Art?

I went to an art/photography exhibit today with Claire. The dang thing costs me 8 euros, but it was nice to see the pretty Finnish pictures I suppose.

I think it's plainly obvious that I'm not the greatest "art appreciator",  but the exhibit did inspire me to expand my photographic range which currently consists of nice buildings and food.  I think its time to try and "hon my skill" (if I possess any that is). When Claire gets back from her month long trip to The States (jealous!) I'm thinking we'll have to do a photoshoot or two. Any concept and setting ideas? I have this beautiful city at my fingertips so let's use it!

And then we added our entrance stickers to the collection. At the end of the day it totally wasn't worth my money, but hey, maybe that's just the hangover talking.

I Love My Mom

Today I received my first package from home since moving to Finland. I was so thrilled I literally ran back from the mailbox and to the house to open it. As expected, it was from my wonderful mother, who I love very dearly.

Unable to contain my excitement, I ripped the box open to see it filled with birthday gifts and cards from not only my mom, but other family members as well.



Eek! Naturally, coming from my mother, the box smelled amazing. Quite thoughtfully, she included a couple scented envelope sachets as well as other smelly treats including delightful "birthday" scented body wash from Sephora. Which, speaking of, is the coolest thing about my mom. I casually mentioned to her a few weeks ago that I was using shampoo rather than body wash because I had none and it was too expensive to buy here. Being the most amazing mom that she is, she sent me some.



There were also several other vital necessities including not one, but TWO jars of bare minerals (they're 52 euros each here.. no way I was spending that), the most beautiful earrings that I think I'll wear tonight when I go out, a couple cute notepads, a bookmark, a stationary set (hinting something, perhaps?), a copy of Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone, and the coolest HP card from my sister Gracie... She's so awesome. Oh, and I can't forget the various lotion and makeup samples (she knows what a nut I am about samples). A couple of which were of lotions we had tried together at Bella's Boutique. Ahh, memories.









And then there was the crazy aftermath after so much excitement. I think I'll clean it up later and enjoy my gifts for now. Thanks a million mama!

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Despite popular consensus, the weather in Finland is not always so... desirable. It's true. Sometimes it rains. Heck, I think it might even snow. It's quite a shame really, I came to Finland specifically for the weather. Oh, and those white, sandy beaches.

Are you catching my drift? Eh eh? I'm being just a little sarcastic.

Anyway, today was a rainy one. So clad in rain jumpers and boots, Naemi and I went to find some puddles to jump in.








And of course one of my most favorite things about Finland-- berries. Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, you name it) are all the rage here. And the best part is that most of them grow wild. When I first arrived it was blueberry-picking season and now, I'm pleased to say, it's raspberry season. They seem to be growing everywhere, so naturally , when we stumbled across them, Naemi and I would pick a handful and continue on our way in search of more puddles.







So in spite of the rain we still had ourselves a pretty fun time. And just look at that adorable face- do I not have the best job ever?!

It's your party and we'll cry if we want to

So today I woke up with a serious case of the Birthday Blues. Not only was I waking up to my first birthday away from home, but also to the nasty cold I had been fighting since Monday. Yup, things were looking bleak.

Naturally, as sick as I was, I made no plans for the day. I figured I'd take a nap, Skype my mom, read a book, call it a day, and have a birthday re-do this weekend. Luckily, I work for the best family who had the sweetest birthday surprise in store!

It was a pretty formal affair. My sickly self wore some pajamas, Elijah was considerate enough to don underwear, and Naemi sported her very best diaper. Then the fun began...

In true American fashion, there were hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and cake. But the celebration proved to be too much for Elijah and Naemi, who had skipped their afternoon nap. I tried to convince them that since it was my birthday they weren't allowed to cry, but hey, it was my party and they'd cry if they wanted to. I tried not to laugh while I ate my hamburger and observed the chaos thinking, "who wouldn't be envious of me right now?"

But in all seriousness, it was good, crazy fun and in the end who couldn't love faces like these even when they're contorted in screams?





And the meal was positively delicious. Especially the yummy cake that even Elijah and Naemi couldn't cry about.





So yes, it was a birthday bash if there ever was one. I'm now going to bed full, happy, and incredibly grateful that I've made these memories. Because Lord knows there will be a day when I think, "things are too quiet- I wish there were some screaming kids around." But seriously, thank you Awital, I couldn't have wished for more!

Stay tuned for my recuperation and more birthday fun this weekend!

Ahhh, Finland

This weekend I experienced a little bit of everything. Today (Sunday) was especially nice. I walked through the park, rode some trams, found my new favorite chocolate shop, took a boat trip, visited the olympic stadium, and ate some ice cream. Ahhh, Sundays.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was much more bizarre. Saturdays always are when you venture into the city. I don't believe there was a single sober person in Finland other than myself last night. In fact, the friendly fellow sitting across from me on the train even insisted on pulling all the empty bottles out his backpack to show me how much he drank. Then, he played the air drums for the rest of the ride. Ahhh, Finland.

I love Finland though, even for all it's alcohol-related flaws. I love public transportation, picking berries, boating the Baltic Sea, the architecture, the Finnish language, Korvepussti (my favorite Finnish treat), and how safe it is here.

So here are some more pictures of this place I love.

Grubbin'

Here's an update on the sick life I live...

Yesterday I headed into the city after finishing work purely with the intent of going to Stockmanns and shopping. Things started well; I bought some books, browsed some shops, and tried on some clothes. Suddenly I found myself and Sushi Bar + Wine with Danielle where we ate and drank the obvious, then at a cafe where we indulged in double chocolate cake and slushies, then at the bar, and finally McDonalds where I grubbed myself silly on a Big Mac.

Yup. A nasty, guilty feeling and several hard-earned euros later, and I had no idea what had happened... The lesson I've learned? To stop hanging out with Danielle. Who else would buy a 7 euro Big Mac with me?! Although, on my train ride home I did witness a drunken brawl between two Estonians in which the train had to be stopped and the Estonians escorted out by police, all of which made me feel much less out of control.

Happily, despite my "splurging" ways, I've somehow managed to lose weight while here! This week I said hello to my size 6 Lucky jeans and my size 4 Anthropologie dress. Definitely not a key point in this post, but worth mentioning. Anyway, if you're wondering how that's possible I'll let you in on a little secret- it's called walking. Everyone, myself included, walks everywhere here. In fact, I wore heels last night (stupid) and by the end I was forced to take them off and walk the final stretch home barefoot. It was the proper way to end the night.




No comment...

I'm a Lady

So I'm tired and lazy and would much rather sleep than do this post, but I'd like to discuss Sunday and seeing as it's Tuesday I'd say it's quite overdue.

Sunday started out like any other day. I met up with a frenchman who kissed me on the cheeks and then headed to the kino to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 3D, which happened to be the frenchman's first movie in english. We were joined by another French friend of his and the three of us went to eat pizza while they spoke in French the entire time and looked at me like a I had two heads when I made a joke or said anything remotely complicated in English. Oh, how I had taken the Finn's english for granted!

Anyway, then things got interesting. Feeling a bit bold, adventurous, and terribly desperate for some english-speaking company, I made my way over to the Aussie Bar later that night. Yes, I met some Aussies, but more importantly, I met some Finns! Who, naturally, spoke better english than the Aussies (at least while drunk). My need for some english conversation was instantly fulfilled!

Now let me just say, these guys were a hoot. They were rugby players who had just won a game. In fact, they've won the rugby Finnish Championships for 3 years in a row! Just to give you an idea of the intensity I had surrounded myself with, here are some pictures of them which I stole from Facebook. A bit creepy, I know, but go with it. You know you'd be pissed if this post had no pictures.







Anyway, it was a pretty cool night. I was brave and tried the Snake Bite, the bar's "specialty" drink, and played Russian Roulette with the guys. But can I tell you a secret? I smelled the Tabasco in my shot so I made a swap.. Well, what do you expect?! I'm a lady.

Naantali Na Na Na

As I mentioned before, I did a bit of exploring in Naantali and Turku with the Zingg family this week. As expected, we went to Moominworld. Well, what do I have to say about Moominworld?

..........

I like the pasta.

Yup. That's about it. As an American when I was told "It's Disneyland for the Finns!" I imagined Disneyland, only instead of churros and rainbow lollipops there would be korvepussti and weird, Finnish licorice. And instead of Mickey Mouse I would see the strange, white hippos. Which, by the way, are the Moomins. Just to give you an idea...



That is a Moomin. Looks like a hippo, no? Anyway, I was pretty wrong on all accounts. Moominworld was nothing like Disneyland. For example, when reaching the end of the very dangerous, narrow sidewalk in which thousands of people are walking, there is a woman who simply says, "This is the end of Moominworld." No shops or castle. No signs or indicators. Just the end. To be fair, I think I couldn't appreciate the "quaintness" as I didn't grow up with the Moomins like all Finns have. If I knew the stories, it would have been a different experience entirely... Maybe.

But, I am pleased to say that I absolutely loved the old town of Naantali. I also saw a bit of Turku, but that did absolutely nothing for me, so let's just focus on Naantali. There's not much to say except that it is a beautiful, charming, and very pleasant place.















While exploring on my own a bit I came across a neat lookout on the hill with gorgeous views of the harbor. It was a bit windy up there, but I managed to get decent shots of the surrounding and myself. Oh, I'd also like to mention that it's about 10:30 PM in these shots and the sun was still shining away.










I returned to the peculiar Antonius Cafe (pictured above) that evening and enjoyed a donut and drink while reading The Elephant Keeper, a book I highly recommend. The strange cafe had crotchety service and decor that reminded me of stuffy, old cat ladies, but I loved it all the same.



Naantali, I will visit you again someday! Moominworld, I can't make any promises.

Harry Potter and the End of an Era

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiered in Finland on July 13th although I did not see it until tonight, almost two days later. I feel ashamed and angry at myself, but believe me, I tried. Unfortunately I have been gallivanting around Finland visiting Mommin World, Naantali, and Turku for the last two days. We stayed in Naantali last night and although I had reservations to see HP in Turku at 10pm, I could not bring myself to take a bus there and get lost in a foreign city in the middle of the night. It's a choice that I'll regret for the rest of my life.



Anyway, I finally saw HP tonight. I almost wish I hadn't, knowing the emotions it would evoke. Harry Potter is a very sentimental subject for me and seeing the final movie in a foreign country and by myself? Well, I was practically saying, "come on eyeballs, lets see how many tears you've got!"

After getting my Fazer chocolate at the concessions (which is more like a candy store, mind you) I sat down in my seat (row 16, seat 7) and prepared myself. On my left was a canoodling couple. I told them I would cry and apologized in advance for it. They laughed. On my right were two guys, both of which I found embarrassingly attractive. "This is in english right?" I asked them, suddenly worried that the movie was dubbed, even though I had heard countless times that the Finns just added subtitles. I don't remember exactly what they said, but they assured me it was in english so I returned to my chocolate and waited patiently.

They movie started. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" appeared, the finnish and swedish subtitles did too, the theme music began, and... uh oh... so did the tears.

Basically that's how my night went. I think I was so overwhelmed by my emotions that I almost found the movie underwhelming. Which isn't too surprising, I mean, its the end of an era. An era that's lasted, for me, 11 years. I read the first four books when I was eight. And now, at nineteen, I've seen the final film. It's over and that makes me wish I would have held off on the movie for a bit while longer. Finally seeing it means that its finally over. With such a depressed mindset, I walked through the city and back to the train station questioning my life, this place, and the people around me. Feeling alone, I hated them all and wondered if any of them gave a damn about anything as important as Harry Potter. Probably not, I told my myself.

It also made me wish I was back home in Montana, watching the movie tonight with a theater full of friends, family, and everyone else in the whole dang town. Everyone that I know and recognize, rather than a theater full of foreign strangers. I mean, I've seen movies 4, 5, and 6 at the Pharaohplex midnight showing. I remember when Rachel Hudson dressed up as the Whomping Willow and all of the eighth grade was falling asleep the next day after seeing the Goblet of Fire.

Okay, I'm getting way to sappy and ridiculous. Seeing it here was not all that bad. The Finnish crowd is actually pretty fun. You know those moments in a movie that aren't supposed to be funny, but are? And you know it's inappropriate to laugh so you don't? Well, the Finns do. And they laugh hard too. Especially at the end of Harry Potter.. They were all hooting and hollering. You'll know why. And when the credits rolled they clapped and whistled and made me generally very pleased with their enthusiasm.

So yes, that was how I experienced one of the most important events of my generation in a foreign country. I'm still pretty depressed at the moment, but nothing a little Harry Potter book action can't fix. So Mom, can you spend a couple hundred dollars and send me my books?

The Weasley Twins

After my last post a friend excitedly messaged me, "Heather, you said something exciting was happening last night- did you have a date?!"And the answer is yes, I did have a date... With the Weasley twins.

Let me explain... After expressing my fanatical obsession with Harry Potter to Aino last Saturday, she casually mentioned that Oliver and James Phelps would be coming to Helsinki the following Monday. Oh, and if you don't know who Oliver and James Phelps are then not only should you not be reading this blog, but SHAME on you. Anyway, I think I replied pretty nonchalantly trying to act like it was no big deal. But after stewing on it for a bit I decided it was, without a doubt, the biggest deal in the world and I would make every effort to meet them. So off we went on Monday to Kaisaniemi Park to meet our future husbands.



Unfortunately, ever other creepy girl in Finland had the same idea. Luckily we got there early enough to be close to the stage, but not close enough to get an autograph... Or touch them. Feeling pretty depressed, I enjoyed watching their interview on stage, but not as much as I would have enjoyed something more personal, if you will. The interview was fun though.. I screamed like a crazy fan girl, particularly when they said they liked Finland so much that they would be returning for a "holiday." Which means one thing- that we will meet again. In all seriousness though, they were adorable up there and very funny too.





When Oliver (my boyfriend) came around doing autographs we still weren't close enough to get any miscellaneous body parts signed, but I was able to get a paper copy of my driver's license passed up and autographed (don't ask) and Aino got her pursed signed. Somewhat disappointed, we hung around for a little while longer and watched the boys continue signing autographs, even when it started to rain. Once the crowd became significantly smaller we wondered over again and that's when this magic happened....



Aino and James.. I got a picture with him as well, but it's pretty hideous so there's no need to share. I also spoke with him briefly, but Oliver's my favorite, so there's no need to share that either. Then, if you can even imagine, things got even better...





The last picture just cracks me up because the girl on the left has the most ardent expression on her face and Camilla is intensely waiting for him to sign her book. All the while Oliver and I are having a lovely little conversation about where I'm from, how I just moved to Finland, and the tour guide book that I gave him. We joked about me coming all the way to Finland just for this event and I joked that he'll probably end up throwing the book away (which he swears he won't). Although, for the life of me I can't remember why were talking with our hands so much. Anyway, while this picture was taken his assistant was saying, "come on guys, we have to take this picture, lets go.." So yeah, it was pretty magical.

Mischief managed!