wow. I haven't done this in forever.

I forgot my username... hah

It's been a really long time since I wrote something last, and I guess that must mean that my life is pretty boring.

I'm just working... I have work practise (doing physical therapy) during the weeks, and then I work at my other job during the weekends to get some money....Because we have to do the work practise thing for free, which really sucks. It's in my hometown, and that's a 45 minute drive away, so I've been sleeping over at my parents house most of the time. I hate driving in winter time, and I can't afford the gas either.

Two weeks down, 5 more weeks to go.

I'm graduating Dec. 20th and I can't wait. I already applied for a job that starts 1.1.2007, the "due date" for the application is today, so hopefully I'll hear something within the next few weeks. I'm atleast hoping that I'll get to go in for an interview.

I thought I had a tumor in my head on Sunday. Turned out it was a gigantic zit. It deserved a spot in the Guiness book of world records.

We are going down to Turku on Dec. 2nd to see Reverend Bizarre. Their 2nd to last show EVER. Hopefully it'll be worth it. We're staying overnight and all.

Moving...

Jim got into EFÖ (http://www.efo.fi/engelska/index_eng.htm) , the immigration line, where he'll be studying Swedish, Finnish and culture&religion (?!). School starts 21.8.

I will be doing work practice in town for 7 weeks, starting on August 21.

Town is 1 hours walk from where we live.

So yeah, it's not going to work.

I called my landlord today to give him 1 months notice on the lease (well, it was more than 1 month...) but he really appreciated the call. He's the best landlord ever. Every Christmas he comes over to all his tenants and gives EVERYONE a big bag of groceries saying Merry Christmas. He used to lower my rent in half over the summers, when I worked and lived at home in Oravais and wasn't using the apartment. He's just all in all a great guy.

So I asked him first if he has any vacancies in town, and it turns out he does.
My old apartment, where I lived with my friend Monica from August 2002 to May 2004 is vacant.

The only bad thing is that the rent is a bit high for us... 530e/month. But the place is really big, 83 m2. Our current apt. is 43,5 m2, so it would almost be twice the size...

It has a really big kitchen, and a small "nook" that is separate from it, two large rooms, a small bathroom, a big hallway, a walk in closet and lots of other closets as well. I loved living there, and I would love to live there with Jim and have it all be ours. When I lived with Monica I didn't have the freedom to arrange everything just how I liked it, but now I would.

So we're thinking about it. I tried doing the math, and If I work extra on weekends, and with the student money Jim will start recieving, we should be able to manage.

I just really want to move out of here ...heh... It's just too small for two people. Other than that it's been a great place.

Oh, and it would only be a 5 minute walk for Jim to school, and a 10 minute walk for me to the retirement home where I'll be working for 7 weeks. After that I'm working in my hometown (work practice again) for 7 weeks, but I'd have to be driving back and forth there anyway.

Tired and bored...

Just got home from work. It's been a long weekend. I started my 2nd job on Friday, so I went over to my new "client" one hour before my regular job, and helped her go to the bathroom. The rest of the time was spent chatting about random stuff. An easy 8,60 e...:P I did the same thing on Saturday, but helped out with some ironing and dishwashing as well.

And I worked today...With the slowest person EVER. It was really starting to bug me... The person that had the night shift left at 10 am, having gotten 2 of the clients ready for the day. I came in at 8 am and got one client out of bed, gave him a shower, and then got another 3 out of bed and got them all ready for breakfast. And this 3rd person that works there, came in at 9 and got 1 person ready.

Yes, one.

ARGH.

She just sits around...looks around...takes her time... OK, it was Sunday, and we usually take it a bit slower then, but Jesus.
So after 10 am it was just me and her, and 8 clients. Lunch had to be made, everyone kept having to go pee... And she is so slow... And when I know we're behind schedule, I run around even more because I know I have to do her work too.

So luch got done about 30 minutes later than usual. She fed 2 people at the same time(it took forever, even though it usually goes really quick when it's two), while I got food ready for 1 (that can eat by herself), fed two, cleared the table, got food started for one that has a tube that goes straight into her stomach.... So after that there was one person that hadn't eaten yet, and I told my co-worker that she could feed him. By this time it was 1.15 pm, and the afternoon shift starts at 2 pm, so my co worker gets off then, and the next person comes. So I wanted to get all the other stuff done before, because I didn't want them to think I'd been lazy too.

I took two of them to the bathroom, took one by the lift to change her diaper and then got the other two off the toilets (took about 30 minutes in total) and then the next person in the staff came. My other co-worker was still sitting in the same place...feeding that last client...taking her time... And I was so pissed, I was sweating like crazy. The person that came is really cool, and she immediately saw how it was...She came over to talk to me in private and said that she knew as soon as she'd seen the work schedule for today that this was going to happen. Apparently I'm not the only one that gets pissed at this person. She said they've told her numerous times that she needs to speed up, but it just doesn't hit home.

And when I get home, Jim has 4 roleplayers in the kitchen...I knew they wre coming, but I'd still like a nice slow, QUIET afternoon... I had planned to go grocery shopping, but it's some weird holiday so all the stores are closed... Of course. So I'm stuck here.

*sigh*

Unemployment crap

We went to the unemployment agency last week on Friday. We sat around for more than an hour before we were finally let in to an office. The lady was very nice and helpful, but we don't have that many options. We signed Jim up as a job seeker, but he won't start getting unemployment benefits for another 5 months. The benefits are 23,50 euro/day. She told us that his options are to A) contact an employer somewhere and ask if he could work there on a special agreement, where they wouldn't have to pay him a salary, he would instead get the 23,50/day from KELA( our social security services). So he'd be working his ass off for 8 hours a day for 23,50 e... Great fun.

OR, option B) which is that he starts school. If he wants to learn both Swedish and Finnish there's only one school to chose, EFÖ (http://www.efo.fi) but it does have a good reputation. If he starts there, KELA will pay him the 23,50 e/day, plus 8 e/day for food as part of an integration program.

So school it is.

He will of course keep looking for a job, and when one pops up he'll hopefully know some basic Swedish and Finnish which will help him out.

He went for an interview at the school on Tuesday, so now all we can do is hope he gets in.

They are also having a beginners class in Swedish, that starts this Monday, so I signed him up for that too. He really needs something to do. All this monotony has made him really blah.
And I'm tired of him being here all the time.

We both need this.

The school costs 50e/week (it includes luch, copies and such) so it's pretty expensive... But he will atleast be left with some money.

Liz says to keep posting...

So I suppose I should. :) It's been busy. In 19 days I've had one day off. When I don't have school, I work. And when I get off from school in the day I've had to do school assignments...So I've been really beat. I almost fell asleep in class yesterday and that's the first time that's ever happened to me.

Tomorrow is the last day of school (YAY!) and then I'm off on Thursday (SLEEP!). Working Friday night, 2 pm-9 pm and then I finally have the weekend off. Of course Jim is going to have his friends over for roleplaying on Saturday, so I'll try escaping somewhere...I've been home the past two times but it ends with me sitting in the other room, clenching my fists and biting my tongue so I don't run into the kitchen and slap one of the guys and tell him to shut the hell up.
It's a big group, one girl, Jim, and four guys. Three of the guys seem to be around my age, but the last one is 16.... And it really shows...He's the most loud and obnoxius person I've ever had to be around. He's so into the game, and just has these outbursts where he starts shouting random stuff attempting to be funny. But nobody laughs. His outbirsts are followed by complete silence by the others, and then I guess he feels like he needs to elaborate the joke- making it even worse- and he is again met with complete silence. It's driving me nuts. They usually hang around from 4 pm to almost 10 pm...

So I guess I'm going into town or something on Saturday. My cousin Peter (26) is getting married on June 10th so I need to buy an outfit to wear to the wedding. And my younger sister Katarina is graduating so I need to get her something. (She's 19 and has an occupation now... I'm soon to be 25 and don't. Where's the sense in that?...My fault for chosing schools I didn't like...)

Kenneth, my brother is turning 23 this summer...Where are the years going????? He's going to continue in the same school next year. He's studied music for 2 years, but apparently they're starting a new education there in August, so the principal came and said they'd really like him to stick around for that. He'd become a kids/youthleader specialized in teaching music. He's so good with kids so I think it will really suit him.

And of course my older sister Anna-Lena is pregnant. Baby due in January. She's been doing well so far, but it's still so early.

And what about me? I'm glad school is over, but I'm going to miss my class over the summer. It's the best group of people I've ever been in. Everyone's so different (Age range from 19 to 54) but we get along so well. I'm still going to meet up with two of them, because we're writing the Diploma paper together. We've started on it, and already did the practical part, so we're atleast on our way.

Things are good with Jim and I, we've had our ups and downs, but I think that's understandable since this is the longest we've ever lived together. I also think it will be better when we get a bigger apt. because now we can't even close a door on eachother... :P We'll most likely get a new apt. when I graduate in December. Rent isn't too high on this one, so that's why I like sticking around here while I'm still in school.

I really like my work. I liked the homecare service too (was there for 4 years) but it was such a lonely job. You'd be driving around alone in your car all day, just going to clients homes.
I like being stationed in one place. If you're alone, it's just for 2 or one hour. You have someone to chat with, and ask in case you need help. I've been there since February now, and I think I've gotten into it really well. Atleast everyone tells me that as well. I get along well with the "tenants", there's 8 of them. The only thing I don't like is when I start at 2 pm, because then I have to cook dinner by myself, and pleasing 7 people isn't easy. (One of them doesn't eat food, she has a feeding tube straight into her stomach (I don't know a better word for it in English))

I'll be working 75% all summer, and I'm happy with that. The money is needed.

My first attempt at this...

I've been thinking about creating a blog for the longest time, but couldn't decide on where. This past weekend they launched a specific blog for Finnish Swedes, and I was thinking about it...But then realized that nobody I know would be able to read it since it would all be in Swedish... Liz has hers on here, and I figured I'd try it out and see how it goes...

I have three days of school left. I've gotten so tired of school, papers and crap these past 2 months, so it'll be great to get an end to it. I'll of course be working all summer but I don't mind that at all. I really like my job, it's gone so well there lately, I get along great with the staff and the clients. I have a pretty good salary too for this line of work, so that's of course a bonus.

I'm so broke right now it's painful... It's embarrassing when mom calls and asks if I need her to send me money. I really want to make it on my own , and I haven't accepted help from her in the longest time, but I did take 40 euros from her on Monday when she offered...40 e might not sound like much, but it is to me.

I get 343 e/month from FPA (for being a student+help with rent). And I know I should be thankful that we have it so good here in Finland... But I used to get more money. They lowered it since Jim moved in with me. He's expected to pay for half the rent, even though he has no income. Try figuring that one out. ...My old amount used to atleast cover the rent...But now it doesn't.

Rent is 387 e/month. Add in electricity, phonebills, internet costs, food costs... You know how it is... And I can't work that much because I have school, and I'm not needed at work every weekend anyway. Or then again some weeks I'm in school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then work Thursday, Friday , Saturday and Sunday . And then another school week...and work Thursday->Sunday.... It wears me out, but what can I do when I really need the money?...

So I'm glad school is ending and I can focus on work. Of course I won't get money from Kela over the summer (since I'm not studying...) so I'll pay rent myself, and most of my salary will go towards that.

Wow. This was a whiny blog. :P I'll try to write something that's more cheerful next time.

Sanna