Week 21 + 1 29/05/11 onwards

It is strange how much I couldn’t remember about Northern Ireland when I thought about it Finland, now that I’m home it seems like I never left.  My and I were discussing the Isle of Man TT as soon as he picked me up from the bus depot.  The 21 weeks went so fast that it seems like only yesterday he dropped me off.  Riding in a car as a passenger does seem very strange after walking or getting the bus and driving is even stranger, especially when the drivers here are so bad compared to in Finland or maybe I should say the drivers in Finland are more considerate.  I also find it strange that everyone is speaking English and I knew most people who spoke English in Turku so I keep hearing bits on the language and looking to see if I know them.  There is a huge difference in the way people talk, back in Finland it was very quite on the streets and in stores however here it is almost the opposite with people talking all the time and very very quickly making it even more difficult to pick up what people are saying when we are speaking.  Having missed five months of life in Northern Ireland it is difficult to follow and conversations about current affairs or about what my friends did in April.  It’s a bizarre situation so not only am I telling my stories of life in Finland but they are telling me the goings on of Belfast or university or whatever they have been up to, it is very exciting hearing what others have been getting up to.  The returning week has been mostly meeting up with the friends and family I haven’t seen since Christmas and getting back into the habit of watching motorcycle racing.  It is strange watching television after not having one for so long and seeing the different adverts and shows.  But I think that I did not miss much when I went without a TV.  One think I did miss a lot when I was in Finland was my guitars and after five months of not playing my fingers need to be rebuilt to a standard to play again.  Nonetheless I it is super being back in Belfast with my family and now the next thing to do is to visit all the international friends I have made.