Off to Cardiff

It's that time of the year again. I've spent a wonderful summer in Finland and have almost forgotten that I've ever been anywhere else and so now I obviously need to move again. I've done this every year for the past five years now and have not really felt anxious about it since that first big move in 2005. Admittedly I was moving away from home for the first time, alone, to a country I'd only visited a few times to live among complete strangers. It turned out great but the first week I was in shambles. I was alone in the flat and had no one to talk to, didn't even have internet. Then when I went to shop for all the essentials, all the shops were different! I had no idea where I could buy plates, food etc. I ended up going to McDonald's, eating it in my own room and phoning mom in Finland who tried to persuade me to still apply to the University of Jyväskylä.

Five years later I'm making that big move to the island again. Only this time around I'm fairly confident that I'll find people who'll agree to talk to me, I know all about the shops and have even got a bank account all set-up. But like in 2005, I'm a bit anxious. When I've moved back and forth to countries after 2005, I've known all about the place I'm going to or I've had my parents to drive me there (silly really but they have driven me to Copenhagen and Maastricht). I guess I'm still a little girl in some ways. Now it's just me and my luggage again.

I have however learnt something. I'm not putting on any make-up tomorrow. When I moved to my room in 2005, I remember being really grateful to all the tutors who helped to carry my luggage to my room... until I saw that my mascara was all the way down to my cheeks and I looked like a sweaty racoon.