Асма маанай

As we moved away from Helsinki with the Finnish "Flixbus", the tension about what awaits us in rural Lappeenranta increased. Once out of the city, we saw mostly forests and rocks. Occasionally a huge shopping mall, then long periods of nothing civilized. After a three-hour drive, we reached the bus station in Lappeenranta. Endstation! Fortunately, we had contacted our assigned tutor, Luis, in advance. He picked us up there with his car. Fun fact: He has a license plate from Würzburg, which brings up feelings of home. After a brief introduction during the ride, it was time to move into our apartment. SHOCK! We were completely brought back down to earth. Our expectations, which were based on the rented contracts provided, could not be met in any way: 2-person shared flat, each room with 13.5 square meters, total size of the apartment 49 square meters. The reality looked like this: 4-person shared flat with two bedrooms, so Flo and I in ONE 13.5 square meter room. One desk, with one chair. No bed covers. Each of the four residents had a spoon, a fork, and a knife. There were not enough large plates for everyone. Two pans and a pot that did not necessarily look like a pot. Shower and toilet resembling a prison cell, and even there, it would be considered low quality. At least the refrigerator was new and the oven worked. The promised sauna was not open in the summer (we had 16 degrees and it was rainy), and if so, only two evenings a week. The dormitory was still completely empty since we had arrived relatively early. The internet was mediocre. The connection seemed to enjoy kicking you out of the network regularly after a few minutes. Our tutor Luis lives directly opposite. He is doing his double degree here and therefore spends two semesters in Lappeenranta. He has been here since March and is fully equipped. The funny thing about the story is that we study at the same university. Kindly, he took us to Lidl on the first evening, which is hard to reach without a car. The prices were astronomically high, as expected, so our first meal consisted of pizza and rice from the day before. A sad sight... Fortunately, there was a small drinking round with the students who had already arrived or were already there. Alcohol was, in our opinion, the best remedy after this start. The end of the story: A slightly escalating night at the bar, which ended at 3 am and left us with a proper hangover the next day. Matching our surroundings. But there was a way out in sight...