This week marked my return to Edinburgh, and now I'm back in Helsinki I can't stop myself from thinking about home. I was only there for four days meaning as soon as you've got yourself settled its time to say goodbye again. And I hate goodbyes so subsequently spent my last few hours in a mess of tears and cursing myself for being such a traveller. Its times like these when I wish I had a simple life with a desire to stay in the same place for longer than a few months. In the last year I've lived in the USA for 4 months (summer 07), Edinburgh for second year, Mongolia for 4 months (summer 08) and now I'm in Helsinki.
It also made me realise that Edinburgh is still happening, and I am not part of it. When I'm in Helsinki I think "wow, its amazing here, I love it, I'm so glad that I came" and forget that the Edinburgh world is still happening, but now I've been back I've seen all my friends in 3rd year and being president/other high up committee members in various societies and now I'd really like to be part of all of that too!
Its now week 6 in Helsinki, and I have an essay deadline for tomorrow. I've not really started it yet and its 7.30pm but I'm really not worried about it, unlike Edinburgh where I stress out like crazy in the last evening. Its because I've already sumbmitted around 4000 words on the topic in my weekly reflection papers on the readings, and I only need to write 2500 for the essay. These reflection papers have been marked and commented upon so I will just use them and add to it. I already have a basic idea of what I am doing, I just need to string it all together.
Today I decided to leave my Finnish class (yes, even though it does have a good teacher and I only joined last week after leaving my 1st class) as I have realised I don't actually have any desire to learn Finnish. It feels as though I am going to classes as I feel obligated to due to being in Finland and that I am doing it because I feel I should rather than because I want to do it. Its fine at the moment as I only have 3 classes, but in 2 weeks time I am starting another 3 and I'd rather concentrate on them than feel obliged to do Finnish. I can learn Mongolian here, which starts in October, and I'd much rather continue with that as I want to go back in the summer and do my anthropology dissertation work there. I'm actually interested in Mongolian, which is a better place to be in than I am with Finnish. If the Finnish class was going to teach me anything useful then I'd stay, but I can not think of a situation where I am going to have to ask someone when their birthday is and what their favourite subject at university is... I'm no longer twelve years old! If we were doing questions you get asked in shops, food names, transport problems and things which had an actual relation to my life in Helsinki I'd be much more up for learning the language.
I now have to email the teacher and explain that I'm leaving (scary!) and tell myself that I'm not just being the stupid Brit abroad who can't speak the language. I have my reasons!
This week it is international week in the university. I was supposed to go and represent Edinburgh at an Erasmus meeting today, but um, I kind of fell asleep (got back at 2am last night and was up at 8 for classes) and didn't end up going. Hopefully Helsinki students will still come to Edinburgh next year even through my failure to jazz the university up for them! There are a few interesting things happening, but it all feels a little fake to be honest. At the moment there is a huge argument happening between HYY (Helsinki University Students Union) and the International student societies and reprepsentative boards. Basically, here, the international students have to make their own societies and events as the general ones opperate all in Finnish and aren't really accessible, or bothered, about attracting international students. So there are a few such as the debates society and international soc, who cater for us. Now, this is when it becomes very EUSA-y ... last week room allocations for the year were dolled out, and although the international groups need a big room for their activities they were given a tiny one because one of the bigger Finnish run societies complained and has this group has more power within HYY, they won. And what has followed is a massive argument via email which fills my inbox every day. It all sounds slightly petty and VERY like EUSA stuff at Edinburgh. So now HYY has organised this international students week to show us how valued and amazing we are within the university. Great.
One of the biggest things happening this week is the final game of the group stages for our very own Erasmus FC. This is completely unrelated to the international week, by the way. The boys are utterley convinced they will win the leauge even though they have lost one game out of three, and still have a long way to go to reach the final. If they draw or win tomorrow, they will be in the quater final stages... which they clearly will given that they are on a par with Real Madrid and Chelsea, skills wise, apparently. I really hope they win as otherwise we will never hear the end of it, but then, we never hear the end of it if they do win either so its Catch 22. It is cool having an 'erasmus' thing as it means we all have something to share and get excited about, as the Finnish blocks in our building all have various Finnish things to do and we're stuck on our own in block C trying to create entertainment in our little community. Actually thats another thing which is annoying, in my accommodation there are 4 blocks. But all of the exchange students are in C block, meaning we don't actually get to see or communicate with the Finns in blocks A, B and D as the blocks are kind of like houses in Pollock thus totally seperate to each other.
A fun fair came to Helsinki this week. It was opperated by a very vocal, fat, English man --- "roll up ladies and gents, come n pay your money, only 1 euro a go, 1 euro a go to win some dead good prizes" --- and we wonder why the Europeans think we're idiots.
I should really start my essay now!
