Finland, land of the sunshine, er...I mean snow?!

Ok, I finally got my internet up and running after 6 days of paperwork and running around. Seriously, you begin to enjoy the joys of mobility after realizing you have no control over the process. Here are a few of my first impressions and travel war stories...here ya go!

1.) As you are studying the map in the central district, the Finns will actually stop and help you. The Finns are smiley little creatures, eager to help out. They may even do a back flip for you!

2.) The international student culture here is much more organized than Oslo. They have an e-mail list that highlights all of the happenings. Last night we went to our first "social" event and there were over 500 students there international and Finnish.

3.) The central area is bustling with people, stores, cafes and renovated industrial buildings. It has a uniqueness to it that I can't really describe...kind of like the Dickensian quaint industrial vibe.

4.) Ahhhh, the joys of a city that is actually affordable! Oslo is more expensive than Tampere and the proof is the alcohol. I ordered a vodka/OJ last night and it only cost $4 US. What a bargain!

5.) The Finns really LOVE their snow and there is NO snow. Normally at this time of year there is enough snow to nordic ski and it's just not happening yet. So, today the Finns were out with their walking sticks and training for the fast walk world championships, not to be confused with the cell phone throwing contest here in Finland.

6.) Sending 8 boxes from Oslo to Tampere is a red flag for customs, they searched our boxes (see photo) and all they found were drugs for Martha Stewart, enough domestic items to get her high.

7.) As I was waiting to talk with a lost luggage customer representative (yep, lost my luggage), I saw that a store was selling reindeer fur (totally normal for Finland!)