Kathleen's Adventures

Posting from my phone on the bus to work Monday morning. This weekend went by way too fast. I slept until almost noon Saturday because I kept assuming it was early each time I woke up. I guess I needed it, but it seriously ate into my day.  I went on a short run after I woke up and saw some pretty sights. I meant to take my credit card because I wanted to stop in Finlayson and see if I saw any bedding/sheets there I liked. I didn't go back for my card because I figured I could still look and would go back another time if there was anything I liked. Well of course there was something I liked, duvet covers that were 25% off for my guest room. Sale ended Saturday. Store closed at 4. I had kayak plans at 3 that I had to leave home at 2:40 for. It was 1:48. So I sprinted back home, got my card, sprinted back, bought the covers (in their famous elephant print) while dripping sweat in the store, and then hightailed it back home. Got home at 2:30 and left at 2:40 to walk to the kayak ...

Update in pictures. Holy cow.  My 50 euros worth of kitchen stuff.  6x two sizes plates, 6 bowls, 6 coffee cups, 6 classes, 6 wine glasses, 6 silverware place settings, 3 pots, 1 saucepan, 2 mixing bowls, 1 serving bowl, 1 cutting board, and I don't remember what else.  All thrown in my Ikea bags I've already grown to hate.  I carried these a few blocks to the tram, rode the tram 2 stops, and then carried them a few more blocks.  Without breaking anything, including myself.  But, I can have cereal and tea in the morning! My fine living room furniture at the moment. At first, I wasn't sure what I'd do with such a big entry hall.  It didn't take long...this is the cleanest it has been and I doubt it will stay that way for long. My lovely washer/dryer setup Not the first color of plates I'd choose from Ikea, but I suppose they are burnt orange and were close enough to free. My bathroom is really pretty....

I got up this morning to be ready for my 8-10am window for the internet people to come figure out why I don't have internet.  I was excited to have some tea in my new pink teapot and a bowl of cereal.  I was proud of myself for actually buying tea, cereal, and milk yesterday as well.  The milk is somewhat scary though because they have 18 kinds of milk and yogurt here and I can't read any of it.  Apparently one kind is "old milk."  I don't want old milk.  I also don't want buttermilk.  It is possible I ended up with both though.  I didn't get to try it though because after I got my tea bag out, I remembered I don't have any cups to put the tea in!  And then I don't have any bowls to put the cereal in!  I have plastic silverware and paper plates, but neither of those are going to help with tea and cereal.  Moving to Finland fail #87. The internet guy did come fix my problem which is good but the bad news is he said he has no i...

In the 48 hours since arriving, I've been to: - IKEA twice - the Internet store four times (and I still don't have Internet) - work twice (once did about 30 minutes and the other about 6 hours) - the grocery store twice (but I don't seem to have any food) - Gigantti once - TVs and washer/dryer - bank once (to pay deposit for Internet since I don't have online banking....bank hours are 10-4:30 - entirely convenient) - one of ten Finnish classes - R Kioski to try to pay Internet deposit (unsuccessfully) and then to get bus pass for the week (same price for a week for a foreigner as for a month for a local - will go down once I get my permit) - Stockmann's once And I forget what else.  The great news is someone got the memo I was worried I'd never see the sun again and put it out. Temps have been upper 50s and it feels great!  Also everything is alive and green- huge difference to a month ago! Pics may look weird since I'm postin...

It feels really good to be home.  I've been back almost two weeks now.  On my way back it is amazing how "home" I felt at Heathrow - somewhere that just a few weeks earlier would have felt incredibly foreign.  People speaking English all around me and signs in English everywhere felt good - and I worry it felt too good.  That is the same with going/being home - I was looking forward to it but cautious to remind myself it was just temporary this time around.  I'm wondering how it is going to feel over the next two years when I don't really have a home in the US - I know I'll feel at home at my sister's house in San Antonio (where I expect to spend a great deal of my time), but it will be weird in Austin for sure not having a home or a car of my own here. The second half of my trip to Helsinki was good, despite that during that time I lost two more apartments (in addition to one I saw the first time I visited). My coworker Brian and his wife Les came my se...