Saturday 2nd April

I really had a good day yesterday, trying to forget that Lucky was near the end of his days.

Britta and me, went to Iris and Dennis' place to meet a few other people and study some Finnish grammar. I enjoyed it, it was a fun afternoon!

I left at 5pm to go home and wait for Jen to come around. Jen got here and we had a good gossip. Britta came by at 7pm after staying longer at Iris and Dennis'. We made some cheese bread, apple and cinnamon crumble. Then roasted sweet potatoes with plain salmon with salt and peper (for me benefit) and soya, chilli and honey salmon. Looks and smells divine but the soya allergy prevents sampling for me!

We then watched the film buried.... Omg, possibly the worst film I have ever seen. So unrealistic, one scene for hour and half, inside a dark coffin. No real morals or lessons... pointless and thats a few hours I can't get back! hehe Just don't bother watching it....

Also the Finnish exam is just over a week away so I have to hope I don't panic and we get the job done! and do well! For me, Finnish is now hard, after never learning another language and not ever being taught much English grammar at school. But it is still not impossible and we are considering private classes for speaking at the minute! will keep you posted!!!

the other thorn in my side, we had another seminar to write but as a pair... 29 people enrolled in the course, I had a partner... I couldn't start the presentation and seminar until last week as my schedule (and many others were too heavy) but 15 pages between two people is not so bad. So I email my partner, nothing. Then check the uni website... half the people have left the course!! including her so now I have a week and a half to type this report alone and prepare for the Finnish exam!! You can imagine my new stress level!!!

It has only been 2 weeks

School is really taking it's toll this semester, I have 3 days where most of my studies or all are in Finnish some days have 4 hours of being spoken to and expected to understand in Finnish... it is so tiring i actually don't believe it!

Fridays are my study day but they are being used to study as I have been researching my seminar report and starting to research for my thesis next year. This week I have one intensive course ending. But I have 2 exams in February and an allergist appointment. On the upside we have no classes on week 9 so that will be a nice lie in week at least unfortunately there is so much work to do to have "time off" but life is like that and master's degrees are not meant to be easy.

Eero is helping me improve my Finnish speaking and I am very proud of him for keeping his promise as boring as it must be for him to help me.

Weekends are a blur at the minute as school work is eating into them. I handed a project in early on Saturday at 10.50pm. I know it will all be worth the time and effort in the end or I hope so!

Sunday was fun, we walked to Jenny's for lunch with Britta and friends. It was great! and we meet the cutest dog in the world! Alas we can't have a dog yet but that won't stop me trying!

We are all going to learn to skate next weekend, poor Eero doesn't know what he let himself in for. Well he does and I think it bemuses him greatly that we are always moaning, laughing and messing around. He's happy when I am these days!

This was just a quick blog to prove I am still alive! we have 57cm of snow at the minute too! awesome!

Panda Factory Shop and good times!

Saturday was a cold day minus 22C but we were all excited!!! So we went to pick up Jen plus guest to go visit the Panda factory! yay!!! When we got to the Panda factory we discovered the shop was being renovated so it was a little less exciting than it should of been and no panda statue or person dressed up in sight =(

But there was loads of chocolate and liquorice to buy so we got Eero and a few gifts! It wasn't so sad as I thought it would be with me on my chocolate ban. We had a good time, then we went for coffee and pulla in a funky little cafe and we did the normal talking, giggling and not being aware of the people around.

Then we went to our house, shopped for some food to eat in citymarket where Graham grabbed my arm and we had a good old catch up! You see everyone in citymarket, I till you!! Then came home cooked pizza, more talking and watched Ice Age!

Jen and Tarmo left in the evening and then we watched Lost, had a sauna and a good chat with Eero.

Sunday was a slightly more annoying day, after I planned all my lecturers, double checked there timetables and room allocations. Sent a few emails and then got told 2 of the courses we not running, one of them was only in Finnish which is a core subject for me so I have to ect take it in 2012. I was planning to take 41ECt this semester now I am down to 35 but I am trying to take a book exam for 6ECt on another subject. Life is good though just frustrating when plans have to change!

Tomorrow is the start of the Finnish only speaking Finnish course which will be very strange for a week or two! Sunday night brought the start of a new era but one that has been promised before... Eero took out my Finnish books at his own and we got to speak with them for over an hour! And I am getting over my "y" and "u" problems! hehe

Eero has been sexy, cheeky and very romantic all weekend! <3 Let the good times continue!

Onnellista uutta vuotta ja myös viimeinen viesti vuoden

Translated: Happy New Year and also the last post of the year".

It's the day where everyone traditionally complains how bad the year has been. My facebook feed is already full of it. Though I don't agree, this last year has been great, of course there has been ups and down's but such is life. The down's make the up's all the more wonderful.

I have also lived here in Finland over a year now and I still think it is the best decision of my life!!! Not to mention the sacrifices Eero makes to put up with me and supports my wild ideas... mostly!

He starts his new job next week so as he can work from Jyväskylä a few days then in Tampere the others which is great!!! We also have the new car which I love and I am allowed to drive lol!!!

We also have 34cm of snow!!! Jen is coming over for NYE!!! and Ep's is coming home!!! I have no idea which to be excited over first!!!!

I am also excited about what the new year is bringing, sadly I am also excited about the Finnish grammar course which will kill any gremlin's left in my sometimes humorous outbursts! There are a lot of courses in Spring that are exciting with my course but it will be more hardwork! Suomi 3 begins too!

1st post of December

Monday was the Finnish speaking exam part 1, went well... we had the most questions after our presentation and we answered all correctly so that was a relief.

Wednesday was our Renewable Energy "Tidal Barrage" presentation, we were last and that was in English! Then I rushed home ate some dinner and went to meet Britta pre our second Finnish exam. No one liked this exam it was strange as you couldn't really chat to much to "show off", we just had set topics to do and get on with. Everyone thinks they did ok but no one said they loved it!

Almost settled into the new apartment now! I sorted the boxes out on week nights and then when Eero came Friday night, we put the sofa together and by Sunday evening most things were back in their places and back together! Saturday, E took me shopping for a new bedroom light as the one we had broke on the way here. We also got some new curtains for the living room! So we got home late on Saturday and did te boring finishing touches. We also got a few more cushions.

Sunday, we went shopping and got the last few things to cook for when Jen and Britta came by for a gossip (I keep having a class over lunchtime, grr). So when we got home we had a more relaxed time, I cooked pulla (first time I adapted a recipe that I could eat) and it was good, also made blackcurrant crumble cake (hadn't made it for ages) then E made 3 pizza's and some homemade dipping sauces for the chips and veg sticks.

We had a good night and put the world to rights for 5 hours! Then they went home and we watched lost and chilled out.

Eero's first overnight stay in Jyväskylä

Eero studied in not so far away Mikkeli he had been on a few drunken student adventures to Jyväskylä... most bars we passed in fact he had been in =)

Friday we walked back from the train station and went to citymarket on the way home. Anyway Saturday we went into city to meet Jenny (American friend who now works here at uni) and Britta (German exchange student here until Christmas, then we will miss her). We choose to meet at Sokos unbeknown to us there was a fashion show on just outside Sokos but eventually we all found each other. We had a little shop, went to Jenny's, had coffee and a great time! then home for more pizza *nam nam*.


Jenny, Britta and me


Eero and me by the university sign

Eero had a really good time and left early on Sunday morning as Pekka and Katri were driving through Jyväskylä and Tampere. Outi went to a wedding so I spent the day alone but I enjoyed it, cleaned my room, did my laundry and then watching internet tv later reading my book. I guess I enjoyed not being in a train station.

I talked with Eero and now Jenny and Britta are coming to stay the weekend with me in Tampere (I am so glad I have company on the train ride for once) and I can't wait to show them around as neither have been there before!! whoohoo. Wished I had room to put Marlen (American friend also working at uni)up too but I am sure we can all plan an adventure somewhere together soon!

Eero also showed me some apartments he had been looking at for us, so it was an exciting few days!