Lahti Sunsets From Last May :) 

The last of Tallin. I promise. For a while anyhow. 

Where only I remain

I’m afraid I haven’t got anything special to tell you, just some very ordinary things of my life.

But let’s start with some new stuff:  I’ve started to study French here! It’s rather expensive since it’s almost like having  private lessons. There’s me and this another lady from Toronto. My teacher is an young québecoise, super nice girl. The primary focus is on the ability of having a conversation and understanding but there’s some grammar stuff as well. Two hours a week, every Wednesday night until the beginning of January.

(Canadian squirrel - Tim Horton's is somewhat a canadian version of Starbucks)

At work, all good. So far there’s been all kinds of events, from big corporate events of Microsoft and Red Cross for example to private concerts, weddings as well as art exhibition openings. The work is somewhat physically demanding since the decoration or furnishings have to be differently placed for every event. Small details count. At the events there’s isn’t much anything else to do than just make sure that everything goes as planned, smoothly and nicely. Adaptation to the changes is important. Often I’m helping out the catering staff with the dishes or serving food/drinks or whatever I can do.

I feel so empty at the moment cause this entire fall, I’ve been waiting for several releases to come out. First it was the new album “Terra” of this brilliant Finnish singer Jenni Vartiainen, followed by “Bridget Jones: Mad about the boy” book, new Céline Dion album and last but not definitely the least the compilation album of my favourite (in case no one has noticed) artist Laura Pausini. What now?!?

(Terra album by Jenni Vartiainen: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjfVme5npco)

Cannot be without saying a few words about Bridget Jones thou.. I finished  the third BJ a.k.a “the bible of a single gal” book by Helen Fielding. Brilliantly written. I recommend it to all “Jonesy” fans out there. I was very skeptic about it first cause I knew that it won’t be the same now with Mark “I like you just as you are” Darcy being dead. But the old Bridget is still very much there. Her old struggles with being a single and how to get a boyfriend (and keep him) as well as her new problems like coping with the everyday life of being a widowed single mom and how to use twitter made me laugh as much as they made me cry too.     

At the flat we’ve been having this teeny tiny plumbing problem during these few days. Started on Saturday, apparently some pipes started leaking and yeah, having water all over,  that was sort of a problem. But my landlord had the plumber to come and fix it on the very next day. Even though it was Sunday.

The quick action of my landlord made me think how I really got lucky with this room and flat. From what I’ve heard and seen, I so appreaciate that I have a washing machines that work, front doors that you can get locked and that I have a proper wall all the way to the ceiling. Lucky me. Even though all that stuff that has gone wrong in the past, may have not been so funny then but they sure are now!

Also, haven’t got pictures yet to prove this one to you but the whole city of Mtl is covered with Christmas decorations. And they’re seriously big, colourful and all sorts of things, especially in centre-ville. My neighbour has had Christmas lights ever since October I think.. Even the wall of our back yard is decorated.  And exactly year ago in November I felt so bad for having a Christmas tree (or actually two) and my flat decorated for the season. Cause it was “too early”.  Yeah right.   

About the famous Canadian winter, I’ve been so warned about. So far I’ve seen snow in Mtl only once. It was on last Saturday. And it’s all gone by now. But it’s getting colder so I’m hopeful that we’ll get some proper snow soon. I’m into it just for the looks, the trees are naked and it’s so dark without it. The temperatures ain't that bad but the wind (and this city is always windy) makes it feel so much colder. Hrrr.. Looking forward to those days of -20C. But I hope that the Canadian winter is nothing that the Finnish version hasn’t trained me for over the years.

(This is I hope it will look like) :)

Just can't stop praising this event! #igloofest #mtlmoments

5 habits I've picked up during my Lisbon years

These are the biggest life changing habits I've picked up during my seven Lisbon years.

They come in no specific order.

Vegetarian diet

Not my pic.

Not that Portuguese cuisine is known for its vegetarian dishes (because it has none!) but my view on food and cooking have changed while spending my 30's in Lisbon (or it's the old age hehe). Good flavors are rather a simple thing and a lot can be done with fresh and good ingredients without complex procedures.

When still living in Finland I didn't enjoy cooking that much or know exactly how to use the best out of the ingredients I had in my reach. Finnish grocery stores are filled with overproduced and ready-to-go meal options which I also indulged greatly. Finnish cuisine is also rather meat focused which I have stepped away from a bit during my years abroad even though I still enjoy a good steak every now and then.

Portuguese supermercardos on the other hand differ quite a lot - many things can be found fresh and locally produced (except cod because that they actually get from Norway). Instead of e-code filled spice mixes you don't need much else to highlight the natural flavors except salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil. This has changed my way of seeing and consume food tremendously.

Nowadays my social media feed is filled with Mediterranean style vegetarian recipes and I've taken on such things as herbs, onions, garlic, olive oil, arugula and fresh vegetables to my daily diet. I take advantage of seasonal products such as pomegranate, watermelon, mint to bring variety to my plate.

Fun fact is that I've also learned to eat oats, berries + cottage cheese in here which all have been part of Finnish classical diet forever but which I used to hate when living back home.

I'm more human

Not my pic.

Things don't always work and not especially here in Portugal. Systems crash, procedures fail and so do people. You cannot be in a hurry while living in this city or schedule no more than one bureaucrat procedure on your weekly agenda. And that one thing takes the entire day often! Portuguese people and culture still embrace old fashion lifestyle in many ways. Many things still run with pen and paper here and developments come in practice slowly. It's human that mistakes take place and that things might not be easy on the first try.

On a different side of the coin however, elderly, pregnant women or people with small kids or injuries often get priority in groceries and other places. Or you might be passed by the queue because you only have one item in your shopping basket when the person in front of you is buying for a family of six. There's humanity in everyday counters. I'm not saying that not being able to trust the process is entirely stress free but I do enjoy the more human side of things. Life is more merciful, my flaws don't make me and I demand less from myself and those around me.

Traditional = more simple life?

Not my pic.

I'm not saying that everything is about money or that you wouldn't need it but when you don't have much of it you tend to prioritize the real things in life.

The essential part of Portuguese everyday life routine is the meals, family and relationships in general. Yes, we all have to go to work but it doesn't become us. During free time people read books, exercise, go to the beach or play football - some of these being perhaps the essential parts of a Portuguese (or even of South European) lifestyle. These off-screen activities embrace social relationships, healthy and in my opinion more equal lifestyle where one's background with money or success doesn't matter.

This a far cry how I remember the years lived in Finland. The society is very performance and success focused - whether it's from the financial wealth to meeting the social standards - life is measured with achievements, success. The standards are the same for everyone, every child, woman and man and pressures start to grow from a very young age on. Individuality feels criminal. It's about reaching the finish line with great scores instead of enjoying the journey and its benefits to you.

Portuguese salary is is still lower than an average EU-citizen's elsewhere in Europe. As mentioned this country is slow to develop, therefore people and the lifestyle have remained traditional in many ways. Despite of the recent years' tourism boom that has brought along more pressure to provide things in a more modern manner. However it's not super uncommon to step into a store that only accepts cash, or to a Portuguese kitchen that has changed only a little during the last century. Life can be so simple.

Outdoor sports

Not my pic.

Funnily enough coming from the country of four seasons, thousands of lakes and forests that offer almost the same amount of possibilities to exercise all year round, I didn't learn to embrace outdoor sports before January 2020 - in Lisbon. I started running just before the covid shit storm, just in time when gyms and everything else shut down. There was nothing else than the empty streets and parks to conquer.

Funnily enough this new found lifestyle would suffer significantly if I ever moved to Finland (or any other Northern country with proper winters) because indoor, treadmill running doesn't do it for me. I'm in eternal love with the Portuguese weather because I can get around the rains or heat waves - the weather is not an obstacle for me!

Less productive

Not my pic.

I said these five things come in no particular order but it feels natural though to put this last. This is the result of all these four.

I don't feel pressured to do anything that I don't want to do. Whether it's to change jobs, to have a relationship, to travel, to exercise or eat healthy. I do all these things because I want to and if not, it's because I'm not feeling like it. I may be less productive and not where "I supposed to be at my age" - I can feel the judgement every time going home.. but the choices I've made during these seven years have felt truly mine and only mine.

Sometimes I do wonder if these changes and steps would have occurred if I had lived in Finland or somewhere else. Some maybe, others not.

Pics from magical Sintra! 

17 things that change forever when you live abroad

If you've ever lived abroad ortraveled for a long time, you probably know what these 17 things are all about.

Simply divine piece of text, which every word is true! 

Lisbon! 

Took my time going though the Coruna trip photos from last September. I saw so many beautiful places! These are from my first 2 days :) 

Took this pic a while back and somehow it feels appropriate when you think about the events in Nice and Munich and elsewhere in the world. So many lost lives in so many ways. I wish light for everyone walking in the darkness. 

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.

Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky