Socialising

Such a breath of fresh air was it today (and not only since it was snowing so much you could barely see two meters ahead) to be in the city today. I got to talk to people other than my family and that was very welcome. No offense, sisters, but you gotta know what I mean. To talk about something totally different than only school and studying stuff was exactly what I needed.

There's a psychological experiment I've heard of which came to my mind today. They sent some guy to Antarctica to have a taste of being alone. Well, after a few months or something he was depressed, hallucinating and so on. I could never ever do something like that, 'cause I need speaking and interacting with people to live. I would die of loneliness and of the lack of people to talk to. I am certain that I would develop schizophrenia or some similar disorder that would create some imaginary friends for me. 

Though it sometimes might seem like I am not that good at expressing myself verbally, it really is the best way for me. I can't draw even a stick figure, my singing sounds like a crow, my dance moves don't tell any fancy stories. My problem is that sometimes I have so much to say that it all tries to come out at the same time and the speed of it increases to astonishing levels so I end up being very irrational. But what I am very proud of, is that to me it doesn't matter if it is English or Finnish I speak. 

Okay, there are the times when I really can't say anything. Like when someone is asking hard questions and all I can answer is "I don't know". But this is very Finnish, I guess, one foreign friend once complained how all my answers include some kind of uncertainty, like "don't know", "I'm not sure", "it depends" and "maybe, maybe not". 

But what I actually wanted to say with this post, is that some people do artistic stuff to gain energy and kind of recharge the batteries. For me it is socialising. Not excessively, that makes anyone just tired and stressed. For example today was a really good and cheery day; I had a work meeting and then I met a friend, so I got to chat a lot. I could say it's my favorite hobby.

Here's a song that's not really related to the theme again, but I like it a lot.

 

Little big things

There are some really big advantages living in a tiny village with only detached houses and summer cottages. There are no traffic lights, no street lights even, no stores, but what we do have is cohesion. You'd think that life in the middle of nowhere gets boring, but in fact it makes a perfect balance with going to the city every day for school. 

After my Finnish final exam today I took a bus home, but since nobody was at home so early and the bus stop is located about 5 kilometers away from our house, I started to walk. The sun was shining, it is still white everywhere and it wasn't too cold, so it was really nice. However, after maybe 1,5 kilometers of going by foot, a neighbour drove by and stopped the car. He asked where I'm going and told me to jump in. This is a perfect example of what we do here. I don't know that neighbour that well at all, but everybody knows basically who lives and where and it is almost automatic and obvious that we help each other.

Whenever I go for a walk or drive somewhere and see someone who also lives here, we wave or greet each other. And note, for me everyone who lives within 3 kilometers from our house is considered a neighbour. I guess people greet their closest neighbours also in the city, but here it is different, we might even stay and talk for a while. "It was minus 27 degrees celcius at our place this morning, what about you?" Young, old, we all get along. This is very nice I think, and especially since we are reserved Finnish people, I appreciate it a lot. I guess what I am talking about is everyday life somewhere abroad, but to me this is not obvious behaviour.

Anyway, I just want to say that little things like offering a ride can really cheer up your day and make you glad. And it is definitely much nicer to get a smile or a greeting from the person walking by instead of a wandering look to the opposite direction. Life in the countryside is good.

Here's a song that always brings a good feeling and some sunshine even to a cloudy day, combined with one of the best tv-shows ever.

 
 

 

 

Thoughts of the moment

The final effort of the entire high school begins on Monday. Only four final exams left, only a bit over two weeks of constant learning and motivating yourself left, only a while before freedom. Although it feels a little scary that this is all coming to an end, at the same time I am full of excitement. I have a whole new life ahead.

And besides, I will have a pretty good reward after I have done my duties to the Finnish matriculation examination board. My godmother will take me to London! It will be so great, exactly what I need. Something new, fresh, that sets the direction of my new life. 

When the finals are over I can finally start planning my graduation party. I can't wait! I don't even have a dress or anything yet, oops... Well, I have time. But then the guest list, invitations, list of present wishes, deciding what foods and drinks I want... and so on. I am such an organized person that a task like planning a party sounds perfect to me. 

I feel like I am at the crossroads. All I see ahead is unanswered questions, challenges, wishes, dreams, possibilities and a lot of emotions on each path. I am so glad I have so many people who I can trust and who will support me through anything, 'cause I will need someone to ask for help every now and then. It isn't that simple to move away and start living independently, there are so many things you wouldn't even consider beforehand. However, I am more than willing to take the leap to the unknown and see what life has to offer for me. 

And here is a little taste of what I will feel on 1st of June. The graduation day.

 
    

Happy women's day everyone!

Don't you mock my nation

My sisters told me something really horrible today after they had watched a certain American tv-show where a food specialist travels around the world learning about the food culture abroad. Good show I am sure, but it is a fact that the reality basis in the Finland episode was just crap.

First of all, the episode was shot in the winter at a very wet and ugly time, which already gave a negative vibe to it. Well, there is no denying that it looks like that here sometimes, but had they shot it in the summer, it would have been so much more pleasant to watch. I guess it was just a way to emphasize how negative everything is here.

But what really pisses me off, is the way they described our nation, the image they (purposely, I am convinced) tried to give of Finnish people.

NO, we don't drink vodka with every meal, we are not drunk all the time, we have other interests in life than alcohol. Besides, vodka refers more to Russia. Finland is a whole different country, just for your information. We are not all depressed, we are not an entirely manic-depressive nation. There are also people here who are happy, clean, sober, succesfull and positive. 

This post is speaking directly to foreign people: don't believe everything you see in TV about my land. What is so ridiculous, that though they ate very traditional Finnish foods in the show (and I'm glad you liked them, you American guy), otherwise the cultural dimension was so twisted. Really, it is proved and generally known that we have one of the best education and health care systems in the world, so do you really think we get there with vodka in cereals every morning? Come on. You should have seen our healthy, FREE, daily school meals.

Please, I am asking you very nicely, if you are making a tv-show in a foreign country, try to behave according to good manners. It doesn't feel nice to us to hear the host complaining how he wouldn't even want to come here... Only because his preconceptions of the country are based on empty, false ideas. I am almost personally offended for this shocking insult towards my dear country. Generalising a whole nation to be what the very low percentage of the troubled is, is just wrong. I am sure I am not the only angry Finnish person here at the moment. 

Here's some Finnish power and beauty for you instead of the alarming and exaggerative images you might have seen in that (failed, in my opinion) episode of that show. 

 

 

Hit it

At the moment I am in the post-training state where my body is still very alert and full of energy and excitement. This is a deceptive feeling, 'cause on one hand I feel like running 10 kilometers but on the other hand I know that my muscles are just exhausted and wouldn't work at all. Whatever, I like this feeling.

And even better, after a while when all the adrenaline has faded away and my brain realises it is time to calm down, I will get that almost heavenly tiredness of the body. The one that you can only get after doing something really exhausting, and thanks to my trainer, today I totally have. I am a little worried, though, since I had a little break in trainings, that tomorrow and on Tuesday I won't have the same opinion. However, even though climbing stairs and just moving in general might sometimes feel like the hell itself, there is some pleasure to be found in the middle of the pain. You know that you have done something, given all you've got.  

There are times when the effort to just get out and go to trainings seems unbearable, especially since I know mine are always exhausting, but it always turns out that it was the hardest part. I fight quite a lot in kickboxing trainings yeah, but the hardest battle I always have with myself. To overcome the laziness, to willingly pass the bliss of just staying at home doing nothing, is what determines my strength. Then, in some cases I manage to drag myself out of the house but have no motivation at all. For those times I have put some certain songs to my phone to give me the much needed energy boost. Visualizing situations and feelings and so on also helps. So here's my tip, feel free to steal it :)

 

A moment in time

When you spend a day doing nothing you end up being as tired as you would have ran a marathon. It is so weird but somehow understandable. The way I see it is that the body (or yeah I guess it is the brain) always expects to get something to do, new challenges or extraordinary activities to freshen up. When it doesn't get those, it gets kind of sad and decides to act offended and pretend to be really tired. And no, this is not trying to be a conspiracy theory against every single individual of the human kind.
 
The other end of this rope is doing different kinds of tasks during the day. When you do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, your body is happy and rewards you with a wonderful, energetic state of mind filled with ambition and positive hopes and dreams. When in this mood you feel like the sky is the limit, there is nothing you can't do. I love that feeling. So empowering that you almost burst.

This is so true that there is no denying it. Of course you get tired if you exhaust yourself with a billion things to do and of course you have some energy left if you haven't used it to anything, but my larger point here is what I encourage you to focus on. Our minds and bodies have their ways to make us be better people all the time, make us feel good and happy. I am convinced that this is mainly rising from the subconsciousness because if we could continuously acknowledge and control this, we would never be lazy. One notice on laziness, by the way, have you ever realised that after being lazy you never feel good and relaxed? The ruthless knocking of conscience at the back of your head forbids that. 

Nevertheless, I seek that state of mind filled with peace. These two described in the beginning can be the path or the reason for what fills your mind and body thoroughly. Everything is right and good. Nothing can disturb you, nothing can shake your balance and faith in yourself and in the world. I find that walking outside when it is so bright I can't bear to look ahead and everything is just calm and graceful. I find it in exhaustion after doing something enjoyable like a good training. I find it in a song or in a film.

Mind, body and soul. Having them all three together in what you do creates an experience, an emotion, that is worth looking for.

One of the most beautiful Finnish songs I know, enjoy!