Thoughts on departure

I'll say this for moving overseas for an extended period, it sure does make you popular. Just today I received at least 4 phone calls from 4 different people requesting my company, which I sadly had to decline due to prior arrangements. Never in my life have I felt so popular. I should move more often.

But mostly its just a pain in the ass. Happily a lot of the annoying things have been taken care of like flights, visas, housing ect. but there are still many annoying things about moving OS on a student budget.

Packing: Currently I have been tasked with trying to cram pretty much everything I'll need for 2 years in to one suitcase with a limit of 20kg, a backpack and the pair of pants with the biggest pockets I can find. Currently I've had to cull my precious t-shirt collection down to "must-haves", I'm trying to figure out how best to get my skateboard over there or if its more cost effective to send it and leaving my precious N64 at home for 2 years is going to be the end of me most likely. And there is also the concern that anything left behind will either be damaged or thrown out by my family members while they have the chance to clear out my "clutter". All I can say is that if anyone even TOUCHES my CD collection without my permission, they will be killed.

Money: Shit's expensive yo. I currently don't have enough money to live comfortably for two years AND fly back to Australia when I'm done. Let's see how that goes...

The questions and tips: For the last 6 months I have been bombarded with the same god damn questions (some times by the same people) or being given "helpful tips" every second day and frankly I'm sick of answering/hearing them. I get them everyday and I have been to Lapland before SO in order to try and prevent more silly questions, here we go... I leave Canberra on the second of January and Australia on the fifth from Melbourne. I am in Melbourne to visit my Nan. I will visit friends in Helsinki and Oulu before arriving in Rovaniemi on the eighth. I will be studying a master's degree of Industrial Design at the University of Lapland and I'm doing it because its free and why the hell not? I already have a flat and will be sharing it my Polish friend Aleks, who I met last time I was there. My flat is 3km from the uni. Yes, I can legally get a job in Finland but it will be difficult since I do not speak Finnish. Yes, I will be learning Finnish. Yes, I intend to keep doing parkour, strength training and longboarding while I am there, just because I'm in a different place doesn't mean I will enjoy these activities less. Yes I would like to go skiing/snowboarding. I am aware that Finland in winter is very cold and that I will need warm clothes. Yes I have a Finnish bank account. Finland is on the Euro. I don't know if I can drive in Finland. No I don't like fish. Yes Finland is very dark in the winter and I will not see the sun for days on end. It is the opposite in summer. Yes I intend to visit other countries if I can afford it. Yes I want you to come visit me. Yes I would like to come back to Australia half way though, feel free to buy me a ticket. Yes I'm having a farewell, its tomorrow.

BUT this all has the pay off of me living in a beautiful country where drunken nudity is not only accepted, but expected, for a decent amount of time. Come see me, it'll be like a dream.