A New Flag at Lapinkaari

The boys are stringing a pair of Federiko’s underwear up the flag pole near our apartment complex. It’s half past midnight, and the air bites our exposed skin. “It should be at half mass because the mouse died,” Peter chuckles. “Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh!” Federiko yells, about to make a point. The group brings down the boxer briefs so that they can attach a stick to it. “We have to fix it here,” Lucas says. After a few minutes, they lift the flag back up. Laughter lightens the darkness of the night.

Below: A view from the morning after. (photo taken by someone in the dorm)

Studies Begin

The good news is that school has started. The bad is that I'm sick (pause) again. For the first semester I've enrolled in Elementary Finnish, Finnish Culture and Society, New Literatures and Nordic Public Media in Global Comparison. I'm looking to add or substitute British Literature, American Literature, Dictatorship and Democracy and a Finnish History Seminar. Perhaps I'm a bit scattered and maybe overly enthusiastic.

Just about everybody speaks English here. I don't have to face simple, everyday challenges as I did in Spain. It is comforting and it is frustrating. This is why I'm setting goals for myself to learn the Finnish language, study the culture and make a few Finnish friends.

Well, it's 5:43 in the afternoon. The sky is getting dark and gray. When I first arrived, it was light out until midnight. Not anymore.