here

I have arrived in what is to be my home for the next six weeks. I am still in a state of mild disbelief that I made every one of my travel connections. After touch-down in Helsinki, my progression was a wearying series of staircases with sixty-five pounds of luggage in tow. There were gradually fewer passengers on each leg of my route, and only two people were present on Intercity Train 173 to hear my two hours of coughing from excessive inhalation of frigid air. The last bus of the day was an hour's ride, and I was the only passenger for the last forty minutes. Dry snow swept in tendrils across the black motorway that stretched before us. I felt my head nod, and every time I jerked back to consciousness, I hallucinated for a second: that reflection in the window was someone else on the bus, or the driver was not watching the road but was looking right at me, asking me questions in Finnish that I could not understand. Then pieces of reality settled into place again. I managed to force my eyes to stay open when I started seeing road signs emblazoned: ALAJÄRVI.

Suddenly I recognized things from Google maps, and the next moment the driver was off-loading my luggage for me. I said kiitos three times and watched him drive away. My contact was there to meet me, and asked about my journey as we covered the last half mile by car. My residence is a summer house with cold rooms and warm rooms, a big studio full of easels and light, and an adjoining studio with alcoves and plinths scattered about. The kitchen has dishes to feed an army, so many small teacups I think they must be used for public shows at the affiliate Nelimarkka Museum down the road. It was almost midnight when I finally convinced my body that sleep was a good idea.

Plinths in the adjunct studio

The next day, after botched oatmeal and a shower with impressive water pressure, I walked over to the museum. My contact drove me to the city centre, where I did some food shopping and saw the place. Alajärvi is bigger than the internet led me to believe. There are clothing shops, an indoor flea market, two large grocery stores, a library, accommodations, swimming and sauna facilities, town hall and several buildings designed by the architect Alvar Aalto. I could compare it in size to my home town, but in charm, Alajärvi wins handily.

My bicycle

After shopping, I returned to the museum, where I was given a bicycle. I rode it back to the house, a ride which was the coldest experience I have had here so far. Back inside, I jumped under two duvets to get warm again. It was about 15:30, which meant sunset. My stomach was not yet attuned to Finland, so I was not hungry until almost 21:00. I made couscous and beans, promising myself to eat real food on Friday.

Sunset, 15:30