A week and a day have passed by since I arrived here in Helsinki so it is time for a short summary:
It feels like yesterday that I stranded at the central station. Having relied on knowing the city from the last visit a year ago, I neglected doing research in advance on how to get to the hostel. Standing at the central station with nothing more in my hands than the hostel’s adress, I realized how foolish that was. [Note: I have made the very same mistake when I started my year abroad in Seville… And it feels like I have learned absolutely NOTHING from it!] Unfortunately there wasn’t even any info-point (opened) where people could have helped me. So I decided to drag myself and all my luggage to a well-known fast-food-restaurant, supposing to find WiFi there. I did. After a small research and imbiss I could finally head towards the hostel. After checking in, I spent the rest of the day with searching for flats and contacting countless landlords until heading to bed not too late at night.
In contrast to the arrival-failure, the next day was rather succesful. I found the office at first try and everyone was really kind. All in all I had a perfect first workday at ALA!
In the evening I planned to visit two flats, but after communication problems with the first landlord, I went directly to the second… Or at least I tried: I got lost on the way to the bus stop! [Note: I am not such a mess as it sounds like – I swear!]. But in spite of the fact that I arrived half an hour late, the couple renting the place still chose me as a renter. Which got me into even bigger trouble: The flat was way further from the city center than I planned to live, but on the other hand very beautiful. Besides I didn’t want to waste too much of the few time I have in Helsinki staying in the hostel searching for flats. All the evening I tried to decide. In the end I decided not to take it and called to say no, but somehow ended up saying yes. The same night I signed the contract and on Wednesday I moved in already. I am still getting cozy here, but overall I don’t regret my decision.
The rest of the week had its ups and downs, but ended perfectly with a beer at the seaside, together with the other ALA-interns. All in all it was an exciting first week and I can’t wait for the next adventures to come!