And so it begins!

Only 2 more days before I leave for my next adventure! Over these past couple of weeks, I’ve had a lot of questions and they’ve followed a general pattern. I thought this would be the perfect place to answer all of them at once.

For the geographically inclined, Finland is far north right next to Russia. It is so far north that a fourth of the country is in the Arctic Circle. This means that this part of Finland experiences the midnight sun, when the sun never sets in the summer, and the polar night, when the sun doesn’t rise during the winter. The far north is also known as the Lapland. Turku, the city that will be my new home for the next two years, is in the southwest corner of Finland so my day and nights won’t be as extreme as the Lapland but it will be more extreme than what we experience here in the Midwest.

My plane journey to Finland will be a total of nine hours, with a very short layover in Iceland. Once I land in Helsinki, I only have an hour-forty-minute long train ride to Turku. Most of Finland is accessible by train or bus. Like Europe in general, public transportation is an easy way to get around in Finland.

One of my biggest concerns earlier in the summer was finding a place to stay. Housing is very tight in Turku due to the high number to international exchange students who come in August and September. Fortunately, I was lucky to get a single room apartment with an attached bathroom. The entire floor shares a communal kitchen so it is a nice mix of privacy and community. I intend on making full fledged Indian food (roti, sabzi and daal!) which will be an interesting affair when I don’t have my own kitchen. Fortunately, we at least have mini-fridges in our rooms.

So how do I feel about all of this? It’s a mixed bag to be honest.

The biggest part of me is excited. When I was in India I loved the process of making Lucknow slowly become my second home. When my parents came to visit, I could welcome them and show them around. With Turku it will be the same. Turku is also a college town with a very large international population, which is an environment I think I will fit right into. Plus, Finland is gorgeous and I am thrilled to be able to explore it over the next two years. I already have a travel buddy to go with me.

But, as with anything that takes you out of your comfort zone, part of me is also nervous and sad. I am nervous to move to another country, so far from everyone I know and I am sad to leave behind the people I love so dearly. Over the past couple weeks these people have showered me with love, encouragement and support and I feel so thankful for all of them. Their encouragement will take me through the difficult adjustment period. Here’s to new beginnings!