A Stolen Hobby

Hello. Allow me to introduce myself- I'm Heather, the writer and moderator of this oh-so-neglected blog. Long story short, even though my life has been filled with blog-worthy moments and my head with interesting thoughts and observations, I have been far too lazy to write them. It's a shame really, as the past couple of weeks have been the strangest since my time in Finland. I was sick, I was homesick, I was happy, I was sad, I was relaxed, I was overwhelmed, I was robbed... True story.

In my blogging absence, many notable things have happened, the craziest and most recent of which was my purse being stolen. It happened Thursday night. After watching the Finnish National Championship in fireworks, Claire and I hung around in the city for a while, ending the night with a trip to McDonald's- always a favorite past-time of mine (I am American, after all). But unfortunately, the meal was not a happy one. After finishing my Big Mac and fries, I go to grab my purse (which was sitting on the seat right next to me, at the same table and everything) only to find that it is no longer there. Panic ensues.

For the next several hours, I'm running around Helsinki like a mad woman, wailing, crying, and acting totally and completely insane. But how could I not? In my purse was my passport, my wallet, my bank cards, my driver's license, my social security card, my $500 PROFESSIONAL SLR DIGITAL CAMERA, my book, my transport card, my umbrella, and other precious items. To put it simply, my life was in that bag. So through the entire night I had multiple people check the security cameras, had the security guard scour the place and search people's backpacks, and even took it upon myself to look through surrounding trash cans searching for any clue of my belonging's whereabouts. I found nothing.

What we did find though was a detailed account of what had happened via the security camera. Although I didn't see it for myself, I was told that after watching us for 20 minutes, the man sitting next to us preceded to take off his jacket and use it as a cover as he slid by me, picking up my purse as he went. The most infuriating part of which being that I was sitting RIGHT THERE. I will never forgive myself for being so ignorant of my surroundings. Sadly, it has never been a problem before now.

Helsinki is a very safe city. Crime is not a common occurrence here. After recounting my stolen purse story to people I often got the reply, "but that never happens here!" And it doesn't. Unless you're me, apparently. But seriously, things like this very rarely occur. Even the police I spoke with that night we're surprised it had happened. Unfortunately, they weren't very helpful or professional. While putting dip in his mouth one asked me, "What did the man look like? Was he Finnish?" I replied, "He didn't look Finnish.." "Oh," the cop said, "was he gypsy?" Ugh.

Anyway, while my purse was recovered the following day with my passport, wallet, bank cards, and all other belongings in it, my camera was missing, which brought the biggest blow. That camera was something I had worked so hard for, something I had earned. Though $500 isn't a ton of a money in the big scheme of things, the camera was by far the most expensive thing I have ever bought. But it's not just that fact that it was expensive, it's the sentimental value more than anything

I bought my camera only days before I moved to Finland. In the past few months it became an extension of myself. Not only a means of expressing myself, but of occupying myself and allowing me to explore a foreign country through the observant lens of a camera. It also became a way for me to share my life in a beautiful way with friends and family all over the world. In short, it became a hobby. Perhaps the only one I've ever had with the exception of sleeping and reading. Basically, my camera meant a lot to me and it hurts my heart so much to know that its now in the hands of someone who doesn't deserve it. Someone who didn't earn it like I did. Uuughhh.

So in conclusion, I'd like to dedicate this post to my camera which I shared so many great memories with. I will miss you little guy.

Suomenlinna Sea Fortress... Sort Of

So I've lived here for nearly two months and as of yesterday had yet to visit Suomenlinna, the sea fortress off the coast of Helsinki. The fortress, built by the Swedes in 1748, is quite historic and serves as one of the biggest tourist attractions is Southern Finland. Hence, why its ridiculous that I had not visited it my entire summer here. Yesterday I remedied that problem and took a ferry to the island with Aino, my long lost friend whose been inter-railing for what has felt like forever.

While on the ferry it was raining, but on the island the weather was perfect for jaunting about. Our jaunt turned into a strenuous hike and left us exhausted at the end of the day. Alright, so it really wasn't much of a hike, but Aino was still exhausted from her trip and I'm just always lazy when it comes to walking, so we became quite tired early on. We didn't explore as much as we should have, but I'm planning on going back quite soon! Mostly because I really enjoyed the island and would love to have a picnic there and also because my camera died halfway through the trip, leaving me with no pictures of the actual fortress.

You might be wondering what the heck did I take pictures of then.. Well, mostly Aino and I just took pictures of one another. Oh, and she took several of me trying to catch some field mouse-gerbil-thing. It's funny, you'd think I'd be acting pretty mature and adult-like these days, but I still can't help myself when it comes to trying to catch animals. Ever since I was a kid I've been obsessed with capturing animals, naming them, and then setting them free, whether it be mice, lizards, snakes, or snails. Why, just the other day I saw a massive hare while I was walking home from the train. I desperately wanted to catch it and followed it for quite sometime, but eventually it got away.. Damn.





























Though you can't tell as much from the pictures, Suomenlinna is a very cool and beautiful place. I loved how the fortress occupied the entire island, yet was blended with cafes, museums, beaches, and people's homes. Yeah, people actually live there! And now, I wish I did too. Really only because all the little buildings covered in grassy hills reminded me of Middle Earth, but thats neither here nor there. I loved it and I'm going back.

Linnanmäki: I Was Amused!

Yet again, my Sunday was the perfect end to the week. I went to Linnanmäki, the main amusement park here in Helsinki, with a few friends and had an unexpected (yet welcomed) blast.

Originally, I was hesitant to go. I thought it was way too much money for so few thrills. I mean, I'm a girl who had the opportunity to hop on over to Six Flags whenever her heart desired. I considered myself well-experienced in the area of roller-coasters and thrill rides.

Well, it turns out that I'm a regular ol' scared-y cat and an easily nauseated person to boot. I prayed for my life before getting on any of the roller coasters (no matter how small they were) and skipped the rides I knew would send me to the bathroom with my head in the toilet. I suppose I had forgotten about those unpleasant times on The Zipper at the fair back home... Which, speaking of, I believe I'm missing this week or the next. I had a little hole in my heart about it, but going to Linnanmäki definitely filled it.

So yes, I had a great time. I even took part in my usual Sunday activities including eating ice cream and taking pictures. A total success in my book. We then had a great, big dinner and I saw my first Finnish Film. It was about some guy living in Lapland on a quest to buy a digibox (like a DVR, I suppose) and I actually found it funny, so yet another success!

Anyway, it was a good day with good company, completed with good food. Goooood.

Porvoo and Potholes

Yesterday I made a quick trip over to Porvoo, the second oldest town in Finland and a pretty big tourist attraction. Unfortunately, I arrived pretty late in the day so I wasn't able to play tourist as much as I would have liked. I did see all the key points though and I liked what I saw so I'm sure I'll be back to go in the shops and eat in a restaurant-boat on the river.

Nevertheless, it was a good, quick trip and I had a lovely "tour guide".  I saw not only quaint Porvoo, but also the Potholes, major craters created by glaciers in the granite hills. Pretty cool I suppose. For the most part I just enjoyed being out of the city and having the opportunity to clear my head a bit. I loved the bus ride through the countryside and taking a walk through a meadow by the river. Sometimes it's the simple things that do us the most good. Finland, I think we're back on track with one another.

In a Finnish Funk

To be honest, I'm a bit annoyed with Finland at the moment. It's better than it was earlier this week, but when I first got home from my weekend trip I was thoroughly aggravated with this country. The moment I stepped off the ferry in Helsinki I just wanted to get right back on. Maybe its because Estonia was so cool and in comparison Finland is just no longer doing it for me. Here are a couple reasons that might be contributing to my annoyance:

1) Everything is cheap in Estonia and Finland is so unnecessarily expensive. For example, a beer at a bar in Helsinki will cost you around 6 whopping euros, whereas the same beer will cost you 2-3 euros in Estonia. It's easy to see why the Finns love their booze in Tallinn so much- it's basically free! Seriously though, alcohol is the number one reason Finnish people visit Tallinn. Everyone knows it. You step off the ferry and theres a sign that says "you are fifty steps away from the first bar." When you're leaving and return to the ferry there is a bar in the terminal called "The Last Bar." A bit ridiculous, no? Oh, and if you buy enough booze in Estonia you get a free trolley to take strap all your boxes of Karhu and Long Drinks on to take home. Brilliant.

Now, I don't necessarily care about the cheap alcohol. What's important to me is the food. In Tallinn we went to the infamous "pancake place" where I received a giant, authentic Estonian pancake for a mere 3.5 euros. I think the only thing I've bought for 3.5 euros in Finland is a parking stub.

And finally, I also noticed an extreme difference in the cost of transportation. When we took our morning train back from the countryside to Tallinn it was 1 euro. Yup. Count em'- one. If I want to go from Espoo to Helsinki here in Finland it costs me 4 euros each way... And it's a ten minute train ride. Seriously?

2) It's a strange phenomena, but I was more more efficient in Tallinn than I ever have been in Helsinki. Though I was there for only a weekend, I always managed to get everywhere I needed to be without much trouble. For example, I needed to find a Stockmanns. So I went to the city center (where naturally it would be) and asked someone if they could point me in the right direction. The reply I got-  "Umm yeah it's about 300 meters away. You go left and then right." First of all, I have no concept of the metric system. Secondly, thats not super vague or anything. But using my finely-tuned instincts, I managed to find the Stockmanns and all was well. I also was able to roam the city for hours on end and always found my way back to Virge's apartment. Unfortunately, all sense of sufficiency was stripped from me the moment I arrived back in Helsinki and couldn't manage to get on the correct bus home. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with Finland and am still bitter about the ordeal.

Those are just a couple things that annoy me, but I could certainly think of more. Although I think this is just home-sickness talking and I'd rather not risk offending any of my Finnish friends in the process. Finland I love you! Sometimes it's just a bit of a strained relationship.