The Englishman and I spent the week in August 1982 playing happy families. We stayed in every night, cooked together, and smiled into each other's eyes. In the mornings I went to work at the bank, and the Englishman went shopping for food. He told me the women at the meat counter laughed at him when … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 21
The same Sunday night in late June 1982 I'd said my tearless goodbye to the Englishman I started to be sick. When two days later I still couldn't keep a glass of boiled cooled water inside me, I phoned the student health service in Töölö, in the centre of Helsinki. They told me to come and see them … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 18
When the Englishman left after his week long visit to see me in Helsinki in February 1982, I was heart broken, but didn't cry. Clutching the red rose he’d again bought me at the airport I sat in the posh Finnair bus on my way back my father’s place in Espoo, full of determination to do well in my … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 14
My sister told me a company called Fritidsresor organised chartered trips from Sweden to London. A week in a cheap hotel cost half of a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Heathrow. Especially if I travelled by ferry to Stockholm.In late December 1981, the Englishman had never been to Stansted. When I … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 12
The smart new ferry smelled of carpet freshener and paint. A large bellied man in uniform greeted the passengers with a smile at the end of a long ramp. ‘Welcome on board, Miss.’ My arm ached from carrying the suitcase and I barely managed a grimace in return. To my relief the luggage store was … [Read more...]