Energy Suckers

I had a completely different post in mind for today but due to the light of recent events I wanted to write about something that has hit very close to home. I find the subject of energy suckers very intriguing due to my interest in psychology (and also my recent love of yoga and mindfulness)!

So, to start off I should explain. Energy suckers or energy vampires are people who with their relentless negativity drain all the (positive) energy and life out of other people. No matter how good mood you're in, they can manage to turn your mood upside down and leave you feeling exhausted. They spread their negativity by endless gossiping, badmouthing and/or their pessimistic attitude to absolutely everything. Therefore, relationships and friendships with these people can be very toxic.

I consider myself an optimist, some would say even to the point of annoying, always trying to find the positive in each situation and striving to believe that everything happens for a reason. Getting older (I know, I'm only 24 but it's been a long road and a huge learning curve from my teens) and getting to know myself better I have come to realize just how draining it can be to have energy suckers in your life. Looking back I now realize that at one point I had lost a little bit of the optimist in me.

It is very easy to become blind to this and the numbing effects energy suckers have on you when you are too close to the situation. Once you gain a little distance and are able to observe the situation from an outsider's point of view, it might become clear to you just how exhausted and emotionally numb interactions with energy suckers might have left you. You, like me, might have the tendency to sometimes put other people's need before your own and want to help other people be happy. However, trying to help an energy sucker can lead to them dragging you deeper and deeper into the hole of negativity they dug for themselves.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that they are bad people. They might not even realize what they are doing and how others around them are affected. I've learned that practising self-awareness and getting more in touch with who YOU are can help recognize thoughts and behaviors reflected from other people. Sometimes you need to distance yourself from these people or even cut the cord completely. A big realization for me was that I do not need the negative energy in my life and chose to concentrate on the positive.

So, if you are dealing with energy suckers, I found an interesting article on Psychology Today about how to handle these situations.

 Remember to concentrate on the positive and have a good Fri(yay)day everybody!

Culture Shocks

Even though Germany, also being a European country is quite similar to my home, Finland, there have been some situations that have left me speechless. Therefore I thought it would be fun to do a post about some culture shocks I have experienced here in Berlin.

So, here it goes!

Min/Bicycle as a Measurement of Distance

Since I arrived here, I've noticed that the most common way to measure distance in Berlin is in minutes by bicycle. Apparently driving a bike is THE best way to get around, although the public transportation seems to function perfectly well... I guess I will have to go bike shopping as soon as the weather gets warmer!

WG Living

I've discovered that Wohngemeinschaft or a 'Shared Flat' is the most common way to live among Berliners between ages 20-30. Coming from Finland where the only time I've had room mates is the time I studied in Tampere, it was a surprise that even people who have already entered the working life are living in WGs.

As there are different kinds of people, there are different styles of WG living as well. In some WGs the room mates are just that, room mates that you might bump into in the kitchen or on your way out the door. Most often though, flat mates will become your friends that you might enjoy cooking and a glass of wine with from time to time while still having a life and friends of your own outside the apartment.

Although living with four(!) flat mates was quite a change for me after living on my own in a one bedroom apartment, I do have to admit that I actually quite like this lifestyle. Having people around you and (almost) always someone to talk to and joke around with is pretty nice. And also the fact that my flat mates are pretty cool is a big plus. :)

Fire in the Kitchen

Okay, you are going to laugh at me for this one. I have never lived in a house with a gas stove. Or that uses mainly gas for heating. So, on my second day here I was sitting in the kitchen and I noticed a big box on the wall next to the stove. Out of nowhere, it started making noise and WHAT? A fire lit in there...?!

So there I was sitting in the kitchen looking at the fire wondering what the h*** was going on. I had to text my friend at work; 'Is it normal that there is a fire in the kitchen...?' To this day she likes to laugh at this one...

Payment

As it comes to paying, I've had some real learning to do. Back in Finland, I would never have any cash on me since you can pay for everything and everywhere with a card. Okay, well almost everywhere. In Berlin I've discovered that you need to have cash on you at all times. For instance at smaller grocery stores you CAN'T pay with a card for purchases under 5€. This I learned the hard way. I still get mini heart attacks from time to time (the other day at the Turkish grocery store) when I'm not sure they take cards and yet again I failed to remember to carry cash...

Also, as it turns out, Visa, one of the most common credit cards is not widely accepted here... Also learned this the hard way while trying to get a train ticket at the station.

No Makeup Makeup

I have noticed that a lot of girls here seem to be fans of the no makeup makeup. Either this or everybody just has perfect skin. For those not familiar with this, it's a very subtle makeup where you can't necessary tell if one is wearing any. Lately I've been pretty much rocking this look while running errands and well, running around the city!

Eco Living

As far as I can tell, observing as an outsider, I have noted that people here make more ecological choices e.g. taking your own canvas bags to the super market instead of buying the plastic bags (people do this in Finland as well but maaybe not to this extent). Also, recycling and making ecological choices in terms of purchasing food and clothing are big things as far as I can tell. There are Bio (organic) Supermarkets everywhere!

Upcycling, recycling materials into something of higher quality or value, also seems to be a dominant trend here as I ran into two upcycling stores within one walk around the district of Prenzlauer Berg.

Vegan Movement

The Vegan Movement has increased its popularity in Finland, especially Helsinki but here it's on a totally different scale. There are a lot of vegan restaurants around and vegan choices are also often mentioned in the menus at other non-vegan restaurants.

Hausschuhe

Or house shoes. So shoes, slippers, any piece of footwear you wear inside. Not all Germans have grown up with house shoes though but from what I have seen and experienced here and also from living abroad before, they are popular.

Krass!

Popular among younger people, this short, quirky word still continues to puzzle me. The word has probably more meanings than a dictionary. It can mean something very, very good, cool, awesome or something very bad, awful and surprising and literally EVERYTHING in between. I'm still trying to figure out how to use this correctly in a sentence!























This is it so far, I will continue to observe the sometimes quirky habits of the Berliners and report back to you! Haha, I bet the habits of Finnish people are probably at least as weird to foreigners!

Tschau!

Smoothies and Bargains

Today I wanted to kick start the morning healthy so I decided to whip up some green smoothies! And coffee. Coffee is a must.

Due to eating vegetarian I'm really trying to add more spinach into my diet to get enough iron. So, a big box of baby spinach happened to find its way into my shopping bag the other day and what's a better use for spinach than a smoothie?!

Usually when I cook or do anything in the kitchen I don't use recipes, I just wing it. And usually it works! For these smoothies I used organic soy milk (trying to consume less dairy) and water (ice cubes would have been my first choice but we were all out).

For 1 pitcher of the Kick-Ass Green Smoothie

1 big handful of organic baby spinach
1 banana
1/2 lemon 
ginger 
1 Tbs chia seeds
1 cup organic soy milk
1 cup water

This smoothie will really give you the kick you need in the morning!

On to other subjects, another thing I love about living in a new city is finding new, awesome places to shop! And let me tell you, I found THE place for great bargains in Charlottenburg. TK Maxx, an outlet for women's, men's and children's clothing as well as home decór, accessories... and the list goes on. It reminded me a little bit of Century 21 in New York.

I just loooove workout clothes and made some pretty great discoveries! And they were 60% off the original price!

Just a little something to help me prepare for the 10K I signed up for later this spring (eeek!). I really need to start training soon... I know, I know, it's only 10km but I haven't been running for a while. And I might be a little bit of a perfectionist (aaand a little bit competitive) so when I commit to something like this, I really want to do my best.

So, if you are hunting for great bargains make sure to swing by TK Maxx!

Monday's Colors

Since Mondays can be difficult and this time a year is pretty grey, I wanted to see some color today. So what's the best place to see lots of color in Berlin?

The East Side! And Kreuzberg, previously very popular among artists, hippies and immigrants. Walking around Kreuzberg was the perfect way to re-energize and take in the feel of the city.

Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind living in this neighorhood. ;)

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Daily Dose of Lost

I have a confession to make. I'm a bit of an exercise junkie.

Exercising is something that always puts me in a good mood no matter what. So if you happen to catch me in a VERY rare moment of cranky, you know why!

I like to get in some kind of exercise daily and lately I haven't been getting my daily dose due to not feeling my best. The thing that has kept is sane the past weeks are long walks. Which are actually a great way to get to know a new city as well!

Usually, my walks follow the pattern of; 'Oh look, cool building! Ohhh what a nice park, I'll take a look! Uuuh what a cute street, I'll walk down here!' And ending up in; 'Ummmm... Where am I and how did I get here...?'

Now, not having a German number yet means no Internet. So how do I find my way home, keeping in mind my terrible sense of direction? (You can spin me around twice and I will have no idea where I am...)

The answer is THE Best. App. Ever. MAPS.ME.

Perfect for people like me while travelling! The app was recommended to me by a friend and it has been a lifesaver, seriously. You can download the maps you need of specific cities when you are online and then use them when offline. And they are incredibly detailed, showing shops, restaurants, museums,... the more you zoom in.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think wandering the streets and getting lost is the best way to discover a new city BUT it's also nice to find your way home at some point!

I hope this helps any fellow travellers with not-so-good (awful) sense of direction! 

The VegExperiment

I like to consider myself open-minded and therefore I am one to try out (almost) anything. That being said, I thought I would tell you a little about my most recent experiment – a vegetarian diet. 

I came to try this out after my friend and her boyfriend went full-on vegetarian and were going on and on about how much better AND lighter they felt; I knew I just HAD to give it a try. As it comes to diet, I’m a firm believer of eating healthy but also eating a diet that works for you as an individual since people are different and the same things don't necessarily work for everybody. 

At this point, I’ve been on this experiment for about four months (with a couple of exceptions) and I have to say, I actually DO feel better. That's probably why I have kept this on for so long. 

Also, after watching Leonardo DiCaprio's (Go Leo!) documentary Cowspiracy (on Netflix) has reinforced my decision to keep eating vegetarian. It was a real eye-opener for me as I did not realize the magnitude of the effect that today's agriculture has on the environment. The documentary revealed some pretty shocking truths that have been hidden from the general public until now. I would recommend this documentary to everyone, even for just informing yourself about what's going on. Becoming more aware of my dairy consumption, I've cut down that as well. I've also entertained the idea of going full vegan but at this point giving up on dairy completely doesn’t seem possible for me.

Anyway, when it comes to eating out I have found it pretty easy to find vegetarian options. In Bern, I went to THE BEST vegetarian buffet, Tibits, (maybe twice ;)) because it was just sooo good. The first time it was Vegan Tuesday, which was a new culinary experience for me and exceeded any expectations I had!

Looks delicious, huh?!

Any tips for eating veggie in Berlin? :)

So What Now?

So, I've been here for a couple of days now... What have I been up to?

Well, drinking a whole lot of green tea with ginger and lemon since I've been feeling a little under the weather. It's been freezing outside and well, occasionally inside as well. But I guess I have it a lot better than my friend, who got her window broken during New Year's. Nice thing to come home to, someone having shot a firework through your window...

They say that Berlin feels like war during New Year's and well, I kind of believe that now. And the neighbor's window was apparently broken as well, so I guess it can't be a coincidence...

I've been walking around the neighborhood a lot and it's really beautiful with all the snow. I can't wait to get better and explore the rest of the city!

Just had to stop by the cutest bakery next door for a delicious latte (can't get enough of latte's)!

But now it's time to get back to business. ;)

Later!

Greetings from the North Pole!

Sorry for the long silence but it's been A LOT for the past couple of days! 

After spending an amazing long weekend in Barcelona filled with laughter, fun times and walking (oh, so much walking) at last I arrived to my (I guess you would say 'final') destination in Berlin on Sunday. I will do a post about my favorite spots in Barcelona later. ;)

Back to Sunday and Berlin, I was lucky enough to be picked up at the airport by my awesome friend. It's been a little challenging travelling around with my whole life (my arm is still sore from carrying my bags in the subway in Barcelona since they DID NOT have an elevator).  And it was SO freezing!! Must just feel worse after getting used to the warm(er) weather in Barcelona. After settling in to my new home (temporary as it may be) we freshened up a little and met some friends for dinner at this Asian place with the best food and the nicest waitress ever! There are so many good looking Asian places, I just want to try everything! 

So far I have been busy figuring my stuff out and today I took a little walk around the neighborhood and got some supplies from Tiger. You see a pattern going on here? I might like mint in home decór and other things... 

Well, it was horribly cold, I would say colder than in Finland but I heard it's been about -20ºC there, so I won't. Still, the cold felt different, like in New York one February when it goes straight to your bones and you just can't shake it off.

Crazy that is has only been three days but I really feel like home here already. :)

Later!

Grapes in the Subway

I spent New Year's in Barcelona with a friend that flew here from the North of Spain. This was hands down the funniest New Year in my entire life! And I couldn't have asked for a better start to 2016 than strolling down the sunny streets of Barcelona with this girl, three years after my first time in Barcelona also with her. Barcelona seems to be our thing. Funny story, I met her in a shopping mall a little after I had moved to Spain and two weeks from first meeting we got on a plane headed for Barcelona. I guess it was friendship at first sight!

Getting back to New Year's Eve, the Spanish have a tradition of eating 12 grapes 12 seconds before midnight, one grape per second. This is done for good luck and each grape represents a month of the year. So at the turn of the year we were gulping down grapes as fast as we could before the year turned. In the subway tunnel. I just can't make this up!

I flew in pretty late on Thursday and we were running really late as we had agreed to hit the club before 12 o'clock before all of Barcelona went out since we hadn't bought tickets before hand. If you're planning to go out in Barcelona on New Year's, make sure you buy tickets! This will make your life a whole lot easier. So running late we only made it to the subway at when the clock struck midnight. We had of course taken the grapes with us and well, I'm sure that this is a New Year's I will never forget!

Eating the grapes in the subway must have been our good luck charm since we were planning to go to one of Barcelona's biggest clubs; Razzmatazz. We had heard that the queue can be craaazy long and it may take hours to get in. We must have stood in line for only 15 minutes when we were already let in and so we danced the night away until the dawn! And beyond.

After walking around the beautiful city the whole day, I think it's off to a little nap!