Hei!

Well, that’s right… Here I am in Finland on my hotel room, listening to my room mate chatting over Skype with his girlfriend (BORING!).

I’ve never had the guts to start my own blog, but I suppose that having a place to _place_ my rants is great, because from times to times, I really need to get my steam off.

Now… Let’s go back to Finland.

It’s not the first day I am here, as I am already on my second hotel room, on a second city, and drinking some juice I bought in Tallinn, Estonia. So yeah, this is my first week!

First impressions of Finland:

• if you like lakes and/or reflections, COME, yes… COME, it’s impossible not to come here, if you enjoy both these things. I’ve come to realize that it is not by chance that Finland is called the country of a thousand lakes.

• get ready to see lots of seagulls, right in the middle of the cities (on the sea side, of course), and lots of ravens!

• ˈɒksidʒən! (oxygen). Honest to god (no capital, because I’m an atheist ), if you want to breathe fresh air, COME HERE. It’s so freakin’ amazing! Everywhere you see trees! E V E R Y W H E R E. For instance, one thing you’ll notice on the Espoo area, for instance, is that Finns, when build something, they don’t try to make everything plane, they’ll build whatever they have to build, but they will leave the surroundings AS IS. So it’s not uncommon to find houses surrounded by trees, or small creeks.

Even when I go to work, I have to walk a little bit (besides the BUS), and I am constantly surrounded by trees, and small creeks. It almost hurts to breathe such fresh air! It’s great for long walks, because you really feel that your muscles are getting every single energy they need to boost you up!

• Transports, and stuff could perhaps need some improvement, as we always struggle to find the right BUS to get to some place, and we always end up by asking a BUS driver, someone also waiting, or the Informations office (if it even exists at the location, or near by). Other than this, transports seem fine. They run on time, they are heated, there’s plenty of them, etc etc….

Now taxis, needed a whole new paragraph just for them:

1. Be prepared to expend some money. They are E X P E N S I V E
2. Most of them are driven by Eastern European people (I believe they are the only ones that use the horn)
3. Cars are GOOD and COMFORTABLE. None of that old crap, all new Volvos, and Mercedes and stuff
4. They are pretty much everywhere, so you’re good to go
5. Usually they leave the motor running, even when stopped. My guess is that they always have the air conditioner on, and so they need the engine to supply the power

• Well, it’s true what they say, Nordic people, sure are pretty. You’ll get to see lots of blonds, red headed, and white as snow hair, all over the place. Usually they really have a great set, composed of very pretty hair, great skin, and very beautiful eyes with a friendly smile. So if you’re looking for a bride, and you look like a Macho Latino, then give it a go at the Nordic countries! Usually you stir up at least some kind of curiosity, which is always good! Also… They seem to be very hot, as it is not uncommon to see them in their t-shirts and/or skirts, while you’re shivering.

One thing that we usually do, albeit childish, is to say goofy things in Portuguese at the Finns, like: “I’d like to have sex with you”, “You’re so sexy”, “You’re ugly as hell”, etc… Why is funny, you ask? Because they don’t understand SQUAT! It’s amazing! You can be looking right into their eyes, telling them that you want to rip their clothes apart, and have your way with them, while they smile at you! It’s mind boggling!

• Cars… Well… It’s true they lead a fantastic life. You see lots of great cars on the streets, and brand new as well. All the latest models and versions (much more powerful, then I ever knew). Ohhhh and FYI, some cars make a very strange noise while passing by. That’s because their tires are different (I suppose they are snow ready), they have this kind of nails stuck in them *shrug*

• Traffic lights are unusual, as they are usually placed, on an unusual place by Portuguese standards (not really in the mood to describe it), and before they go from RED to GREEN, they briefly pass by the YELLOW.

The highways are very well thought of, with very practical exits, and special courses for the BUS lane when needed, always very well positioned. Along every highway, and major street, you will also always find a track for bicycles, and trust me… With all this nature, and with such good roads, you can really go for miles on a bicycle, roller blades, or by foot (the tracks even have directions for surrounding cities, and the distance left). Sad part is, it’s kind of hard to rent a bike, at least in Helsinki/Espoo

• Food… Well, although sadly I haven’t eaten lots of typical Finnish food, I’ve come to realize that they use a lot pasta and salmon on their food. Other than that, you can find sausages, meat of all sort, potatoes, rice, vegetables, etc…

Just one small advice, do not try to have lunch past 13h, or dinner past 20h, at these times, it appears to me, that the Finns are already done with their meals, and it is much more difficult to find somewhere to eat.

• PARTY! Saturday night, is the night to go out, specially in Helsinki. If you’re between 15 and 25 or something of age, you should really drop by, because on Saturday night, every Finn between those ages, get their best outfit, and hit the streets, bar, pubs, whatever! It is also not uncommon, to find people between those ages drinking (either alcohol, or soft drinks, depending on their age), on the streets, like some kind of junkies. FYI, if you’re a fan of alcohol, or tobacco, you should either bring them already, or you need to go to Estonia to buy some, like so many Finns do.

• I believe it is true that Finns lead a great life. They have nice cars, nice houses, are surrounded by Nature, they get out of work at 17 o’clock (yay), they work hard all week, and party down like there’s no tomorrow on Saturday nights. Lots of them use bicycles, earn good money, etc etc… But, although I had heard that they had such a great life (that I’ve confirmed), it doesn’t mean that they are necessarily advanced. It’s not like everything is high-tech, and it’s VERY rare to see sparking shops with brand new hardware and stuff (I believe I haven’t seen one yet). So don’t be fooled! Don’t expect to find Hong Kong, or wtv. They live well, but don’t need the technology to do so.

• Weather… I’m honestly tired of having people asking me if it is cold in here. In doors, IT IS NOT. Everything is heated. And I really do mean EVERYTHING. I’m actually typing this blog entry on my shorts and t-shirt, while standing next to the balcony (inside, of course), at 1:15. Outside, is a bit chilly, of course, but nothing out of the ordinary. I’d say that in average, the temperature during the day, is of about 12º C, which is very bearable. Since I’m here, I’ve only gotten blue skies (only slight rain for a few hours the other day), and some scattered clouds. What does drop the temperature, and makes you wanna go all cuddled up outside, is the wind, that can be really cold.

• Bathroom… Cold water, REALLY DOES MEAN ICY COLD WATER, so watch out for that. Another thing you might find funny, is a <i>shower thingy</i> connected to the sink. Well… I can tell you my friend, that it is used to clean your ass.

Ohhhhhh And I’ve learned a grand total of 3 words!!!!

Hei – Hello

Krs./Kerros – Floor

Kiitos – Thank You

So there!

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