This week has been a pretty fun week. I finally got my essay completed at 3am on Wednesday morning and surprisingly, even though yes I did finish it very late I wasn't stressed out about it at any point like I normally am at Edinburgh. I felt very restricted to the 2,500 words limit rather than searching for things to say, which is sometimes the case at home. I think this is down to the teaching system here- as I said, I'd already handed in and recieved marks for 4000 words on the subject so all I had to do was put it all together and expand where I felt neccesary. I definitley feel much more relaxed here about work even though I'm doing it on a more regular basis than in Edinburgh. We're getting the essays from last week back tomorrow. Thats a quick turn around, considering we only have one class a week!

I've been putting some thought into (read: procrastinating) what I want to do after graduating at Edinburgh. Somehow, from somewhere, Law seems very appealing and I've been doing research into conversion schemes and MAs in human rights/international law. I don't want to be a laywer, but I want to work for NGOs dealing with sexual/domestic abuse, human traffking and/or exploitation of women and children so I feel as though having detailed knowledge of the legal systems would be highly beneficial, esspecially as I'd like to be involved in the policy making, representation and legal aspects of NGO work. So this is my new little project. Today I looked at some of the law courses on offer at Helsinki, as I am able to take modules from all departments so I have much more flexibility than I would do in Edinburgh. I've decided to sign up for 2 courses initially- 'economic, social and cultural rights under human rights law' which is actually a social policy course so will be more in my comfort zone for the start. Then in January, a 3 week course entitled 'general course in international law' (someone is good at thinking of titles!) which if I like it, there are 2 continuation classes later in the semester.

This seems to be my problem in Helsinki. As the entire university is open to me, I want to do everything. I have to take 60 credits- so 30 each semester- in anthropology/development related couses, but these only equate to 6 hours a week in class. As I'm on exchange and I only have to pass, I feel like this is a bit of a waste of a year. Especially because I can't really join any societies or get a job due to the lack of Finnish, so I may as well spend more time in university going to classes because they look interesting rather than for the credits. Edinburgh are going to think I've gone slightly mad on the credits when I get home as I am doing 43 credits this semester alone, and that only makes 10 hours a week in university! I don't have any exams, and some of the classes are assessed by 'attendence and contribution to class discussion' so I don't actually have to do anything other than turn up. At the most, the require one 2000 word essay which I think I can push together given that I don't really need to do amazingly well in them.

So in short, I will return to Edinburgh not only with an education in anthropology, but also one in Mongolian and Law. At least, thats to date but I'll probably find something else I want to do- the Literature classes look really cool too!

I feel really odd writing all of this. Almost as though I've suddenly grown up and I can admit to learning things for the pure sake of learning them rather than for the credits. Its not as if my social life will really die either- everyone else is doing the same, so we always hang out in the evening to watch a film or chat meaning my days are usually spent in my room on the internet, the gym or wandering around Helsinki trying to find something which isn't crazily expensive to buy.

Next week it is half term... so in this paragraph I have reverted back to being a child who needs a holiday after a few weeks of classes. Well, in actual fact this is week 7 and I have now lived in Helsinki for 8 weeks- and you know how many of my aims from the first few posts I've achieved? One. I finally bought some boots- 65 euros in the SALE but they're lovely. How many do I still have to do? Loads. Including important ones such as sending back my course registration form to Edinburgh- offically they don't actually know I've properly arrived yet, and registering at the police office so I can be a Finnish resident and get cheap travel. I'm going home via Vienna on Saturday for a week. This time its home home, so Derbyshire, where I haven't been for longer than 24 hours at a time since April. I'm off to see my best friend from home who is on erasmus in Vienna for the year. The entire population of Helsinki is coming too, well 4 people I know are. Two live there, one is going to visit a friend and the other is going as hes Australian and wants to go everywhere in Europe whilst he has the chance!

I'm still missing Edinburgh. There is so much going on right now which I would be a big part of if I was at home- EGP had their new people recruitment night tonight, and then my EGP team are having a reunion in December which I don't think I can go to as its impratical to come home for a few days, leave, then fly back to London a week later. If it was cheap I'd do it, but the flights are expensive. I am really glad that I'm here and I do love it, but I do wish that there was a budget airline RyanAir style route from Helsinki to Edinburgh, meaning I could go home for important stuff and it would only cost me £30 or something. My friend in Vienna can do that- she keeps complaining about the cost of her flight home, but in reality, she can actually go back. It feels as if Helsinki is so close yet so far from home. If I was in the USA or Australia or somewhere I'd know I was on the otherside of the world and I couldn't come back as it was way too expensive and impratical to fly for 10 hours to go home for a meeting at the weekend. But here, I am a 3 hour flight from London and only about 1000 miles away with a 2 hour time difference, so it feels like because Europe is so 'close' to the UK I should be able to get back for things like this, but I can't because of the silly transport links. Ryan Air flies to Tampere- who would ever want to go there?? Easy Jet have started flying to Gatwick from here which is great. Its just annoying that Edinburgh isn't that little bit closer to London!

Ah well you can't have everything. The fair people from last week are still here- you can win an England football shirt as a prize. Clearly the thing all Finnish people want to win!