Our Early Adventures
You could say we travelled light for nine months of living in a foreign country, but it definitely didn’t feel like we did.
Jessica and I decided to stay in an AirBnB for a few days before we move into our studio apartment, so we can see more of the city. Over the past three days, we’ve explored much of Helsinki by foot.
So far we’ve covered several neighborhoods including two residential islands (click the image to see the full map).
I missed living in a city and walking everywhere. Without even thinking about it, we’ve managed 21.8 miles in three days. Our daily average will drop once we learn the tram system, but it’s comforting to know that some exercise is automatically built into every day.
Day 1
We arrived in Helsinki around 5 p.m. (GMT +3) on Thursday having departed JFK around 3 a.m. (EST). The flight was originally scheduled to leave around midnight, but it took our flight crew hours to navigate the flooded streets of New York. Sitting in the airport, you would’ve had no idea it was anything more than a normal rainstorm.
The flight itself was easy. We both slept the majority of the time.
We were greeted by an Uber driver who, blaring explicit American hip-hop, promptly asked, “Why would you leave New York? Everyone here is trying to get out of here to go to New York and L.A.” We lugged our 60 l.b. duffle bags up three flights of stairs and settled into our home for the weekend by 6:30 p.m. Door to door — from Newtown to Helsinki — it was about 18 hours.
Despite our fatigue, the Baltic Sea beckoned. A quick glance at a map showed it was five minutes south. Off we went.
The salty air energized us. Our initial plan to get some fresh air turned into a three-mile walk around one of the southernmost points of the Helsinki mainland. We returned and slept until ten the next morning.
Day 2
Friday morning, we decided to explore our future neighborhood: Sörnäinen. We stopped at Kulmakuppila (The Corner Cup) around noon, and I drank a massive latte. That proved to be a mistake.
We cruised on our caffeine high to Sörnäinen and checked out our studio apartment. It’s nice: there’s a sauna and gym in the building, and they have bikes available to borrow for free. But it was small enough that we immediately started Googling, AirBnB-ing, and generally exploring other options.
One of our other options is on the island of Katajanokka (Cat-uh-ya-know-kuh), a residential island in South East Helsinki. The area charmed us. It’s quiet and isolated, whereas Sörnäinen is known as a young, up-and-coming hub of social life in Helsinki.
Our conversation for the rest of the night was centered on where we want to live. Ultimately, we decided that we’ll wait and see what living in our tiny studio is actually like before we make any decisions. For now, it’s fun to imagine the possibilities.
My head hit the pillow at 22:30 (I switched to military time on Day 2). I laid awake until 3:00. No more midday massive lattes for me.
Day 3
Saturday morning, I dragged myself out of bed with four hours of sleep. We planned to meet with a few other people from Fulbright Finland for a tour of Jätkäsaari, another residential island of Helsinki. A cup of coffee jolted me awake for the 45-minute walk.
Leasa Weimer, a director at Fulbright Finland, showed us around the shiny new neighborhoods of Jätkäsaari. Gravel paths cut through a mosaic of glass and metal apartments. The entire area was built up in the past ten years… it’s a fascinating place.
Leasa and her husband came to Finland in almost exactly the same way that Jessica and I are here. She earned a Fulbright grant, and he quit his job and tagged along. They are a great resource. Hopefully, we can get dinner with them sometime.
We hunkered down in a coffee shop for a while to complete the website, but I just got yelled at for putting my feet on the low table…
Now, we’re back at the AirBnB for one last night, and I’m resisting the urge to sleep until a more reasonable hour.
