Bye-bye Finland, for now!

I am a list-maniac, and therefore on my way to Finland I wrote a list of what I would like to do - or not to do - while I'm here. A major thing was not to rush, try to do too much, or worry about finding a job when I return to Canada. I wanted to enjoy my time.

In addition to spending time with my family, I was planning that daily I would walk or swim for one hour, read books and magazines, learn Arabic and limit the time I spend by the computer. Weekly I should have naps, do sauna and meet friends, but to be mindful of not overdoing socializing - overdoing it takes the fun out of it. I should also pay attention to what I eat: it is so easy to eat mom-made pulla (Finnish sweet bread) everyday, but getting rid of the pulla-belly later on won't be as easy!

About 10 days ago I was feeling that I'm not DOING enough, that I'm inactive, lazy you could say. Then I reminded myself about the purpose of this trip - the aim was to focus on being, not doing or achieving.

So how does it look like now, on my last evening in Finland? (Since I'm a stats-fan, I naturally had to keep record of what I do.)

In 24 days I've managed to go to five different saunas 13 times, have 11 naps, meet 12 of my friends (many of them several times) and talk with two others on the phone. I've traveled about 1500 km within Finland to visit four other cities in order to meet my friends and two of my sisters. I've spent plenty of time with my Mom, my three sisters, and my lovely nephew and nieces: I baked an apple pie and gingerbread cookies with them, picked them up from daycare, and played several rounds of memory game with both. I also met my godson twice and was still able to lift him, even though he's soon as tall as I am, and he's only 9 years old. I've read three books, browsed through several magazines, and read the newspaper almost every day. I've walked quite a bit, but not every day, and not necessarily for one hour at a time. I swam twice, but in the lake, so it was very fast. I haven't rushed, tried to do too much or worried about the future. Overall, I think I have managed pretty well to be!

What I didn't manage as well was my time spent on learning Arabic (0 minutes in 24 days) and limiting the use of the computer (way too much every day). Also moderating the pulla-intake was (not-surprisingly) ineffective, and therefore I probably have eaten a pulla everyday. Or if not a pulla, then Fazer chocolate. However, usually these were also moments shared with friends or family, so I do not regret one single pulla!

All in all this has been a wonderful holiday, and not even the dark November could have ruined it. My morning fun has actually been to check from the newspaper the length of the day. Today the darkness ended at 8.01 am, and the sun rose at 8.57 am. The sun set at 3.14 pm, and the darkness started at 4.11 pm. And dark really means DARK, no light whatsoever.

Leaving and saying goodbyes is always difficult, especially when I don't know when I'll be back in Finland again. But Canada is my new home, and I know that once I'm back there, it feels like I haven't even left. The same feeling I have every time when I come to Finland - as if I haven't been away for a year or so. It is the beauty of having two home countries, and the miracle of the human mind - it simply adapts, very fast.

So for now, bye-bye Finland, and see you again, sometime in the future!