After flight
delays, waiting and running at three different airports, a nap at Heathrow, we
finally landed in beautiful Helsinki on Thursday night. I had totally forgotten
how green the nature can be!! It looks absolutely stunning especially when you have
lived a year in a desert, haha! It seems like you have to be without something
or someone before you really learn to appreciate it! It was pretty warm
from Thursday till yesterday, I was able to go out wearing a T-shirt, hooray,
and still no polar bears walking on the streets haha! The last week in Abq was
so hot; it felt almost uncomfortable to stay outside at the hottest time of the
day.
During the year
in the U.S., I got used to people who strike up a conversation at a grocery
store without any specific reason and to cashiers who call you “darling” and “sweetheart”,
but at Helsinki airport I remembered again that Finnish people don’t do that. Felt
like people where staring at me and Anni when we were waiting our luggage and
talking with a normal voice… Did I miss the sign “do not talk at the airport”
or whose funeral is it, haha? Oh well, it’s just a cultural difference and
doesn’t mean at all that Finnish people are cruel, we just appreciate people
who are humble, honest, and talk only when they have something smart or
important to say. Sometimes it’s actually nice compared to the American style,
but can be very frustrating as well. I feel kinda sorry for the exchange
students who come to study in Finland and after a while they realize that it
takes at least five shots at a night club before half of their fellow students
become social haha! But once you get to know to Finnish people, they really open
their hearts and are loyal friends :)
I have a three
and a half hour car drive from Helsinki to home, but luckily dad picked me up
from the airport so I didn’t have to drive by myself. It was a long day, we
woke up at 8am in Abq and I got home at 2am Finnish time on Friday, so over 30
hours at least half awake. Luckily my jet lag wasn’t too bad and after Saturday
I was pretty much going to bed and waking up at a normal time.
Can’t even describe
how much I enjoy that I actually do have some free time now, don’t have to
worry about school and it gives so much more energy for training as well.
Although I love summer and warm weather, have to say that the idea of spending
the summer in Abq and training all the time in over +30 degrees sounds too
tough. But Mother Nature, I really do appreciate all these
generous 12 degrees at the moment, but c'mon it's almost June, haha!
On Saturday
morning the whole Finland woke up to hear terrible news from Hyvinkää (a city
in Southern Finland). An eighteen-year-old boy had started shooting near a
night club and two young people died immediately, and seven people were
injured. One of the victims was a young player in the National Finnish Baseball
League and most of the team members were also spending the night at the same night
club and some players from the same team were injured as well. It’s always hard
to understand what makes people to do something so insane and it’s even sadder
when the victims are young, talented people. Finland is supposed to be a safe
country but similar kinds of events have happened already way too many times in
the 21st century. They talk about violent video games and movies,
and whether Finland should tighten the gun politics, but in my opinion the
reason behind these events cannot be found from video games or gun politics.
The problem has to be more complex, and even though I hope from the bottom of
my heart that these kinds of events won’t ever happen again in Finland I’m
afraid that this wasn’t the last one.
Tomorrow is the
day I’ve been waiting for after I got back home - I’m finally going to see my sister!!! She'll start her outdoor track season tomorrow and
after the race I’m going to spend at least a few days at her place. YAY :)
Have a great
week y’all!
-Anita
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| Paradise! |
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| Pumba :) |
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| I'm home! |
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| Green,green,and more green! Love it! |
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| Man I've missed sauna and summer nights by the lake! |
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| My energetic assistant, haha! |
