...almost anyways, because in less than two weeks my plane is leaving for Helsinki Airport. I would be looking forward to it if it didn't mean that I'll also have to hand in my research paper about fashion and politics in less than two weeks time. You will notice how good I am at putting off unlikable work till the last possible moment. It is a really bad habit, I know...Anyway...at least I have a dorm room, all the necessary documents are handed in, the flight is booked, I'm ready to do this! There were some minor difficulties in the process: for some reason all e-mails from Finland used to be held up securely by my spam filter and never arrived in my normal inbox (even my dad's e-mails don't make it). This is why I did not see the housing offer until the confirmation due date...picture a slightly stressed me rushing to fill out all the forms and scan them in time to e-mail them to the HOAS (foundation for student housing) , mumbling swearwords in the process...but I seem to be a lucky girl because it all worked out in the end. Funnily enough, my aunt from Finland used to live in the same building I'm going to stay in, when she was a student at the University of Helsinki. Now I am only despairing over the question of what to bring and what to leave behind. 1 suitcase à 20 kg is not a lot considering that one also needs a hairdryer, warm winter clothes, boots and so on. Why did I pick Helsinki of all things? A country which I associate with cold, winter, darkness, snow, and did I mention coooold? Well, I guess I really want to learn more about this country, its people, culture and language. And I really want to be able to understand and answer when my dad accidentally addresses me in Finnish, instead of staring at him blankly until he realizes that I am not the daughter who is fluent in this crazy language. Also, it would no longer be a secret language between my parents and older sister. Big plans, I know. We'll see how successful I will actually be at studying the language...So far I can only hum a christmas song, count a bit, list some animal names and say "my name is..." and "the food is on the table" - not the stuff of everyday conversations! Anyway, this feels like half a novel already, I'll stop for now and keep you posted when there is actually something to write about.
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About
I am currently studying applied cultural studies at the TU Dortmund and I will spend my 5th semester in Helsinki, at the Helsingin Yliopisto in Finnland, the the country known for its many lakes. Archives
November 2015
Kategorien |