Living like a Spartan

I wondered what I was doing in Finland when I finally arrived at my accomodaion. It was less halls, more prison. I should of known from the 'Cell 2' part of my address. But I was glad to be there, especially as half an hour ago I was stranded at Tampere Pirkkala Airport.

Keskustori - Town Center

Everything went well with my flight. It was a singe in comparison to New Mexico. I continuosly stared out of the airplane window as we came into land. Vast forests and lakes as far as the eye could see. It was absolutley beautiful. There were no problems with secuirty either. I only had to flash my passport and I was in Finland. I picked up by bag and headed out into the pick-up area. Lots of faces stared past me, but no-one appeared to be looking for me. I watched as people slowly recognised their relatives and embraced them with welcoming hugs. I felt a slight concern when most people had left, but I decided not to panic. Instead, I set about calling the International Incoming Students office. The number didn't work. I may have entered it wrong, but the automated Finnish voice didn't make a lot of sense. I looked for a pay phone. None. There was a tourist information desk, so I tried there. The lady called the number for me on her mobile, and eventually got through to someone on my course. The real concern came, when the lady from the university couldn't get hold of my tutor. It wouldn't of mattered so much if my tutor didn't have my house key! I wondered what to do. Sure I could catch a bus and stay in a hostel, but what about getting my key? It felt like the worst case scenaro had actually happened. I paced patiently as I waited for a call back. Evetually, whilst deep in thought, I heard someone call my name. Turns out, my tutors boyfriend was sent in her stead, and had the time of my flight wrong! I breathed a sigh of relief. I had now officially arrived.

Entrance to Finlayson

So here I am, in Tampere Finland! I was given a tour and had a little explore of my own. It seems very picturesque. There are parks springing up all over the place and the rapids run strait through the middle of the city. The area in which I'm studying, Finlayson, has lots of museums and restaurants and I think I'm going to enjoy exploring them over the coming weeks. It does feel however, that I'm living a little like a Spartan! I was glad when I finally got to the store to buy food and the all important, curtains. My first night without them was a little awkward to say the least. But, although the building I'm in is the ugliest I've seen in Tampere yet and lacks in anything close to character, I have a roof over my head for the next three months. I started my course today and the people seem really nice and there are lots of events on offer. I have checked out my first books from the library and am already pouring over all of the resources and getting my head around a few concepts and some ideas of my own.