First impressions

It's 5 a.m. Monday morning and there's been daylight for about an hour now. I thought maybe I'd avoid jet lag this time because I slept from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. yesterday, but I guess I'm human after all. What better time to blog?

My first impression of Joensuu is that it is full of friendly, relaxed people, or possibly angels. As I waited for the train to arrive in Tikkurila (closest train station to the Helsinki Airport) Saturday afternoon, two older men materialized out of nowhere, asked me if I needed help, and took one of my 50+ pound bags each. They did the same thing when we arrived in Joensuu. Neither one had any luggage of his own. Thus I am sure they were angels who knew that I was going to have an interesting time moving those things up and down stairs by myself. The people at the hotel desk have all been very patient with my Finnish (how on earth did they understand that I was having trouble making a phone call from my room when I just started making Robin William noises, not knowing how to say "the disconnect signal"?). I asked the waitress in the restaurant what "luoma" meant and she smiled and said "The animals are happy." Perhaps Finns are still charmed, perplexed and grateful that people want to learn or practice their odd language. Whatever it is, I like it.

One new colleague, Stuart, met me yesterday at 2 to give me an orientation to the city. It's far more beautiful than what I saw on Youtube, Google Maps and other pictures. There was a flea market in progress (where I bought nothing, knowing that purchases made while jet-lagged are often regrettable) and we sat at a cafe at its edge and had coffee and -- of course -- Karjalan piirakka. Stuart also showed me where the post office was as well as the health clinic, a housewares store, a few department stores and Carelicum, a cultural center. Our visit concluded at his apartment, where he showed me the renovations that had been done to it and gifted me with a "kettle" (hot pot), my first Finnish appliance. At that point my broken toe had had enough walking and I decided to take it home for a rest.

I successfully resisted a nap and instead worked on removing my old e-mails from my US address. Anyone who has done this knows what a feat of stamina it is.

This morning I will (hopefully) get the keys to my apartment, get my phone working, meet some colleagues for lunch, and begin the gauntlet of bureaucratic errands (Social Security card, registration with the police, etc. etc.). My plan also includes making some room on my laptop for photos so I can start showing you what I'm talking about.