookmark... This week I plan to stock up on wool and try out for a hat :) My aunt often tried to teach me to knit, but I never stuck at it long and so would always forget. I prefered cross-stitch to be honest. I quite enjoyed it last week actually, and can see how knitting a jumper or hat is more practical than cross-stitching a horse onto a tea-towel...

Thursday 13/11
The language circle met again, and this time we just went to a pub. We went to Poro, which is Finnish for reindeer. I've been there once before and really liked it. Its all decorated with fur and antlers, and funky lighting. And they do a mean hot chocolate.


After that, some of us carried on to Bounce Around the World, a night organised by one of ESN. It was to feature international music from all around the world, and I tried to help out by providing some songs, but it seems that it had all gone a bit pear-shaped for the guy organising it, and the international music was only being played in the lobby while the main dance-floor was filled with the usual generic stuff. So we sat in the lobby. Was cool to see a couple of Russian girls going a a bit mad when Gore Zima by Dima Bilan came on. I enjoyed the company and the music, but the actualy club and atmosphere was a bit of a disspointment. A nice idea, just poorly exicuted I think...

Saturday 15/11
Me and a friend decided to head for a museum. There are a number of museums in Turku, and despite visiting a few in Helsinki, I hadnt thought about going to any here really (apart from the castle, which I guess could count as a museum). So we chose to visit the Aboa Vetus | Ars Nova museum, which is a museum of archeology and contemporary art... Strange combination. I'm not really a fan of art museums, but I like history, and with Turku being the oldest town in Finland there is a lot of it here.
For the archeology section of the museum, you descend into an actual excavation of Turku, where you can wonder around the old unearthed streets of medieval Turku. There is a running story of a fictional character called Matti, based on fact, that guides you around the museum, and lots of activities for children to take part in (although we tried a few, never too old). the highlight is possibly the chapel, where you can light a candel and say a prayer. A very intesting museum, which is worth the entrance fee alone.
The art section of the museum I was not so interested in, but since its all in the one entrance fee, we went around anyway. There was an exhibition of the CoBrA group of artists, who apparently formed 60 years ago and were influential in the development of modern art. It was alright I guess, but I've never been a fan of art in general. I always feel like I'm missing something. Although there were two pieces that I liked a lot.
Overall, I would recommend a visit to this museum, if your in the area. Its right in the centre of town, and a generally enjoyable mixture of art and history.

Stockholm on Thursday!!!

Seems like its been ages since I signed up for the trip, and it seems like ages since I've been anywhere other than Turku/Helsinki. But its finally here! On thursday we will be getting the overnight ferry to Stockholm (so after a full day at work :/) which gives us an early arrival on friday (6am!) and then a full day saturday (where we'll be going to a local christmas market) before getting the overnight ferry back again. So three nights, but only 2 days. Means I get all day sunday to recover,

I'm so excited!!!

I'm A Lazer(girl) for Life!

Ok, trying to write a new post about my week (which has been pretty standard, but busy and a lot of fun), but the inspiration just isnt coming. So I'll post a song instead.

I've been loving the electropop lately; Vinegar (Anna Abreu), Radio (Danny), among others. But by far the most listened to this week is a new song from Mr Sergey Lazarev! I've been loving this song for a while (Thanks to EQ) but finally the video has been released this week. Its all very stylish, and Mr lazarev is looking rather dishy. :)

Oh and the song is ace too! Its called Lazerboy;

It's Like I Can't Breathe

I never really got into Never Mind the Buzzcocks, despite being a huge Bill Bailey fan, but came across the latest series on youtube recently and decided to see how they'd manage without Bill. Well, I have to say I've rather gotten into it now. I used to think Simon Amstell was an idiot when he was on Popworld, but his humour has grown on me lately. I love these British quiz shows that arent really about the quiz at all - 8 out of 10 cats, and QI being the best. Anyway, this scene in the first episode of the new series of NMTB is hilarious and probably the reaon I kept watching...

Another Week Over (A New One Just Begun?)

Ok, enough with the random songs posts. Time for a proper update. I won't do a day-by-day thing like normal, because well, most of them would go something like this. xxxday - went to work, rushed off my feet, went home, slept. So lets just do the highlights shall we...

Thursday (30th Oct);
The English Language Circle hosted an 'international food night'. It was something we talked about it the first meeting (when there was 30 of us) but with the deteriorating numbers of people coming (about 5 a week now) I wasnt expecting much. But the response was huge. We had about 20 people sharing food from their home countries. Some put more effort into it than others (a packet of chocolate chip cookies from the supermarket to represent America?). Anyway, I decided to make Toad in the Hole, as it is a traditional popular dish of Britain. And supposedly easy to make. Although, I've never made it before it seemed to turn out pretty well. The sausages arent really as good as we have back home (they're more like frankfurters here) so was a bit worried. But people seemed to like it :) i have to say, I loved some of the other dishes. Notably the Korean rice balls, and the Finnish cinnamon buns. Very yummy :p


Friday (31st Oct);
Friends birthday. Pizza. Pub. Karaoke. Bacon. Rave. Mess.

Saturday/Sunday (1st and 2nd Nov);
4th Annual European Film festival. There must be some sort of film society at the university, and they ran the whole programme of the festival for 3 days for free! So with nothing better to do for the weekend I went along to watch a few. I saw a German film, about a guy who is so lonely that he steals a family and holds them hostage in his flat. Strange, but compelling. Had no idea where it was heading or how it would end, so kept me interested for the 90mins. Then I watched some shorts, my favourite being a British one called Speechless.
Sunday I saw an Irish film called Satalites & Meteorites. It was a love story going on in the minds of two coma patients. But it all starts to go wrong when the doctors try to wake up said coma patients. If you liked films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which I dont) and Science of Sleep (which I love) then you should definitely keep your eyes peeled for this one. I do hope its gets a proper release. After that I watched some more shorts (well, 2) which were very weird, and not really worth much mention.

Thursday (6th Nov);
Halloween-themed Sitz party! Seems a bit weird to still be doing Halloween the day after guy fawks night, but then thats not really a concern here I guess. Anyway, you can read about the tradition that is the Sitz party here, but the general gist is, a seated meal, with alcohol and singing. You have a 'King and Queen' who lead the singing and control the 'citizens'. We got to sing traditional Sitz songs (in both Swedish and Finnish, as well as some English and German). There is also a question set out by the 'King and Queen' which is answered going around the room at various intervals in the night. Given the American elections seeming to take over the media of every western country of late, our question was based on Obama's campaign slogan - change. Luckily I didnt have to answer in the end.
Anyway, the whole thing was quite a fun idea, and I think done properly would be great. But I think it relys on the Finns nature of following rules, even when drunk, which the other Europeans *cough* Spanish *cough* dont do so well, and after a while it felt like our 'King and Queen' were losing control of the drunken masses, so we decided to duck out early (but after the punsch of course).

And thats pretty much my week summed up. Tomorrow is a jubilee concert of the Abo Akademi, where a full simphonie Ochestra will be playing some classical Finnish compositions, such as Finlandia by Sibelius. Should be a good atmosphere I think.

I Guess There's Got To Be A Break In The Monotony

Time for another random video. Here It Goes Again by OK Go. Those white shoes are mesmerising. One of the best videos ever made;

It really was the Time of My Life

I don't quite know how to write what I want to say. So I shall explain with a video instead. This is a video of a live performance by Green Day when they performed at Milton Keynes in June 2005. Green Day had been a favourite band of mine for a while, and I still believe that American Idiot is one of the best albums of the 21st Century.

This concert was the second time that I had seen Green Day live. It was simply amazing. As sad as it sounds this really was the best day of my life. I had had a couple of bad years, and the summer of 2005 is when I made a fresh start, and this concert was a real help to me. It was just a perfect day, and I always look back on it with fond memories.

This is Jesus of Suburbia, taken from the live DVD/CD release Bullet In A Bible. Should you want to buy it, it is available cheap in amazon. Its really worth checking out, Green Day have an amazing stage presence and they really went all out for this concert;

Oeoeoeoeo Ahh

Theres a video I've wanted to post for a while but keep forgetting, so without any reason, I'll post it today. This is a performance by Rhianna and The Klaxons at the Brit Awards a while ago. I didn't watch them on telly, but I found this on youtube recently, and think its rather cool. Goldon Skans (still my alarm in the mornings) is a wiked tune, and the mix with Umbrella doesn't make it any better as such, but its definitely an iteresting alternative;

News Flash

Finnish kids are as annoying as British ones.

On my return from the supermarket, I walked into my building and then the lighst went out (they're those ones that stay on for 3minutes or so at a time). Deciding not to go back to the switch by the door, I continue to the lift where I know there is another one.

Suddenly there is a strange growling noise. Now I'm not that scared of dogs normally, but in the pitch black, I have to say this scared me for a split second. That was until i heard the giggles that followed. Got to the lift and turned on the light to see 3 Finnish chav children sitting in the corner of the ground floor. Very funny. Actually, I'm glad it was dark so they didnt have the satisfaction of seeing my scared face.

I wish they locked the main door here like they did in Helsinki. Although in Helsinki I think it was to keep the hobo's out, not the kids. I once had a hobo follow me in the building and then sat himself in the lift for the night. He kept mumbling to me in Finnish. Was pretty scary actually, but just took the stairs for the rest of the week. Luckily the lift here has a window, so can check for Hobo's before opening the door.

I Put My Headphones On in the Waterfront Dance Club

Going to see The Rasmus the other week has reawakened the gigging girl in me. I've also had the iPod on shuffle lately so been digging up so old songs from my angsty teen years. Has been good.

So a week today Disco Ensemble are playing at a club in Turku. Should I go? No idea. They had a song called We Might Fall Apart that they released in the UK 3 or so years ago and then did nothing else there again. But I really liked that song, and really liked the new single from them that I heard on the radio on the way to Salo. Its called Headphones;



Also, in two weeks time, Funeral For A Friend are playing in Helsinki. I've been meaning to see them for years now, ever since they released Streetcar really, but then the thrid album was kinda sucky so went off them a bit. However, they released a new album earlier this month, and although I havent bought it (yet) the single is sounding like a return to form. So I would love to go and see them. But the gig is on a sunday night, and in a city 2 hours from here. So not sure if I can go, but will keep it in mind, and we'll see I guess. Anyway, the new single is called Waterfront Dance Club, check it;

Day Trip to Salo

Today I decided to make a trip to Salo. Its not in my guidebook, so didnt expect it to be anything special, but its 30mins on the intercity train (the one I've gotten to Helsinki so many times now) and only €5's so thought I'd go check it out. I was right, it isnt really anything special. But the river is beautiful...

And there is the election tomorrow, so there was some sort of market, with election candidates giving out balloons...

They were also gearing up for Halloween in the shopping centre, where each shop seemed to have people in dress, smoke machines, face painting, or dry ice. Spoooooky! (unfortunately no picture).

This sign made me laugh; walk/cycle to museum, station ect.
Or even to Turku - only 60km!

And although the shopping centre had mostly the same shops as in Turku, they were a lot more concentrated, and I managed to get around a lot of shops in a short space of time. There were also a lot of shoe shops, which is good because I have been wearing the same pair of shoes since I got here (I didnt pack any spares!).

I worked out that I spent nearly €70 - but there were some bargins. Here's a list of what I purchased (I'm liking lists today);

Desperate Housewives Season 2 - I bought season one a while ago in a sale here, but recently finished it, so was glad to find the next series in the sale.
3 Finnish Films; Espoon Viimeinen Neitsyt (apprently the Finnish '13') Helmä ja Sikoja (Pigs and Pearls, a comedy of sorts), & Pitka Kuuma Kesä (Long Hot Summer, another comedy about a punk kid moving from Helsinki to the countryside). I didnt know what any of these films were about when I bought them, as the descriptions were in Finnish, but they were all only about €3 each and say they have English subtitles. I think it will be interesting to explore some Finnish cinema.
Antti Tuisku Greatest Hits Volume 1 - I love the fact its volume 1, implying there will be more... Anyway, its got some of the older songs which dont seem to be available anywhere else (apart from the early albums, which I cant find anywhere). It was also in the sale, and on the first listen, I'm pretty happy with it. There's a DVD too, which should be interesting, when I have time to watch it!
Shoes - finally found a pair that were a) under €20 b) flat c) not trainers and d) fit! Hurrah!

I've also started on my xmas shopping! Shocking, but I saw the perfect present for someone so had to buy it :) The christmas season is definitely starting up. I think without Bombfire Night, it will really pick up after halloween.

As for the town, it is actually very attractive in areas. I think if I were Finnish I would really like to live there. As it happens though, I'm not Finnish and dont speak Finnish. As I discovered, although they say people in Scandinavia speak English well (which they do) I gather that in some of the smaller, less touristy towns, its not so true. I had lunch at Hessburger, and for only the second time since I've been in Finland, I had to swap cashiers (even though I could have ordered in Finnish... maybe... just). Unfortunately she still got my order a little bit wrong, but decided not to cause any bother. Better for my health to give the fries a miss anyway...

But sitting on the platform waiting for the train home, I looked out at all the beautiful nature that was so nearby to the town. All around were hills covered with trees. In the shady light we've been getting lately it looked truely beautiful. Along with the church atop the hill. I've grown to quite like the train journeys too. The first one was such a shock to see nothing but trees, trees, and more trees, but now I'm used to it, and love it. I remember thinking 'why would anyone live in that house in the middle of nowhere?' and now I find myself thinking 'Wouldnt it be lovely to live in one of those houses' Think the return to the south of England might be a bit of a shock come Christmas!