August 31, 2010 - Time until takeoff : 10 seconds!

As I drove down to Edmonton International Airport, the reality of my exciting trip ahead of me wasn't quite settling in yet. Even as I boarded my multiple connections to Jyvaskyla, Finland, I was in a bit of a haze. But perhaps that haze can be explained by my shock that happened after boarding in Edmonton  at 8 degrees centigrade and arriving in Chicago to find that they still had a real summer of 30 degrees.
My flight to Frnakfurt from Chicago was much more memorable as I flipped between a number of movies on my personal TV, creating a nice collage of Mary Poppins, Happy Gilmore, Iron Man 2, and my own exhaustion.
At Frankfurt, I heard a combination of German, Finnish and Russian chatter as I boarded to fly to Helsinki. My mind is slowly beginning to make the transition from North America to Europe.
After getting off the plane in Helsinki, it was strange to not have anyone to greet me. I took an Airport Taxi to the train station and had a jolly old time lifting two 23kg suitcases onto my train. The ride itself was relaxing. Lots of green trees and bodies of water, Finland sure is a beautiful country.
At the Jyvaskyla Travel Center, my tutor Noora picked me up and took my to my flat. They call apartments "flats," so British and proper of them isn't it?
I met my flatmate called Mimmi and we got along famously. She'll be leaving at the end of September which is unfortunate but it just means Ill get to make yet another acquaintance.
After over 24hrs of travelling, my energy levels were waning so after going shopping for essentials I decided to surrender to my exhaustion.

Helsinki Train Station

Frankfurt Airport - smoking room INSIDE the airport

Chicago Airport

The view from my train from Helsinki to Jyvaskyla