Moving is a bitch. Moving from Helsinki, Finland to Lille, France with virtually no budget is quite something else. After going though all the options, from travelling by train, car, bus or plane, and sending my stuff by post, as air freight or via a moving company I finally settled on flying. I fly on Wednesday and my stuff will fly on Thursday.

I’ve been fantasizing about a laptop. I could have a slim case housing a powerful machine of a couple of kilos.
Instead I have two refugee bags, one for the immense tower model computer case and the other for my monster of a monitor. The refugee bags are reinforced with cardboard and tape, and padded with bed clothes. Together they weight in excess of 60 kilos. For a moment I even entertained the idea of taking the computer case to the plane as hand luggage.
I’ve also been emptying my apartment, brokering all of my earthly possessions to my friends for safekeeping until I return. One got three book cases worth of novels and comics. Today went the CDs, all 1000+ of them. Thankfully, I don’t have to empty the apartment completely, since a Russian circus girl called Yulia is coming to live in it for the Hurjaruuth Winter Circus season. She’ll need the furniture.
In Lille, I have a room in a communal apartment waiting for me. The first thing I get to do in Lille is negotiating my rental agreement. I hope the fact I haven’t slept almost at all the last night won’t affect my judgement. Of course, the room I’m going to get (hopefully) is bare of all furniture. I borrowed an inflatable mattress of the highest quality from a friend. Luxury!