Slog ahead, Succeed and Smile

I am currently writing this on the plane as I leave Finland via Munich back to Manchester. I thought I'd be an emotional wreck, but in all honesty only a few tears have been spilt for my beloved Finland, friends and experiences. Perhaps it's a delayed reaction, I certainly hope so because the last three months have meant the world to me.

I am extremely sad to wave goodbye to the land of Fins; but really I'm not waving goodbye, just saying Catch you Later, Take Care While I'm Gone. I will be back, mark my words, and if my last few days in Tampere were anything to go by, then without a doubt, I will return!
The last couple of days before we left Tampere were the celebrations of May Day. Up until now Tampere was a fairly quiet city that came out at night. Well, now that the sun has come out the population of the city has emeraged from the woodwork and are everywhere! April 30th marked the beginning of the May Day celebrations in Finland, which involved markets, lots of people and good fun! Unfortunately for us we still had work to be done (interviews for our project - how exciting) but after that we managed a nosey about. There were parties going on everywhere which we were invited to and had the best intentions of going to as well, but when you've been up since the crack of dawn everyday for a few weeks it starts to catch up on you and we just didn't have the strength for it! Nevermind, the next day was one not to miss! May 1st is the day when Finnish students graduate...so what you say? No, no, their graduation isn't like anything we know...theirs involves standing in a large topless cage suspended by a crane, then being dunked into the lake! It may be sunny but I can assure you the water is still pretty cold! It was amazing to watch, just seeing the difference in culture how they celebrate the coming of age as such, the moving on to adult life, so much more fun compared to how we do it; sitting in a large hall listening to boring speeches wearing a rediculous outfit! Hell, I think I know which I prefer! It was on this day that Tampere turns into a different city! There were people absolutely everywhere, where they'd been hiding I have no idea but the river bank was teeming with people and to be honest, it scared me a little as I'd never seen Tampere like this before! At the end of that day, exhausted and wanting to curl up into a hug, it was time to pack! Uh why I hadn't started earlier I have no idea, but I guess May Day is such a big thing in Finland that you just can't miss it!

Saying my Goodbye's were sad I have to admit, I didn't think I'd be as upset as I was or how attached I'd become, but at the end of the day it really is always hardest for those left behind. Looking back, I've made a very dear friend and will always smile at the thought. For the moment though, there was no time to be sad, we had a bus to catch to Helsinki and do numerous things before hand! Actually it all went extremely smooth for a change and we got there with little stress and time to spare! We had all of saturday free so for our last day in Finland a group of us decided to visit the island of Suomelinna; it was a fabulous day which only made this better, but also sad as it highlighted what we would be leaving behind! Suomelinna is an island with an old fort on, lots of museums, ducks, sea gulls and even some residents. We weren't to interested in looking at the museums so we just sat in the sun and had a picnic. It was a lovely relaxed afternoon, having a chat, soaking up the rays, just appreciating the calm before the storm so to speak; these literally last few hours before the manic life of the UK kicks in and the end of our degree is in our face!

It was nice while it lasted, but as we had an early morning flight to catch this meant the buses didn't get us there early enough, therefore we had to catch a bus at midnight in order to get there in time! You've not lived if you haven't slept on an airport, phew at least thats one box ticked off my list then! It was a relatively uncomfortable, and chilly experience but hey, we were first in queue at check in and even had time for a look around. Not very exciting I have to admit, but when we landed in Munich, I thought we'd have to leave a member of our group behind! We had an hour transit, so the shopaholic that she is said 'I'll see you back at 10 past'. Sure thing, she was back before 10 past, but because our connecting plane was out at the other side of the airport we needed a bus to get there, so they were calling people early! Man, we were calling her on the Tanoi, holding up the bus, and then finally we saw her running back! So, we were the last one's on the plane, but I guess that's another thing we can tick off - almost missing the plane but didn't quite! Ha fun and games (and heart attack).

Actually, at the peak of our Losing-our-friend stress, I checked my voicemail messages on my UK number and was met with a rather nice surprise! I had applied for a job as a 2nd Sound Assistant on HollyOaks and the message was asking me in for an interview! Woo so things might be coming into place after all! Well, maybe! The interview was for last week (even though I had said I was out the country - these people never listen) so although I did miss the interview I'm going to have to call them and say, could I have another one please?! What have I got to lose?! I don't know but man I need a holiday!

So, back to UK life now. Yep it was grey and miserable when we landed, surprise surprise, which resulted in me crying a little and thinking 'Why did I come back? I want to stay in Finland!'. Nevermind I guess, it's just another stepping stone for things to come! I'm staying with my aunty for the time being, so no distractions which means I'll be able to finish off my research project. Can't wait to meet up with my girlfriends again and have a good chat, catching up on the things I've missed in the last three months, spilling my beans and so forth; then it will be time to head back to Brunei, my home, for a short holiday. It will be lonely but I'll be back in the UK soon enough hopefully with a job to go to and a new chapter to begin...