This is going to be the first post concerning my Erasmus semester in Thessaloniki, Greece.
On Friday (26th) evening I spent hours packing my suitcase
along with two other bags. I don’t know why it took me so long to do especially
because I already started packing on Monday, when I bought a new suitcase. I
sort of knew which things I still had to pack, but there was a feeling inside
of me that made me so slow.
In the end I slept only about an hour during the night
between Friday and Saturday (27th) because of being so slow at packing and
needing to wake up at 2am. I was tired, but nowhere near as tired as I thought
I’d be. It was time for last minute checking. Soon I was ready to go to the
airport. I was planning on going by a bus due to it being emotionally easier,
but I ended up getting a ride from a very nice person. I’m very grateful for
the ride, it made leaving Finland behind easier. Of course, leaving Finland was
difficult, especially leaving the people!
During the day I got to see 3 different airports, which was
nice and boring at the same time. My first flight was from Helsinki-Vantaa to
Frankfurt. The changing time in Frankfurt was only 50mins, and I was quite
nervous about it. It was my first time ever changing the plane and I hadn't
heard so many good things about the airport. Some people say it can be quite
confusing. I thought it was quite clear and 50mins sure was enough time to move
from the place A to the place B. My second stop was in Wien. I had to spend
over two hours there, and yes I’m thankful for the free WiFi.
The last stop was Thessaloniki. When the plane was landing,
I was admiring the beautiful view of the sea. It looked exactly as I thought
Greece would look like. It made me smile. All my flights were by Lufthansa, and
I consider it as a good company for flying. I know they have had a few strikes
these past few weeks, but those didn't affect my traveling at all.
All the time I thought my suitcase wouldn't arrive to its
destination at the same time with me because of having so many flights. I was
happily surprised when I saw my suitcase coming to me. Then there was rush to get
to my tutor’s car quickly, because there’s a free parking at the airport for
30mins. The first thing I noticed was how similar the driving style is to
Turkey. I was in Turkey back in 2010, and noticed the same organized chaos. I
mean traffic in Finland seems so safe compared to the one in Greece. People don’t
obey the speed limits, horns are used a lot, parking is crazy etc. I’m not
saying driving in Finland is perfect because it surely isn't. Here I trust local drivers, I mean for them it's a well organized chaos.
Finally at around 4:30pm I arrived to my studio apartment and signed the rent agreement. It's not the kind of a studio that I was hoping for, but that will be another story. I'm thankful for my tutor for giving me a ride to this flat, I'm not so sure if I would have found it by myself.
When I was finally alone I noticed how tired I was emotionally and physically. I hadn't slept for a long time, so I was graving for some sleep. Instead of that I had to go grocery shopping due to stores being closed on Sunday. Later I ended up staying up late due to having so many thoughts in my mind. It was a difficult evening, but I made it. People who I talked with that evening made me feel a lot better, so thank you!
That conducts my first day of being an Erasmus student. More stories shall follow.
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| A night view from my balcony. |
