From Pauliina: Monthly 2

Richterswil, Switzerland 26.08.2001

A great "Hi!" to you all!
Lately I have been lazy writing e-mails or sending cards. Sorry lads. Working eight hours per day at computer doesn't amuse me at all and so I feel great dislike towards this machine.
And what have I been up lately? Pretty much nothing. Working, reading books, sleeping, eating, working, reading books.... Lately I have found my self addicted to reading. There's a great english book store in the centre of Z�rich and I visit it when ever I can. I have told myself, I should read more German books, but because I really prefer English, I rarely read anything in German. This bookstore I was telling about is sort of a "safe bay" among the other Swiss places. Swiss Deutsch, or "Swytzert�tsch" as the local call it, is anything else but a beautiful language. It has such a throat sounds that it seems that all the Swiss people have a throat cancer. As you know, my mother tongue is Finnish and I know that it doesn't sound beautiful at all. So my intention is not to judge the Swiss people or their language nor anything like that but I'm just trying to explain how I feel in this English bookstore. In anycase, as I visit the bookstore quite often, I feel obligated buying something. The last time I saw my Visa-bill, the most bills where from this english bookstore. Why do I always over-do something? Okay, the point being here is that I read most of the free time.

September will be the last month here in Switzerland. We are sad to leave this apartment and especially the near-by beach and the Alps, but we won't miss our workplaces or the people (I guess). Our future plans are not clear yet and it is starting to worry me a little bit. Still, the things always turn up the best way, and I have the feeling that will be the case in a future also. Earlier we thought we would go to Canada or Norway. Canada is not one of the options any more. So its gonna be Norway or Finland. I would be happy to go to Finland at least for a while. But Ville and I, we are both rather restless souls and we want to experience as much as possible.
I let you know as soon as something new comes up. Take care!

Pauliina

Richterswil 08.09.2001
So this is how it goes: We will leave Switzerland in the end of the month driving through Germany, Denmark, Sweden and then we'll stop by in Oslo to leave our stuff there and them we'll head to Finland via Sweden. I'll be staying in Tampere for 3 moths and Ville will go to Oslo. It is a sad thing indeed that we will have to be apart, but this is the best way. I have to gather some units (studying stuff) and somebody has to earn the money, and as always, that'll be Ville. I'll go to Oslo after the Xmas, but I don't know yet what exactly will I do.
So this is how it goes pals. For now; this was all folks!

Tampere, Finland 17.10.2001
So I'm back in a starting point. I've been born here and Tampere is also the place where I grew up. Even though Tampere isn't the most beautiful place on the earth, this city is really dear to me. This time of year Tampere also looks really nice since the trees are colourful (yellow, red, browm, orange) and I like it, I like it a lot. Of course it is nice to see my family and friends too. But most of all I enjoy just walking the streets of Tampere cause this is my town and these streets are my streets.
When we where still in Switzerland I really often had a feeling of an outsider. Well that's also the policy of Swiss government, not to welcome foreigners in to Switzerland except as a tourist. Since I have been living in many countries by now, Switzerland was th most hostile of these all. If i could create a country of my own it would have the engineering skills of Finland, the Alps of the Switzerland as well as high standard of living, the people and cultur from the Netherlands, the prices of the Germany as well as the environmental policy of the Germany, the curiosity of the Americans and the friendliness of American people. Every country has got it's plusses and minuses. In Finland I miss the feeling of a big city and town which never sleeps. But as soon as I go to Central-Europe I miss the peace and quite of Finland and the feeling of being safe. Funny, isn't it?

I continue my studies here in Tampere Polytechnic, but after X-mas I should be heading to Norway. Nothing new in that sector but I tell you as soon as I know more.