I've started back with my Swedish studying. I had to drop the class, because after Papa died I was just too depressed to go to class, and missed too much. However, I feel like a real human again! Yay for that. I'm sure the fact it isn't bitterly cold (only just cold) certainly helps, as does seeing the sun. I think Finland is going to be absolutely gorgeous about 2 weeks after I leave. Figures.
I'm really thinking more and more I would like to do the Faroese language program summer after next. I just need to come up with the money, or scholarships. I also need a way to justify it, since studying Germanic languages will help me ZERO in city planning. Whatever. A girl is allowed to have hobbies.

A short discourse on alcohol in Finland.
Alcohol in Finland is EXPENSIVE. It was expensive before, but then the government levied an additional tax on it because the Finns are a bunch of drunks. Seriously. It is not at all unusual to see someone on the Metro halfway through a case of beer at 9am. The Finns love, love, love to drink.
Hard alcohol and wine has to be bought at an Alco Shop. I've never been in one, never had any need, but as far as I can tell they carry just about every alcohol imaginable, including nasty as Salmiaki liquor. [Salmiaki is a Finnish "candy". The closest I can come to describing it is imagine licorice soaked overnight in brine.]
The grocery stores is where you can buy beer, cider, that sort of thing. Beer is, well, beer. Most of it is dark and it all basically tastes the same. Cider is a bit more interesting. Finns like their cider sweet. Thus, you can buy regular apple cider, but also pear, grape, raspberry, and, most confusingly, pineapple. I wouldn't recommend the pineapple. There is also one kind of dry apple cider. Your third choice of alcohol is the Long Drink. What a long drink is, exactly, remains a mystery. Long drinks come in orange, lime, grape, and strawberry. They are approximately the color of water after you drop a highliter in it. Mmm, tasty. I think the alcohol in them is gin, but I could be wrong. No one really knows, but they are 10 cents cheaper than the cider, so people drink them. The orange isn't too bad, really. Imagine Tang made with gin instead of water and you have it about right.
The long drinks run about 1,80 for a can about the size of an Arizona Iced Tea, and the ciders run about 1,90.
I have no idea how much beer is, because a case of beer is not a fixed construct. Its entirely common for people to rip open cases of beer and buy individual cans, or make a case of 3 of one kind, 9 of another, and the rest of another. That shit would not fly in Food Lion, I guarantee it.

I emerged from my cave of sick today.I had an interview at 2 with a woman from the department of English, she is doing a research project on living and studying in Finland when you don't speak Finnish. I know how hard it is to find people to interview, so I figured I would go. It was actually kind of fun talking with her, and I'm glad I went.
After the interview, I was bound and determined to take pictures. I hadn't taken any pictures of the pretty part of the city, but that is now rectified, and by the time you read this they will all be up in convenient album form on Facebook. I wandered by the Helsinki City Museum, which I had been by before. It is free admission, and I didn't have anywhere else to be so I went in. It was a lot bigger than I expected, and really quite interesting. Definitely worth the money, I would have even donated a few euro if there had been a box. I spent an hour in there, it was 2 1/2 floors worth of stuff. There is a used book shop next to it, but I wanted to take pictures and I knew if I went in there that would be another hour gone. I am going to go in one day.
I took pictures down by the harbor, and went in the only tacky giftshop in the city. One room of Russian stuff, one of Finland.
On the steps of the Cathedral someone had trudged "I <3 ANNA" in the snow, it was really sweet. It must have taken forever and I hope she appreciated it. In my mind it was some sort of elaborate marriage proposal.
After picture taking I came back home, stopping by Lidl for random groceries. I think there is some sort of something special in Kamppi today, because there were banners and balloons. The girls giving them out wouldn't give me one though, which made me sad.
On tomorrows agenda is buying pants, doing laundry, and going to the Posti to mail Bryan's letter and buy stamps for future use.

Some random thoughts:
This city is really well equipped for blind people. All the crosswalks in the centre beep slowly when you can't cross, and then when you can it speeds up. Also, in Kamppi, there are metal dots on the ground that lead from the train terminal to all the different bus stops. I hadn't thought about it, but I saw a blind mad today run his cane along them to find where to go. Thats so smart.

Being sick in Finland is not like being sick anywhere else. I'm living in a 1st world country, one of the nicest places to live in the world. Yet I can't but toilet paper/tissues that don't feel like sandpaper. Why is this? Everything here is fucking recycled. Everything. I couldn't buy cold meds because I didn't speak the language, and after someone told me what to buy I still couldn't buy them because I couldn't find an open apoptek. Why? Because its Finland, and things close for fun.
Luckily, I have a Latvian friend who speaks Finnish and could tell me how to make the instant potatoes I bought. I still had to wing it because everything here is measured in metric, and I have no metric measuring utensils. Why? Because I can't fucking figure out where to buy them. I would literally kill for a Target. I live next to the biggest shopping center in Finland and can't buy measuring cups. Or scissors. Not, I can't find a pair that aren't ridiculously expensive, I CAN'T FUCKING FIND ANY.
On the upside, the street musicians here make me happy. There is a hobo band, comprised of a trumpet player, 2 accordionists, and what appears to be a mandolin with too many strings. They are awesome. I walk by them almost every day to go to class. At the end of the semester I'm going to through like 10e in the hat for always making me smile. My favorite is when the trumpet player plays "When The Saints Go Marching In" and the others play "Let It Be". Its special.
One another front, what all do you want from Finland? Ash, I know what I'm getting you, I just need your t-shirt size. Nickie, I know you want a bust of Lenin paperweight. What about the others? I can also probably score something from Cairo as well.

I've been bad about posting :( Last week I spent most of the week in my room alone, not seeing people. Depressive episode likely brought on by the horrible weather. Saturday I went to dinner with Ashley, then hung out with him afterwards. I spent all of Sunday and most of yesterday studying for my Nordic History test today. Study breaks included watching obscene amounts of Pokemon and eating lots of eggs. I hardboiled some eggs Sunday and they turned out perfect. since then, I have been eating lots of them because they take less time than anything else, and are marginally better for me.
The sun has been out the past 3 days, and it has changed my life. the forecast today was for "abundant sunshine". Those are the 2 most glorious words in the English language, I swear. I feel better all over and have more energy because of the sun. Next time you see the sun, thank it for being in your lives.
I'm like a quarter through the first season of Pokemon, so like 20 episodes. I started at the beginning. There is a fair amount of subtext that you don't get so much as a kid. I also refuse to return home without knowing the Pokerap by heart. Megavideo (the only good source) limits you to 72 minutes at a time, then you have to take a break for an hour. This is good, and bad. I'm debating finding a good proxy, but I know most proxy servers are too slow to run video.
I still haven't figured out street crossing here. In places without lights you just look confident and cars will stop. In places with lights most people obey, but then some cross and some don't and I never know who to go with. Silly jay-walking Finns.
Food here is still hit-or-miss. I ate something fried on Saturday, it might have been chicken. Or pork. It was white. But it smelled like beef. The menu said "cheesemaster broiler", so who knows. If you are interested in what I have to choose from at the dining halls everyday, here is the link:
http://www.unicafe.fi/index.php?ds[1]=0&ds[2]=0&ds[3]=0&ds[4]=0&ds[8]=0&ds[5]=0&ds[6]=0&Itemid=82&task=naytaRuoka&option=com_paivanlounas
I normally eat at Porthania or Päärakennus. Päärakennus is the main building. Half is new, and half is old. The old part is lovely, full of marble busts of famous Finns and copies of statues from all over.
I've also been reading Grail Bird, which is a firsthand account of searching for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. Its really, really fascinating and I'm really glad Daddy mailed it to me.
Thats really all I have.
Oh, and people who read this: please pass it on to others who aren't on Twitter, like Levi and Nickie and possibly Skyler. Kthxbai.

I would like to have a little discussion about this damn country. It was +1 today, which for all us Fahrenheit people, thats about 33 degrees. It snowed all day. However, it was warm enough for the snow coming down not to stick, but rather melt on top of the icey slush that is already covering the ground. There is a lovely 1/2" coating of ice most everywhere, covered with anywhere from 0-2" of slush. This means that you slip everywhere. Why people settled in this wilderness is beyond me. Its so cold that all the strollers are completely covered, or sometimes have a little viewing hole. Its so cold that people don't want to expose their children to it.
It wasn't quite dark when my class started today, that means the days are getting longer! Of course, being not-quite-dark at 4pm is still quite sucky.
I had my EU class today. What it actually was, however, was an hour and a half of USA bashing. Of, I'm sorry that we can't take the EU seriously. I mean with great military powers like the UK and France, and with your largest army being Finlands, how can we not quake in fear of you? You did all those helpful things when we started the war in Iraq, like the Danes sent a submarine! How thoughtful.
The lecturer is from Manchester, and has a healthy hate of France as well, so that was nice.
I actually don't hate it here as much as it seems. I think I will like it more once it gets warmer, but I can't see myself being too sad to go home. If nothing else, I have learned that I am a Southern girl at heart, and that big cities and divergence from my daily routine is not for me.

Nothing to report. I think I have tonsillitis. I'm getting better. Done nothing most of the week.

My bad.

I've been in a funk and not really wanting to write. Oops. Heres the rundown:
Swedish is awesome. Classes are good. Friends sometimes want to hang out. I miss home. I really miss sunshine. My knee is fucked still. I really want all my music from Skyler. I have mastered grocery shopping, almost.
The main thing I feel like writing about is driving over here. They drive on the correct side of the road, which is nice. I think its just the silly Brits who don't. But it seems here in Finland the rule is: if you can get a car on it, its a road. I see people driving on the sidewalk, or over the sidewalk, all the time. I have yet to figure out a rhyme or reason for it. Its Finnish, I reckon.
The mission for tomorrow is go to the S Market under the train station and buy some more Twinings English Breakfast. I am down to one bag. I bought some Ceylon-Assam off-band tea today, its not too bad, actually.
I am actually quite pleased with the weather, its much colder at home than it is here. It was a balmy 21 degrees here today, with a light blanketing of snow.
I bought a plant Friday. Its some sort of relative of the Cape Primrose, the leaves are very similar but the flowers are different. Its not the prettiest plant on Earth, but it makes me happy to see some green.
The girls are going to Ikea at 4, but I'm not in the mood to go and I don't really need anything. I am going to go next time though. I want to see it.

Swedis, sunshine! and saunas

Just got out of my first Swedish class, and it was so much fun. I think after 2 classes with him I will have a decent grasp of the Swedish language, for sure. I bought the book, 35 euro, but Asha and I are splitting it so its not so bad. The professor is incredibly eccentric and its great. He speaks in a flurry of Swedish, German, English, and his own language. Sometimes hard to follow but always entertaining.
This morning it was so cloudy I wasn't sure the sun had risen, but when we left Swedish the sun was shining! I didn't see it of course, it is only an hour to sunset, but still, blue sky! Senate Square was lovely in the sun.
I may be saunaing tonight with Asha, that should be interesting. The saunas in the building are SO nice. The one open tonight has a small pool attached.
Had History of Nordic Countries yesterday, it should be fun. Our first test in Feb. 3rd, but we got all the potential questions yesterday. 3 essay questions, and we got 8. Not too terrible, I reckon.
I've become such a coffee drinker. I get at least 1 cup a day at Cafe Portalli, which is next to the library. The coffee is so strong, I have to put a lot of sugar in it. After I make it drinkable it is quite good.
Class tonight, then Swedish the next 2 days. Don't know what is going down this weekend.
I may go to the Erasmus party tomorrow, but I don't think so. I don't really feel like dancing much. The year-long Erasmus people tease us because we are still in "training" because we can only make it until 2 or 3, instead of 10 or 11. Seriously. These people party like its thier job.

First day of classes, how did you get THERE?!?, and my cupboards are bare

I had my first class today, European Foreign, Security, and Defense Policy. I think it will be really interesting, I'm looking forward to it a lot. I'm at a severe disadvantage though because I know absolutely nothing about the EU or European politics in general. I'm the only American in the class, and the only native English speaker, so we shall see how that goes. Having English as my mother tongue is great when writing essays though.

My class wasn't until 4, but I was hungry early, so I went to Porthania for lunch. I was looking for noodles with minced meat, but they had fried whitefish stuffed with shrimp, which was so freaking amazing I almost died. My system needed the infusion of grease like you wouldn't believe. i ate lunch with Rafal, he happened to be eating already while I was looking for a seat. After that I went to the bookstore to price my swedish books, 50 euro. Not too bad, considering they are the only books I have to have. I also have to locate a Swedish-English dictionary, which should be fun.

I wandered the city for an hour or so after lunch. I walked down to the harbor through Senate Square. It kind of hit me that I am in freaking Helsinki, after 2 years of looking forward to it. The harbor was nice, and there were a few tents open in the market area. Mostly selling fresh fish, but there was a sketchy tent selling dyed fur stuff. Afterwards I went and got coffee and hung out in Alekandria until time for class.

After class I think I left the building out the wrong exit, and ended up completely lost, in Kallio(which is where, so it seems, Ville Valo's dad's sex shop is).  Thats about 2-3 miles from my apartment, a 20 minute tram ride. I walked through a residential area full of apartments and didn't see a soul for about 15 minutes. I eventually saw a tower in the distance that I recognized, and made myway back to there. I was across the lake from Kamppi, where I live. I didn't even know the lake existed.

But I made it back safe. Thank goodness Helsinki is nice and safe, since I was alone and it was dark out.

Nothing exciting tonight, just hung out with people. I'm not feeling incredibly social today.

On tomorrows agenda: grocery shopping. My apartment contains 5 tea bags, half a carton of milk, a package of turkey, about 20 sugar cubes, a shitton of butter and a half a loaf of bread.

Also on tomorrows agenda: going to Nordea and getting my damn internet banking straight, since I still haven't paid rent.

Also: getting a cell phone fron DNA.

History of the Nordic Countries is my only class tomorrow, but it should be fun. Woot.

New pictures up on Facebook from my excursion today. Go take a look. But be warned, I didn't go to pretty Helsinki, so they are kind of depressing.

It is overcast and depressing outside today, I think most of the students are holed up in the building. There were lots of Finns running though. I have no idea how. I was too bust trying not to slip on the ice and fall on my ass, and they were running in tennis shoes.

I tried to go to the beach but couldn't find it, so I just walked along the shore on the brick path. It was nice, but very very windy. I almost got blown over a few times.

I want to explore the cemetery, but I want to go on a day that is not so cloudy and windy.

I walked about two miles I think. Walking here is easy, even when it is cold, because everything is nice and flat.

I went to Valontatalo (the grocery) and bought a frozen pizza and a coke. I haven't had any soda since I have been here, its weird. But the pizzas are fantastic. I haven't been cooking, at all. I eat bread with butter and tea, and most times someone else feeds me. Like last night, I didn't know if I was going to get dinner, and a Croatian girl came by where Meeli and I were hanging out and offered me pasta with shrimp and zucchini. It was quite good.

The party downstairs last night was meh. I talked most of the evening to a guy from Australia named Josh. He is big and scary and has long black hair and a goatee and a septum piercing, but is quite nice. We talked about how I think philosophy is rubbish, and then about body mods.

Rafal knows him because they are in the same department, so I talked to him some too. he was much more animated in conversation, which was nice. He is a real sweetheart I think.

My room is never quite warm enough when I am the only one in here. Time to turn on the oven I think. Coco told us this trick to turn the oven on and open it and it will warm the room up nicely. Just have to make surenot to catch anything on fire.

Its Finnish...all roads lead to the train station and other musings

Here I am in Helsinki. I've been lazy and not writing, I know. an overview:
This city is confusing as hell. There are basically no street signs. Instead, there are little road markers on the buildings that are about a foot long and 8 feet high.
If you wander around lost long enough, you will eventually end up at the rail station. Everything looks the same when you don't speak the language and can't read building signs.
The Finns are kinda a bitchy people. They don't like to help foreigners, for sure. I know they are quiet, but this is different. There is a difference between not making small talk and going out of your way to be unhelpful, especially in a customer service position like bank teller.
Helsinki is a lot dirtier than I was expecting. There is a shitton of trash on the ground everywhere. It gets cleaned every night (God knows by who, probably Estonians and Somalians) but by noon the next day it is already starting to accumulate. 
Its also incredibly quiet. No sirens, no radios, very little street chatter or noise. It takes some getting used to.
Its really hard not seeing the sun. It doesn't go high enough on the horizon to be seen over buildings. I have seen the sun a grand total of once since I got here.
This whole sun rising at 9.30 thing is bullshit. I hate waking up in the dark.

Krista, who is a Latvian girl I have been hanging out with, has decided that everything strange around here can be chalked up to the phrase "Its Finnish". The refrigerator door opens from right to left, instead of the usual left to right. There is no way to turn the vent on the stove on. Groceries keep strange hours, and close for no good reason. The entire freaking country shut down on Epiphany. Everything is incredibly expensive. Its bad form to be late anywhere, but no one every shows up on time. Its Finnish.

I've also noticed my English is getting worse from almost exclusively talking to people who do not speak English as a first language. I find myself searching for words I know, and I have a bizarre accent--a commingling of Latvian, Scottish, and Italian. It is not becoming.

Its not as cold as I was expecting, which is nice.
All the Finns walk really damn fast.
I have seen lots of dogs, but not a single mixed breed. I could immediately identify which breed they were. Its weird.
The juice here is really good.
I'm getting in the bad habit of drinking. And staying up late. Like, really late.