Throwback to Home

In July I went back to Finland again for the weekend. I know, this is a real throwback... But anyways the reason for returning home this time was a wedding. One of my oldest and best friends got married and there was no way I was going to miss that.

The wedding was incredibly beautiful, I might have gotten tears in my eyes (or cried like a baby) a couple of times. The bride was just so incredibly beautiful, the groom super handsome and everything was just perfect.

I was of course late for buying my dress but luckily found just the perfect one from my birthday trip to Mallorca a few weeks earlier.

And the funniest thing happened to me, which I think other expats might relate to...

I was at a shopping mall and I heard people talking Finnish. My first reaction - wow! Finnish people! I wonder what they're doing here, are they tourists or do they actually live here...?

Oh wait... I'm not in Berlin anymore but actually in Helsinki. Yeah. Nice one. And it was not the first time... Now I'm safely back in Berlin, only hearing German and Spanish! ;) And the occasional English of course.

I have to confess though that I might have gone to a Finnish café a while ago to show it to a friend, which was pretty much just an excuse to talk Finnish)! ;)

Till next time!
xx

Birthday Getaway

I'm a summer kid. Not just by heart but also by birthday, which is in July.

For a few years in a row I had a good streak going on - I was always away for my birthday. Another city, a festival, abroad - just somewhere. The past couple of years however, I've spent my birthday at home with my friends, which was great - but this year I felt like it was time to go away again.

Travelling is something I really love, so it's the perfect thing to do for my birthday. This year the destination turned out to be - what I had been missing for a while now - Spain. Not mainland Spain though but Mallorca. I've only been there once as a kid so I was curious to see it again.

Totally. Worth. It.

We stayed in Palma, which is an absolutely beautiful city. I lost my heart to Spain just a little bit when I lived there and it was just amazing to be back.

Everything was just ridiculously perfect - the food - the beach - the wine. Just everything. I finally even found a dress for an upcoming wedding which I had been searching for in Berlin for the longest time!

And why ridiculously perfect? Well, the craziest thing happened...

On the eve of my birthday we had dinner in Palma to celebrate with some tapas and sangría - I mean what more can a girl ask for?  Anyway, we left the restaurant five minutes after midnight - and what happens?

Some random guy on the street started playing Feliz Cumpleaños on his guitar!! I mean. What are the odds?!

Pretty amazing. It's funny how these things happen sometimes - being at the right place at the right time. Seems a little like fate. Not sure if I believe in fate, but lately things have got me wondering...

Anyways, it was a perfect weekend getaway. Crazy how much energy the sun can give you! And as a plus, I got a nice tan for a wedding ! ;)

Hasta luego! 
xx

Homesickness.

Homesickness.

Something that normally doesn't affect me that much really got me a while back. I've been in Berlin for over six months now and until a few weeks ago I wasn't home sick at all, quite on the contrary.

It hit me a few weeks ago when I took a weekend trip back home to pack up my beautiful apartment and surprise my friend for her bachelorette party. The weekend was great, I saw old friends, old collegues (yes, I went to have lunch at my old office...) and my family - for once we were all in the same country at once which doesn't happen so often!

On a side note, I love Scandinavian, minimalist homes with black and white, just in case you can't tell... ;) 

And the theme of the party was 80's aerobics. Seems like stating the obvious again! We were quite a sight, 20+ girls straight out of an 80's home aerobics video wandering around Helsinki with a jukebox...

Getting back to the point - returning home to Berlin on early Monday morning turned out to be tougher than I thought. First of all, busses and u-bahn's were late and I was running to get to work early. Returning home there were a few set-backs and I was emotionally and physically exhausted, missing Finland and most of all my people there.

Although I haven't been in Berlin THAT long yet, I've met really great people and made some very close friends. But I also have awesome people who I really love back home and going back made me think of them more than ever. Also, since I was in Helsinki only for the weekend, which was fully booked, I didn't get to see any friends from different cities.

But back in Berlin, for the first time since I came, I felt lonely, just empty. Like all 'my people' were back home. Which was not true at all, since I have found people in Berlin who I really care about - but of course I wasn't able to concentrate on that.

After a week of making myself - and some others around me miserable, I decided that it had to stop. I'm usually a happy person and feeling down all the time was killing me. Realizing the difference between what I could control - what I concentrate my energy on - and what I couldn't - not having my family and my old friends in Berlin - brought me back to reality. I could concentrate on the present again and make the best out of my time and I did.

It's been about a month now since then - no more serious homesickness, although I do miss people back home. But it's more about remembering the good times and looking forward to more good times to come.

Now, with the summer - new challenges - new experiences - I'm just super happy. It took a case of homesickness to see that - but now it's cristal clear.

Great weekend everyone!
xx

Spring Tripping

For the long weekend couple of weeks ago I decided to change the scenery so I headed to Switzerland. For some reason I thought I would get to relax and detox from the busy city life in Berlin, but boy was I wrong!

Early Friday morning we hopped onto a train and headed for Domodossola, Italy! It's such a cute little town. I'm a little bit in love with the Mediterranean countries and cultures; living in Spain I just felt that something in me clicked with the culture. I just love the happy mentality (and reggaeton - which I know comes from South America). ;) 

Saturday was spent doing what all the Swiss people seem do on the weekends; hiking! We went to Meiringen, not too far from Bern - which I can absolutely recommend! There were a lot of different routes, some of which were still totally covered in snow! We took the Panorama route, which was absolutely beautiful with panoramic views (as the name might suggest).

Hiking is something I have never really done since I come from the nature. Originally I'm from a tiny town of 14 000 people, so basically the countryside. Not really, actually it's just basically a suburb of Helsinki, but there is a lot of forest and well, more forest. So I pretty much grew up running through the forests.

Also, hiking is not that big in Finland since, well, there are no real mountains unless you go far up north. But hiking in Lapland (far up north) is pretty popular, there are routes that you can take for days but just don't except to be walking up any big mountains!

Hiking was just what I needed, being a little into sports (some may say a little addicted) and being in nature, it was just the perfect thing. That being said, although I love nature, at this point of my life I could not live anywhere but a big city. And I'm in love with Berlin. Just a little bit. 

Sunday before flying back we spent a couple of hours in Zurich, which I actually never visited before even though I've been to Switzerland a few times. Just getting a little glimpse of the city, I definitely want to go back with more time.

Well, I guess it's arrivederci for now!

Reconnecting with My Roots

I enjoy living abroad, encountering new experiences, learning new languages and meeting new people with interesting stories. However, sometimes I do get a little home sick and I want to talk Finnish and connect with Finnish people. You know, sometimes it's just fun to share your expat experiences and compare stories of culture shocks that you have encountered in the new country with people who know how things work back home.

Recently I discovered a perfect fix for the homesickness; Populus Café in Neukölln. It's owned by Finns and the best thing; you get to order in Finnish! And also chat with fellow Finns!

But oh my God... Talking at least two languages on a daily basis that are not Finnish and then trying to switch to my native language... Whoa... Not talking it for so long, my speech started out so slow, I forgot words... So embarrassing. Like trying to learn a new language again!

So, I guess the only solution is to go there more often. ;)

Also because the coffee is good and their filled sandwiches - absolutely delicious! 

Culture Shocks - Part 2

In January, shortly after moving here I wrote about culture shocks I've experienced here in Berlin. After writing the post I've encountered a few other interesting things that I'd like to share with you.

Women's parking

Spoiler alert, this is brilliant!

The other night when I once again hitched a ride to figure skating training from a friend, I noticed that the skating rink had a couple of parking spots for 'Ladies' parking. What, separate parking spots just for women? How are they different from normal ones, wider so we can actually hit them?! As you know, women drivers and all... Which I strongly disagree with!

But these spots are actually a great invention! They are always located near the entrance minimizing walking distance to increase safety and be convenient in case you are carrying heavy shopping bags, etc. I can totally understand minimizing the distance for safety since this particular rink is located in a little bit of an isolated, industrial area with very little traffic and a lot of dark, scary corners. Way to go Germany!

Feierabend

Which translates directly into 'party night'. But Germans have Feierabend every night after work?! I haven't see THAT many people drunk on the streets on a given week night... However, I discovered that this is just a term for the night after work.

I just wish someone would tell that to the crazy drunk outside our building every night...

GIANT Pillows

As I might have mentioned before, I've previously worked with home decór and am quite passionate about it... Being familiar with the standard bedlinen sizes in Finland and Eastern Europe, I was shocked to see the size of the pillows people have here!

Compared to the standard size of 50x60cm I'm used to, it seems crazy that the pillows here are usually 80x80cm... I mean how big are your heads?!

However I do have to admit they are quite comfortable for just laying around in bed (which I rarely do, if a few Sundays don't count) but for sleeping I prefer a pillow that fits my head, NOT my whole body!

Radio in the Bathroom

A while back I noticed a radio in the bathroom. Okay, someone might be storing the radio there because there is no room anywhere else? No, actually turns out people actually use it. I mean, if you shower for 10 minutes in the morning do you really need music?

Apparently yes. I hear it saves time if you listen to the news while you shower. Hmm.

But it's cool I guess, properly waking up in the shower while listening to your favorite beats. I just need to get a tutorial from someone on how to connect it to my Spotify account so I can blast Särre's Hesan naiset for a throwback to last summer.

And after having written this I'm sure nobody will show me how it works just to be spared of having to wake up to Finnish music... :D

Well, that's about everything that comes to mind right now, although it seems like I do encounter funny situations on a daily basis!

On a slightly unrelated note, one thing (among many others) I absolutely love here, that you don't see much of where I come from, is the street art. The quality, the variety and the amount is amazing! You see something on almost every corner and they are real works of art usually.

Till next time! 

Change of Scenery for Easter

So I am finally feeling alive after the exhausting day yesterday. Somehow travelling really did a number on me; I was feeling dizzy all night... But anyways, I am now home in Switzerland and spending Easter here with family.

Well, this morning, to balance out all the Easter eggs I (already ate and) will be eating, I decided to go for a run and I have to say I definitely prefer running in Berlin. I mean here you have more nature and fresher air BUT in Berlin you can go for miles before finding the tiniest hill. Bern is a liiiitle different. And by a little I mean you're lucky if you have straight ground. So needless to say, it was a little bit of a struggle but I'm happy I made it through. Alive. Mostly.

Funny thing I've noticed here, passing total strangers on the street, they wish you good morning?! Yup, I'm definitely not in Berlin anymore... Bern has a really cute, cozy, small town feeling to it, which is nice to have once in a while.

But let's talk a little about prices here in Switzerland. After arriving here yesterday, we grabbed lunch to take away from my favorite veggie place here; Tibits. If it was Berlin, two normal sized lunch portions from the buffet could have maybe cost 15-20€ in total. But here, they amounted to 40€. Fourty. FOURTY Euros. Take away lunch from not even a fancy but a quite normal restaurant.

Yeah. Welcome to Switzerland!

I mean don't get me wrong I'm not complaining at all, Switzerland is an incredibly beautiful country and I love it here! I'm just trying to remember to hold on to my seat when I get the restaurant bill...

And talking about expensive, today we took a trip to Gstaad, which is a popular resort where the, let's say the more well-off, and the jet set like to spend their vacations. Apparently Elizabeth Taylor went there. And sponsored an artsy fountain.

This tiny, tiny town was really one of a kind, with only a couple of streets but despite the size, still had all the luxury brand shops like Louis Vuitton and Hermes. Have you ever even seen anybody in a Louis Vuitton shop, except for the security and the sales personnel? I haven't. But in Gstaad the shop was full. Like so full you couldn't fit in there. And it was a big shop. So I take it this is not going to be my Top 1 ski destination on a budget...

And yeah, umbrella weather. Here's to hoping tomorrow's forecast will hold and it won't rain!

Happy Easter!

I got IT from my Mama!

...and I mean my love for travelling and the courage to go after my dreams! ;)

This woman is a little bit of an inspiration to me. At my age she also decided to move abroad, to Switzerland for work. So, what does she do? She takes her fresh off-the-shelf, week old driver's license and her brand new car and heads off alone for the famous German Autobahn (for those who don't know, there are no speed limits...) to drive through Germany to Switzerland. Sounds like a pretty crazy idea to begin with but if you've had your license for barely a week that doesn't sound like a very good plan at all... But needless to say she made it to her destination and had some pretty great years there.

I've learned that travelling and especially living abroad broadens your perspective on the world. It's always interesting to explore new places and learn about other cultures. Personally, some of the most interesting people I've met and greatest experiences I've had have been while travelling or living abroad. The best tip and greatest advantage to getting to know a new culture is learning the language; hence my motivation to learn German!

I consider myself extremely lucky to have always been encouraged to do what I want (as long as I have a realistic plan). This helped make the decision of moving to Berlin pretty easy after considering all the aspects. At this point of my life I've lived in a couple of different countries and cities, including Latvia, Spain, and now Germany and travelled quite a lot, although mostly in Europe. It's funny how travelling only makes you want to explore more and more of the world!

Looking at all these old photos hasn't helped at all with the travel bug I recently caught. I might be dreaming of a weekend getaway...

Any great tips for great Spring destinations?

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!

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!