Location: Hostel, Imatra
Time: 2320 Finland
Weather: cold…
Feeling: tired…but sleeping is boring…so is Swee Ting.
Thinking: Is it me or is the weather getting warmer? Hmm…adaptation.

Yesterday Tze Yi, Swee Ting and I went to another supermarket, Prisma, to buy groceries. On the way we stopped at this small store where they sell there own home grown vegetables, fruits etc. Wanted to but this box of raspberries but they were selling at €4 which I think is quite expensive. Tze Yi bought a box of gold(?) berries for €6. I thought they tasted horrible. The berries were yellow and tasted like bleah. Swee Ting and I bought 700g worth of carrots for €0.70. I don’t know if that is cheap or expensive but it is the cheapest we have seen so far. Prisma seemed larger than City Market. Most of the items were cheaper too. House brand: X-tra. Bought quite a lot of things including 2 big bags of chips. We wanted to buy more but we realized we didn’t have the manpower to do so even when Tze Yi offered to help us. X-tra pasta sauce was only selling at €0.39 per can of 400g. We need to get a can opener desperately, we still have that can of pineapples we bought 1 week ago and that €0.39 pasta sauce needs to be opened using a can opener. We did laundry yesterday too. We had accumulated so much clothes that I think we only had one set of undergarments left.

This afternoon the cafeteria served good lunch. Penne with white sauce and ham. But I wasn’t hungry at that point (11.30 a.m.) so I decided to eat after International Business. Swee Ting ate though and she dumbly put the salad on the same plate because she said there was no more salad plate. Aiyah…take another big plate lo. After International Business, we went down to the cafeteria to eat because I was starving. But by the time we reached the cafeteria, it was closed. Damn it. The Finnish people have a certain time for eating, cannot eat outside that period. I so miss school canteens’ opening hours. In the end I went back to hostel and ate instant noodles…left one packet now.

After lunch, I went back to school with my laptop. I couldn’t take it anymore. Anyway this week I saw another student using the school internet with his laptop. There is also this China guy who “steal” school internet regularly. I think it’s like everyday. It was so much easier to update the blog with my own laptop. I could also use a proper connection so as to log on to MSN. I also took the opportunity to watch shows…so deprived. I got so tense every time someone walked past the computer lab. At one point the teacher in charge of the international students walk past and I was SHIT! because she was the one who told us that students were not allowed to the school internet for their laptops. But she didn’t seem to see my laptop because although she looked into the computer lab, she didn’t say anything. Whew! After awhile my battery died, I didn’t take my charger with me as this was a trial run so I had to use the school computers…zzz.

Halfway through, Ya Chen mentioned that a Russian girl from hostel A asked if we wanted to go use the sauna. I immediately agreed as there was nothing to do (it’s amazing that Imatra can make you agree to any evening- night activities as there is seriously nothing to do around here). We discussed the time to meet but Ya Chen and I messed up and couldn’t remember if we were supposed to meet 10mins before or after 7. We went back to hostel and had a light dinner and changed to our swimming costumes. Swee Ting and I were waiting for Ya Chen when she appeared from her room in JEANS and LONG SLEEVES. We were like huh? are you sure you are going to dress like that. Swee Ting and I were dressed in shorts and T-shirts. Anyway, we went to the sauna and waited for the Russian girls there. The sauna was a decent one, very clean. While the 3 of us were soaking in the heat, the Russian girl appeared. ***Following information may cause slight shock*** Upon seeing that there were only 4 people in the sauna, she stripped from her bikini and entered the sauna BUCK NAKED!!!! Asians were WHAT?!?!?! According to the Russian girl, it’s better to not wear anything. Many Russians do that but not when there is a mix of genders. Hmm..ok.

Name: Anna (say: Ania)
Age: 19
Status: Attached
She has a summer house in Russia where she goes to every summer and there is a sauna in the house. They can use the sauna like 3-4 times a week.

Ania taught us the proper way (I think) of using the sauna.
Step 1: Shower
Step 2: Pour water over the hot stones.
Step 3: Seat in the sauna. Higher you go, hotter it becomes.
Step 4: If it gets too hot, leave the sauna and head for the showers. Blast yourself with cold water. Do this quickly so that your dead skin can be removed.
Step 5: Cool down at some area.
Step 6: When it gets cold, repeat step 2 onwards
Step 7: Enjoy!

Halfway Ania decided to put on her bikini as she didn’t want us to feel awkward. It was a good thing she did that as a few minutes later, some guy walked in. Ania chased the guy away as the sauna is for girls during that time. Girls hour: Every Tuesday 5-7 pm, every Thursday 7-9 pm. When we were done with the sauna, Asians decided to shower in the hostel instead of at the sauna. We decided who should shower first by playing scissors, paper, stone. And my mighty rock won. Haha. Surprising thing was that I didn’t feel cold when I left the sauna and into the open. And I was still wearing my swimming costume under my clothes so I was quite wet.

Was really hungry after showering so I cooked a big bowl of macaroni soup. Would have made pasta if we still had sauce.

Ok…my brain is really dead now…so sleep…zzzz

4th September 2008
We promise to abide by Espall's #1 rule