NORMAL LIFE: Penniless In Tampere & Return of the Expelled

It was time for another visit to Tampere to catch up with my friends. As I drove northwards along the E3, passing the towns of Hyvinkää, Rihimäki and Hämenlinna, I marvelled at the autumn colours of the trees which ran for kilometres along the motorway; in one hand, the colours were very calming, but in another, it was a warning of what was coming - a cold, dark winter.

I arrived just after noon, parking behind Sokos, not far from Laukontori ("Fire Square"). Over a light salad, Blue and I were catching up, giggling like we always do. I told Blue of my plans to go to Australia which was greeted with something like: "Now I have a reason to go to Australia again", which was very similar to what Zach had said the night before in the Töölöhalli brand of restaurant chain, Chicos. What great friends, I thought. Here I am revealing something could potentially keep us apart and such news was being gladly received as an opportunity rather than bad news. Blue had news too: she was off to New York for five days to 'wander the streets of Manhattan to soak up the atmosphere'. Jealous, jealous, jealous!

When we finished eating, we headed to Pyynikki (read about this place here) where we drank black coffee and freshly prepared, stilll-hot donuts. We spoke about my proposed year in Australia and I shared my worries and concerns. "Will you and Bree still be together when you return?" she asked. This was the one question I had been avoiding because I had asked Bree the same question, albeit it in a similar fashion i.e. "What if I like Australia so much that I don't want to come back?" to which Bree responded: "We will cross that bridge if we need to." It was a funny comment because, true to his word, he doesn't want to influence on what is the fulfilment of my one and only dream. I fear that I came across somewhat defensive when Blue asked me that question, but it is a question I am going to be asked and, yes, I feel guilty for leaving Bree behind.

When Blue and I parted, sadness engulfed me. The same fears swept over me about Australia e.g. will I be lonely there? Will Bree and I be okay being so far apart for most of a year, until he comes to visit? Will I even like it there? So many unanswered questions - I simply hate not knowing what lies ahead and, once again, I had move the goal posts which had bought forth all these questions for which there were no concrete answers.

I made my way to Mr. Finland's place. I had visited a few weeks earlier (read here) and we had had such a great time, drunk on the dancefloor of Tampere's newest - and emptiest - gay venue! This time round, however, we were less intoxicated, downing a meal with two bottles of wine and some ciders. We ate the desert on the balcony, which has been heated up by the assortment of candles which had been lit earlier in the evening. High in the sky, a three quater moon made it's way across the sky, hidden now and then by the fast moving clouds. We spoke of our love for travelling, of family and friends and it was nice to talk, my voice - and the stress from work - softened by the alcohol coursing through my body. Contrary to the plans we had made, we didn't head into town. Instead, we played some board games and then went to bed - it just after 1am and I was, I have to admit, knackerred.

When I woke up the next morning, it was early. I looked at the clock at it was just 8.30am. I dozed for a while, but it wasn't long before I heard Mr. Finland clattering about in the kitchen, putting together the breakfast things. We had a long breakfast before driving into town - on this particular Sunday, all the shops were open in aid of Tampere Day. We visited Stockmann's, stopped for coffee at the Coffee House in Keskustori, before walking around the underwear department at Sokos. Later, as a light drizzle began to fall from the grey sky, we found ourselves wondering through the annual Fish Market that had been set up in Laukontori; the smell of fish being fried hung over the area like a thick fog and it wasn't until we reached Koskikeskus that our nostrils were able to clear.

After a wander around the shops in Koskikeskus, we made our way back to the car, which we had left near the outdoor, dull and ageing concrete stadium. Back at Mr. Finland's place, we drank tea while I showed him some photos I had bought with me. It was nearing the time that I would have to leave - I had a date with Bree at Mäkelanrinne swimming pool in Helsinki. We said our goodbyes and, once again, the red, yellows and browns of the trees greeted me as a I passed by on the E3.

Two hours later, back in Helsinki, Bree and I were at the pool, doing our usual Sunday evening swim; it unerved us that one guy who was supposedly barred from the pool was making his way into the sauna to do what he did best (read here) - he proceed to poor a whole pail of water onto the hot stones of the sauna stove, forcing people out of the sauna. Bree reported him to the lifeguards and, again, the guy was warned. The guy retorted: "All the gays want me our of here!" I was amazed that the guy was so ignorant that he thought it was right that people should suffer minor burns (perhaps that's how his own skin is in such bad condition) just so get can get what I can only describe as a skin-burning fix! Weirdo!

The weekend came to an end as quickly as it had begun. Now, it's Monday morning, the first day of October. I am working from home today and, outside my bedroom window I can see a low-hanging grey sky letting a load of rain shower down to the earth. What a depressing start to the week, but the great lesson one can learn in life is that life can't be as great as visiting your best friends all the time.