The Apartment Search

We woke up Thursday morning thinking, "Wow, can you believe we actually live here now?" Part of the reason it seems hard to grasp is that we're staying in a hotel. So it still seems like we're on vacation. Therefore, the first order of business towards settling into our new life here was to find our own apartment.

Luckily, we had done some research online and enlisted the help of Matt's sisters to check into some places we thought had potential. We had three showings lined up for Thursday (at 10am, 4pm and 7pm).

The funny thing about apartment listings in Finland is that they are a little vague in their description of the number of rooms. For example, in the US, we would list a place as being a two-bedroom or a three-bedroom, whereas here they list places as 3 room or 4 room, etc. That basically means 3 or 4 rooms including the living room. However, it's not uncommon to see an ad for a 3-4 room place, which is what ended up being the case with the three apartments we saw.

The first one was on the fifth floor of an old but attractive building. We couldn't get the stroller into the tiny elevator so we had to leave it on the ground floor and just carry Leila in the car seat. Matt, Leila and I barely fit in the elevator together, and the apartment owner took the stairs.

There were two large rooms side-by-side, one with an old ceramic stove originally used for heating. That one made sense as the living room, and the adjacent one was billed as a bedroom, which we'd need as a guest room/office. The other room intended as a bedroom was much smaller but sufficient to accommodate a queen-size bed. The remaining room (besides the kitchen) was a tiny one in the middle (about 7x11 feet) that was lined with cupboards. It was last used as a big storage room, but the landlord said that a family with a small child had previously used it as the child's room. It would fit a crib for sure, but it seemed like you'd be sticking your kid in a dark closet. (There was a little window into the living room but no window to the outside...)

So the apartment was workable but not optimal in terms of how the space was laid out. Plus, the elevator would be a constant pain when trying to bring in a baby and carrying anything else at the same time.

The next neighborhood was very diverse with all kinds of shops and restaurants and even an apparently famous gay bar called "DTM" (Don't Tell Momma). One portion of the street was pedestrian only and was full of people sitting in outdoor cafes and restaurants. This section remains lively well into the evening so having an apartment above could be pretty noisy. However, the one we went to see was on the other section of the street where, although people might be walking by, they wouldn't be lingering right outside one's door.

We were told to meet the rental agent outside at 4. Helena (Matt's sister) and Veronika (our niece) met us there to help compare this apartment with the ones they had looked at for us before we got to Finland. In addition, several other groups, mainly couples, had also come to see the apartment.

This building also had a small elevator, but at least this time I could fit into it with the stroller. However, it was still tricky due to the old style gate that has to be closed before the elevator will operate. It's tough to open and close that while maneuvering the stroller...

Again, the space was oddly distributed but workable. Helena and Veronika said it was more spacious than the ones they had looked at for us previously. However, nearly all the other people at the showing were furiously completing rental applications so there was a lot of competition. Since we weren't completely sold on the place and still had one more showing to go to, we decided not to put in an application.

Oh, a note on rental applications here. If you complete one and are accepted as the renter, your application becomes binding, and you MUST rent the apartment. If you change your mind and want to back out, you can be charged a fee of one month's rent! (With the size and cost of the apartments we were looking at, that would be a hefty fee.) Therefore, you'd better be pretty sure about the apartment and basically cannot put in an application at another location until you've heard back from the first one.

Since the last showing happened to be on the same street, we decided to hang around the neighborhood with Helena and Veronika until our 7pm appointment time. We went to an early and very leisurely dinner at a restaurant called Kynsilaukka ("Garlic"). It was a quirky looking place, but the food was good and full of - you guessed it - garlic.

The last showing was at an apartment building at the very end of the street next to a park. The apartment was on the seventh floor on the side of the building away from the street and facing the park itself. The elevator was fairly modern and managed to fit me, the stroller and Helena and Veronika all at the same time, which was a good sign!

There was lots of light in this apartment, and the layout was a bit more practical. Off a long hallway, there were two standard bedrooms and a half bath at one end. In the middle was the full bathroom (including a sauna and hookups for a washer and dryer), and the kitchen and a sort of half size room that could be closed off by an accordian door. We figured it would make a good office since it was attached to the general living space but could still be made somewhat private, if necessary. At the far end was a large living room/dining room that opened onto a balcony. The balcony was glassed in, but the glass could be opened during good weather. In addition to the view of and access to the park, the building has a swimming pool, communal sauna, laundry room and drying room, storage for bicycles and skiis, a cold storage room and even a storm cellar!

We decided to go ahead and fill out an application for this one. It seemed like the best value for the money and is in a convenient, central location. There's a tram stop nearby, but one can easily walk to the center of town. So we ended our day feeling satisfied and relieved that we had found a potential home for ourselves!

P.S.- We got the call on Friday morning that we got the apartment! So we're going into the rental agency office on Monday to sign the lease and pick up the keys. If all goes well, we'll have a real home next week and can get settled in before Matt starts work on August 4th. I'll send out our address once it's official...

P.S.- Jenkki in Helsinki

I guess I should take a moment to explain the blog name... "Jenkki" is the Finnish word for "Yankee," or American. There's even a chewing gum that is called Jenkki because it's supposedly American style. Since it almost rhymes with Helsinki, it seemed fitting as part of my blog's title.

The move to Helsinki

So, I'm getting started on my documentation of the move a little late. However, I think it's excusable given the amount of work we had to do to get here and the fact that we have a six-week-old baby, which limits one's Internet time as well as focus...

Anyhoo, after a harrowing day of clearing out the remainder of our State College apartment (which we left an hour behind schedule), driving madly from PA to Linden, New Jersey to drop off my car at the auto shippers, and hiring a car service to take us, baby Leila, and our FIVE suitcases, FIVE carry-ons/personal items, a car seat and stroller base to JFK, we managed to check in for our flight on time. Whew. 

We also had brought all the remaining food and drinks from our fridge because we couldn't bear to throw everything out. So, after completing check-in and ridding ourselves of the suitcases, we sat on a bench in the terminal to eat and drink all we could of what we brought. We still had to throw some away, but we managed to take a few items with us as snacks for the plane. Because of the stupid ruling about liquids on flights and our reluctance to throw anything away, we decided to give the unopened bottles of water to the people sitting next to us and the airport staff. They were surprised but grateful (especially the ones who got a full liter bottle of San Pellegrino)!

Getting through security was a breeze, especially because we were able to use the "family line." It allowed us to take all the time we needed and not piss off the people behind us, as they were all in the same boat. Boy, is it ever complex when you have a baby. You actually have to carry the baby through the metal detectors since you have to put the stroller and all the gear through the x-ray machine. 

(Photo: See Leila on her way to the gate at JFK!)

Once we boarded the plane, we were thankful for the fact that we got Leila her own seat. The flight was full, and it was nice to have the row to ourselves for our family (and all those carry-ons and personal items). Also, it meant we could leave her in the car seat so she had a place to sleep during the trip. Lucky for us, she managed to sleep most of the way, except for diaper changes and feedings. That meant that I got to sleep some, too, and we didn't have a screaming baby to annoy our neighboring passengers! She even managed to sleep through the descent, which is better than we expected. Many of the other kids on board were screaming bloody murder at that point...

Once we arrived in Finland and collected all our luggage, we went outside the terminal to look for a taxi that would be big enough to haul all our stuff. After securing a station wagon taxi, we were on our way to Matt's sister Helena's place, where we camped out until we could check into our hotel. Matt's other sister, Paula, also met us there. I had a much needed shower, and Helena made a great brunch for all of us. Then the aunts and cousin Veronika took the remainder of the time to get to know Leila. 

The most exciting part of the interaction with her aunts and cousin was that Leila actually smiled several times! Matt and I thought that we had gotten an intentional smile out of Leila the day before, but we were unsure whether it was just a fluke. After this exchange with the aunts, we decided that she truly is learning to smile on her own. Hooray! We've been waiting for this so we could get some feedback from Leila besides crying. So it seems that maybe Leila likes it here in Finland!

Our apartment hotel is in a nice neighborhood, and the room is small but cozy. It's nice to have a kitchenette and access to a laundry, especially with a newborn. So after settling in, we went out to explore the surrounding area. We stocked up on food at the neighborhood grocery store, walked along the harbor and then had dinner at a posh hotel (The Grand Marina) restaurant. All in all, it was a great first day in our new home!!