Soil sampling, Boulder hunting and lots of alcohol.

Welcome to Liam '2.0' and the obscure ramblings of a person with frankly too much time on his hands. 

Today, fellow countrymen, I embark on a journey into the unknown! Well, not quite unknown. I know exactly what I am going to be doing. I know where im going to do it, and I even who im doing it with. But apart from the multitude of things I do know, I am going into the unknown. 

Image 1- Subject: Me, Location: University, Reason: Unknown.

I managed to get a job. 

Image 2- Subject: Business, Location: Business, Reason: Business.

That's right folks I am now gainfully employed as a geologist. 

My journey to this point can be summed up really in numbers: 9 years, 2 masters degrees, 2 other jobs, 2 counties,1 house and more red bull than a farm that combines both: cow rearing and recreational bull painting in "strictly one colour".

I finally have the dream job of every fledgling geologist: 

I am (As Howard shows below)an exploration geologist. 

                                  Image 3- Subject: Howard Davies (Unknown), Location: Yes, Reason: Exploration.

I have as before looked over the side of the nest, stretched my wings and swan-dived (Dove, Driven....) into this maiden flight of geology exploration.

But Hey! This time, for money!

I have in essence jumped once again from the nest. Cut the apron strings. Flipped the table. And many other leaving similes and verse. I now feel the breeze of destiny lifting me up towards my new career. This optimism, I feel, will (of course) be short lived. I have been here before, and I know through experience that, like every dream coming to fruition, reality is just waiting just around the next corner to smash me in the face with healthy dose of fear and disappointment, but for now, let me just savour this moment. 

                        Image 4- Subject: Life, Location: Reality, Reason: An exploration into the human condition.

Any even remotely interested person of my life knows this is not my first job as a geologist. However this job is different in two major aspects:

1) It is purely fieldwork

2) It is with a mining company 

This is quite an important distinction, especially for me. As you may, or may not know. I have been trying to make my way gainfully in the lad of Finn. Suomi: the land of a thousand lakes, and the midnight sun, the home of santa, snow, Cabin and Sauna. And to make matters harder I am trying to forge a career in geology. So to finally land a job here in Finland, doing what I have spent years trying to do is something I feel quite proud of. To do this and get one with a small mining company doing raw exploration (in a relatively old mine) to 'get into the grass routes' as it were is something I have only dreamed about. Behind my harsh exterior and calculated sarcasm I am actually quite excited about this opportunity.

                         Image 5- Subject: Frank, Location: MURCA!, Reason: 'Making it' (apparently).

However, "making it" here in Finland is especially difficult with:

a) the language barrier and 

b) the frankly disturbing difficulty to get any sort of work. 

Last year was especially difficult watching my friends head off for work while I wandered away abroad to find some internship. To not be doing what I wanted was particularly hard. But with (what Holger said): A bit of good luck and perseverance I managed this year to get a spot in a company that involves wandering around a mosquito infested swamp looking at rocks. And I cant wait.

To sum up the last few years I will tell you a story: I begin this story, as in any story. At the beginning: After finding my last job was nothing short of a nightmare I left in order to find newer and greener pastures. I fled from the crumbing palace of Edinburgh stealing into the night, hunted and alone. I traveled for a long time! Nursing my grief and my wounds. I rode with wolves, hunted along the night wall, rode the dusty wastes on the trade routes, haggling and begging for rides. I ate with sultans and dined with beggars and orphans. I rode with the great sea beasts and fought with street dogs. That is, until I left Stanstead airport and headed to my next great adventure here in Finland to begin a second masters degree. 

After a year of study in which I drank and swam and adventured and became a local I found myself sprinting headlong into the summer of 2016 with absolutely nothing to do. So, of course. I went to Denmark.

                             Image 6- Subject: Big Ol' Worm, Location: Dune , Reason: 'Liam': a Personal Story.

I completed a internship with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GUS) whereby completing my contractual agreement with myself that I was doing something worthwhile with my life. But, like most things it wasn't quite fulfilling or quite what I wanted to do. While being interesting and tasking fieldwork is where my heart lies. Anyone who read: 

Liam and Jonny's Excellent Adventures

( http://l-cfc.blogspot.fi/ )

knows my feelings on being abroad, in the field, and doing stuff like this. 

So here I am a summer later, sat on a train, using the free internet using the government subsidised free schooling and the state of the art, on time, cheep nationalised rail service. Swiftly heading the mosquito filled hellhole of the greenstone belt in Sodankylä. I have a feeling it will be  a damn sure will be nicer than any Trump lead, Tory fear mongering NHS selling... wait is this getting political.  

Lets take a break,

And this time, its serious. This time its in the field, looking at rocks. This time im doing job properly. Im working in a town called: Sodankylä which is north, very north. It is so north it is above (So the Finns will have believe) even Santa. So Let us look at the map below to assess this statement:

                                          Map 1- Subject: Sodankylä , Location: Finland , Reason: North.

Do you see that blue dot, that is me, right now, writing to you, winding my way to the north. 9:40 in the morning with a balmy 4 Degrees and a sun that is shining overhead. There are no clouds in the sky and a woman is snoring behind me. I feel a subtle trepidation but also excitement as I find the distance between me and the new start eaten away. I actually like you (probably) have no idea of the place im going so like any scientist, lets look at some statistics of the place I am going to be living:

                              Image 7- Subject: Sodankylä, Location: internet , Reason: Fear of the unknown.

Im going to be living in a place that is old, I will be in the horrifying minority of 'other' nationalities, and using a language bearly 3% can speak (maybe) I will be in the majority of males and nicely sitting in the lower end of the age range. Thank god im still young... ish. 

My employer patrons are the Canadian company rupert resources and they have asked me for my services to find them some gold. YES thats right folks im now LITERALLY a gold miner. I will be tromping through the Finnish north in search of that most overrated metal... gold.

                                Image 7- Subject: Rupert, Location: The netherelm , Reason: Correct hiring procedure.

My journey specifically to this place began while writing my masters thesis. After resigning myself to a summer of panic and self loathing I, like so many others, received that etherial call from the void. One of the kindly gods had looked down upon me and found me worthy. A short phone-call asking my availability, a little dance around the geology break room and stuttered replies of the affirmative nature including: 'Yes I do want a job' and 'Can I start immediately' led me to the beginning of the job a month later. Thus here I am, on the train and eagerly awaiting the beginning of the new adventure. So hang on to your hats ladies and gentlemen 

we're     

                       going        

                                      in                                                                              hot.

Come back next time when Ill take you through what i'm upto, and something about gold...