Saturday, January 10, 2009

First day





So my first day in Finland is behind me and when I look back … I experienced a lot


When I woke up it was 10am. I heard that Tierry and Sthefan, Tierry is from France and Sthefan is from Germany (They both are studying here from september 2008), are speaking about some opportunities to go skiing. But Tierry decided that it is really expensive to ge there now just for 3 hours. It was something around 30EUR ( equipment included ).

At 11am we have got arrangement with Antti and Justina before Justinas dormitory. We went shopping. It was very nice sunny day, with a looot of snow :) We went to shopping to the area near our dormitory by foot.


Firstly we just checking prices and find out what is expensive and what is cheap and where. We were in LIDL and another big supermarket called PRISMA. Some prices is similar to ours in Slovakia, but a lot thinks are more expensive.

After checking prices in LIDL and PRISMA , we took one guy from Hungary and go with him to the center of Jyvaskyla :). The center is 5 km far away from our dormitory.

In center I finally met with my friend Nada, who is here for one year and she wants to stay here as much as it possible.



She likes this country very much because of a lot of things which I starting getting know.

I was looking for some finish SIM card with cheap prices and Antti recommend me after visiting second KIOSK that Tele Finland will be good choice. So I buy one card for 9,90 EUR and get card with 11 EUR credit and unbelieveble prices. Call (per minute) and SMS: 0,069 EUR. It is totally great and I find out again that in Slovakia we don`t have the lowest prices.



Juchuuu, I have got new finish number :))

Then we realized to go back to dormitory and go shopping. Justina went with Antti to LIDL and I with Nada came to Nadas apartment to pick up some stuff for me. We took it to my room and went to go shopping to LIDL and PRISMA.

When I came back Sthefan told me that they are organizing some party today (he has had birtday, but I found it our later :) ). At 6pm around 6 other people came to our apartment and starting enjoying life :) Here was some French, German, Finish, Czech guys and girls. I joined them for a while and it was great to see many cultures how they are chatting off course in English :).

Just imagine, that you are in some room and behind the doors are some people chatting in English, French, German and sometimes Finish and Czech :) It was amazing atmosphere, and it was better than radio :)

What is my feelings after first day? I am very happy that I have learned English because now I can chat with people and get to know each other better. And also express my feelings. I do not know everything yet but that is the one of the reasons why I am here, to improve my English.



And I am happy that I am here now in Finland and I hope that I will be satisfied if I done everything here :)

Saturday, January 10, 2009

From Zvolen to Frankfurt-Hahn




First part of travelling to Finland

I took my bus from Zvolen to Bratislava airport in our bus station in Zvolen. It was late more than 25 minutes. I was not upset cause I have reserve in Bratislava more than 2 hours.
I should arrive to Bratislava airport at 6:30pm and departure of my fly was at 9:30pm.

When the bus start, I realized In that moment, I will not see my parents and others for a long time. It was first time, when I should go somewhere for longer than month. I hope that I will not disappointed anybody.



Bus arrived to Bratislava on time! It was unbelievable :)


I was waiting on Bratislava airport with hundreds of others who was going to fly also somewhere. I thought that in plain will be maybe approx. 40 - 50 people. I have never fly before so…

Check-in opened 2 hours before departure. I went to check-in at 8pm. I was afraid that something will be bad, that I did not check weight of my luggage properly and I will need to pay some extra for it. And also that I will be not allowed to go with 2 pieces luggage to aircraft. In one I had got clothes and in other one just notebook and two books. I knew that to aircraft you can pick just one piece but… :)

I look for RYANAIR Check-in and when I found it there were just 10 people in queue. So I was waiting and thinking, how will I explain that I will pick to airplane two pieces of luggage and not one. But than I found out, that Citron told me one "magic" sentence: ,,I will pack this luggage with notebook in to bigger one. It will fit there." :)

My luggage has got 15,6kg and 15kg is limit, but she told me nothing, just ask for my passport or id. She found my confirmation number in system and gave me "Boarding pass". Also she ask if I have some luggage which I want to take to aircraft and I show her my two luggage's. She told I can pick just one, but I use my magic sentence ,,I will pack this luggage with notebook in to bigger one. It will fit there." :) and she said: ,,OK".

I also get information from which Gate it should be departure. I went upstairs and there where long queue.




Everybody around me has got little luggage and just one piece, just I have bigger one (it just seems like bigger).
I was watching on airport TV how they control people before enter to the gate and duty free area. I was a little bit scared, if they told me that I have oversize luggage…

Before enter was one man (I think homeless) who was waiting, if somebody has got something prohibited and he took it, cause it goes to the trash if it is not allowed. Great idea I think. :)

They were scanning our luggage and I should take one my and fit it to one "open box" like this



It has proportion 55 x 40 cm and hopefully I fit my bigger one bag there. I took off my winter jacket and put it to another one. To the third one I gave my bag with notebook and my wallet, watches, self-phone and chewing gums. Lady who was next to scanning machines ask me if I have some notebook inside my bag. I said yes and I took it out to separate "open box"

I came trough big scanner and I did not beep, what was very interesting for me because I have got problems nearly everywhere.



On another side I just take on my jacket and other stuff, pick my bags and I was there :)
No asking about weight of my luggage, no asking about mount of it. I had got luck.
By the way: I has got for the whole trip two jeans on me because of weight of jeans (limited weight of luggage) :) It was sometimes uncomfortable but…


So now I was for first time in my life in duty free area. I just take this picture of check terminal



and wait with others before gate.



Than they open doors and told us that we can go to the airplane. I went with others and through the windows I saw my aircraft.



My first language shock came when I board on aircraft I ask stewardess if I can sit everywhere off course in Slovak. And she was looking at me and said: ,,In English pleas"`. I thought that she was also from Slovakia but she wasn`t. And my brain did not switch to another language yet so I just say: ,,Can I sit. Ehm, somewhere, ... where is". And she just said: ,,Yes free sit" and I understood :)

I sit down and try to fit my baggage to the space up to me. When I successes I put there also my jacket. I sit down on my place an put my notebook bag and camera on my legs.

I was looking around me a little bit scarred but I tried to relax and read and understand everything what was before me :) (safety instructions if something happened)




After few minutes stewardess count us and then closed all doors. Captain told us via radio some information about actual status and ask us to turn off our mobile phones and everything what is on battery.

Stewardess show us some important things what we need to know.
I checked twice if my seatbelts are good and set properly.
And we start moving.
The lights shut down and we have had just some.


My first take off the earth. I knew just that I feel like in high speed car …
The aircraft start accelerating and I start thinking in which second we will able to take off. And suddenly people before me was higher than me…

I saw outside night Bratislava but just for a while cause I was not sitting near the window. I had got mixed feelings. I was excited but also a bit uncomfortable so I start breathe deeply. Deep breathe with mount and quick breathe out through the nose. I did it several times and it helped me to not feel sick.

So I am flying under me is air. Uf, what a strange feeling. Sometimes I had got feeling that we are falling down, because of some tabulation or something like that. We dropped down maybe for 5 seconds. And it is really long in that situation. Trust me :)

Before landing I need to breathe deeply again because of pressure in my ears and strange feeling in my stomach :(.

It was 11:10pm when our aircraft arrived to the Frankfurt-Hahn, I was very happy that first fly in my life is happily behind me and in my mind I have had just one thing. If my luggage arrive to the same airport :). I said Thank you to stewardess because we arrive health fully and leave my first aircraft.

How is parking such a aircraft in Frankfurt-Hahn, you can see here:



I made one photo before airport





and enter the first hall where I hopefully picked up my luggage. Aaaa it has not been lost. I am so happy :)



I send a message to my parents to inform them that everything is all right.
I enter the hall of Frankfurt-Hahn airport. It was not high but looong. It is much more smaller aircraft than in Frankfurt (I was checking it before).

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Airport & hotel in Frankfurt-Hahn




Second part of travelling to Finland

On the airport was not so many shops. Just some with luggage bags and also some restaurants. Firstly I checked the whole airport, it was not so big and then exact localization of my B&B Hotel. Nada and Miso, my friends from Slovakia told me that it is opposite the airport exit.

I was wondering that there will be maybe 200 meters, but when I left airport I was able to see logo B&B not in 200 meters but maybe in 20 meters :) I just cross the street and I was there.

But in that time I couldn't check-in there, because I should pay for two nights. And it was 46EUR per night, so I went back to airport and look for some place where I will stay. When I found free place it was 00:20am and I didn't feel very good after my first flight. So decided to don't work on anything just watch movies and listen to music.

It was very hard to stay up, because I was very tired and nearly everybody around me was sleeping.



But I didn't want to loose my luggage so I was trying to keep my mind fresh :) I watched Wall-E and some episodes from Simpsons and one movie about McDonald's and fat people :)



From 6am people start walking around and they starting another work day. I was really tired in that time, but I had to wait 2 more hours for hotel room.

I was falling asleep every 2 minutes so I can not wait longer so I went to the hotel at 7:40 am. On reception I use my English, pay for one night and with card from my room I enter the elevator and push 5 floor.

I entered my room.



I have had one big bad, social room and television. It was everything nice and clean but I did not care about anything I just want to sleep. So I cleaned my teeth and falling to sleep.

I woke up maybe around 2pm.


I eat something and I remember that here should be some internet connection in the air. So I turned on my notebook and try to reach internet connections. There were some but after loading some page it want from me some registration. But it was just registration for phone number so I put there my Slovak number and after 5 seconds I get SMS with access code. Juchuuu. I am online.



So I send message to my friends via ICQ (In Slovakia it is very common using ICQ) and check some webpage. I wanted to make some stuff to school but I was still tired and my brain was not in condition to think deeper, so I just watched some movie, set up alarm clock to early morning and then falling again sleep.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

From Frankfurt-Hahn to Tampere





Third part of travelling to Finland

I woke up around 7:00am and leave my room at 7:40am. I didn't need to check out so I just left to the airport.




When I came to airport I was looking for place where I will check-in. After few minutes I went check on the notice board if my fly to Tampere really fly at 10:20am. It was right but I was near the check-in A and my check-in was on B. So I picked up my luggage and go to the check-in B.

Check-in Frankfurt-Hahn
Like usually on check in they ask why I have two bags. But magic word which I learned is "Notebook" :). I told him that I have notebook there and on the control I need to unpack it. And on the airport I will give luggage with notebook to my bigger one (if there will be some space :) ). Check-in was without any problem. Hopefully for me:)

In duty free area I bought one sandwich for 2 EUR and ICE-TEA for 1.6EUR and wait for my aircraft.



Aircraft was broken
I came to aircraft in Frankfurt-Hahn at 10:00am and went out at 11:15am, because of some technical problems. A lot of people were not very satisfied, but security is on the first place. To repair the aircraft they needed to bring one component from Berlin. The captain said that some component froze in previous fly when was -18 C. They inform us that in Frankfurt-Hahn is currently +1 C and in Tampere is -20 C :) (a little difference ).

When you hear this kind of information you can imagine: ,,how they want to bring here some aircraft". It is not like bus that the nearest will came from some town :). I was afraid also about my luggage, because if some aircrafts are changing it needs a bit more of organization skills and something should happened.

After entering again duty free area I asked Ryanair personals that if we will get some voucher because our flight will be late. But she told me that they are giving voucher just if delayed is more than 4 hours. I said ok, but after few minutes I found out that we will wait here 4 hours and 5 minutes… but they was not there any longer.


So we were waiting for another aircraft. I send message to my parents to be not afraid about me and also to my tutor Antti that I will late. After one hour around 12am I get message from Justina (Poland) that she is already in Tampere and she noticed that my aircraft will be delayed.
She contact me before trip that she is going also to Jyvaskyla like me and she has got the same tutor like me.
So I send her message that if she is not very tired she can wait for me there. She answer me, she will wait for me at Tampere train station.

After 4 hours finally our aircraft arrived and we were able to start our flight to Tampere.

For the second time in my life I felt that feeling of high speed take off :))



I was great to see couds under us and nothing above us. After a while we should see on the back day and in front of us dark :) It was very strange feeling but it was nice.

Under us I was able to see sea and some seaports.

We had to seat seatbelts also during flight because of some turbulences.


During flight I should see that a lot of people was changing their time to one hour more (GMT +2).

Saturday, January 10, 2009

From Tampere to Jyväskylä





Fourth and finally part of travelling to Finland

So we arrived around 6pm to Tampere. When I was going out, I was wondering that there will be around -20C and will get freeze there :) But it was not so bad. It was maybe -10C. But everywhere snow :))

Welcome Finland! Juchuuu Dodo is here.



Aiport in Tampere is really small. There were just small room where we were waiting for our luggage. Hopefully I get mine :) and then I start for looking for exit. I knew that it will be somewhere near :)

I was thirsty so I bought one 0.5L water "just" for 1.6EUR :)) in airport shop.
I tried my English and I was surprised that ladies in shop was speaking too :) I asked them for bus which will go to Tampere rail station. They sold me bus ticket for 6EUR for Ryanair bus and told me that in 20 minutes it should came.

I was standing out with others, who was also waiting for this bus. I was really happy to see so many people from totally different cultures and with different languages. :)



Bus finally arrived and I just put my bigger luggage in to bus "space for luggage" and juchuu Finland :)

When we arrived to rail station to Tampere it was maybe 7:20pm. It was very nice station. I start to look for Justina. I did not have any more credit in my phone card, so I could not send her any message. She told me before trip that she will find me because of woman intuition.

I made two circles around people who were sitting in waiting room and I was starting thinking that I will just shout "Justina" :)

I decided to buy rail ticket because train should arrive in 15 minutes at 8pm and if Justina has already buy one we will not propably catch our train. So I went to cash desks and stand to the queue. I knew from my Slovak friends that I should not say that I want to go to Jyvaskyla but something like "Juvaskula" :)

I told it and I was surprised that she understand me :) I bought one ticket for 24,2 EUR

When I left cash desks place one girl stop before me and I just look at her and tell: "ITPRO?"
And she sais "Yes but..."
I started to say "Oh Justina hello nice to meet you",
but she suddenly said "you bastard!".
And I just "what?"
"So I was staying here and waiting for 4 hours and you just came buy ticket and you wanted to go without me?"

It was big shock for me, that except some "hello nice to meet you" such a sharp words. Never mind I explain her that I was looking for her and bought ticket because I thought that she will have one already.
Then she understand (maybe) and she gave me money to buy her ticket, because she doesn't know how to properly say "Juvaskula". I bought one for her and we went to buy something for eat and than finally catch our train.

The train was already there and we just read information on him, that he is going like we to Jyvaskyla :)
Some guys ask us if this train is going to Jyvaskyla and we told them YES. After entering the train Justina just look at that guys and said: "ITPro?" And they immediately react: "YES :)"
So it was great to use this magic word "ITPro" again :)

They were from Czech republic so I should tell them: "Nazdar! :)"



During the travelling was on screen inside every wagons information about currently speed. There was 130km/h :)

We were chatting with Justina about our studies and so on...

We finally maybe after 30 or 40 minutes arrived to Jyvaskyla. My new town of study where should I spend the most of my time this year 2009.

On train station was standing several people but Justina with her great woman intuition just point on one guy and tell that he should my our tutor Antti. I saw him before on photo, which he send me before so we approach him.

Finally I met my tutor however 4 hours later but … :)



He showed us near patrol station where we should bought some breath and look on prices in Finland. It was patrol station so it was a little bit more expensive.

Antti has got his car here so he took us maybe 5km far to Roninmäentie. It is name of our area where we will live. During the travelling I send Nada SMS with text

"I am here :)"

When we arrive it was maybe 9:30pm and we decided to go firstly to Justina's flat. It looks very good. She has got just one roommate and big kitchen. I was wondering if I will have also so good accommodation.

After a minute she found out that there is mess which probably left previous tenant. Antti gave her survival kit and told us useful information about our location current temperature :) and we arrange meeting for tomorrow.



With Antti we wished good night to Justina's and went to check my flat. My flat was in next G - building and" vohoou". Finally in my new flat. I am sharing my flat with 3 other people and it was nearly the same like Justina's so I am satisfied.

I noticed that I can see just trees from my window so it seems great :)



Antti gave me just map of Jyvaskyla and everything what I need to hear he said in Justina's flat so said each other: "Sleep well and see you tomorrow :)"

Vochou, I am here. I made it! :D