The first few days moving to a new country are always crazy
– everything is new and exciting and terrifying at the same time! But let’s
backtrack a little…
My last week in Turku was just fantastic, and made me
realise how much I will miss the very good friends that I’ve made there. I had
the opportunity to catch up with a few special ones before I left, and was even
presented with a surprise cake! There must be nothing better in life than
surprise cake ;)
Meanwhile, it seemed that the weather back home in Northern
Ireland was ridiculously warm, while I was overheating in the +6˚C
“spring” sunshine in Finland. Anyway, it’s all preparation for my early summer
by the Baltic Sea…
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| The ghetto I live in ;) |
In preparation for my move, I decided to already become
acquainted with Lithuanian money. So, I went to Turku city centre and changed
some euros to litas, and emerged feeling rich! I’m very much appreciating the
exchange rate and the cost of living in Lithuania. After that, I spent some
time sorting out my purse and found myself immersed in like a million different
currencies – euro, sterling, Lithuanian litas, Swiss francs…! Too much, I
thought. Too much. Not that that means too much money, since most of the time I
was counting pennies and cents (I’m still a scummy student, after all).
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| The view from my room... |
Anyway, let me tell something about my arrival in Lithuania.
I left my place in Turku at 5am to take my flight from Turku to Copenhagen. It
turned out to be the most small-scale flight I have ever taken – the plane was
tiny and there were only a handful of other flyers on board. But the journey
was smooth and I slept most of the way. I then spent a few hours in Copenhagen
airport, found an appropriately named “Quiet Area” with awesome (purple!) seats
with footrests and a nice view of the planes. I relaxed there for some time,
before my flight from Copenhagen to Palanga.
When leaving, I swear it must have been by the same plane.
There was no difference except this time there were a few more people on board.
But still, I was seated in row 14, which happened to be the very last row in
the plane (so that gives an idea of how tiny it was – only 4 seats in a row, 2
on either side of the aisle!).
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| It's not a cardboard box :) |
As we flew into Palanga, I could admire the view of the
Baltic Sea beaches through the dense cloud and light rain. It seemed rather too
much like Ireland! I was greeted at the airport by a lovely, Lithuanian student
mentor and a driver. They took me to my accommodation in Klaipeda, and helped
me settle in. It was a relief to see that I wouldn’t be living in a cardboard
box, although my first impression from the outside was like a ghetto. But my
place far exceeds any expectations I had – it’s almost like hotel service. I
was even provided with bed sheets and towels!
Then the catch came. Of course there must be a catch if I’m
paying less than 60€ a month! There is a strict curfew – you cannot come home
any later than midnight. Every time you leave the building, you must leave your
key in reception, so if you return after midnight you simply can’t get in.
Rather harsh, one could argue. Also, there are no laundry facilities. After
asking how I can wash my clothes, the answer, “by hand” was given. The students
who stay here usually go home at the weekends and do their laundry then, so
since my home is far away I will probably rely on my kind neighbour or my tutor
to help me :)
So now, I will continue my settling in phase and update you on the wonders of
Klaipeda soon!
