Walking round London town

You might laugh - you might frown,
Walking round London town
When you look with your eyes,
Everything seems nice...
But, if you look twice,
You can see it's all lies
- Lily Allen, LDN

This is my sixth night in London and for the first time it seems that I've finally adopted the GMT. It's late in the evening and I'm writing this with weary eyes after spending a better half of the day walking all around London town. In fact today I enjoyed my very first picnic on Hampstead Heath with a group of new friends I've made during these first few days at UCL. The first question you guys apparently want to ask is how is London and how have I settled? As always there's no simple or short answer to these questions (other than false ones) so let's start from the beginning, shall we?

London welcomed me warmly and hospitably in the form of a Finnish colleague and now a friend of mine who is studying and working in London at UCL. Not only did I get a roof and a place to sleep for the first night but also a great deal of help, tips and advice with settling into new environment. These last few days (as expected) have been crammed with information and details that all have to be strictly memorized and used in everyday practice: starting with what seems to be a dozen of different Intranet systems and finishing off with a totally poor glazing and crappy (yeah!) sewer system. I wouldn't go teaching Britons anything about how things are done back in the North for the world but every once in a while I find myself wondering about the greatness of Britain. I reckon their superiority is as much of a myth as the Finnish uprightness.

Then, on the other hand, London, unlike Moscow, seems to be a comparably decent or even compact in its size and magnitude. There is of course, yet again, a ridiculously large amount of people around (especially on Friday and Saturday nights, as expected) but that has to do a lot with the simple fact that I live in the frigging Bloomsbury - in the very heart of the city. Otherwise, e.g. in the underground, there definitely is more space and even decent distance between people unlike in the public transport system of Moscow. So, all things considered I believe that it is quite possible for me to get used to this city and to its ways. This is much more easier in view of the fact that I have my own quiet corner of an attic room with decent view to the grim backyard of our dormitory. Here is a view of my room for you:

I've also managed to get my course schedules and academic timetables in order well in advance (took some effort that - to do it all in only three first days while here in UK). Among other things I will be taking courses on Fascism and Authoritarianism in the Eastern Europe during the inter war period, sex and gender in Russian Cinema, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, vampires as part of society and culture on the east side of Elbe river and some more courses of literature and history. Not bad all things considered, aye? And after all - this is the UCL. So, might as well smile while thinking of all the things ahead of me.

And on the brightest side I'm already planning my first trip out of London. First on my horizon appears the city of Bristol where I have two friends with whom I've already being in touch with. I met them while in Moscow and am more than eager to meet them in their own habitat and climate. I might also get a chance to see some of the places that I'm already familiar with after my last epic journey here in Britain few years back. Of these I have two in the West Country: Wells and Glastonbury. I'm looking forward to writing to you from all of these places.

Few weeks ago I wrote you about a band called Flogging Molly. I was invited by a friend of mine to their gig in Helsinki this August but obviously I couldn't make it due to some geographical limitations. However, yesterday I managed to get two tickets at HMV to a concert of theirs here in London at the beginning of November. I'll be also expecting some exceptional company to join me so if you'd be interested in getting a first hand report from that gig, please, let me know!

Yours as streetwise as ever,

Stefan 

PS. A Briton seems to be emerging within me. As I mentioned it's only my sixth evening in UK and I'm already enjoying myself with some tea, Cornish pasties and... gasp!... the latest episodes of Doctor Who on BBC's iPlayer. Unfortunately these episodes cannot be watched outside of UK. Otherwise I would surely share them with you!

My Heart Has Been Broken

Tomorrow I'm off to London. This time I won't bother you with any news or thoughts from my life (there are too much of them already). And frankly right now they are none of your business. :) But I would like to share yet an other song with you. This time a song by a Finnish band called CMX (Cloaca Maxima). One of their songs has defined my life since the moment I first heard it. And it's more than appropriate right in this moment of my life. And here you have it:

My Heart Has Been Broken (Minun sydämeni on särkynyt)

Listen to what it says:
"Leave your childish face here
Press your hand into the mold
And wait for the sun to rise."
Grieve is here like the poverty
Like a promise of the wilderness,
Like the false mirage
And the pain won't go away.

Write it in the sand
And the sand will keep your words.
Write it in the stream
And the water finds its way home.
Write it in the air
And the birds will rise on their wings.
Write it in your memories
And they will part like a road.

See where the wisdom is
That built the cities
And wrote the libraries
Full of solitude.
When the wind of the wilderness
Caresses your riverbed
And the great words
Dry within your mouth.

Write it in the light
And the light will travel into the void.
Write it in the evening
And the evening will join with the night.
Write it in the fear
And the fear shall fear itself.
Write it in the words
And the words shall turn into each other.

Once your memory won't hurt anyone
Then my heart will break.
Once your memory won't hurt anyone
My heart will travel
Over the restless land.
My heart will shatter
To wonder on with the wind.

Yours in these words,

Stefan

After the First Thousand Miles of Wonder

Yes, I know! It's been awhile. I'm sorry if you've missed me. I, on the other hand, have been busy with other engagements elsewhere (that is to say I've been drifting somewhere in between Helsinki and Kauhajoki in my native Finland). There's nothing really interesting happening in Finland (is there ever?) at the moment. But this specific turning of the seasons has treated me rather well. Bare with me once more:

Since I've got back home from Russia I've gained some more age (23 years by now) and weight (67 kg at the moment) but I reckon I've hardly grown an other millimetre (I could check if you want!) since last year. I had the best birthday in years with my best friends in Helsinki (e.g. I got to see how Finland won the Republic of Moldova 4 - 1 in football) with proper cuisine, pints, presents and feminine touch included. Even the public transport did not forget me: the fine I received a day before my birthday was cancelled by the officials. At the end of the day I felt exhausted but happier than I had been in a very long time.

Right now I'm staying with my parents in Kauhajoki (due to my flat in Helsinki been occupied by a subtenant). I hanged around at few of my friends in the capital but I got uncomfortable after a few days and decided to retreat back into the countryside. By now I've managed to pull myself back together after Moscow although a visit to my home university in Helsinki was more of a claustrophobic experience than I anticipated. Fortunately, I didn't have to hang around there for a long.  

And since I'm once more on the rails and have my next target (the University Collage of London and the Perfidious Albion) fixed on my mind I might as well share with you some of the things to come. First of all I'm leaving Finland next Tuesday and for the first night in London I'm without a roof (if you should have any tips about where I could stay for that one night in question I would be much obliged!). I get to move into my residence first thing the next morning. And speaking of the devil here's some information about the place I'm moving into: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/accommodation/residences/houses/vtours/arthur-tattersall (great, aye?). My orientation programme starts on the same day and it seems that there's still some bureaucracy and a considerable amount of paperwork to be done in order to become a student at UCL. On the other hand (after studying for few months in Russia) I wouldn't have expected anything else from the Britons and a member university of both the Russell Group and the G5.

Now there's little more to tell about my life at the moment except for the fact it's not London I'm awaiting the most right now: my girlfriend is coming to visit me (and my parents..) here in the countryside for the next weekend. Now, when I'm writing this, I can hardly keep myself from rushing to my cellphone and making sure she's both happy and done her homework since I have none of my own (or may be it's just my inner teacher going active?). :)

Yours in dreamy autumn weather with Tom Waits,

Stefan

PS. Oh, and one more thing! As I promised you already last spring this blog will take you through 3000 miles of wonder. The first thousand (to Moscow and back again) is now over but there's still two more to go (to London and back). Already in Moscow few of my colleges were wondering about the title of this blog. Why does it have the name it has? I don't recall telling you this but it all comes down to a certain song by Flogging Molly. The song's called With a Wonder and a Wild Desire. I'll post both a link and the lyrics of this song here:

Wonder and a Wild Desire 
(and mind the link!)

So I will pave this road till glory
Sets our broken spirit free
From every cross-soaked nail pours endless rain
With tears no eye should see
But they could fill our highest ocean
And the rivers in between
With every blade that flowers must grow then drown
With love our cruelest sea

So with a wonder and a wild desire
I will crawl from under every weight
With a wonder and a wild desire
Bless the day it was I shared your name
Yesterday forever speaks your grave

Hail the shower from the broadside
To the heavens down below
Draw one last breath from your fanning ship
Sink the hunger in us all
Shake the hand that speaks of freedom
Kiss hate one final bow
Till each twilight falls then rests till dawn and tomorrow's never sleep

So with a wonder and a wild desire
I will crawl from under every weight
With a wonder and a wild desire
Bless the day it was I shared your name
With each word forever speaks your grave

And of the fool we shall not mention
That depraves the cries of youth
Drag not your strength from government
But from the voices they abuse

So with a wonder and a wild desire
I will crawl from under every weight
With a wonder and a wild desire
Bless the day it was I shared your name
Yesterday forever speaks your grave

Only time will tell when this rain of hell, shall wither in defeat
Separate the bread they forgot to share, till the milk still left to feed
Though this body aches then disappeared into the ground, our seeds
He said, "I'd, I'd always comfort thee"

So I will pave this road to glory
Watch as our broken spirits soar
Resignate with perfect reason
Shut life's last gloomy door

So with a wonder and a wild desire
I will crawl from under every weight
With a wonder and a wild desire
Bless the day it was I shared your name
With a wonder and a wild desire
I will crawl from under every weight
With a wonder and a wild desire
Bless the day it was I shared your name
Yesterday forever speaks your grave