It’s actually happening! January 31, 2007

Wow. I received an email from the exchange coordinator of the unversity -they had chosen me to go on exchange to York University in the spring of 2008! I’m so pumped and so surprised! In a year from now, I will very likely write this blog from the busy metropolitan of Toronto! It’s hard to look that far into the future, but that doesn’t bother me. Yaiks, it’s actually on!!!

Oh yeah, and I did promise to throw everyone a party if I ever got chosen…well, I will hold true to my promise, but that party will have to wait at least another 11 months…

Condoms, anyone? January 27, 2007

Less than a year ago, I was making my way to the university. Every now and then, there are people advertising something in the hallways; sometimes about working life, other times about something else. On that particular day, I saw people with baskets in the hallway. I thought they were once again offering candy, in hopes of getting people interested in whatever they were trying to advertise. Not this time.

As usual, stretching out my hand to grab some free candy from the basket, I got closer to the people with the baskets. But, to my surprise, I realized I was not holding on to sweet lollies, but had a handful of condoms in my palm. Then the lady carrying the basket smiled and wished me a great “Condom Awareness” -day. Slowly, I felt a little blush appearing on my cheeks, thanked the lady, and kept going. Later, I felt mortified.

I have nothing, whatsoever, against “Condom Awareness” -days. Or about sex education. But because I was not prepared to get what I got, I felt a bit ambushed. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do think it’s still useful to remind university students about safe sex by handing out condoms. But it does make the whole thing a bit odd, when three ladies, around the age of 40 or 50, approach you with baskets filled with rubbers. What, to my mind, made it somewhat embarrasing, was the fact that sex being a rather intimate issue, suddenly it was out in the open -the ladies were smiling (knowingly?) after I left them with a handful, trying to shove the rubbers in my pockets.

Hmmm. I bet the ladies’ idea to offer condoms in these innocent-looking baskets in a busy hallway, was, that condoms, after all, are the favourite candies of university students.

The rudest word out there January 22, 2007

I don’t exactly know what’s wrong with me. A third-year university student should already know that she does not have to sit through courses that she simply dispises, hates, and dreads. But no, there I am, taking a course in Strategic Management, something that I have no interest in. The only reason I’m there is that this whole possibility to minor in Management seemed promising. I thought that it would look good on my CV, and I’m sure it does, too. But am I willing to endure the incomprehensibly boring lectures every Tuesday and Thursday from six to eight p.m. just for my CV’s sake? Can I stand the terminology and the stuff that I can’t seem to be able to grasp just for the merit of it?

I’ve never been the kind of person that does things just because they are appreciated and valued in the society. I’ve always gone my own way and done things that interest me personally -I’ve never dreamed of becoming a doctor or a lawyer, for example, just because the job pays well. That’s why I’m wondering what the heck I’m doing on this course?! Who am I trying to impress? And why do I suddenly care about my CV so much?

On another front -I was substituting 3rd graders last week in an all-English class. We played Scrabble, where the kids were supposed to form English words from letters. After some time, two boys, around 9 or 10 years old, started giggling aloud. They told me they had a word, but that it was “so rude”. When I asked them if it was a swear word, they said “No, it’s much harsher, much ruder.” I kept thinking what the word could possibly be. The boys insisted on putting it on the game board and so, with their cheeks bright red, they spelled “sex”. Only seconds after, the entire class started yelling “Yuck”. To these 3rd graders, this word was the rudest and the most disgusting in the world. I wonder when that changes?

Customer service? January 13, 2007

There’s one thing about Finland that..well, pisses me off each and every day. Well, maybe not every day, but pretty often anyways. The thing? Customer service. Or rather the lack of it. What ticks me off the most is that I’ve gotten used to not receiving good and friendly service and too many times I’ve just okayed it. I’ve pondered that maybe they might be just having a bad day or something, or that maybe this is just the way Finland works, maybe people in customer service are taught to be blunt and serious and I should get used to it.

Well, yesterday I came face to face with what I call “another beautiful and expressive token of Finnish customer service”. I went to a bus (a long distance one) to go to my parents’. As usual, I showed my student card to the driver to get a discount and then took out my credit card to pay for the ticket. For the last 2 and a half years that I’ve lived in Helsinki and travelled back and forth between my home and my parents’, the credit card has been acceptable currency. Not this time. As soon as the driver saw that I was intending to pay with my card, he said venomously “The next time you want to travel by bus, be sure to take cash with you because it’s such a fuss with these credit cards”. Nevertheless he took the card and put it in the machine and it worked perfectly. Then he pushed something and the receit came out without the student discount. He then mumbled something like “I told you these freakin’ credit cards are a pain in the ass and now I have to pay the mistake from my own paycheck”. I was so astonished that I didn’t say anything. Not until he gave me the receit for my signature. I noticed the receit had the full ticket price there instead of the student discount and when I asked him whether it meant that he had charged the full price from me, he angrily stated “How in the world would I know?”.

I felt so frustrated with the service I received, or with the service I didn’t receive, that I ended up calling the firm. At first they were understanding and they totally agreeded with me that the driver shouldn’t have acted like that and that it was bad customer service. They promised to return my money (the extra that I paid) and teach the driver some social skills and credit card handling. And I was fine with this. But when I decided to also mention that this firm’s buses had been lately running late, the guy on the other end of the phone said that “No, that can’t be true, it’s simply not possible, that’s totally alien.” When I told him that this Monday my bus was 25 minutes late and denoted that yeah, I can read timetables and say what time it is, he still said that “I don’t believe you, there hasn’t been any complains.”

Yeah, that’s the thing with Finland and Finnish customer service. No one really cares. Because we Finns just take anything in and don’t let it out, the firms or the bosses don’t ever hear about the reality of customer service. It’s a thing every Finn realizes at the latest when they come home from abroad. But still, people don’t speak up. Because there are no complains, no one can do anything about it. And that’s just sad. I’m personally sick and tired of the unfriendly customer service here in Finland. I’m not saying I’ve never received friendly service here in Finland, I have. And I’m not calling out for extraordinarily friendly service either, I just want service that’s even a bit human and kind.

It’s a rather surreal feeling to be called a liar when saying my bus was running late. I guess I have to start videotaping the clock and the bus whenever my bus is late. Maybe they will believe me then? I guess In Finland, the customer is never right.

Year 2006 in pictures January 9, 2007

The Power of Goodbye January 9, 2007

I hate goodbyes. They are something that I’ll never get used to. Having lived abroad and having friends and family that tend to move and travel around the world all the time, I’ve said goodbye too many times. For that reason you would assume it becomes easier after a while. For me, it’s only become harder. I don’t know why it is so tough for me to see people go even if I know they’re coming back -maybe it’s because you never know if they’ll come back after all, or maybe I’m just too sensitive.

Goodbyes are just something I have never grown accustomed to. Maybe it’s a good thing nevertheless. When you have to say farewell to someone, the way you react to it tells how much you care for that someone. I guess every time I’ve shed a few (well, more than a few) tears when saying goodbye, it has been a way for me to grasp how much that person means to me and how important that person’s presence is in my life. Instead of thinking that getting emotional while waving after someone is embarrasing, I’ve started to acknowledge that it’s really meaningful and a token of appreciation for that person who’s leaving. It means that the person has an important spot, an important role in your life. Nothing embarrasing in that, is there?

I’m still not saying I’ve gotten used to goodbyes. I hate them. But what I hate even more is not being able to say goodbye at all. I know I’ve tried to avoid saying goodbye so many times -I would have rather kept it down low and remained buried under my sheets than faced the moment of goodbyes. But afterwards, you’re left with so much more than if you never got to say anything at all. At least you know that there’s someone who misses you if nothing else. And that’s a good feeling, ain’t it?

At this moment there are three important people out there in the big world that I didn’t say goodbye to. I regret not having the time or getting around doing it. To those three: Please know that had we said goodbye, I would have cried. And that should say it all.

5 long months January 4, 2007

I feel a bit under the weather today when thinking about the upcoming 5 long months of school and normal day routine. I admit routine keeps me going on, but for some reason I’m afraid I might end up doing nothing except getting lost in my feelings and thoughts. Since spring and summer seem so far away, I decided to make a little list on what the next 5 months will hopefully offer me. So, here goes:

JANUARY
*University starts again -get to see my friends and return back to that awesome social life
*My friend and her boyfriend’s housewarming party
*My brother and his wife come home from their Honeymoon; my bros Bday

FEBRUARY
*My 23rd Bday!!! -party, party
*Dear friend’s Bday!
*Valentine’s Day
*Oscar party

MARCH
*Trip to see my friend in eastern Finland
*My mom’s graduation party
*SPRING BREAK -a trip somewhere abroad with my dear friend!

APRIL
*Easter break
*Conference trip to Estonia

MAY
*May Day celebrations
*End of term –>I get my Bachelor’s Degree!
*End of term parties
*My own concert!

So after listing down all of these things suddenly the next 5 months don’t look that bad. Lots of fun things to do. In addition I will play a lot of badminton, start excercizing, drink lots of Chai Lattes, see my friends as often as possible, watch movies, and hopefully find out whether I’ll be accepted to go on exchange and whether I’ll be able to be a tutor again. So that’s that. If I start complaining how dull my life is, please remind me about this list, will you?

An Ode to Year 2006 (and a welcome to -07) January 1, 2007

Year 2006 is now in the past. What a year it was! I seriously think that 2006 was by far the best year in my life. I feel like year -06 has given me so much. The year has been full of everything -of laughter, love, excitement, fear, and even sadness. It has definitely been a rollercoaster ride, but a good one. I have been inspired by year 2006. Now, when I’m trying to think of everything that has happened to me in the past 12 months, I come to a little halt. The year has been so overwhelming that I don’t know if I can express what I mean to say. A year ago I made a wish on New Year’s. It must have consisted of something like “I hope year 2006 is a good one.” Now, I didn’t quite expect this. Year 2006 really surprised me!

Like I’ve accounted before, everything kind of started to change around May. At the Conference of North American Studies I met incredible people -people, that I now consider as one of the most important people in my life. The Conference gave me a boost. I found something new in me. During the week I realized how much I enjoyed socializing and mingling with new people. If I was a bud in the spring, I started to bloom in the summer. My summer vacay was ok, but there was a little excitement here and there. But the fall changed it all.

Tutoring for my department was an experience I will reminisce for a long time. I really enjoyed myself and had a great time. I’ve been looking for myself and also for my place in the university life for more than 2 years now, but I feel like finally I’ve found my place. I’m exactly where I want to be. I enjoy being an active student, taking part in student organizations and student life. I love studying, but I love the social life even more. The connections I have made recently, the friends that I have through university are my cloud’s silver lining. And added to that, I have other amazing friends and a loving family.

I’m so thankful for year 2006 and for everything it has given me. When making my New Year’s wish last year I didn’t quite believe that I would find myself in this state of change, and truly enjoying that state. Year 2006 can be concluded in few words: the Conference, Barcelona, summer job, tutoring, Frontier, Halloween, Thanksgiving, partying, dancing, cramming for exams and studying hard, hanging out with friends (and coming home at 7am after New Year’s Eve celebrations….) Although they’re only a few words summing up last year, they’re treasured memories and treasured moments in my heart. Above all, year 2006 has left me with a full heart -full of friends and full of feelings.

As I begin to look at year 2007, I cannot but feel a little afraid. Can it possibly surpass year 2006? Does life still have something better in store for me? I really hope so. I hope that year 2007 will again give me a lot to ponder on. Most of all, I wish that I won’t stop dreaming because year 2006 just showed me that dreams are worth dreaming for. I found this quote by Mark Twain. I wish to leave you and myself with his thoughts -I hope that year 2007 will bring happiness into YOUR life and make YOUR dreams come true.

Twenty years from now you will be more dissapointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.