Parliament House in Helsinki.
Today was the day when I took my pile of papers and went to Helsinki to apply for my student visa. "Finland to Russia Visa Application Service Centre" run by VFS Global (as the official name goes) was not that far away from Helsinki Central railway station but I still got lost at first.
... Honestly.
(Credits to Google for the screenshot!)
(Credits to Google for the screenshot!)
There are rumours about Russian officers who are... Not quite nice. My first impression is against this statement, because the officers in the Centre were really kind. I was only stressing about my insurance certificate whether the young customer servant accepts it, because it is just a template from my school where I had written my name by hand (as I was told to do at my school). Well, she did not, but she said that I could call and ask for a new certificate. The officer in my school's insurance company wrote my name on computer to the certificate, signed the paper and sent it by e-mail to the officer in the Visa Application Centre. Yes, that was not complicated at all! I feel so blessed that I did not do this trip for nothing. :) I paid 60 euros for the application itself, plus additional 10 euros for receiving the visa by post. The visa handling takes about a week, so by the end of this month I will have my 3-month student visa~! ^_^
I have not travelled too much by train, but I love it! Trains are smooth and fast, and my mind actually rests in trains. On my way back to Lahti, I started to think of my 12-hour-train trip to Moscow that would take place in less than two months. I will find out later what it would feel like.
Helsinki Central railway station.
Some notes-to-self inspired by my trip roday
1) Never run in your new shoes when you really need to walk. x_x
2) Buy proper walking shoes before leaving Finland.
3) I can buy rest of missing pieces of my luggage in Moscow. I have one weekend time for shopping before my school starts anyway.
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