RTW: Exchange in Chile

Finnish mafia and Dalai Lama

It seemed that Wappu, the first of may celebration would be totally boring here as I spent the two days working on my thesis, believe it or not. But then, as we were all a little down about not having any Wappu party, we sort of accidentally had one after all. It all started with just some BBQ, but then it somehow got out of control, you know how it is with some beers and a sunny afternoons.. So, we saved Wappu. Over and out.

It wasn't long after that that my friend Simo flew in from Argentina. He knew some other Finnish people here and now we really have a Finnish mafia in Santiago to counter-attack the French one. Yesterday I was having lunch in a party of four Finnish people and one French. The tables have turned. And just guess do we know people in common if I can find common acquaintances even with Swedish people.. The other Finns here are students of the Turku School of Economics and one of them was in the board of their student Union the same year I was in the KY board. Everything will change now for the rest of my stay, I'm sure of it. Don't know how this all goes together with the studies, but I'll have to work something out.

Anyway, as Simo, the lucky bastard who flew to Easter Island for a week, was here we went for some up-town partying together with the other Finns and some other exchange students. Rabbit for dinner in a fancy restaurant, preparty in a huge flat equipped with a quite decent balcony overseeing the richest parts of Santiago and afterwards a litte too many piscolas (Pisco and Coke) in a local club were just enough to give Simo the nice C U later for the morning flight. In the picture you have the Finns in the front, me, Kiki, Markus and Simo and in the background there´s Bob and whatwashername from Australia. Cups hold the treacherous Piscola.



The next day Dalai Lama was visiting Santiago and we had to see that, of course. The dude was sitting in front of a 2/3 full arena of people talking about peaceful interaction and compassion (here on the big screen, not enough zoom for a live shot, sorry). That Nobel really hit the spot there. He was a good speaker and took his audience though one small part of it (at least) was not really in the most receptive of modes thanks to some genuine Pisco headache.


Now I am getting back to the dark age of studying again for about 2,5 weeks -projects are piling up and thesis overload is imminent, but having to hurry is not that much of news for me. Just did not expect it to happen in exchange. The mid terms were quite two-fold: some subjects went really well and others not so good as I apparently do not know how to apply theories to everyday problems that well. A college degree after my MSc, perhaps? ;)

posted by Kassu @ 12:57 PM