After one year abroad, reality seemed scary and impossible to reach, but the truth was that after three weeks in Finland I was back in my normal rhythm:) First two weeks were Christmas holiday and of course I had no plans yet so only time to think and miss everyone ;( Slow and boring since I'm not used to do nothing all day long. Everybody were living their normal rhythms and it felt like I was just placed here alone in the middle of the fully functioning puzzle. Of course all my family and friends were there (for which I'm so grateful <3) but still they were living their lives normally and I, on the other hand, was without any obligations or plans. Definitely out of my comfort zone...This however didn't last for long:P In the end of January my school started again and I built up my puzzle fast! In my opinion having something regular, like school or a job with a standard timetable helps a lot to get back to the reality after returning home. Life was fully functioning again and I felt like I was part of the puzzle;)
After school had started I applied straight for an evening & weekend job as it's normal here in Finland. I got a job rather quickly and now I'm working in a clothes shop selling suits and casual clothing for men in my free time. My weeks go by attending school from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm and after I work three days a week from 4 pm to 9 pm. Normally one or two of these days are weekends so I have a few free evenings during the week;) "Money money money... must be funny in a rich man's world":DD Not becoming rich here obviously, but at least it pays the rent and I actually have some money left for other things than only tuna for food:) Yes, welcome to the students' life in Finland;)
In April I moved to Ruskeasuo, Helsinki to stay closer to my school and now I'm actually able to ride my bike everywhere since I also work here in Helsinki:) Feels like Belgium all over again cause I'm able to go by bike to everywhere and I spend a lot of time outside during the day. I absolutely love the moment of fresh air and outdoors when riding my bike.<3 I also get to see the city from a different point of view and believe it or not learn to actually know where I am and how to get everywhere;) In the first months of school I already remembered how travelling with the public transportation all the way from Espoo to Pasila (1h in three vehicles: bus, subway and train) can be so annoying and suffocating. I get huge headaches and have to suffer from smelly people in the bus without AC:/ And don't get me started with the timetables....:) So my new retro bike from the flea market keeps me very happy <3 One thing I noticed was that here in Helsinki they actually have very good conditions and a well-functioning system for cyclists! Cycle paths mostly everywhere in the centrum, traffic lights for bikes etc. etc. And one thing that really blew me off was that here absolutely everyone wears a helmet. Safety comes first they say:D So of course I bought one for me too, cause I don't want to be the only one not wearing one:D People actually stare at you for being so stupid. So new helmet for 4 € in Vaasankadun fleamarket! Amazing place! Highly recommend!
http://www.stadissa.fi/tapahtumat/42124/vaasankadun-katukirppis.
My new apartment is a place provided by the student organization in Helsinki called the HOAS. It's an apartment for three people and I live here with my two roommates. Everybody has their own room and we share the kitchen and the bathroom. We also have a balcony that enjoys the morning sun;) My goal for this summer is to buy a hammock and place it to my balcony for a few relaxing morning teas <3 Small things make you happy right;D And yeees..of course it's
Related to small things making you happy I have had a few absolutely amazing reunions with my friends and family that have made my spring very precious.
First after family Christmas I visited my friend studying in Oulu, up north like we say here in the south:P Apparently it's the exact point in the middle of Finland, but far in the north in my eyes:DD In any case we had a fantastic weekend with my girls exploring the city of Oulu and spending time together <3 It's amazing how you can be truly so happy for your friend who has found her passion and seriously worked hard a s hell to get there, finally achieved her dream and now...living it! You can actually see the passion in her eyes and hear it in her voice when she tells you these horrible stories of digging dead bodies and sticking needles in their own veins to learn medicine...and yes unfortunately she sends me pictures also..:/ :O Hahah I know...not everybody's passion, but my point is, that in my eyes this girl stands as a role model to many who wish to do something so badly and need to work extremely hard to achieve it... but in the end can be so proud for pushing themselves and finally achieving what they have really earned! Anything can be done if you just have the ambition to do it;) <3
If ever visiting Oulu you definitely have to visit the addictive pancake house in the harbour! This place is mindblowing:D http://www.pannukakkutalo.fi/pannukakkutalo/oulu
Next reunion was in the beginning of April! At first showing the city of Helsinki for a couple Italian's and then enjoying Tallinn and the good company for a few days more. Perfect mini holiday that I definitely needed <3 In addition to this I also got to be part of the famous NATO "circles":DD Definitely understand the purpose of these NATO simulations better now;)
Easter brought me a beloved quest from the south with these souvenirs:D
One week long visit gave me the opportunity to show my friend from the Basque country the way I live here in Finland. She got to actually attend my school for a day, hang out with my friends and see the city of course as well as visit my own city, Espoo. Cause I worked a few days during the week she actually had to live the normal rhythm with me so truly life as a local I would say:P Busy week but I loved every minute of it <3
I have learned while traveling, for example during my Interrail when I was a quest at her house in Bilbao, that there is nothing more eye opening than staying with a local friend and actually being able to see how they live and do things differently. This teaches you more cultural knowledge than you think it ever will. Living the life as a local! That applies to me living here in Helsinki also. Funnily I have started to see the capital city, that used to be just the big city where I ran errands, see a movie, go out and try to avoid the horrible traffic and concourse, more fascinating. I start to learn that there are infinitely places that I have never even known about and also that the terrace & chilling outside culture, that I used to miss so much from central Europe, also exists here! In the summer this place comes alive and you just have to walk with your eyes open to take this all in. Until now I have just not payed attention to what the city has to offer. I have really tried to change this attitude lately and actually explored the city much more.
My summer holiday of one week in the end of May I spend in Krakow, Poland enjoying a reunion with my girls from Erasmus, Ghent. One year ago we were more or less living together and so close, like sisters <3 I was expecting that this hadn't changed too much, but of course a little nervous to see how it would be to see each others again. From the first day I felt like home :D Hahah..really it's amazing how 6 people from 4 different countries can be like a big happy family with cultural differences and everything! Again a local experience, and Krakow was great! Historical, vivid, beautiful and cheap of course:P
Then there was still June and the lovely Finnish midsummer that we all were looking forward in here!
The interesting fact about the Midsummer is that it used to be a celebration of the summer solstice phenomenon, meaning that it had the longest period of daylight and in the polar regions the sun never goes down. This can last from a few days to even six months. In total the nights in Finland in the summer are extremely light and the sun goes down between 11pm to 12 am. To understand the meaning of midsummer in a nutshell you should read this page: http://www.visitfinland.com/article/midsummer-go-peaceful-or-go-party/. It explains all the things you need to know about the midsummer itself <3
Normally midsummer for me means summer cottage with friends, BBQing, sauna, swimming, relaxing and perhaps a little drinking involved;P All the things that I love in Finland <3 I'll explain about the cottage life another time for those of you who always keep asking me questions about it and yeees we'll talk about sauna also I promise:D <3
However this midsummer 2014 included me&my friends, Hanko, bonfire & sun <3
To my misfortune my summer has been very busy with work and I'm also starting to write my thesis...since I'm working full-time during June-August and writing my thesis at the same time I hardly have time for anything else:// My summer hasn't exactly been holiday and therefore I have had to skip a few reunions still to come in Europe ;( but there will be a time for those for sure! <3 I'm most probably about to graduate in December so it's gonna be "the last big push" in the fall and then this girl is free to travel the world again;D I'll talk about the future plans later cause I'm not quite sure what they will be, but omg I had already forgotten how much research & time it takes to go through various webpages and applications while looking for different things:S At this point all my energy goes to me finishing what I've started so I'll worry about the future a bit later:P All in all life keeps rolling and future lies a head wide open, just the way it's supposed to be:D
