@ the airport

wihii I'm getting in the traveling mood by hanging here at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport! Today I'm flying just within the borders of Finland - my destination is Oulu (situated in the middle of Finland) where my boyfriend comes from. He is already there and now I'm going too. We've been apart from each other for over a week now and I'm already missing him quite a lot! So yay for me, I'm seeing him in 3 hours! The flight takes only an hour, but there are still two hours before the flight leaves.

My morning didn't go as well as thought. My intention was to wake up at 7am, get ready and leave a bit past 8am. My bus was supposed to leave at 8.18. But surprise surprise I missed it with one minute or so.. Then I took another bus to Leppävaara and waited for half an hour for the airport bus. It was windy and cold but I made it to here! I'm always kind of nervous at airport before security controls (don't know why) and this time wasn't an exception, especially as this is the first time I'm flying alone. I'm a bit scared of flying but maybe it's good that I have this kind of short flight before I have to fly to Spain all alone on January 21 (just 3 weeks away, oh god!). All my stuff is packed in a bag that I'm taking as a carry-on. It has a little bit overweight so I was nervous because f that too, but no, they didn't say anything at security controls. All my stuff went through without problems but of course the systems beeped when I went through! Even though there's nothing to worry about, I don't like the situation when those systems beep (and it has happened to me almost every time I have flied..). So, they made a personal search and then let me go. Maybe it was my bracelet or earrings or something because I didn't have a belt and I took my shoes off before going through.

So, now I'm just waiting in here for my boarding to start - still an hour and a half to wait! But I guess this trip is worth waiting for :-)

My Christmas

So I said I would post about Christmas and here it comes.

Me and my sister, we have quite traditional Christmas every year and this year wasn't an exception. On Friday we went to our grandma's to decorate her Christmas tree (okay my sister mainly decorated it, but I was there too, just concentrating on chocolates and gingerbread).

Well, Saturday (= Christmas Eve) began as always: having a Christmas porridge with my dad's relatives. Usually there have been more of us, but this year there were just us, our grandpa & grandma, our aunt and her boyfriend. The porridge was veeery good and it was nice to meet my relatives (i haven't seen those since summer).

We spent there about 4 hours and then we both visited our homes and went to our other grandma's (that grandma whose Christmas tree we decorated on Friday). Our mum's relatives came there, we were all in all 9 persons. About 17h30 we had the Christmas dinner and my tummy became soooo full! we were there 'till 11pm and then our mum's brother took us home. i was dead tired and went to sleep almost immediately.

On Christmas Day (Sunday) I was just being lazy until afternoon, when I went to my aunt and uncle's. Christmas foods again and chocolate and gingerbread - and my tummy was soooo full again! I must have gained at least a few kilos during this Christmas! A few pictures more from my aunt's house:

24.12.2011

Merry Christmas to all the people around the world! :-) Hope you all have a good and happy day and some good company to spend this day with. For me, Christmas means warmth and closeness and important people around me. The only thing that makes me sad is that I couldn't spend this day with my boyfriend (as he's maybe the most important person to me at the moment).. otherwise the day has been like it's supposed to be.

The Christmas card I sent to my friends and relatives by email! it says merry Christmas in Finnish :D

In the morning we went to my grandparents' with my sister. My aunt and her boyfriend came too. Traditionally, we ate Christmas porridge (rice porridge with cinnamon) and there were also a good selection of all kinds of chocolates and peanuts! I ate waaaay too much of them :D but it's acceptable at Christmas! We spent about 4 hours with them and then I came to visit home before we went to my other grandma's place for the evening (with my sister, again). There were my aunt and uncle, my cousin + her daughter, another cousin, my mom's brother and our grandma. In the evening we ate the Christmas dinner and gave the presents. I got mostly chocolate presents (we had decided not to buy many presents for us, adults; just for the 4-year-old child). Dinner was good and we had some good time there :-) I also talked with my boyfriend on the phone and the call made me miss him even more. 5 days left without seeing!

Tomorrow I will post some pictures of our Christmas!

snow!!

Just yesterday I wrote here that I don't think that we are going to have a white Christmas here in Finland - and what happened last night..? When I woke up today i saw something white outside! SNOW! Not much but enough to cheer up our supposed-to-be-black-Christmas. And there are still a few days before Christmas Eve so maybe we still get some more? I'm not sure if I mentioned it yesterday, but personally I don't like snow that much - I just don't want to have completely black Christmas.

I went to shopping today as I had time to spend. I bought myself a Christmas present - Canon Ixus 115HS Digital Camera! Yay! Now I can take some pictures in Spain too :) I also bought a BIG traveling bag because there are only about 4 weeks left in Finland - I should soon start thinking about packing. So now I have a new camera and a new suitcase - I'm happy!

Eventually, here you can see some Christmas mood from my home:

less than 5 weeks left in Finland... what?!

First I have to say it was soooo weird to realize a few days ago that I have only five weeks left here at home. I'm leaving on January 20th (Friday) and now there are just 4,5 weeks left! Not until now that it starts to hit me - I'm leaving my home (and the town Ive been living my whole life) and moving to another country for half an year. okay that's not so much, but for me the period feels like many years of being away from home. At least for now - I guess the time passes soon when I'm there, in Spain.

At least I'm now on my Christmas holiday. No stress because of school and not much stress because of work either. Its time to relax and take it easy... Well, of course I should start thinking about packing and the stuff I'm going to take with me and that I'm leaving here. My friend is going to move to my apartment for the spring, so I'm leaving all the big things here - my bed, my sofa, my table, my television etc.. so I don't have to find any place where I could take them. that's good. but I still have to find some place for the clothes that I'm not gonna take with me, for my books and all my personal stuff so that my friend gets some space for her things too. omg I'm sure the packing process will be so hard..!

the time when we still had a white Christmas here in Finland..

So last week, my school stress ended on Thursday when I got my last report returned. I was at work on Thursday and Friday and just hanging around with my boyfriend. On Saturday I had my last riding lesson (gonna miss ponies and riding during next spring!) and in the evening we went for a visit to my cousin's house with my bf. There were also my cousin's bf, my sister, my other cousin and her daughter, my aunt and my uncle. After the visit we went to celebrate my bf's friend's birthday and ended up to a nightclub in Helsinki. The evening was quite nice! On Sunday I just did a LOT of laundry.

Yesterday I felt like sleeping all day long..! I felt so so lazy and sleepy, but in the afternoon I had to do something about it. So, we went to look for some Christmas presents with my bf. I found what I was supposed to and we went to eat to a nice restaurant. I had delicious pasta with fresh tomato sauce, chili, basil and garlic (called pasta alla siciliana). After eating our stomachs full we came to my place and I just wrapped the c´Christmas presents I had bought and then we just watched TV and one movie. Nice, relaxing night :) Today I also felt so sleepy and lazy in the morning (depressing Finnish winter without snow - just rain and dark dark dark) but my bf got me off the bed because I had to accompany him to his train (via his home). He left to spend the Christmas with his relatives to western Finland :( We wont be seeing each other until next week's Thursday so there's over a week without seeing him - we haven't been away from each other for that long during the two months that we've been together. But maybe this is good considering the spring when we'll be apart for half an year (except the week that he will spend with me in Spain in the spring) :|

I don't even like snow that much but Christmas is not THE Christmas without it :(

Now my plan for the next days is just to clean up my home and see some friends that I haven't seen for a while. On Friday I'll go to my grandma's with my sister to make some preparations for Christmas. then I try to relax and enjoy the Christmas time and my last weeks in Finland! Next Thursday I'm leaving for Oulu to spend the New Year's there with my bf and his family :)

my dearest hobby

it took a while to come up with an idea what to write about. now that i have more time (Christmas holidays!!) i try to be more active with the blog, but i just need some innovative ideas what to write about. oh well, i decided that today I'm gonna tell about my dearest hobby, riding.

during these 20 years I've tried quite many sports and activities but, no doubt, the most important for me has always been riding and horses. my riding career started in 2010 (i was 9 years old) as my friend started to take riding lessons. i was with her at the stable many times (even before she had started) just to see ponies and horses. my dad had noticed my enthusiasm and interest in horses so one day he just told me he had booked riding lessons for me too. to be honest, without that decision i don't know where i would be right now.

there were a few drawbacks as i fell off a pony (two times during the first year) and as a pony bit me on the back. i still didn't give up. after two years of riding i got my first care pony (that i took care of a few days a week). he was like the kindest pony at the stable - a little black pony that liked to be brushed and fondled. only bad thing was that he was kind of small and not the strongest one so i didn't get to ride him much and not for long, because he was on the easier lessons. he was my care pony for 4 years until i stopped going to that stable.

at that stable, there were separated lessons for pony riders and for horse riders. i never proceed to horse riding lessons because i was keen on ponies and not too big for them. i didn't get to ride my care pony but i had another favorite pony that i rode almost every time i had a lesson. that pony was small and grey and full of energy every time! so cute and so nice. it was never boring with her.

yep, sadly I became too big for her.

after six years of going to that stable (that was located near to my home and from where i got many many good friends!) me and my dad made the decision of choosing another choice for the hobby. the prices were high and i know i wouldn't have been able to continue with the ponies anymore. my dad got me a pony that i took care of one day per week. he was maybe the nicest pony in the world. he was a private pony - not owned by a riding school. so he was kind of my own once a week. the stable situated further away from my home but my friend went also there (just more often than me) so we went together.

i was very keen on to that pony but too soon he moved to another stable and i couldn't continue anymore. i went to that stable only for half a year. it was spring 2007 when he moved away and my riding pause began.

it was winter 2009 that i got back on the saddle. the stable was kind of far from where i live but i started going there with my friend. for me the place was familiar because i had been there on four summer camps (years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005). the place was big and there were a riding school's side and a private side. i went back to the lessons. i found my passion for riding again during the one and a half year that i went there. i also found my favorite pony that was kind of like the same as the little grey pony at my first stable: energetic and quick. and a little bigger than the grey one!

in the summer of 2010 i took a horse to take care of a few times a week again (leasing-pony? rented? i don't know..). this time i went there more often, 3+ times a week. she lived at the same stable as the previous one so the place was familiar. that pony was so (sometimes too) energetic and active that it was almost too much for me! me, who loves that kind of ponies. but she was so kind and nice. and cute! that pony became maybe the dearest for me because i went there so many times a week and i spent so much of my time with her.

in the winter 2011 i honestly didn't have much time left for the pony. i had studies and work to do and my way to the stable took an hour per direction so i couldn't handle everything. i stopped riding. and i missed my dear pony. 

after half a year of not riding, this fall, i started again because i missed my hobby so much. the place was same as before - the big place separated into the riding school's side and the private side, and i went back to the lessons. once again. this fall I've been riding there but as i leave for exchange, I'm not going to continue in January. so its a pause with riding once again. but i have every intention to go on when i come back!

©Maria F.

<3

Year 2011!

How old did you turn in 2011? - 20 years old

Do you feel like having become more mature? - Yeah i kind of do feel like that. for the first time in my life i have been able to commit to a relationship!

Did the year meet the expectations? - Well i don't remember having any special expectations but i think this year was quite good after all. especially last two months. <3

WERE YOU...?

At a hospital, for how long and why? - No i wasn't, but i did meet a doctor a few times.
In an ambulance? - No
On a cruise? - Yep, three times. Twice to Stockholm and once to Tallinn.
At a funeral? - Luckily no
At a wedding? - Yes, in August.
On a summer cottage? - Yes, during midsummer
Abroad? - in Stockholm (Sweden) twice, in Tallinn (Estonia) once and in the Hague (Netherlands) once.

DID YOU TRAVEL...:

by train? - twice, to our summer cottage (its located in Hämeenlinna) and back
by bus? - Yes, almost everyday
By airplane? - yes, from Helsinki-Vantaa to Amsterdam (via Riga) and back.
By boat? - Yes, in April, in August and in November.
By something else? - by car and by taxi :D

MEN

Do you have a crush on somebody? - Yep, big time.
Did you kiss? - countless times
Did you sleep with men? How many? - yes, with three men. but not at the same time lol
Did you hug a guy? How many? - Well quite a few. I like hugging!
Did you date? - Yes, and i am dating.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

Did you loose someone important to you? - No, thank god
Did you suffer from heartbreaks? - Well maybe once but i should have guessed the situation earlier so its kind of my own fault.
Did you argued with your friends? - hmm yes I regret very much arguing with my best friend because I'm not sure if we will ever gonna be the same again..

DRUGS

Alcohol - at times, when having a party (especially in the summertime)
Illegal drugs - no
Cigarettes - some, in summer i smoked more than now, nowadays almost never
Snuff - no!!

RANDOM
[x] was at bar
[/] cried of joy
[x] cried of grief
[x] was happy
[x] depressed
[/] loosing weight
[x] got something I've been wanting for a long time
[x] did something that i regret
[x] was being crazy


WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME..?

You made someone happy? - umm... i guess yesterday :)
Dressed up in a special way? - well today i will but last Monday for the Christmas party
Used a wig? - well i really don't know..
Drank juice? - i don't remember

Ate cake? last Friday
Listened to music? - now!
Slept? - well i woke up like an hour ago, nice nap thanks for asking :D
Ate? - before the nap
Laughed? - Today at school
Cried? - a few weeks ago, i guess?
Sang? - at least last Friday, karaoke :D
Smiled? - Today at school. Especially the night before yesterday when i was said something special.
Took a picture of yourself? - i doooont remember
Said a weird word (in your opinion)? - i guess everyday :D
Said hey? - Today
Spoke another language than Finnish? - well now that I'm answering these... but okay, yesterday i really spoke
Had a dream? - almost every night
Good dream or bad one? - they are always just weird...
Were happy? - This morning i felt very happy, at least :)
Have you wished something for Christmas? - Actually nothing special
Where and how are you gonna spend the Christmas? - Here, with my relatives and family :) traditionally!
What are you gonna do at New year's? - I'm gonna go to Oulu (located in the middle of Finland) with my boyfriend to meet his family!

I've never felt this way before.

 ~you make me feel...

Okay last time i wrote about happiness and the problem of defining it. well that subject had a lot to do with my current situation, because this is the first time in years that i can admit that most of the time i feel happy or lucky. last years have been so hard for me that I've always found something that ruins my feeling of being happy. of course there are things like that also now, but this feeling of happiness is kind of strong and beats the other things (usually). honestly i could divide my life into three things - being happy/lucky, being stressed because of school and work and sleeping and not thinking about anything (okay this could be combined with the first one because i feel happy when i get to sleep).

http://delacorr.deviantart.com/art/A-Love-for-the-Arts-14540763

And yeah, this feeling is due to a huge crush that I'm having. yes i admit that I've had some crushes on some people before, too, but it has never been like that. we are dating. I'm in a relationship. wait, what? me - a good example of a person who is afraid of commitment. I'm not familiar with the situation because I've never been able to go on with the dating things and so on. i think it is because I'm so afraid of losing.

~make you feel my love

But as i said - this time its different. I'm so, completely, into it and I'm so happy about it. I've found someone that makes me happy and lucky and who really cares about me - and shows it. i cant believe this is happening to me. I've never met anyone like him. its just confusing that all this is happening so fast. we had known each other (we are studying in the same place, but different fields) for about half an year but we had almost nothing to do with each other until this fall. we started chatting with each other through facebook and it wasn't long until we had set up a meeting. god i remember how nervous i was before that. i knew i was interested in him but i would never have guessed that we would end up like this - and so soon. after that first meeting between just us two, we saw each other every day for the next week. after a week from our first date, we made the decision of being in a relationship. for me it was kind of obvious already then, because i had no interest in being with anyone else but him. and i guess it was the same for him because we agreed on that matter - being single changed officially into being in a relationship - for the first time in my facebook-time. and also the first real thing that can be defined as a relationship in my life.

©Free valentine cards

Now its been over a month since i experienced all that. i can tell that it was hard to get used to the idea of NOT being single. into the idea that i have the best boyfriend in the world that cares about me and wants to be with be. that i could never let go.

~i won't let you go

And yes - I'm still leaving on January for my exchange period in Spain. Confusing. I mean its confusing that the thing you've been waiting for so long, more than anything, is now a thing that you aren't actually waiting for anymore. the thing that feels exciting but still distressing. I still don't know how we manage through that. For me, half an year is a long time, but for now its enough for me that i know that i couldn't imagine myself being with anyone else right now. i just wish that things didn't have to change even though i know they are gonna change. but i believe than we can make through my exchange period. i have a trust in our relationship. he is too good for me, and for now, i cant lose him. i just cant. i would like him to be here every minute of every hour of every day. we'll make it through!

valencia!!

 so it's VALENCIA on the 20th of January 2012 then!

i bought my flight about an hour ago, finally. ive been talking a lot about buying it but i just haven't done it. until today! happy happy happy! so im gonna leave on the 20th of January (Friday) in the afternoon from Helsinki-Vantaa airport (Finland) towards Spain. First im gonna fly to Barcelona (<3) and then from Barcelona to Valencia, and i will be there at 00.25 or something.

Then i have ten days to "make myself home" (as if it happened that fast..) before the school begins. Luckily i have one person from our school there already (she's gonna stay there also for the spring) so i guess i wont be totally alone during the first days there :) and there are two other girls coming to Valencia from our school for the spring too!

im excited now! im so looking forward to leaving, but first i should get my courses registered and some papers sent there too. i already decided the courses once and sent the papers there but now i have to do it again.... well, quite a many persons have said to me that it's anything but easy with the course registering and stuff when going there... well i just have to go and talk with our school's coordinator and try to get these issues solved as soon as possible.

enough for now,

¡adios!

motivation?

heeeello.

i havent been blogging because i have a huge motivation problem with EVERYTHING. if motivation can be bought somewhere, please tell me.

i started studying again about a month ago and im already pissed off with my studies. every other week i work in our school's "restaurant" (as a part of studies, without being paid...) and those days aren't always easy. the other weeks we have theory lessons and i have those even more than working in that restaurant. i cant concentrate. im not too interested in the things we go through, and even though i would be, i get depressed of all the work we have to do for our courses. at this moment my motivation is all gone and i would quit my studies if i could. the only thing that keeps my going, or should i say studying, is that there are not soooo many months any more till i go to spain for exchange. i would be so ready to go already!!

me working at school.... "good times" NOT?

on september i had quite a lot going on. i moved - again - but now im happy with where i live. i dont know how ill be able to leave this apartment when i go to spain... im also one year older now. i turned 20 about a week ago (an age crisis!) and i celebrated that with my friends last weekend.

two years ago, as i turned 18, we were in barcelona with my friend. "good times" YES!!

one thing that makes me at least a bit happier is that i started riding again. Riding has always been the only hobby that i like and it has been 11 years now since i started it. i hadnt ridden a horse for half an year but last week i had my first riding lesson again. happyface! and today was another lesson. it makes me forget all the stress etc and makes me feel better - i can feel it.

me and the pony i rented an year ago :)

whooaa i got this updated. maybe one day ill find my motivation again and update this more often. lets see about that..

Tallinn, Estonia

Finally I got to visit Tallinn, Estonia! Ive never been there before (often asked "how have you been able to avoid going there??") and it's kind of weird because many Finns go there more than one time a year (mostly to get cheap alcohol..).

So me and my three friends booked an "day cruise" for Wednesday, and it cost 18 euros / person, not bad at all! this day cruise -thing means that the ferry leaves Helsinki at 11.30, arrives in Tallinn at 14.00 - then you have four hours to spend in Tallinn, before the ferry leaves at 18.00 and arrives back in Helsinki at 20.30. For us that time was enough in Tallinn - we went around shopping a few hours, then to a restaurant for "late lunch" and then to SuperAlko (big selection of alcohol, cheap prices) and then back to the ferry. It would have been nice to visit the « Old town » but it located a bit too far away so we didnt have time for that. Later we also continued our evening to Helsinki's nightlife :)

Here's some basic information about Tallinn. Obviously, it's the capital (and the largest city) of Estonia. It is located in the northern coast of the country (really not far away from Helsinki..), actually on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. Tallinn is named a European Capital of Culture for 2011 (as well as Turku, Finland). Finnish name for the city is Tallinna. The Old Town of Tallinn is a UNESCO Worlds Cultural Heritage site since 1997. 
 

Tallinn is quite international city since there live a lot of people who are not Estonians. Actually just 52.2% of Tallinn's population consists of Estonians (in 2009); 38.6% consists of Russians, 3.8% of Ukrainians, 2.1% of Belarusians, 0.6% of Finns and 2.7% of others. Estonian language is of the Finnic group, closely related to the Finnish language.

Some notable headquarters are located in Tallinn:

• NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence
• Estonian Air headquarters
• Skype, software development centre
• Ericsson, big production facilities, focusing on the producing of 4G communication devices
  

There are quite a many places for education in Tallinn.

• Tallinn University
• Tallinn University of Technology
• Estonian Business School
• Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
• Estonian Academy of Arts
• Public Service Academy
• Estonian Evangelical Lutheral Church Institute of Theology

Tallinn is very easily accessible to tourist since the accession to the European Union and as it has improved air and sea transport links with Western Europe.

When it comes to transporting systems, the city operates a system of bus, tram and trolley-bus routes to all districts. Payment for single tickets is made either by pre-purchase of tickets at street-side kiosks or by a purchase from the transport vehicle. Monthly cards are available by registering through the national ID-card. There has been a helicopter service to and from Helsinki taking 18 minutes to cross the Gulf of Finland.

Several ferry operators connect Tallinn to

• Helsinki (Finland)
• Åland (Finland)
• Stockholm (Sweden)
• Rostock (Germany).

Passenger lines connect Tallinn to Helsinki (83 kilometres north of Tallinn) in approximately 2–3.5 hours by cruiseferries. Tallinn also has a commuter rail service running from Tallinn's main rail station in two main directions: east and to several western destinations. Frequent and affordable long-distance bus routes connect Tallinn with other parts of Estonia.

So there's a bit about Tallinn. All the basic information is from Wikipedia, so if you want to see the sources, you will find them from Wikipedia with the search « Tallinn ». I liked the city and will definitely visit Tallinn again!

Tampere

  
Hello!

So I haven't been able to update for a while since my internet connection SUCKS. Now im gonna try so that this blog doesn't become dead before i have even began with it.

Well life has been quite normal recently except the fact that ive managed to get some kind of a summer flu – and been sick sor a week now. I hope ill get better soon because i dont wanna spend my last weeks of holiday being sick.

But now the point of this post. Ive already told a bit about Helsinki, the capital of Finland (and i will tell more in the future), but now i wanna tell about another big city of Finland – Tampere. I spent the previous weekend in Tampere because me and my family were invited to a wedding. We spent the night in a very nice hotel called Tammer, not the cheapest one, but i wasnt the one who paid for it :D

the view from our hotel room window

So, I dont know if you have heard about this city before, but it's the third most-populous city in Finland. It is situated in inner land, southern Finland in a region called Pirkanmaa (1,5 hours from Helsinki by train, 2 hours by car). Its also located between two quite big lakes that are linked by Tammerkoski (streaming through the city). In the past Tampere used to be the big center of Finland industry.

In the region of Tampere there are two universities and two polytechnics (total amount of students: about 40 000). Actually I applied to one of the polytechnics an year ago but i didnt get in. The degree programme I applied to was an international degree programme implemented in English. I thought I would apply there again this spring but i didnt because im quite content with my current study place.

If you are a person interested in culture, art or architecture, you should definitely visit Tampere if you happen to come to Finland. Together with Helsinki (and maybe Turku) I guess it's the richest city, culturally. It has old theatre traditions and an international theatre festival is also held in Tampere every August – Tampere Theatre Festival. There is also an international short film festival which is held in Tampere every March. Music is also important part of the city's culture (especially rock music) – Tammerfest is held every July (urban rock festival, maybe the most popular music festival in the city), Tampere Jazz Happening each November and a few a bit smaller happenings. There is also a big art museum in Tampere.

Spots or places to see/visit:

• Särkänniemi amusement park (the main tourist attraction), there is also a dolphinarium and a landmark calles Näsinneula tower
• Tampere Cathedral
• Tammerkosken silta (the bridge over the « rapids » thats streaming through the city)
• The Vapriikki Museum Centre, including the Natural History Museum of Tampere
• The Muumilaakso Museum (if you are familiar with the most popular children's creatures in the nordic countries, Moomins)
• Finland's largest glass sculpture, installedin the lobby of the KoskiKeskus (a shopping mall) – the sculpture is called « Pack Ice / The Mirror of the Sea »
  

Well there's something to begin with when going to Tampere. Personally ive been there just less than ten times in my life even though it's near and one of the nicest cities in Finland. I also got a lot of new information when writing this because i had to search information from the internet – no, i didn't already know all of this! :D Maybe i have to go to Tampere soon now that i also know a bit more about it... let's see.

a few things about me

Here are a few things about me, implemented through answering to some questions.

Romance

1. What is the most romantic color? without hesitation; dark red, like a rose

2. When do you wanna get married? when I find a right man

3. Lips or eyes? eyes

4. Have you ever kissed? yeeees

5. Do you believe in love at the first sight? I want to believe

6. Are candles romantic? yes I think they are

7. Do you dream about something at the moment? yes, about a lot of things! I'm a dreamer

8. When was the last time you watched a romantic movie? on Friday

9. Are you happy? I could be happier

10. Are you in a relationship right now? no I'm not

11. Are you a romantic person? yes, quite romantic I guess
12. Have you been cheated on? no, thank god

13. The most beautiful thing that someone has said to you? "I will always come back to you"

14. Have you ever been really in love? I don't think so, I've just had a huge crush on someone a few times

Food

15. What is you favorite ice cream flavor? mm.. nougat and strawberry, I love ice cream!!

16. Vegetables or fruits? fruits

17. Do you like berries? yes, especially strawberries :)

18. Chicken or fish? chicken!

19. Do you like spicy food? not too spicy

20. Are you vegetarian? no I'm not

21. Do you like traditional Christmas food? well I can't speak for other countries' traditions, but no, I don't like Finnish Christmas food so much

22. Do you drink a lot of water? I should drink more

23. Do you like chocolate? What's your favorite? oh yes I love chocolate.. all kinds! at the moment white chocolate may be my favorite

24. Do you drink milk? no, I don't like it

25. Do you like pasta? love it

Traveling

26. Place where you would like to go to? to many countries but I must say I would like to go to Spain already! (I'm gonna be in exchange there next spring)

27. Which countries have you visited? Sweden, Holland, Spain, Italy, Portugal

28. Latest trip? to the Hague, Holland, last May

29. Are you interested in some country's culture especially? Mediterranean culture

30. Which languages can you speak? Finnish, Swedish, English, French, a bit of Italian & Spanish
31. Would you like to help developing countries? yes that could be a rewarding job

Basics

32. Female or male? female

33. Piercings? three earrings

34. Tattoos? no

35. What do you think about your future? right now I'm just looking forward to the exchange in Spain

36. What are you afraid of? thunderstorm, airplanes, death, pain ...

37. What kind of mobile phone do you have? Samsung Galaxy S, white one with touch screen

38. Do you like sports? Personally I'm not very active.. I like riding and watching football (I have played it too)

39. Your lucky number? 4 and 14

40. Favorite color? red! ..or should I say "darkish red"

When was the last time you....

41. ...hugged your friend? on Friday

42. ...wore a red shirt? today, okay it was light pink but isn't that red too?

43. ...drank coffee? I don't remember.. usually I drink coffee only at work or at school

44. ...got a text message? this afternoon

45. ...called your friend? yesterday

46. ...smoked? on Thursday

47. ...laughed a lot? on Friday

48. ...moved? in April, but I'm moving again in September

49. ...ate chocolate? on Friday

50. ...cried? last week I guess

Okay, that was that! (I would have added a few pictures but apparently I have a problem loading them, so...)

how to begin?

Hello. Hei. Hej. Ciao. Hola.

The beginning is always the hardest part, they say, right?

I hope that's true, because I'm having a lot of problems with this beginning. Okay, let's see.

Barcelona - fall 2009

The purpose of this blog is to follow my way to more international life; yes, that's what I want from my future. After high school I applied to study tourism in English, but I didn't quite make it into the University of Applied Sciences that I applied into. So now I'm studying something else that can also mean an international career for me: hotel and restaurant management. And since I live in Finland, this degree programme is in Finnish. Personally I'm more into the hotel management -part.

I've always been interested in foreign countries and cultures, and also studying other languages. I don't know yet exactly what I want to do or what kind of career I want after all, but one thing was sure when thinking about options; at least tourism business and international things interest me, so I considered it as the best option for me at this point of my life. After all, it's important to do something you like, right?

Riga - spring 2011 (transferring flights on the way to Holland)

When it comes to studying other languages, the theory part is the easy part for me - I just should speak more and get used to speaking other languages, otherwise it doesn't feel natural at all. Here's an example: I've been studying French like 11 years now. I can write quite fluently and I know the theory rules quite well, but speaking - big NO. I can hardly form a sentence, because I haven't get used to the speaking part and inside my head I think too much. And it's the same with other languages. Well surprise surprise Finnish is the one I speak fluently as a mother tongue, but so far I've also studied Swedish (as it's obligatory in Finland), English, French, a bit of Italian and Spanish. In the matriculation exams (final tests of Finnish high school) I took the English, Swedish and French tests and passed them all well (speaking part is not a part of these tests!).

Madeira - spring 2009

Okay then I go on with something about the international parts of my life so far. After all I haven't travelled much in my life. Okay, in Sweden I've visited several times by cruises, but other than that I've just been in Lisboa, Portugal (okay I was like 4 years old then.. I don't remember almost anything except seeing giraffes in the zoo); Eilat, Israel (about 8 years old, I don't have many memories from that place either); Tropea, Italy (loved that place, one perfect beach vacation!); Madeira, Portugal (very beautiful place, good memories); Barcelona, Spain (when turning 18, my first trip with my friend, meaning no parents or other adults, it was AWESOME) and the Hague, Holland/Netherlands (with my friend, very nice trip!). And that's about it. I think as a place I loved Barcelona the most (I could go back there anytime!) but when it comes to people I liked the Hague, because there we were mostly with exchange students from all over the world since we were staying at my friend's (who were there also as an exchange student) place. But the best is yet to come - I'm going for an exchange period to Valencia, Spain for next spring (2012)! I'm so looking forward to that - even though I don't know Spanish very well yet. I'm going to study in English (Tourism degree, Faculty of economics) but of course knowing Spanish makes it easier to cope with the everyday life there.

Well that's about all for now. To be continued some other day, hahah.

Madeira - spring 2009