The Last Song

Having spent here close to three years now, I have started to appreciate certain aspects of England more than before. Although houses in England are cold and drafty, and I still don't get the idea of having separate faucets for hot and cold water, living in England has its upsides too.

The weather isn't definitely as bad as they let you believe. It might be cloudy this time of year but I haven't needed my umbrella in weeks. As the sun starts to come out of the clouds more often these days, it feels like the winter has already passed although it's still the beginning of February.

The people seem nicer too, I'm going the miss the way the cashier ladies call me 'darling' or 'love' and chat me up while I'm doing my grocery shopping. Even though some people seem to uphold a polite facade, I have also experienced some genuine warmth and kindness from the natives.

I think it's my own attitude towards England that has changed. Returning here after the holidays in Finland feels almost like a homecoming. I think this small town of Worcester has started growing on me. I don't love this place, but I'm certainly going to miss it once I'm off to the big world after I'll graduate.

Scotland Forever

After getting to know England a bit, I already made up mind about the whole island. However, in the heart of Scotland, I found myself in love with its magnificent sceneries, blue lochs and green mountains covered with snow.

Scotland is surely a right place for a romantic soul like myself, since its history is filled with fascinating stories of kings and queens, such as the tragic Mary Queen of Scotland and tales of national heroes like William Wallace and Robert of Bruce, the real Braveheart.

And only the Scots can come up with such legend as Nessie, the elusive monster of Loch Ness. Their poetic way of speech and Scottish accent would make any tale sound believable. Scotland can be as colourful as the tartans of Scottish clans and rugged as the Scottish whisky that they drink. Aye, Scotland, the name liveth evermore.

It's All the Small Things

As I first arrived here, I couldn't find any differencies between Finland and England. Now that I have spent here almost two months I begin to see just how my two countries differ from each other. It's all the small things that you take for granted.

The standard of living here in England is quite different from which I have accustomed to growing up in Finland. Carpeting and separate faucets for hot and cold water were practically unknown to me before I set my foot on this land. Heating and insulation as well as seals in windows and doors are apparently non-existing.

And just as I think I have grown accustomed to left side traffic, I'll watch the wrong direction and almost get hit by a car. This is the hard part: when you have spend all your life watching to the other direction, it's suprisingly difficult to remember whether to look left or right first.

Also the customs are sometimes quite baffling. People are utterly polite and friendly, but they are not particularly interested in your personal life. It is just as I was taught in my English class in the elementary school, 'Hi, how are you' doesn't mean they really want to know what's up with you, it's just a another way to greet you while passing by.

After all, you'll learn and grow accustomed to these things. I already consider my room and flat in Wyvern Halls as home and Worcester as my hometown. Maybe I'm not exactly in love with this place, but I sure enjoy my life here and embrace the differences as they help me appreciate Finland even more than I already do.

What time is it?

This morning my flatmates and I were puzzled about the time. As we have now shifted to wintertime and clocks have to be adjusted (no, I didn't wake up at 4 am just to adjust my clock) we had no idea about the correct time.

The computer screen displayed different time than the mobile phone indicated and vice versa. In the end we figured out the correct time by comparing our electronical devices.

10 minutes after, while sitting in my room, I remembered that my alarm clock and watch would have been very helpful with that, because I have to adjust them manually. I haven't done that yet, so instead of relying on electrical machines I should have taken a good look of my old wrist watch before determining anything.

Oodi Suomelle

Maamme-laulua mukaillen:

Oi, maamme Suomi synnyinmaa,
soi sana kultainen:
ei lattiapäällystettä parempaa,
kuin puulattiaa ihanaa.
Kaipaan ruisleipää, salmiakkia ja saunaa,
vesihanaa yhtä ainoaa.

Sun kukoistukses kuorestaan,
kerrankin puhkeaa:
ei eurovaluuttaa rakkaampaa,
seteleitä, kolikoita helpompaa,
rakastan liikennettä oikeanpuoleista,
suojateitä ja valoja.

The Beginning

As I was getting into the plane in Helsinki-Vantaa airport I got that tingling sensation when you realize that you are about to make a leap to the great unknown. On my way here I was excited and afraid at the same time, trying to keep cool on the outside while fantasizing about my life in here. As usual, I was getting ahead of myself and painted my whole romanticized future inside my head. Needless to say, life in England hasn't been exactly what I imagined...but the journey continues.