What happened during the year 2014?

For almost a year I have not posted hardly anything, even though I promised to people in Peru I will try to tell them about my life in Finland. It has mainly been posting some pictures on Facebook. It does not mean that my life was boring or I didn't have anything to say. Sometimes your mind just has too many things and you start doubting whether you want to share it with others, because it's too personal. Also this year I've been writing a “real” diary and for that reason I've become too lazy to write it twice. Past year was interesting, fun, sad, extremely busy, hectic and filled with different things that in the end made me very exhausted in good and bad. As usually, it means that in the end I find myself being on the other side of the world when it happens. However, this time I’m just continuing my original plan what I was supposed to do after volunteering in Peru. Due to a death of my grandpa I just postponed it for a year. As always that decision was right one and led to many other new things and people in my life. 
To start a new year and new chapter in life it's always good to look back the year and remember what happened. I have to say it was a pretty amazing year and no wonder I got little bit exhausted at the end of the year in the dark and busy land of Finland. 

This is the view from where am sitting at right this moment in Canoa, Ecuador. It’s a very small village on the coast. I know, some of you are wondering now what the heck is she doing inside if the weather is like that outside. To be honest, at moment I have slight headache (only had two cocktails...way too strong for me) after having a night out dancing. Second, it's so hot outside that you cannot even walk beer feet on the sand. So don’t worry I'm waiting to feel better so that I can head to beach to practice more surfing in the afternoon!
 So how was my year?

Loosing and letting go, but not forgetting

Isaac, my Zambian brother

My year started in Arequipa with rather sad feelings because father of my friend, who I was traveling with, died on a New Year’s Eve. Somehow death followed me around quite a lot last year, I lost my grandpa Kemi and grandma Autti last spring. As, I said grandpa Kemi’s death was the reason why I returned back to Finland. Both of my grandparents were very important people in my life and taught me so many important things. Losing them meant that one part of my life was somehow over. There were moments that I thought why I didn’t listen them more carefully, because they had so much knowledge about things that I don’t have. In May a schoolmate from Denmark ended his journey of life and later in November my Zambian big brother Isaac, who took me under his wing and opened his house to me to live in, died with malaria. It was a shock and felt so wrong that a person only few years older than me had to go. It made appreciate life and the each moment we share with the people even more. Even if they are now gone they continue their lives within our hearts and in our memories. I am so grateful of all the moments I shared with my grandparents and Isaac. I love them all from the bottom of my heart.

Achievements

I GRADUATED, finally after being at the University for ten years. Top of that I managed to produce

a "master piece" of my Master’s thesis; it’s not perfect, but excellent, as my professor said. I can now say I'm proud of it even if I didn't believe that I was able to produce something good. In my case I needed time in order to produce something special and meaningful, because for me it felt stupid to produce something that doesn’t mean anything to me. Many had already given up believing that I would never finish my thesis, but I did and with the best grade. Huge thanks goes to my friend Katja, who was forced to put up with me while finishing it and giving me mental support together with Anna, when I was having a mental breakdown at the end. Love them to pits and so grateful that they had fait on me! I'm thankful to Luke, who kindly corrected my language errors. However, I think the best feedback was from a person, who doesn’t know me but read my thesis and said she got inspiration writing her own! Now I can say to myself good on you Sari, you did a great job!

Work 

I finished my work in Peru with a La casa de Panchita (LCP) before I got back to Finland for my grandpas funeral in February. I think I managed to do decent job in there and I’m so glad for the experience I had with them and all the people I got to know in Lima. La Casa de Panchita became like a family to me. I have continued volunteering with Naisten Kehitysapu in Finland, who is a partner ngo with La Casa de Panchita. It feels good to be able to continue to be part of LCP somehow. I had a short stopover in Lima, when coming to Ecuador and it felt like going home and like I was never away for 11 months. Looking forward to get there in March, see all my friends, see the kids and spend quality time with everyone.

My dear students

When returning to Finland in February I got a job as an immigrant class teacher, but this time at the secondary level in Helsinki. First it was supposed to be only until summer, but I continued until Christmas. Spring was ok, learning to work with older kids, but in August I had way too many kids and they were in different levels in Finnish in order to handle the class without having a breakdown after a month. However, my students (or my kids how I often called them) were such an amazing characters, despite of the hardships we had. I understand that it’s really frustrating to come to a new country and to be put with kids, who are way younger than they and to go and study again what you already learned in your country is not easy. Even if some of the students gave me hard time, but I simply love each one of them and I know they will manage in their lives. Maybe it’s about me as a person, maybe they somehow feel safe to have their “battles” with me, I don’t know. Many of them continued to a normal class when I left, but sadly I had to say goodbye to a very nice crowd. I’m looking forward to see them in the future and how they get on with their life in Finland. I love my work as an immigrant class teacher, it’s definitely a job for me, but the work conditions are not good in Helsinki. I definitely needed more support that I was able to get. But that is another topic to talk about. We shared many amazing, funny and great moments together and I’m so thankful that I was able to be their teacher. Teachers work is hard, but at the end rewarding!

Amazing trips 

My year started with amazing trip at the Arequipa, Canyon de Colca, then to Cobacabana, Lake Titicaca and Puno.

Hiking at the Canyon de Colca

At the plaza in Copacabana

Visiting the floting islands in Puno

Next one was in Finland at Sodankylä Film festival in June

For year I had been thinking to go there and this year we finally did it. I gave myself a little treat in the middle of thesis writing and we had a little road trip to Sodankylä with Katja and Susanna. We stayed at Katja's friend’s mom's house. What a lovely woman, reminded me of my grandma who passed away. There were interesting, good movies and people. Perfect weekend!

Movies 24h and daylight 24h

Sun at 3 am when coming back home.

First ever paid holiday, "a roadtrip" in Europe

After I finished my thesis, I hoped into train to Tampere, visited Kirsi there and then took a flight to London.

Bristol, England

I from London I went to Bristol to see my extented family Jen, Gabor, Liliom and Ernest. It was hectic, but also lovely reunion with them. My dear friend from Australia, Christie was in London at that time and came to visit me in Bristol. We just chilled out with the kids, had a nice dinner and enjoyed each others company. Perfect!

At the festival in town with Liliom and Ernest.

Christie enjoying my cooking :)

Lille, France

From Bristol I took train to London and continued from there by land using car sharing(blablacar) to France to Lille to visit another friend Adele, who I got to know in Lima. Almost a year in between since we last saw each others in Lima. Another chilled out weekend with nice people and nice company!

Look at us, together again but guess in which country are we in?

Toulouse, France 

From Lille I took another blablacar to Toulouse, which is on southern France. I simply fell in love with that city and the weather. Amazing, chilled out city, lots of nice arty people, a city with really good vibes. I was couch surfing there and I had wonderful host and met so many interesting people. Spend a wonderful day with a Columbian girl Constanza, who was couch surfing in a same place. So lucky to have met them and moments we shared together.

Touluose by the riverside.

Madrid, Spain 

Final stop was Madrid. I took the last ride with blablacar from Toulouse to Madrid. It was a long trip, but I saw so much on the way and I was already dreaming of buying a house from the middle of nowhere. In Madrid I stayed with my friend Javi. More new interesting people, people who I already knew, we had dinners, wondered around the city, enjoyed a little adventure outside Madrid and simply just enjoyed the time being together. 

Me and Javi climping at la Pedriza (not sure about the name :)

Finland road trip

After Spain I got back to Finland to my friend’s wedding and then decided to visit my dear friends all over Finland. Beautiful moments and enjoyed Finland summer for the first time in a very long time. I was surprised how beautiful Finnish summer is, but of course it was extremely hot July and August. Also June was cold so most of the mosquitos were dead ;)

Saana's wedding in Sysmä

Enjoying the company of Taavi, Heli and Tuomas in Jyväskylä

Enjoying the summer in Savonlinna with Linda, Niko, Hiski and Saimi

Enjoying the time, eating fresh smoked fish at grandpa Autti's cottage in Autti

Escaping the reality to Spain to Madrid, autumn holiday in November

At the top after some (scary for me) climbing

Have you noticed that I might be in love with Spain? To have an amazing friend Javi living in Madrid, is a perfect excuse to escape Finland in the middle of the depressing autumn or pretty much anytime of the year really is nice to go to Spain. This time we went to the mountains near Cuenca and had a perfect, relaxed weekend at the cottage with great people, good wine, food and right mindset. And can you see how the weather is there and this was in November!!! After every visit I'm more and more convinced that I should live in Spain.

Javi on a slackline

I also learned something new; I totally fell in love with slackline!!! So much fun :) I felt like a little child again, who just wants to keep going, try again and again and again and … the feeling when you succeed at least little bit is the best reward! 










 

Happines and moments

A beautiful room in a beautiful house

In August I moved to a kind of community house, only 10 minutes bike ride away from my work. It was perfect location, nice neighbors and a good roommate Manu. It was a pleasure to live with him and I managed to live with cats, even though it was hard at times. At least now I know that I am not a cat person, sorry all the cat people, but I prefer dogs and love them to pits. But living there was great. Thank you people in Kipparlahden Silmukka, even if I was busy running around in Finland, I enjoyed the moments we shared!

Wonderful friends and people in my life, some new, some old, but all the moments I shared with them were important. My moments missing from here but just to remember few.

Mimmi visiting Helsinki 

World Village Festival in Helsinki with my dear friends from Zambia exhange

Visiting Matosaari with Sini & Vesku

Short, but great reunion with Mari & Laura in Helsinki

Johanna's hen night with amazing women

Having fun with the girls playing with the camera at Johanna's wedding in Suomenlinna.

Reunion in Rovaniemi with my ballet friends

My graduation party at my moms in Helsinki

Me and my dear Maija at my party

My two favorite people Katja and cousin Anttu, who made a surprise visit to my party in Helsinki

My dear friend Matthias from Germany visiting me in Helsinki

Me and Sini in Oulu celebrating in Oulu our University program turning 20 years

My Kassandra choir who I was singing with the whole autumn term

My graduacion party in Autti at my grandpa's cottage.

Christmas with my father and brothers, men cooking!

Tapani's Day evening with Mia

New Year in silence at my grandpas' cottage Autti with Katja, Edi and Heta. 

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These were just moments I had pictures of. All I can say after looking back is WOW how lucky person I am to have all the amazing people in my life and have my life organized always the best way possible even in difficult situations. It’s important to remember to trust that things will work out and not stress too much. No wonder it felt difficult for me to leave Europe this time. But it's time for me to go and live for myself for little while, think about what I want to do next in my life. Sometimes it's good to take distance to see things from a different perspective. 

If I was pain in the ass or cried to you when I was tired or stressed out, I'm sorry, but you know if I did that to you it means you are very important person in my life if I can show you all my emotions. And that's how life is, not always easy no matter if you had all the things in the world you wished for, still you may feel angry, sad or stressed, because of something. But please remember I love you all very much and carry you in my heart wherever I go. 

This year my intention is to try to find a balance in my life in order to cope with the working life better in the future. I have started out by the beach doing yoga and learning to surf in Canoa, Equador.

This is where I am now, enjoying the Sunset in Canoa, Ecuador

Have a nice week, enjoy it and look around you, but not your smartphone!