skip to main |
skip to sidebar
First working week behind and actually I have to say that I really like it. My work I mean. On Friday I had my first real business meeting in the head office of Finnair, Sydney. Finnesse was representing The Finnish Tourist Board and our task was to sell Finland as a tourist destination for Australian travelling wholesalers together with Finnair. There were 11 representatives from different travel agencies participating the meeting and everything went absolutely great. The sales manager of Finnair, Sydney was introducing the new options to travel from Australia to exotic Finland and giving the latest information concerning the flights. Our task was to make Finland look as attractive place as possible to visit and convince the wholesaler to take Finland as a part of their selling product. I was responsible for preparing the power point and making all the tricky graphs ;) Thank God I knew how to do it! After work I went to check out two apartments which were located in North Sydney. In the first apartment lived a couple, a German guy and an Asian girl. The apartment wasn’t that great, but the guy was extremely friendly. He even came to pick me up from his car and after took me all the way to Manly where the other apartment was located. Oh, and he showed we the Balmore beach… well it was really dark, so I hardly saw anything, but still it was nice thing to do! The apartment in Manly was horrible. It was like a house for homeless people, no furniture, rotten smell, the people who lived there were strange and the most ridiculous thing was that the girl who was renting the room moved herself into the walk-in clothes closet which was connected to the room I was supposed to live. So basically every time she wishes to enter or exit her “room” she is going to do it via my room!!! So much for that privacy! Oh and the room was unfurnished, well there was a broken rotten desk…After that I felt like crap. Should I just spend 11 months in that kind of shi* whole??? No way! That night I felt really home sick and was missing my own bed more than ever. The only positive thing from that situation was that on my way home I met this nice English girl, who was actually checking out the same rotten room. I started to talk with her and we ended up having a drink and moaning our sad situation. Well at least I made a new friend, Samantha.
The next morning (Saturday) I was supposed to meet my Finnish friend Minka and see together some apartments, but unfortunately she was feeling really sick after a food poisoning, so I had to go alone. I only had one settled meeting in Neutral Bay. That is one of the nicest and most expensive areas in North Sydney. I had quite high expectations from the apartment, because there was living this middle aged lady. And for my luck my instincts were right for once. The apartment and the views were breathtaking. You will experience the same as me when you see the pictures. The woman, Julianne was extremely nice and friendly and from the first minute I knew this was it. My new home! The apartment was located on the slope of Neutral Bay and from the living room and from my room you could see the city, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the see. In my room I would have my queen-sized bed, TV, own entrance to the back yard and amazing views, own renovated bathroom, cleaner that comes once a week. It was too good to be true. Julianne’s sister has 3 kids around my age and one of them just married with a famous cricket player, who is kinda celebrity in Australia. Can’t wait to meet them and get into the games!!! The whole family seemed really nice and because she hasn’t got kids of her own, that is probably the reason she wants to have some young person living with her. Well I am more that glad to be her foster daughter the next 11 months ;) I will move in the coming Saturday!
After leaving Julianne's house on my way to see Minka I started to chat with this Australian man in his sixties. He was really nice and interested in my background, why I was in Sydney etc. Eventually he was offering me his timeshare apartment located in Cold Coast, because I told him that I am heading to Queens Land after I finish my internship here in Sydney. He gave me his number and told me to call if I just needed anything or was in a trouble. So strange, the people here, so nice and helpful!Finally I ended up to Kings Cross and met Minka. We rented a movie and took pizza from the pizzeria downstairs her flat. Tomorrow the weather should be great and we will go to check out the markets and do a little sightseeing! Miss you all very much, kiss, kus and pusu <3
Today I started officially my 11 months long internship in the company called Finnesse, Communications, Marketing and PR. As the name already says, it basic functions are in those three fields. Tonight I woke up again 4am and after that I barely could get any sleep. I think Im still suffering from the time difference (which is by the way +8 hours from Holland and +7 hours from Finland). My working hours are from 9am till 5.30pm, including 1 hour lunch break. This morning was also the first time I used public transportation in Sydney. It went ok and I hopped in the right train on the first try =) North Sydney is only 7 minutes with a train from the Central Station, other side the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I felt myself really business like with my adult clothes and everything went great before I almost fell down because of my high heels while rushing across the North Sydney Station. The rest of the trip I took easier and minded my steps… “highheelers” are just not my cup of tea!The office was tinier than I expected and at the moment there is working only 3 people including me, Satu, my boss and 27 years old German girl called Joanna. She is working only 2 days a week, so she is kinda part-time intern. She seemed really nice, too bad that she only works so rarely.Satu is ok, first she seemed to be a little intense, but by the end of the day we got along good. I already was happy about the fact that she really gives me responsible work already from the beginning. Basically the daily work is answering customer calls, e-mails and other requests. Update the media follow-ups related to the customers, planning upcoming projects and some other related things. I will be having my first real business meeting already this coming Friday, when Finnesse is giving presentation for its travel industry clients… really exciting!The day went really quickly and I ate again sushi for lunch. Soon I will probably transform into a fish myself =) But it is just soooooooooooo good! The weather was crap, rainy and cold. The rest of the day I tried to find a room for me from the city. No more hostel-life for me, please!Hyvää Jussia kaikille!!! And the biggest and the furthest congratulations to my lovely dad who is turning today respectfully 70, but still looks not a day older than 50 ;)
Here I am, finally after 21 hours of flying. The trip was tiring, but it was definitely worth it. Sunday morning was quite hard for me because I had to say goodbye to some very special people who Im going to miss so much in these 14 months. Even though Im usually good in keeping my emotions inside, this time it all came out. I want to thank my Dutch family for taking me to the airport; it meant a world to me!
My first stop was in Hong Kong, after 11 hours. The airport is massive and ideal for shopping. Even though I was tired as hell, I still had some energy to run into every Gucci, Channel, D&G and Dior store….heheh! The city, Hong Kong looked great from the plane, with all the skyscrapers and beaches. I definitely want to go there for once. From HK there was still a 9 hour fly to my new home town, Sydney. But luckily the trip went fast and I probably slept 7 hours of the flight. The city looked amazing from the plane, especially because the sun had gone down already so it was dark. It looked like millions of diamonds shining. That was the first time when I saw the Sydney opera house live =)
From the airport I got picked up by the owner of the hostel Im staying. He was really nice and helpful and answered all the weird questions I had. The hostel was also really nice and much cosier than I expected. The even gave me a room with own bathroom and toilet without charging anything extra!
I was so excited that I barely could get any sleep. I was just waiting the sun come up so I could hit the city. Eight in the morning I took my first real steps towards the city and I can’t say anything else than WAAAAUUUUU… What a place!!! I can still hardly believe this to be true. Finally in Sydney, After all the misfortune I had with visas and passports!
I went for a tour just by walk, because the hostel is just 10 minutes walk from the centre. The first impression I got was really good. The sun was shining behind the big palm trees as I crossed the Prince Alfred Park. People were smiling to me and wishing Good Morning. I was walking towards the Central Station a latte on my hand and I thought in my mind… I feel like home already. I walked next to the big skyscrapers heading to the harbour and I saw so many great shopping places, sushi bars, all kinds of restaurants that serve healthy food with low fat dishes. I noticed that I have to get used to the left sided traffic and the strange sound of the traffic lights (which sounds like a 
space racket taking off when people can cross the street). The city itself is incredibly beautiful, also because most of it takes place by the sea. I took some sushi for a lunch on my way to Darling Harbour, which is by so far my favourite place. I enjoyed my lunch by the water and it was hard to believe that it was mid winter while I had to take my sweater off. The rest of the day I walked and walked. I met my Finnish friend Minka, who has been living in Sydney already from March with her boyfriend. Im really glad that I have somebody to talk with and show the city, it makes the acclimatization to the environment so much easier. Tomorrow is my first day at work, exciting! My new Aussie number is: +61410137432. Feel free to call =)
If you are reading this blog, you belong to the elite group of my closest friends. Congratulations!!! hehe... just kidding.
This is the official site where you can find out what Im doing, where, when and why. But let's begin!
Today is a special day for me, because I finally got my VISA to Australia approved by the Australian government. JIPPIE! So 16 days left and then I will direct myself to Australia, Sydney. That will be the 18th June, Sunday. I must say that Im a little bit nervous already.
But let's go back few days... to Finland.
I had the greatest 6 six days for a long time and I want to thank you all (the ones who were there) for attending my party on Saturday. The whole night was great, including few boring hours in Kaivo, but the overall night was unforgettable. One of the things I won't forget are the bus we went to Kaivohuone and Mari's shoes! Well done girl! And even though we couldn't have our SingStar sessions in Sami's after party, it was nice!
I will really really miss you all! But remember that you are all more than welcomed to visit me in Sydney, if you have the time and money. And if not, you can follow my journey by reading this blog.
Yours,
Aino
