Mixed day

I had a nice afternoon, finally meeting an English person who lives here, plus her Finnish husband and their son. It was quite nice to hear a real live English voice, not just on the phone or Skype. They were very nice, and their little boy is the cutest thing I ever saw. That's coming from someone who isn't that keen on small children. I think that through these new friends I'll be able to meet a few more British people, as they seem to be quite involved with the little crew of expatriates in Turku. Not that there's anything wrong with Finnish people; it's just nice to spend time with people from the same culture and background as me who understand exactly what it's like to be in my position. As they've lived here a lot longer than I have they're also able to give me some help and advice on various things. We also went to Little Britannia and I got pickled onion flavoured Space Raiders, although my Finnish flatmates still find pickled onions crisps to be a completely confusing, and quite disgusting, concept. They are very wrong.
This evening went a bit more to shit. A certain person still seems to have little better to do than to fuck with me. I was really upset earlier, but after getting home and chatting for a couple of hours with my flatmates I feel better, and I realise that there's not much for me to be upset over, as there are plenty of people who will take care of me and see the good in me. That individual will always try to convince me that I'm responsible for anything going wrong - his behaviour, the weather, nuclear war...
I can see I'm in a much better position now. He tried to convince me I've fucked up my life by ending up here, reminding me constantly that if I'd stayed in London I'd have graduated in a few months. Yeah, fair point, but look at what's happening instead. I'm painting and selling artwork regularly, I'm writing, and about 100 people each day are paying attention to that, I live in a city and country I've grown to love, I'm learning and having new experiences all the time, making a bunch of new friends, and there are some opportunities in place for getting work into exhibitions and galleries. So I pretty much have the life I always wanted, and have been working towards gaining since I was 13 or 14 years old. Problem?
I'm well aware, more than anybody else, that coming here was not the most considered or sensible idea, and things certainly did not work out as they were intended to. It's really hard sometimes, but it could be a hell of a lot worse. Perseverance has done a lot for me recently. I also know that whenever I feel a bit shaken up or insecure, I tend to rant like this on here, partially to prove a point to myself, and partially in the hope that someone will tell me everything's ok. Like my best friend said to me a while ago, you're never really alone, and sometimes just knowing someone is thinking of you somewhere is enough to make you feel ok again.
Being in Finland, and this day in particular, has made me realise that there are plenty of good people in the world, and a lot of people do want to help, however they can, without it needing to benefit them. Whether you're as low as you can go, or you just need a bit of help with something small, there are people who want to do something for you. Maybe you just have to be lucky enough to find them. I think I've been lucky.