Dark nights

I've noticed that the nights are getting dark again. Daylight still lasts for quite a long time, but the period where it never really got dark seems to be over. I find it a bit sad. Whilst the nights were light I found them creepy, but now that they're gone it seems a shame. It was very interesting to me because it was something brand new, and something specific to this part of the world. It always amazed me.
At least I'll be leaving the country before it goes back to the dark days of winter. It feels too early for summer to start disappearing.

A midnight walk

Last night I decided to have a late night stroll, and ended up wandering near to where I used to work, my first job in Turku.
First of all, I got quite a surprise. I worked there during December, when everything was covered in snow, so I had absolutely no idea that that area had quite a lot of trees and grass. I'd never seen it before! I'm glad I went in that direction because I got the chance to see it in quite a different light.
Being around there brought up plenty of memories for me. Winter was quite a dark and miserable time - it literally was that way, and also felt that way as there were a lot of problems around that time. Being near there made me both happy and sad. It was around that time that I first started to feel like I really loved Turku, and that it was somewhere I would like to call my home. I remember one particular morning, quite early, when I'd only had to be there for one hour. I was walking home, seeing the cathedral in the distance, seeing the roads in and out of the city, and the train tracks, it was extremely cold but very clear and sunny, and I remember thinking how beautiful it all was. I got that feeling last night too.
I also felt quite sad because I thought of how my first few months here were in some ways wasted, just like many before I came to Finland. Maybe they needed to be wasted so I could be so happy and appreciative of everything I have now, and especially everything I've gained since coming to Turku. I'm so grateful for how things have turned out. This is definitely one of the happiest times of my life.
Whilst I worked there I was staying with Emma and Tommi most of the time, and little did I know that every time I walked back to their house I was walking straight past my future home, the place where I live now. I actually walked past my current home on the first morning I was ever in Turku. I never would have guessed. It goes to show you never can tell how things will turn out.

Hotter than hell

It's insanely hot! I never imagined it would get to be like this in Finland. Yesterday it was 33 degrees, which is such an enormous difference from the winter. English summers ofter get to these kinds of temperatures, but I didn't really expect it to happen here too. On Friday I even saw a rather fat old lady jump naked into the fountain outside the main library. It wasn't very attractive, but the police turned up very quickly. I can understand her feelings though. I constantly feel a bit dirty and disgusting, even right after taking a shower. I think it's going to cool down a bit next week; I really hope so because it's a bit too much now. This has been constant for about a week, and the weekend has been ridiculously hot. However, I'd rather it was like this than as cold as it was during the winter.
I've also noticed that it's not actually getting dark anymore - the sky just goes a kind of greyish-blue at it's darkest. For me it really is the strangest thing. The picture is of a very beautiful sunrise froma few weeks ago, but there isn't even a proper sunrise anymore. I'm not sure if I like this phenomenon or not.

It's now Monday morning. I started writing this last night, and apparently I spoke too soon, because I was woken up at 7.00am by thunder and torrential rain. It's not cold, just very grey and wet. I think I preferred the ridiculous heat and sunshine. Oh dear.

English people talk about the weather

I've been enjoying the weather for the past couple of days. Unfortunately it's been bitter and cold, which isn't so nice, even though I'm more used to it now, but it's been brighter and sunnier than I've ever seen it in Turku. There's still a lot of snow on the ground, but I really like how bright sunshine makes it sparkle, like someone poured silver glitter all over it. The sky has been really clear and blue; all weekend we've been lucky with lovely weather.
Another good thing is that it's staying lighter for longer now. On Friday and Saturday I saw the sun going down around 5.30, and the sky looked so lovely. There was so much colour, and it's much nicer than all the days that have been dark, grey, and depressing, and so much better than when it's dark really early. The weather here does tend to be a bit depressing, especially for someone who's not used to it. Everyone thinks of my country as being very grey and miserable, but they should see winter in Finland. We're definitely nowhere near the end of winter but I'm happy that the weather seems to be brighter and lighter. Maybe I'm appreciating it more because I'm going out and doing more things than I have for the past few weeks.
Tomorrow will be a busy day - Emmi and I are going to attempt to sort out some benefits/jobs and financial stuff for me from työvoimatoimisto and kela. I've been warned that this could be a stressful and lengthy process, but for now I'm choosing to remain optimistic...

Winter is here

The snow is back, and it's really badass snow. When Jussi got up for work, sometime between 4 and 5am he told me it was really snowy outside, and it was, but it looks now like it hasn't actually stopped since then. I've been sleeping so I have no idea.
It looks the way winter should. We live near a school, and from the window I can even see children torturing each other with snowballs. Lovely. It's the same as that day a couple of years ago when it snowed and London just stopped for a day, no tube, no buses, everything shut early or didn't open at all.
I wanted to go out today. Maybe I'll make Jussi take me for a walk when he finishes work, I have to get used to this and actually go outside.
One good side of this is that I'm regaining my motivation to make art, which has been waning for a while due to personal reasons. As much as I may want to it becomes very hard. At the end of the summer I was working a lot, and since yesterday I have too. Last night started out as experimentation with ink, oil and water, and ended in sketching, and I've just finished a painting. At the moment it's all for The Sketchbook Project, but it's good to be working, and I think it has a positive influence on my mood when I'm busy with some work.