08 Bavarian Finland

 

(this article was written on my flight from Munich to Tampere on the 6th of January)

Just now I was at Munich Airport again, for the second time in a week. And once again I'm on a plane, and as so often, I'm lucky enough to be sitting by the window. When I look back, I see my beloved Alps towering behind us. However, I am flying away from the Alps, northwards or rather frostwards. Destination: Tampere, Finland. The weather forecast at the airport: -19 C°, freezing fog. My sleepy, caffeine-hyped head is trying to imagine what frozen fog looks like. Wicked. The climatic outlook puts me in a delirium between "awesome, finally winter" and "I'm scared". By Monday at the latest, I'll have shed the image of the 9-to-5 working woman for the time being and will be a full-time social parasite aka student in the ERASMUS semester again. It's unbelievable that just a fortnight ago I was sitting at my office desk at KAS Phnom Penh talking nonsense with my colleagues. And also unbelievable that just a little over a week ago I was doing yoga on Koh Phangan, drinking from coconuts, shovelling vegan soul food into myself and in various meditation sessions dealing with my inner child, my spiritual rebirth or "energetic relationship cleansing". I was really clean and detoxified and healthy and balanced after all that, and I still am to a large extent. Even though I caught a cold on the second day of my stopover in Bavaria, and of course I ran across various beers. And veganism was once again a bit difficult to implement in the Gruber household. (I still got a vegan cookbook from my mum for Christmas <3) And now? I'm already reading the first scientific journals about EU lobbying and the like in preparation for my lectures at the University of Tampere, me nerdy me. And I realise: I feel like being a real student one last time. One last time before I get serious about working, settling down, the whole stuff.

Outdoor selfies in Lower Bavaria vs Outdoor selfies in Tampere

One last time in cosy libraries and cafés to imbue myself with all kinds of knowledge and to womensplain others with it, to whine when I have a lecture at 8 a.m. on Monday (or just sleep on and say "never mind, I'll teach myself"), to whine even more, because "the exam went really badly" (and then I'm one of the overperformers again, very despicable), playing beer pong and flirting in several languages at dorm parties, feeding my digestive tract cafeteria food at a bargain price, wearing hoodies with campus logos, planning low-budget weekend trips and so on and so forth. And above all: I really feel like doing all this in Finland. Passau life 2.0, so to speak (my Ravenna life was more like a wonderful, familiar Casa Poggi life, but definitely not a worn-out student life), but in Baltic style. I try not to expect anything, but I can't hide it: My expectations of Finland are very high, and my anticipation is enormous.

Snow, ice, frozen lakes - first impressions of Finland from above!

But how was it on the stopover in Bavaria? Really nice, to be honest! I was a bit afraid that these 6 days at home would be super hectic, that I'd say yes and amen to too many activities again, and then not even really have time to organise stuff, pack, and just stretch my legs and catch my breath. But: It actually went quite easy-peasy. I met the most important people from my immediate geographical surroundings and had a good time with every single person. But everything was equalised and relaxed. I had enough time to stick my nose in books, do orga stuff, sleep in (!), cuddle the cats, watch my brother being hungover, cook (mum's kitchen = first serious kitchen since I arrived in Cambodia), and walk for hours through the woods around Leberskirchen. We haven't had real winters in Lower Bavaria for years, but after four months in Asia, the last few days at 10 C° and sunset at 4 pm were wintry enough for me, like a little warm-up (well, actually more like a cool-down...) for Finland. In terms of mindset, I am now fully prepared, which is more than I could say for myself a week ago in tropically warm Thailand. Northern lights, reindeer, winter sun, dry hands, red noses, onion clothing, gallons of tea, ice skates, sauna, ice bathing, blue nights in eternal darkness in winter, white, endless midsummer nights, quiet, deep blue lakes, forests without end, well-built, tall men (at least that's what I tell myself now, based on my stereotypes. NO EXPECTATIONS, I said!)... I think I'm going to be good for the next few months.

 

Ciao Kakao,

Vroni