Finnish Heaven

I feel like I just died. And went to Finnish heaven.

Why, you ask? Let me tell you.

So, I'm back in Finland and Christmas with my family means eating and watching movies. Eating traditional Christmas food, chocolate, gingerbread,... After the huge lunch and dinner last night and the big breakfast this morning, I was feeling a little bit... Hmmm.. Fluffy.

Therefore I decided to resume my training and go for a 8km run. Let me tell you, running in Berlin is a piece of cake. I mean there are absolutely NO hills there. Like you can literally look all over the city for a hill without finding one. Unlike here. I felt I was running up or down the whole freaking time... But I ran until I was tired and then I ran some more. After a while it got easier and even though I felt like dying running uphill, running down was no effort at all and I was ready for the next one up! After zigzagging around my old neighborhoods it turned into a 10K (!!) and I even sped up the last kilometer.

Needless to say after that I was pretty wiped. But, the best thing about being back home, lunch was right on the table waiting for me. I love being home. After (another) Christmas lunch and some coffee, I went for the sauna.

Oh my god have I missed the Finnish sauna. Even though there's one at my gym in Berlin, it just doesn't even begin to compare. At the gym, with random people, you just can't relax 100%. I mean us Finnish people like our personal space. Like really like our personal space. Even when it's super cold. Like you see here in the photo which has gone viral all over the internet; "Coldest day in Finland this winter and personal space is still not sacrificed." And yes, this is real. Welcome to Finland!

http://i.imgur.com/2JHN1hn.jpg

I can tell you, living abroad in more southern countries, I was first taken aback when people came to my face to talk to me. I mean, hello, personal space? I need an arm's length from you to be able to feel comfortable. But to all you Finns out there, I promise you get used to it after a while...

Back to the point. Every Finnish house has a sauna. Like when you have your own house you have a sauna. When you live in an apartment building, there is a sauna. Even some apartments have a sauna. So yes, we do enjoy sauna. I mean after all, it's one of the few Finnish inventions that everyone knows!

But nothing beats your own sauna. Absolutely nothing. Just lying there, having it just as hot as you want, no one disturbing you, almost falling asleep. Perfection. And the feeling after it...

Oh my.

The best combination ever is working out and then going to the sauna to relax and let your muscles recover, also known as lenkkisauna (either after running, skiing, cycling, etc.). I tell you, I'm in a borderline coma right now. And I might just take a nap. Or not. Who knows, I'm just enjoying the peace, quiet and relaxing moments.

And maybe some gingerbread... I think I earned it. ;)

Have a great, relaxing Christmas everyone!

xx,
sofia

1st Anniversary - Thoughts on My Journey

Wow. It's been exactly 1 year since I wrote my very first blog post (happy anniversary, blog!!). At the airport in Helsinki. Leaving Finland to embarque on my biggest adventure yet. With a clear vision of where I want to be in my life in 2016 but yet nothing concrete to hold on to.

So, what can I say about this year and my adventures so far? Was it worth leaving everything familiar behind and taking a leap into the unknown, not knowing whether I would fall right down a cliff of unemployment and misery in a new country?

And my answer is yes. Absolutely, positively yes.

But that doesn't mean that I haven't been through hell this year. Well, maybe hell is a exaggerating a little but there have been some tough, tough times. First of all, starting a life in a new country is tough. Without a job it's even tougher. Being unemployed, for the short time that I was, is definitely not my thing. I was going crazy not having something where I could develop myself, interact with other professionals and use my full potential.

My days consisted of applying for jobs, working out, exploring Berlin (not the best time to walk around when it's FREAKING cold...), taking photos, blogging and trying to figure out my new life here. Slowly but surely the pieces started coming together; I did an internship, started a new job and a German course, met new people and just enjoyed the exciting new life. I've travelled quite a lot and continued exploring this wonderful city that I now call home.

Although it has been tough at times, I'm glad it all wasn't just a piece of cake, because now I can honestly say that it has made me so much stronger and I've learned a lot about myself as a person. And I also want to thank the people who have been there for me, my family, old friends, and new acquaintances - you have made the hard times a little better and the good times amazing, and I'm grateful for each and every one of you.

The biggest lesson this year has shown me (as much as I dislike like clichés) is that 'life happens when you're busy making other plans'. As I came here, I had clear plans of what I was going to do and what absolutely not to do, but as life tends to, things didn't really work out according to the plans.

Some things turned out better than I could ever have imagined in my wildest dreams.

xx,
sofia

Mediterranean Meets Scandinavian

As I hinted before, November was all about home decór. I love decorating and most of all, I love the Scandinavian, very minimalist style. In other words, white.

My old apartment in Finland was pretty much white, with hints of black and grey. So colorful, I know, but I love it.

So, when I was faced with a Mediterranean styled apartment with yellow and orange walls, it was a little... Hmm... Let's just say that yellow walls are not my first choice. But I've taken it on as a challenge and I am starting to... embrace this colorful environment.

There is still sooo much to do - but decorating always seems like a work in progress. And I'm starting to like mixing the two different styles, even though if I could choose, I would have white, wooden floors, white walls, white furniture with fifty shades of grey.

But anyways, here are a few sneak peaks into my project! As I mentioned before, I'm incorporating travelling into home decór... And this is how!

These are my shots from the trip to Prague a few months ago. I wanted to add more photos to the place and I thought... Why not my own? So, from now on there will be photos from every trip around the house!

The hallway also gives a glimpse to Prague as well as a paradise we found in the mountains in Switzerland!

Travelling and colorful things have also taken over the living room...

And I have a confession to make. I'm in love...

With this baby right here!

He's called Big Ben and I just melt inside when he plays Nirvana to me. I must say I never really got the vinyl hype before but oh my...

And some more music - the guitar corner. With the coolest lamp with three spotlights!

They say it's all in the details - this is a gift from my mom, to bring a piece of Finland into the place. I'm not so into Marimekko, famous Finnish design brand (and yes, there is such thing as famous Finnish design, look it up) but this little tray is adorable. Brings a little of the black and white color scheme I love.

Aannd a little more yellow to brighten up your day... At least I got to sneak in the Nirvana album to add more black! Meanwhile it's day 35 and he still hasn't noticed! ;)

I have to admit it's still a little colorful for me but I'm starting to accept colors into my life (while working on my secret evil plans of transforming the apartment into a black and white movie).

I'll keep you updated on my evil plans.... ;)

xx,
sofia