It was a windy, rainy day. There were many people waiting for the bus with me. It was also cold and I wondered how I was supposed to survive the winter, if it was barely the beginning of fall. The bus stopped right in front of me, “my lucky day” I thought.
As soon as I stepped in, I felt the warmth and with renewed confidence, I placed my Föli card in front of the card reader, and instead of making the normal sound, a huge “X” appeared on the screen.
Did you hear that terrible sound? It was me, forgetting to pay the monthly bus fee.
Long story short: I had to open my bag, look for my wallet and find a few coins. The people kept waiting in line, outside in the freezing rain (if you were there that day and you’re reading this, I’M SORRY).
Between my dramatic Mexican being and the social Finnish standards, I bet I ruined the life of more than one person that day, and of course I thought it was the most socially awkward situation to put myself in, on a Monday morning.
So today, I’ll give you a list of things to remember, and even though it might sound obvious, some of us still need a friendly reminder.
Föli card.
Of course the number one is to remember to pay the bus. I know many people that use the bike or decide to walk, but if you -like me- live not-so-close to the center and your best option is the bus, just note in your calendar the next payment date.
You could either go to the office, located in Aurakatu 5, 20100 Turku, or make the payment online, just go to https://www.foli.fi/en/products-prices/sales-and-service-points select “online loading” and follow the instructions.
It’s very easy, shouldn’t take you more than a couple minutes and it will prevent you from ruining someone else’s life.
Phone.
We all need google maps, or to check the time the bus is coming. If you are exchange or international student, then you’ll definitely need to chat with your friends and family back home, or to post about the crazy weather on instagram, or to create one more group chat on facebook for that group assignment, so go ahead and make a big note on your calendar.
Please, don’t forget to pay your phone.
Rent.
Once, I made this very smart thing to withdraw all the money from my bank account, one day before I had to pay the rent!! When I realized that it was not posible to include in my top 10 of best decisions, I wanted to go the very next day to make a deposit, but guess what?? it was a holiday and the bank was closed -of course-.
When I was finally able to go to the bank, the lady asked me “where did you get the money from?” and I had to give all the silly explanation. She laughed a little and I can’t blame her: I would’ve definitely laughed more if I was in her position.
Keys.
We all know someone who has been locked out for hours, and even though TYS has a service for the very specific purpose of opening the door to people like me or my friends, some of us find it easier to just wait for our roommates or to go to our friend’s house. At the end, it’s a good excuse to hang out with people, and a good story to tell, but that moment when you feel your empty pockets and think about the very exact place where you left your keys, is simply not nice.
So there it is, a very basic list of things to keep your life together. As long as you have this covered, you’ll be more than fine.
