Latolankatu 9. Home.

For the next nine months, I will be living in an apartment on Latolankatu, about 5km from city center.  In Finnish, "lato" means barn and "katu" means street; I haven't figure out what "lan" means yet.  So, for now, you can think of me as living on "Barn Street."  I'll update this translation if I learn otherwise in my Finnish class.

When I first walked into my room, the white walls and simple furniture looked a bit stark.  However, with the help of some pictures and a few purchases from the secondhand shop, things are starting to look more like home.  You can see for yourself:

The view from my window looks out into a forest of tall pines mixed with a few birch. The sun rises in my window, and sets in the kitchen. Small red squirrels enjoy chasing each other up the trees, and a few quiet birds also call Latolankatu home. It's quite lovely.

I have two flatmates in my apartment.  Maria is Finnish, and studies forestry (a popular degree at the University of Eastern Finland).  Jana is Czech, and studies English and History.  Both flatmates are very nice, and are introducing me to all sorts of new things.