Tickets to fly

And then one day, the girl bought flights with the return date three months ahead. Now, I know I said I'd be buying a one-way ticket, but those bastards cost as much as return tickets! Buying a one-way ticket would be romantic of course, but since I know around when I need to be back in Finland, and since airlines have been getting their fair share of my money lately anyway, I decided to be practical about it. But one day, my friends, one of these days...

Booking the flights calmed me down. Now I have a set time, and by then I simply have to be ready with everything. It'll be great to change the scene completely, I've had such a hectic winter and getting away from my everyday surroundings will help me unwind. And man, do I need to unwind!

So, what kind of scene will I be going to? A pretty nifty little scene, I would say. Malmö is Sweden's third largest city, and has around 290 000 inhabitants. Still, especially the central parts are really easy to grasp. It's an old city, and you can definitely tell by the pretty houses around the centre. (I happen to loooove old, pretty houses!) It's quite a vivid city, too. Malmö is an old industrial city, but lately it's been striving to become known as a cultural city. From what I know, they've done a pretty good job, too. The comics scene definitely seems to be booming, and there's even a new festival on the way. All in all, it's a really nice city with a lot to offer.

It's pretty, don't you agree? These pictures were taken last autumn, during my fateful trip to Malmö. They don't exactly fit with the present season, but so far I don't have any summer pictures from Malmö. That'll change soon, though! A week from now, I'll be posting brand new pics from summery Malmö. Ooh the joy!

Oh, and I suppose I need to start packing. Three months and 20 kilos, let's see how that works out...

-Karoliina

La-la-la-la life goes on

Festive spirit is in the air, let me tell you. My little sister graduated yesterday, and the day was full of graduation ceremonies, celebratory Indian meals, partying and karaoke (my personal favourite). And it didn't end there, I'm now in my hometown Kemi to help my mom prepare for Saturday's graduation party. You know, the kind with family friends and catering and gift boxes from a jeweller.

My sister now has a BA in Journalism, from an institution that translates as "university of applied sciences". I finished the same degree three years ago, and watching the graduates' celebration made me feel nostalgic. All that enthusiasm mixed with confusion: what happens now, am I really ready for working life, will I lose contact with these people I just shared four years of my life with, is this the last time I'm ever walking through these doors?

Change is scary. It's a step into the unknown, without knowing whether the things you've learned so far will carry you through what lies ahead. But the thing is, you learned that stuff going through the previous unknown. And the one before that. Change is very liberating, nothing beats the feeling of taking a leap of faith and then realising that things are working out just fine.

That's why I'm looking forward to my next leap of faith, my summer in Sweden. Sure, a lot of people do much more radical things, but to me it's a pretty big issue to go live and work in another country, even if it's just the neighbouring monarchy. I'm starting a brand new job, that includes using a language I'm far from being fluent in. I'll be away from my family and friends. I'll be living with another person for the first time in my life. I'm not completely familiar with the surroundings and circumstances I'll be living in. All in all, a lot of stress factors. But I'm not worried, really, cause I know from experience that things will work out. And it's such a great chance to learn new things and grow.

This is the hardest part, the waiting and anticipation. The uncertainty without a chance to do anything about it. Once I get there, I'll be in the situation and I'll know what it's like. Now I can only guess. I suppose that's what keeps so many people from making changes in their lives: it's not the change itself, it's the inability to bear the uncertainty beforehand. What's so fearsome in change is fear itself.

But let's not get too gloomy, it's the season of happy parties afterall. And right now, I'm off to make meatballs with three kids between 2 and 6 years old. And if I don't make it on time, I'll really have something to be scared of.

-Karoliina

It all began a long time ago...

Once there was a Finnish girl with a weird fascination for the neighbouring monarchy called Sweden. She wanted to take a closer look and decided to spend one semester as an exchange student in Malmö, located in Southern Sweden. She met some great people, had the time of her life, and thought it was a city she could consider living in. During her studies in Malmö högskola, she attended a lecture about comics and flipped through a magazine that contained a comics reportage about the comics festival of her hometown, Kemi. Despite hardly ever visiting the festival, for a moment she felt like home.

Four years later, by a twist of fate, she returned to Malmö as a representative of that festival. She was quite happy with her life, studying in a university and living in a city she loved. But during that weekend in Malmö, she was introduced to a long-haired Danish comics artist - and nothing would ever be the same again.

Now it's been more than six months of travelling back and forth about once a month, spending sleepless nights talking on Skype, maxing out our phone bills and longing, longing, longing. But there's light at the end of the tunnel: in less than ten days, I'll be flying to Copenhagen to spend my summer in Malmö. It'll be a whole new experience in so many ways, and I'm both super-thrilled and a bit frightened. This blog will be a way for me to reflect on things, and for you to follow my adventure in the Swedish society. Välkommen!

But first, there are so many things to take care of. The least of which isn't booking the flights. Is it even possible to book a one-way flight these days?