Visit to the Finnish Consulate-After

I just returned to my hotel after my appointment with the Finnish Consulate. The woman who worked to coordinate the information was so helpful and nice- she was a real advocate for her country. This makes me even more excited for Finland! Furthermore, the process went off without a hitch. Well, save for the biometric part, where the scanner thought my left hand was unreadable. I did feel bad that I didn't speak Finnish to the people at the Consulate. I had prepared some basic lines, but I became nervous, and reverted to English. I feel disappointed in myself, but overexcited at the same time (despite no sleep- NYC is so loud compared to agrarian Aurora). À la août, j'aller avec une voyage à Finland! Super! 

The United Nations

This was the coolest event of this last year, or at least as I can remember. My mother ingeniously scheduled tickets for a UN tour today- it was absolutely amazing. I want to work there, as an ambassador, someday. That would be awesome. Also of note, while figuring out where the Finnish Consulate is, I passed the man in charge of the Consulate in New York for the Finns- he might have been the ambassador? I'll look in to that, but anyways, it was surreal. Here are some pictures. The guys in uniform in the bottom picture were Austrian military men, or so our tour guide thought. I give her a great rating, as she was cheerful, knew a ton, and spoke perfect English- she was an Italian. I love being part of a globalized world. 

Also, the kid in the pictures is my brother, not me. 

Visit to the Finnish Consulate-Before

Today was spent driving to New York City, as tomorrow I have an appointment with the Finnish Consulate to deliver my application for a residency permit, in person. I am beyond tired now, as Saturday night (Sunday morning really) I only slept for 4.5 hours, and I woke up early today for the road trip. The trip was not bad, but 8 hours in a car is no walk in the park for anyone. More importantly, I'm quite nervous for my visit to the Consulate. My neurosis is in full swing- I'm terrified something will go wrong, or that I'll mess it up. Also, New York is simply terrifying to an "Upstater" such as myself- the size is ridiculously overwhelming. I am so thankful to be going to Finland this August- I won't feel like such a small-town hick. Or perhaps I will? Is that how Americans feel abroad? 

Lepsämä is where I am going to live in Finland. I don't really know much about Lepsämä- I regrettably have not asked my host family much about the place. This is what wikipedia says, of course, a reliable source (I am absolutely being sarcastic):

Lepsämä

Lepsämä is a village in the municipality ofNurmijärvi, Finland. There is acomprehensive school in Lepsämä. There also used to be a shop, a bank and a post office. The former prime minister of FinlandMatti Vanhanen lives in Lepsämä. Lepsämä has grown in population in recent few years and in 2005 it was the most rapidly growing village in Finland (in relation to population size).

That's all I know about what the place I will call home. It seems quite like my home- outside of a mid-size city (Helsinki is bigger than Buffalo, about twice the size), and a village- very much like East Aurora. From what my host mother has said, even the weather is similar:  30C in summer, tops, and -30 in the winter. So like 90F in the summer and 10F in winter. 

My Finnish friend Matti Pousi said that Finland doesn't really have an Autumn, that summer just kind of turns to Winter in a matter of a weeks. Buffalo does the same thing in Spring. Here was the first day of Spring in Elma (near East Aurora):

So if Finland lives up to its snowy reputation, it will be exactly what I am used to. 

Regrets, Musings, etc.

I have one major regret with my choices in this program: that I did not name my blog "There and Back Again" (a la The Hobbit). However, as for musings, there are plenty. The panic crunch is really being felt right know, as according to my (eternally flawed) calculations, I have approximately 6 weeks before I leave, ne'er to return (for a year). Aside from my terrible sense of humor, I'm pretty nervous right now. There's a YE weekend this weekend, and I'm wondering if I missed any info I need for that, like if my patch needs to be sewn onto my blazer. And directly after that I go to the Finnish consulate to deliver my application for a residency permit. Life is moving by faster than I can blink. And that's pretty fast. For the etc., there isn't much: I only put that in case my former English teacher, Mr. O'Malley, is reading this, as he hates et cetera used in any sense.

Countdown

Effectively, my summer has been an unconscious countdown of days left to spend in the States. But now the jitters are really starting to sink in. Today was the first time I truly realized I was leaving everything I know, for an entire year. What was previously unfathomable is now becoming a reality. It will be difficult, to reassert, but nonetheless I am determined to leave, and to represent my home region and country on an international scale. I'm hoping the pride will eventually replace the burgeoning homesickness. This blog will certainly show whether or not that will occur. 

The photograph falls in as a visual reference. Those who know me can attest my absolute obsession with history, fantasy, and science fiction; with the corresponding miniature Wargaming ranges. Thus, it will be common on this blog for Tolkien references or historical quotes to permeate my postings. I liken my journey to that exhibited by Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, minus of course the issues with goblins, spiders, and dragons (I hope).