observations, part 1

my computer is working! yay!!! it's all setup; i haven't done any work on it yet (just played a game that i can't on my laptop & listening to music). i'm still trying to get some things setup. today, i decided to sleep in, so i haven't called the embassy & instead went out to try & get registered for the finnish music class i want to take & go to espoon kehahait. the former didn't happen; i found the address, but couldn't see how to get inside the building (all the doors were locked...), so i'll have to call them tomorrow morning as well. as for the latter, i signed up for 4 mos. & will start training again tomorrow! yay again!...only for 2 hrs. 3-5 days/wk instead of my usual 2-3 hrs. 7 days/wk & i won't join the sevate gym - too expensive to do both & i'll get all i need from espoon kehahait. on thur., i'll be going to the traditional instrument school to talk to the principle (or other representative) to sign up for lessons there.

i thought i'd share w/ you all some things i've observed. first, there is no waiting time to get hot water out of the tap (well, maybe a second or two) & the hot water lasts my whole shower! - the main reason why i went to baths back home. toilets seem to be more water efficient as well (there's much less in the bowl & therefore, less is used when flushing). the towel rack in the bathroom is heated as well, which i thought was pretty cool even though i haven't used it. public drunkenness is apparently accepted/ignored. on fri., when i was on my way to the embassy, there were three men (early 20's is my guess) on the tram drinking beer & clearly drunk (they brought the box w/ them, so as to not run out). oh, and this was @ 11 in the morning....drunks sound the same in finnish as well ("ueeeaaa!!). i saw a man peeing in public, too (he was glancing around first). i thought it was funny & kinda wished i had my camera ready - teehee.

my roommate is rather depressing when his daughter isn't around. he rarely leaves his room & i don't know if he's left the apartment since he came home drunk @ 4:30 sat. morning...he woke me up when he came in, then came into my room calling my name (quietly, thankfully), then later came over to my bed, put his hand on my shoulder & said: "janny? sorry...i'm just fucking drunk" (i was pretending to sleep since that was what i was wishing i was actually doing)....he just lays in his bed watching ? on his computer. basically, he hates it here & is only here to be near his daughter.

he confirmed that last night when he freaked out over my music playing. instead of just asking me to turn it down, he went on & on about how he can't lose the apt., the lady downstairs is going to call the police & if that happens again, it'll be bad news for him. he'll lose his apt. & then can't be near his baby (not sure how losing this apt. equals his expulsion from finland). he left a very rich family in france & is now a prisoner in this lost country (he met his ex-wife in france & he moved here after she & his daughter did - he didn't see her for a year)....he was very frantic in his mannerisms....and just so you know, my music wasn't loud at all, if i turned it down any more, i wouldn't be able to hear it. besides, he wants me to have it quiet after 7pm & this was @ 3:30am when he made his frantic request & i had had it playing for hours. i'm sure if the lady downstairs was bothered by it, she would have done something about it long before 3:30....i'm going to see if i can talk to her & see if it was too loud for her & ask her to come to me first if she is bothered by anything....