Good stuff,

So much stuff has happened. This time, I will refuse to go to any bad detail and just stick to the good stuff... after all, it is Christmas!

- It is less than a week when my parents and brother come here! I've seen visions of what will happen when they drive through that gate or when they call me that they're here. But in the end I don't know what will happen... all I know that just thinking about it makes the corners of my mouth step up :)

- The concert went well! Check on the videos and just think to yourself how it was. I want to remind you that this is a total amateur choir (together with italians and foreigners), where people don't go on serious basis. I belong to the sopranos and am on the back row, so you can't see me unfortunately. Here's few videos of the choir acts:



[Hit the road Jack - coming as I've got it downloaded (takes a lot of time)]

Few of instrumental acts:

[Amelie - coming soon]

And the famous poem:

[Suomi - coming soon]

- On Thursday, I was at Eeva's place for a get-together. She and her flatmate had arranged a real nice evening with typical foods. Eeva had made eggbutter (munavoi) and toasted some pane di segale (local version of rye bread). Her roommate made this reeally good dip for cream crackers. There was a full things of garlic - you know one of those whole ones with like ten cloves of garlic! I smelled so bad even on the next day, but it was just deadly good!

- Yesterday it snowed!! I was out until about 3:30 in the morning. Hanna left the club before me and she sent me a messages saying that I should go out, because it's snowing. Of course I ran out and danced around in front of the building, in the really wet, but slow and fluffy snowfall. Wow. When I biked home, I took pictures with my mobilephone like mad and when I got home, I spent another half an hour outside taking pictures. Most of them didn't turn out so wonderful due to my condition, but I think you can get the idea of them.



- I just packed and sent some Christmas gifts. Even though I miss home and I miss people at home, I think spending Christmas here will be a great spice and exception on routine. Traditions are healthy and lovely to have, to keep life on track, but spice on everyday is good sometimes too! After all, Christmas has kind of lost its spell on me. This year, at least, it has a better chance to be something else. Bring the spell back. It has already started better. People here don't put the rush into Christmas. They seem to enjoy getting Christmas and making a special meal. It's a calm and satisfying holiday... at least it looks like it here. In Finland, there's stories from the Christmas time about adult men hitting each other on the parking lot, because the other one took it just in front of the other ;) (I'm sure there's something like that in here too.)

- I've also got some Christmas cards already!



And I ordered this book of the stories of the Moominvalley in italian, because I want to civilize my flatmates on this before Christmas!

- Here's also some random pictures I gathered up for you that haven't been seen here yet:

Hanna and I went sometime in November to Venezia and went around the untouristic sides. We found a funny supermarket arrangement on our way and much more interesting stuff.

On the same week there was the first Baccarata in Venezia. Going to small pubs and drinking alot concerned.

Me (and my old hair) and Gege.

I went to the exhibition of the architect Kengo Kuma which was in the historical Palazzo della Ragione, Padova. I went with another finnish girl, Eeva.

Piazza delle Erbe from up up up of the balcony of palazzo della Ragione.

A map I drew for the Festa di Nordica in Banale!

Nina and I made a calendar for Benjamin's birthday.

A view from the window in front of my desk one evening.

This kind of card arrangements are around the center of the city. Lovely.

I made a finnish/scandinavian dinner for my flatmates. Meatballs, potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberry jam. They especially liked the combination of jam and meatballs :)

Me in my pyjama (merino wool 100%).

Our room.

Hanna and I went to the Christmas market this weekend.

IKEA's Santa Lucia thingie on Saturday :)