There is so much snow. It's beautiful outside.

The refreshing walk

The best part of today was going on an evening walk around the neighborhood with Shizuka. We took the same route Zhenia and I took last month (described a bit further here). If I feel the work starting to pile up now, I wonder if burning out will be inevitable this term. Anyway, the walk was a fantastic, fairy-tale like break in real time, and here are some pictures:



(Lapland is a small neighborhood right next to our international dorm, Lapinkaari)















(Public sauna)



(Unfrozen water next to the public sauna that people often jump into)





(Lake near the public sauna that's frozen over)

Let's flash back to August:



I told Shizuka that I would like nothing more than to be set up outside in a tent under the wide sky. Sometimes living in my room feels like I'm trapped in a concrete box. I feel stuck, but I guess it's more a general stuck feeling in my mind. Hope to recover soon from this cold, go on more adventures, spend more time with friends and meet more people. Maybe it is all distractions for the sad, lonely soul. Or maybe I'm just going through a weird time.

Getting back into things

Classes are off to a great start this semester. Here's the schedule:

Reading race, class and ethnicity in detective fiction
Law and economics
Crime and criminal policy
Meeting finnishness
Finnish Elementary 3
Nordic Welfare Societies in Transition
Transnational journalism

Lots of reading and writing. But it should be interesting. Really hope I have enough free time to go to the gym, visit other cities in Finland, travel to several other countries, and just chill out with good friends :). Well, hoping for the best.

This night Shizuka and I made a vegetable soup with onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, celery, pepper, and pasta. It was so yummy, and exactly what I needed. I'm excited about our future culinary adventures!

Of great note:

Zhenia used some of my pictures taken over the semester to create a video, a touching series of highlights. View here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=325896757441768.

Also:



(A great face)



(Bros having tea)



(Finnish food!)



(Shizu, happy to be with you)

This is the fourth time I'm trying to start a new post. I'm lost in so many different thoughts and reflections and hopes. I guess I should just do it and forget about forgetting. It's morning and I'm drinking a cup of apple cinnamon tea. The outside is covered in snow, the thing that brightens the dark atmosphere. Cough syrup medicine has left me a bit out of it, but at least my throat and ears aren't on fire. Uzair tells me I need to go to the doctor. I've always thought this was a waste of time for a common cold. Anyway, he's right. And I'll try to go today. Well, I'm off! Today's class is Crime and Criminal Policy. It reminds me of my dear friend Victoria in Eugene, who is a retired parole officer. Hope to get in contact with her again.