Day one.. and all...

Phew.....

Okay, so, here we are in Finland. It was a long journey, and pretty difficult with luggage falling apart, getting to our place, and finding any source of internet we could. Now at least one laptop has internet. I'll describe what has transpired lately, but we've decided that any videos will simply be uploaded to my account and you can view them at your leisure. We already have 30, if that gives you an idea.

So, the flights were long but decent. The straps of my carry-on broke, and it was heavy, so that was a nuisance; not to mention, upon our meeting with Nettis, one rolling luggage lost its wheel. After shoving everything into a little coupe, she bravely drove through the horrid weather, getting pulled over by a cop (which I unfortunately did not record for fear I'd get accosted, figuring cops don't like cameras), almost wrecking, and finally getting as close as possible to our building considering the feet of snow and gates barricaded the easy way in. The bed was a lovely welcome (as well as the heated floor of our bathroom.)

Everything was situated by 4pm the next day. Nettis came over so that she could take another long drive (so, so sweet) to Kalajoki. There we stayed in a cabin owned by her parents. We enjoyed good food (shrimp salad, homemade tomato soup, chocolate, kebab snacks made by her mother, sandwiches, crisps and "dippi", and so on) and good movies like Häjyt during our stay. The next day (Saturday, in case you've lost track), we rode with her mother and aunt to a grocery store to get food and booze. Their "malt" beverages here are mainly ciders and "long drinks" but we also picked up some vodka and salt "liquor"ice (salt licorice is considered a candy treat here) called Salmiakki Koskenkorva. It was DISGUSTING. I'm already a pansy with other straight shooters and bitter beer, so this was worse than cough medicine to me. But it's supposed to get the job done.

Before the boozing commenced, we enjoyed relaxation in a lovely private sauna and outdoor hot tub. We were told it was tradition to sit in the sauna for a bit, run out and jump into the snow (naked or in swimwear), roll in it a few seconds, then run back into the sauna. We also were spanked with a branch. It was bizarre, but after a hot shower I felt pretty good: lighter, warm, and overall weird in a good way. After this we consumed some beer, wine, cider, and shots before walking about 10 minutes to Dyyni, a club that becomes famously swarmed with the young'ns around summertime. There we enjoyed some free drinks (one tasted like an appletini, one was a shot that actually tasted good because it resembled creamed coffee), conversations with people wishing to practice their English, and dancing the night away.

Luckily, Patrick and I avoided any kind of hangover despite all that we'd consumed. Yogurt and coffee for breakfast, and we were off, this time to a train station (poor Nettis had driven us enough). We managed to catch basically the only bus that day from Parkano to Kankaanpää after riding the train.

Today, I ventured to Satakunta to figure out just what exactly I'm supposed to do here. I think I'll do model painting for 2 weeks, then combined techniques (if the teacher allows), and hopefully snow sculpture. These all go on at different times for different periods, unlike America's "semester" where everything is all at once... which will probably be a blessing. The model painting teacher Harri was so kind to show me around, and assured me it'd be okay. I got a tool box with stuff in it, and I think materials are mostly supplied. Hopefully this will all just fall into place.


Videos are coming soon.