Lululala.

I finally found a pair of Lululemon shorts while I was in Canada this time around; I bought them and wore them cycling yesterday...for 29 I'm. Note to self: do not cycle 29km in short shorts.
Juha calls them my Lululala shorts. (Lululemon isn't so well-known here...or at all really.)

Maybe JC will want to take the bike tour next week!
I am excite!

It's been awhile...

...but I figured better late than never! Once we fall off the blogging horse, it may take awhile to get back on it but it's best we do when we realize we've fallen off than to lie on the ground... I'm sure I was going somewhere with that but to be honest, I've completely lost my train of thought. (Or is it trail of thought? I tried to Google but it seemed both meant more or less than same thing. Alas...)

So I'm blogging from Toronto today! I'm sitting in my new room in my parents' brand new house and I've got blogging on my brain. I met up with one of my best friends from Toronto yesterday and she's thinking about starting a blog and it made me wonder about starting a blog as well, a different one involving photography, and I'm thinking I wanna do this as soon as possible.

The idea is still pretty unclear. We talked about various possibilities, involving architecture, food, culture, etc. but overall, I haven't decided to commit to anything quite yet. Broader is better for now. But your suggestions are warmly welcome in the comments box!


"The Birds"

So I'm thinking I may take my camera out with me today and see what I can capture... for now though, here's a picture I took in Romania on our last trip there.

Job Interview.

Today I attended my second ever job interview in Finland!

It was a long morning leading up to the interview but surprisingly, it went by fast and was rather painless. We had an 8:30am research seminar lesson and I'd gone to bed a bit late but I surprised myself but getting up easily AND catching up with an old friend on Skype.. around 7:12am. (Gotta love how productive time differences can make you feel... and so not annoyed at early mornings.) After class, I went to get a coffee before our second class started and everyone arrived. The first part of that class was a presentation that Di and I had to do (well, each of us had different presentations) as punishment for having missed a lecture (due to Switzerland trip, see last post.)
I'd had a bit of a panic getting myself organized the night before because I was supposed to read and analyze a thesis - or more specificly, the interview portion of the thesis. Upon logging onto our school's online thesis database, I discovered that I counldn't open any of the files. Luckily, an FB status update and 15 minutes later, my good friend Evgeniy came through and emailed me, not 1, but 4 theses! So yeah... it didn't take too long to come up with a 2.5 minute presentation.

Then lunch with tons of people (playing musical chairs as people came and went) as Sara, Mette and I grabbed a table at the back until the late afternoon. Alex came to join us and later walked with me to my interview because the sun was shinning and it was such a nice day to be outside!

The interview went really well. I felt really confident because I'd be referred to the position by a friend but I also knew that I was the kind of person they were looking for. Still, that didn't mean I didn't have to prove myself. I was there for almost an hour and there were lots of questions about career plans, future, hobbies, reasons I came to Finland, languages I speak... etc. Ultimately, I felt they got to know me pretty well and liked me. In turn, I found out my interviewer had lived with a Romanian girl before so that was a neat surprise! At the end, they told me that they would definitely offer me a job, but unfortunately, training starts next week and I'm going to be away but if the project time is lengthened, then they'll be in touch for the next training session.

So I walked back to school pretty happy! What you have to realize is that it's not always about going in, selling yourself and getting the job, but also about how the interview makes you feel. And I felt that I gained a lot of confidence, good practice and experience from my one hour there. Sometimes it's easy to get all tangeled in your replies and say something that sounds bad... so thinking really fast about what you're gonna say before you say it is a big help.

Otherwise, it was nice to hang out with everyone at school again before heading back to Tampere. The funny thing was, as I left school to run and try to catch the tram, a bus went by and splashed a HUGE puddle all over my pants, boots and purse. Then to top it all off, the tram drove off without waiting for me... even though I was running after it, soaking wet. It wasn't until after it pulled away that I started to try to wipe my purse and well... there was nothing I could do about my pants or boots but the walk to the station helps dry them off.
(Photo credit)
Still, nothing could ruin my mood today!

Juha met me near the train station and we went grocery shopping. Then I dragged him to Eurokangas (European Fabricland) to score some CURTAINS for my room in Helsinki. I dropped 62 euros on those babies and I hope they'll be perfect! (And that Anne likes them too.) I was inspired by some pastel coloured buildings close to Hanken so I tried to recreate the atmosphere of the street in my room. They're hemming the ends for free and I get to pick them up in 2 weeks.

As if that isn't exciting enough (my Helsinki room needs spunk, you'd be excited too) I get home and check facebook only to see a random picture of a friend on my profile. I click and, lo and behold, she's dating a Finn! I comment on the photo, I stalk around a little and then she messages me. Long story short, her boyfriend now lives in Canada but they're coming to visit Helsinki in May. We were both so excited we couldn't stop smiling (she was in class) or dancing/being hyper/cooking dinner (I was at home.)

So yeah. That's my day. And I'm freaking ecstatic about it!

Switzerland!

It's funny how you think about blogging when you have the longest to-do list ever and feel this sudden urge to tell a story before you forget it! Not that I'm about to forget the wonderful weekend/almost-week I just spent in Switzerland but I, at least, wanted to start writing about it before my dentist appointment this morning... and will continue after the appointment as well :)

The few days spent there were divine and the entire trip can be summed up in a few short sentences I wrote to my friend Anne in an email:

"As for Switzerland, it was amazing! I don't know how to explain it without sounding like an asshole but basically...

Wed - arrival and relaxing dinner/wine
Thurs - visit to Lausanne, cheese fondue with family friends and visit to the Art Brut museum (which rocked btw.)
Fri - Skiing/Snowboarding in the Alps.
Sat - Day visit/shopping/long lunch in Annecy and a short walk in Geneva in the evening
Sun - Hiking/Spa day before super Swiss lunch in Guyere with a view of the mountains.

So yeah... I'm home now and in this super good mood. I even went to the dentist today and had an awesome time! Everyone was so nice :)"

Also, we played cards every night so I got my temporary Lupaus fix! (best.card.game.ever.) I look forward to many more rounds to make up for some really low scores haha!

Enjoy the visuals...

Lausanne.
The museum "L'art brut"
Soooo sketch.
Pigeons 1.

And the bus went by. Pigeons 2.
Tree.
Church on a hill.
View from the hill.
Me and church.
Juha and church.
Family friends in front of the Finnish embassy!
Me in front of Finnish embassy!
Driving through Geneva.
Annecy...
... the water looked so clean it made you thirsty.
Juha.
Self.
Take 1.
Take 2.
Juha+Kari+Pirjo
Pari.
Alley.
More alleys of Annecy.
And again.
Eating frog legs and rizotto at Le Chalet.
Channel in Annecy.
Antiquites.
Colourful houses.
Christmas decor?
That's right... it's on the internet!
An important place for religion... or Luther... (feel free to fill in the blanks.)
A healthy dose of silly!
The spa!
The area we walked around before the spa!
Guyere - where the cheese comes from!
Displaying some Quebec pride in front of this fine establishment: Je me souviens!
Very traditional!
Guyere cheese, and then some.
Kari+toast.
Pirjo+Cheese balls.
My goat-cheese salad.
The view.
Real cream served with your coffee. This was a first!

Fuck fitting in!

A short reflection...

The title of this post isn't meant to be aggressive but rather a statement that I want to make and want, most of all, to remember while living abroad.

I've recently become aware of some strange things in my behaviour. I don't speak English in public. On the streets, I prefer not to speak much at all if I can avoid it, this includes when I am with someone. I like to blend in with the crowd. I don't like to be noticed for looking different, acting different or seeming confused in public. I speak Finnish when I can and try to keep the word count of my conversations as short as possible to keep the highest possible chance that I could be confused for a native speaker, or at best, a fluent speaker. And I don't make eye contact with people on the street.

These actions may be a result of living in a country that is not my own, but they may also be signs that I am becoming quite Finnish in the way which I present myself. Some days, this makes me smile and everything is quite dandy...

... but then a problem arises. I do stand out. I sometimes stare at people without noticing. I don't speak fluent or native Finnish and let's face it... sometimes I look really confused in public (much like a tourist would.) And when these times come about, it's really hard to be yourself when you've been practicing and pretending you're someone else. It's these times that you need to keep reminding yourself that you should be proud of who you are, you can speak English loudly on the tram platform or on the bus and you can fuck fitting in all together! Because you are you. And that's worth being too.

My blog, my outlet - the stress that comes with the return home.

I don't usually use this blog to bitch but since the stress from our recent vacation has yet to subside, I feel the need to share some facts of life with my readers, whether they be travelers or not.

First off, traveling can be a huge pain in the ass. Forgive my language, with airlines are often sending you on round-about journeys to make claims, complaints and most importantly, get your money back. Oh, and don't forget about your luggage. It's always a "don't call us, we'll call you-type of deal."

The first surprise we got upon our arrival back to Helsinki occurred before we even left the airport! Our bags were not on the flight with us. As some of you have heard, and others have not yet because I haven't blogged about it, Juha was very sick on the journey home. The airline and airport had been contacted that we might not be able to make our connecting flight, but luckily, we did make the Frankfurt - Helsinki flight. Upon arriving at the gate, we thought it wise to check in with the counter and let them know that we'd made it so our bags could be loaded onto the aircraft as well (no, we didn't pack our toothbrushes in the hand luggage.) The woman told us that once our tickets had been scanned in, the luggage would be boarded on the plane. Guess what? The woman was wrong.

So alas, we got to Helsinki and found out she'd been wrong. So we went to the lost luggage counter and filed a missing bag complaint or whatever they're called. Then we were given a tracking number to check online. I thought I was being smart by asking for a number we could also call if we didn't hear anything. The woman pointed it out to me at the bottom of the paper she'd given me. Here's a tip for you guys if you ever end up in this situation - CALL THAT NUMBER IN FRONT OF THE PERSON! Because when I woke up the next day with no information and I called the number I got the following voice recording: "All our agents are presently busy." in Finnish, then in Swedish... and then the line goes dead. So yeah, good luck reaching anyone at Lufthansa. 2 days after landing in Helsinki, our bags were delivered to Tampere. We were so happy to see them, that we didn't even notice Juha's luggage belt was missing. How do you complain about that? You go to the luggage counter at the airport... yeah, thanks a lot.

That's only the beginning.

In order to find out how to claim all the costs incurred from the trip, I called Air Canada and waited on hold, patiently, for 45 minutes. (It was on speaker phone but the dread I get when I know I have to make one of these calls is comparable to depression.) Now if I may add, the call center people are not always so friendly (except you Horia!), or at least they don't seem friendly enough after you wait an hour on hold. This woman, in particular, was rather rude and told me that the claim can be made on the website. I went online, made the claim for the flight tickets we had to pay ourselves to Tallin, scanned and attached the necessary documentation and received a confirmation email that my request would be handled soon. I decided not to claim everything, such as the hotel night in Zurich or the many meals we could've eaten as home in Canada because I have a Visa Gold... and I used it to buy my original tickets.

So my next call was to Visa: "I'd like to make an insurance claim." I find out that you need to be sent a package in the mail, which you then fill out, attach the appropriate documentation to and send back. Would I like to start this process now? Yes I would.
"One moment please, I'll transfer you."
"Hello... blah blah... what is the nature of your claim?"
I tell her. And she checks my card. Well guess what? The card I have, that I've been using for years and was told had travel insurance, actually only covers: purchase security, extended warranties and auto rental collisions or something. Not much I can do there, so I hang up. (Any idea how I can add to my claim when all I got from making the Air Canada claim was an email telling me they will process it as soon as possible, and they attached my claim number?... which looked to be about 20 digits long.)

I called them again later about an inflated transaction from a restaurant we ate at in Vancouver. I had to fax them my receipts but still had to confirm they received them since I didn't hear anything from them. They had and the correction will be made shortly.

Then I check my Aeroplan balance online. Aeroplan is Air Canada's frequent flyer reward system. They, of course, didn't register all our flights into their system. I called them today - after a week of putting it off - and found out that because Air Canada booked us on a flight that wasn't part of Star Alliance, and then they didn't pay for it... and we had to, nor did they refund us any money, there is no guarantee that we'll be given any points for this either. But send us your original boarding cards (I can only find one of the 2) and we'll see what we can do.

In the meantime, my bank has decided not to post exchange rates on my account balance anymore so all my euro transactions are made in Canadian dollars, without seeing what fees I'm paying for each one or what kind of exchange rate they're given me. I called them and then launched a complaint online.

Sometimes coming home can be even more stressful that traveling and traveling can only be enjoyed by not thinking, or not anticipating, that everything is currently going wrong but you're only going to find out later when cancelled flight responsibilities fall on your shoulders. So my heart goes out to all of those who have had comparable experiences, and for those who haven't, remember:
- keep all your receipts,
- know your rights,
- find out all the information possible when you have the chance to talk to real people, face-to-face,
- and don't let the airlines screw you.

Love,
irina.

P.S. We're still waiting on the phone bill for the call Juha made to Air Canada, direct from Helsinki, waited on hold for 45 minutes only to have the agent hang up one him and for which, Air Canada nor Visa will be paying.

UK catch up - Eastbourne and Brighton Part 2

I'm still playing catch up with the new mini-series and the photo updates from my trip to the UK back in November 2010.

So here are some random shots, which I'll try my best to keep in order...here, we jump in front of the Asian/Chinese Pavillion...






Then..






The beach beauties that we are... and Jevgenija's work place...







London traffic and the reason I almost missed my plane...

Some humour on the way...

Unfortunate.