Arriving in Espoo which will be home for the next 4 months was a good change and a base to off load excess baggage that was brought along. Leppävaara is on the brink of the city limits and surrounded by hilly, rocky pine forests. It is a 30min bus ride into Helsinki or 15min by train… I have estimated a 25min bike ride to the heart. Leppävaara is a buzz with its new shopping complex & soon to be indoor pool, a very suburban feel. You could look at it like it as a bit out of the way from the city life but it is only 15min to uni in Otaniemi & the surrounding forests are a good change from the fast lifestyle of Melbourne.
Milja’s relatives who not only put us up, but also drove us around to buy furniture and donated the rest. One thing that has been a drain on the stay and cash supply has been buying furniture as HOAS (student housing body) do not supply anything but a bare shell. This would be one problem I would advise all future International exchange students to Finland. If you have someone who has a car in Helsinki the costs are manageable, but if you do not the cost will be greatly increased. The second hand stores are usually in out of the way locations, finding a decent bed to match your budget is a challenge.
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