Portland>Finland

I am back in Finland, and hopefully back to regular blogging from now on as well. I am sorry for the lack of writing recently. Let's just say, that I'm not your regular woman who can handle multitasking just like that. 

I arrived to Finland on Thursday... Well, Thursday or Friday. I landed around Midnight and I can't remember whether it was before or after. Anyways, I was 6-7 hours late, yay for that, and as I was landing, I did not feel any kind of fondness toward my homeland. The roads were white... And the snow blizzard hit the southern coast conveniently at the time of my arrival. What a welcome party for me, a person who hates winter -.-

Rocky Mountains!

The blizzard wasn't the reason I was late, though. Due to my flight schedule change from a non-stop flight from PDX to Amsterdam to PDX-Minneapolis-Amsterdam, I already had a longer return time, BUT, as it turned out, I was about to be traveling a bit longer still... To make a long story short, I got stuck in Minneapolis for 3 extra hours, because there was something wrong with our plane. They had another plane for us, and during the preparation of that one, Delta Airlines gave 50-dollar vouchers to all the passengers on that flight. I spent mine on a duty-free store, and headed for the purses (d'oh). All the handbags were a little out of my price range, but I did get myself something nice ;)

Guess -wallet, $45,00 from some duty-free store at Minneapolis/St.Paul Airport. Note the strap that comes off -this one will also work as a purse at parties :)) I love it!! Thanks, Delta! It pays off to be delayed ;)

So we finally took off from Minneapolis, and headed to Amsterdam. The flight time was an hour shorter than announced before, so I still had a slight chance of making it to my connection flight from Amsterdam to Helsinki. I landed at 1.05pm and the connection was at 1.55pm. I didn't make it :( I was at the gate at 1.30pm, but they wouldn't let me board, because my luggage was sure not to make it to the flight, and I wasn't allowed to fly without it. So they rebooked me, and I had another 6 hours to wait at Schiphol Airport... Oh happy days. Jet lagged, and all. I got a 10-euro food voucher, a phone call voucher and a 50euro discount from my next flight, that's valid for two years.. So yeah, I wasn't too pissed ;)

Minneapolis!

So... now my trip's over :( I cannot even describe how amazing these last three months have been. I truly lucked out with my job, host family and I made a lot of incredible new friends. I had a blast. Non-stop. I'm so so so very happy that I went. Thank you, Portland <3

I'm here, but not quite here yet, if you know what I mean. My head's still a mess, and I get tired at weird hours. I'm trying to convert prices into euros, even though they're already euros, and when I want to call somebody, I try to figure out the time, even though we're in the same time zone now. Leaving Portland was hard, I cried more than once. Now I'm sort of in denial about it; I refuse to let myself think about it. I'm here, but I don't wanna acknowledge that fact. I start thinking about Portland, and I feel like I could catch a bus and a MAX downtown anytime, and remembering that I can't do that right now, is too much. I'm still more in Portland than I am here.

Slowly getting on my feet... I'll get back to you :)

-i

Naked Truth

A Finnish blogger wrote about how it's ridiculous, the way people criticize each other nowadays. She then posted a picture of herself with no make up on, completely natural. A bold move in today's world, when what's on the outside seems to matter the most. 

Eräs suomalainen bloggaaja kirjoitti siitä, miten naurettavaa on se, kuinka ihmiset kritisoivat toisiaan nykyään. Hän postasi kuvan itsestään ilman mitään meikkiä, täysin luonnollisena. Rohkea veto nykymaailmassa, missä ulkonäöllä on se suurin merkitys. 

You will find her blog post/ löydät kyseisen postauksen

HERE!

It really is appalling how some people choose not to get to know somebody based on the way they look. They are missing out on possibly amazing friendships and other relationships for something as fading as appearances. Really, think about it. Think about your friends and family members. They are not all super models, they do not all have the perfect athletic bodies nor the set of white, straight teeth, shiny hair or sense of humor, but they're still there, in your life. True, one cannot choose their own family members, but abandoning them isn't the option either, when you love them. So why should other people be any different? 

On oikeasti järkyttävää, miten jotkut valitsee tuttavansa ulkonäön perusteella. Sillä tavalla voi missata monta mahdollisesti mahtavaa ystävyyssuhdetta, tai muita ihmissuhteita. Pelkän ulkonäön takia! Ajattelepa nyt kunnolla... ajattele omia perheenjäseniäsi ja ystäviäsi. Ei ne kaikki ole supermalleja, ei niillä kaikilla ole täydellistä, urheilullista kroppaa, tai suoria valkoisia hampaita, kiiltävää tukkaa tai huumorintajua. Mutta silti ne on osa sun elämää. Tottahan se on, ettei omaa perhettään voi valita, mutta ei niitä nyt hylätäkään, koska tietenkin omaa perhettään rakastaa. Miksi muut ihmiset ois mitenkään poikkeus?

This is me, without any make-up, and my hair's messy and not brushed after holding it up on a bun. Dark circles around my eyes, shiny skin after applying lotion. Eye-brows that need plugging. This picture has not been photo shopped at all, and it was taken with my iPhone. 

Tässä olen minä, ilman yhtään meikkiä, tukka sotkuisena ja harjaamattomana. Tummat silmänaluset, kiiltävä iho rasvaamisen jäljiltä, kulmakarvat, jotka kaipaavat nyppimistä. Tätä kuvaa ei ole käsitelty ollenkaan, ja se on otettu iPhonellani. 

I hope that reading the post linked above (and this one) will encourage all of you to look a little deeper. And ATTENTION TO ALL THE BLOGGERS OUT THERE! Here comes a challenge: Take a picture of yourself all natural, and post the Naked Truth! Let it spread!!!

Toivottavasti yllä linkitetty postaus (ja tämä) rohkaisee kaikkia katsomaan vähän syvemmälle. Ja HUOMIO KAIKKI BLOGGAAJAT! Tässä tulee haaste: Ota kuva itsestäsi täysin luonnollisen näköisenä, ja postaa Naked Truth! Annetaan tämän levitä!!!

Cali !

Today I crossed the state-line between Oregon and California.

I entered into my 18th state.

Sunny California my a**, lol! 

It's been a gloomy and grey, rainy day, but we've had a lot of fun! We've been driving for about 8 hours today, and tomorrow we're driving another 6,5 hours. But it'll be worth it. Because tomorrow I will finally get to cross a bridge I've dreamed of crossing ever since I can remember. The Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco awaits!!

Here's more pics from today:

I'm a good Zombie :)

Half of my trip is over. 

I haven't slept in 6 weeks, and I won't sleep in another 6 weeks. I'll sleep when I go back to Finland. You know how you get so tired at some point and everything just starts being funny? And how after that comes the stupid-mode, when you don't know which way is up and which way is down? I've been there. And now I'm in the third phase. 

The zombie phase. 

And at the same time, I'm ridiculously happy :)

This weekend I got to explore Washington State.

Just so you won't be bored with all the nature pics!

Deception Pass

I love how there's drift wood at the beaches in Washington. 

Back to rainy Portland :)

I also got to do some driving for the first time since I arrived here! I love to drive. I drove us up to Olympia from Portland, and later on back to Olympia from Whidbey Island. When we passed Seattle, it was dark and raining, but we had a clear view of the city's beautiful silhouette. I felt like I was on top of the world <3

Hope you all had a great weekend, and all of you here at the Pacific Northwest, don't let the rain bother you :) I was soaking wet when I got home today. I hope my shoes are dry tomorrow!

The new (old) me

Hi :)

It's been a while again, sorry. Like I said before, my life here is extremely active and busy. Always on the move. But this weekend has been surprisingly low key. We haven't even left the Portland area. Weird. And we've (oh, by we I mean me and my roomie!) been tired. Today, on the train back home, I told her: "It's been five weeks and finally we're tired." We're both so sleep deprived it's insane. 

That's what you get when you just have to see and do as much as possible.

So, I finally got my hair done yesterday! And let me tell you, it is UH-MAZING! 

I am so in love with my hair. I can't even tell you how much I love it. 

Also, got the red lipstick today. Told you I would. 

Someone told me I look like Maggie Gyllenhaal in this picture. Do you see it? I don't :(

I was talking about my style with a friend, and when I told her I was painting my finger nails black and was going to get a red lipstick, she said it was cool that I was getting a new style. I told here that it's not new, it's just me, but when I do it in Finland, people think I'm being weird. She suggested that I just stop caring. I said I will. And since I can't stay here, I'm bringing Portland with me. 

1/3 of this trip is over...

First of all, millions of apologies for not blogging in a week. I think it's my record. A shameful one. When I started blogging, I didn't blog as much, but now that I have more readers and I've really got the hang of it, I feel really bad not blogging :( sorry! 

I thought that after coming to the States I would blog more. But I'm busy. All-the-time. I'm working Tuesdays through Fridays from 9.30am - 4.30pm. Tuesdays I've got other plans after work (every Tuesday), Wednesdays I'm either at home, relaxing after Tuesday or off somewhere else. Thursdays the same thing. Fridays too. Sometimes home, but usually not. And I'm always on the move during the weekends. Mondays are my easy days, and even they are not always easy. Oh well... I'm enjoying every little bit of it :) All of it. I love it here more than you could ever comprehend. It kills me every day a little to think about returning back to Finland, because I feel like my heart does not belong there. 

Before I get too mushy, I want to share this weekend with you. 

Multnomah Falls in Oregon. This picture looks like a screen saver, or something google gives you when you search for "fairytale sceneries" or something. But I'm proud to say that I snapped this picture. It was such a beautiful place! <3

Oh... I bought shoes today. 

And I love them!

You like? Me loves.

Tomorrow I'm going to the store-that-should-not-be-named.

Menossa, menossa, MENOSSA!

Tässä pätkä keskustelua, jonka kävin yhden parhaimman ystäväni kanssa viime marraskuussa Facebookin chatissa. 

M:

Mitä suunnitelmii sul on? :)

I:

Lähen työharjotteluun Amerikkaan :) Allianssin kautta. 3kk vaan, mutta kuitenkin työharjottelu. Saan siitä paljon irti, kivan lisän ansioluetteloon yms.

M:

Oooi toi kuulostaa mukavalta :) Minne päin Amerikkaa?

I: 

Joo... äläkä pliis tapa mua ku kuulet mihin :D

M:

:DD

Eeeeeei

I:

Sitä järjestetään vaan siihen yhteen paikkaan, Portlandiin, Oregoniin. Hyvin lähellä Seattlea :D

M:

Eei eieieieieieiei

xD

kakka

No ei vaa, ihanaa! Joskushan sinneki on päästävä, ja iha sama vaik meetki sinne ku itekki joskus joka tapauksessa sinne meen xD

Omalta kohdaltani en tiedä, miksi Seattle on aina kiehtonut ja olen monen monta vuotta halunnut päästä sinne käymään. Ystäväni kohdalla innostus alkoi 10 things I hate about you - leffan myötä (sijoittuu Seattleen). Ehkä se vaikutti itseenikin. En tiedä. 

Mutta tänä viikonloppuna yksi mun unelmista toteutuu.

Lähden Seattleen <3

What I did on the weekend? Well...

I will, no worries.

I used the main door, shoot...

Dipped my feet into the Pacific Ocean <3

I'm here, safe and sound :)

I am so jet lagged you wouldn't believe. 

But I made it here! And I have to say, that the first impression of Portland is wonderful. It's such a laid-back city and it reflects out of everything and everyone. Gotta love it!

The flight was incredibly boring and long, but it went fine. I survived. 

I seriously don't have the energy to write anymore, so here are photos to tell you about my first day here!

So much stuff...

I'm getting there! :)) If I can manage to get an internet connection tomorrow morning, I will post from the airport!! AAAAAAAAH, I'M LEAVING TOMORROW!!!

Viittä vaille on kaikki valmista!! :) Jos vaan saan internetyhteyden huomenna lentokentällä, niin teen lyhyen postauksen vielä sieltä! En jaksa uskoa, että huomenna on lähtö edessä! Alkaa jo jännittää :) 12 tunnin päästä pitäisi olla jo hereillä ja valmistautumassa bussiasemalle lähtöön. 

Tällä hetkellä fiilis mitä parhain!

Almost time to freak out!!!

People, I've got 3,5 weeks before I take off. 

Sooo much to take care of before that happens. I'm starting to stress out over it. Not fun.
Ihmiset, mulla on 3,5 viikkoa aikaa lähtöön.
Hommaa on tosi paljon ennen sitä, ja stressi alkaa iskemään päälle. Ei kiva.

Today I finally got a confirmation about my internship placement. Sorry, I won't tell you where I will be interning, because I want to maintain some kind of privacy. Nothing personal. You already know the city I'm heading to ;)
Tänään sain viimein vahvistuksen mun harjottelupaikasta. Yksityisyyden takia en kuitenkaan paljasta täällä, minne menen. Tiedätte kummiskin jo kaupungin missä tulen asustelemaan ;)

I have the next two days off, so I'll get something done. I promise. 

Seuraavat pari päivää ois vapaata, joten saan aikaiseksikin jotain. Lupaan sen.

Have a great week everybody! :)

Hyvää viikkoa kaikille! :)


To my English-speaking readers, from now on I will be posting some of my posts in Finnish as well, due to public demand ;) Not everything will be translated, only the shorter posts such as this one!

Me. Just me.

Yeah, so I admit I've had my share of small panic attacks relating to whether or not I've accomplished enough in my life. I'm 23 years old, and sometimes I feel like nothing's not enough. Most of the time, fortunately, I feel like I've done pretty well.

I've traveled in a lot of places, ever since I was a baby. I learned some English before it was a mandatory subject at school, and then went on learning, so ever since I was 10-11 years old, I've managed to communicate in English on my own, without much help. It has encouraged me to test my limits abroad. I can travel alone in the biggest cities in the world, and know I have what it takes to survive, and survive well. I've made some very useful contacts overseas, if I may say so myself. I have been blessed with common sense. I tend to be bossy sometimes, but hey, someone's gotta keep it rolling. I take after my mother on that one. 

I have friends, who enrich my world with their own backgrounds, stories and experiences. 

I'm a daughter of two people, who support my desire to explore the world. 

I have a brother, whom I love so very much, and whose occasional special needs make him the most special guy in this world. 

I'm not much of a talker, unless you get me reallyreally drunk (don't), but I've come to realize that blogging is the easiest and the best way for me to say things I may not be comfortable saying to someone's face, even if the things I want to say, are positive. 

I've gone crazy with my friends, laughed so hard it actually hurts, cried my eyes out, attended concerts of world-famous singers', screamed in awe, screamed in anger, loved, hated, embraced, gotten up from the bottom. I have lived. 

For a 23-year-old... could be a lot worse :) 

Love, 

me

Every cloud has a silver lining. Mine was FedExed to me.

I guess the heat has reached the arctic as well. Dammit. 70° and sunny is all I ask. Especially when I'm working. Like today. But no... It's way more than 70°.My uniform is all black, and the AC at work isn't the best. Sometimes it's nonexistent. Today, in the heat, I kept running between the kitchen and the outside terrace, where all our customers decided to eat. The terrace is big, if I didn't tell you that before.

Sooo.. I'm kinda dead right now. Two more days of work and then I'll have a day off. AH! <3

And today was made better when I received a package from my friend in Abu Dhabi. She sent me a new case for my phone! :)

Bling<3

Hope you all had a good day! 

W is for WORLD

We have come a long way since people thought the Earth was flat. 

Now you can be anywhere in the world, and your family and friends are only a phone call away. You can even contact them via internet and see them while you're talking. 50 years ago, who would have thought? You don't even have to go that far back.

The world is getting smaller as we speak. More doors open to us. More opportunities.

I recently talked to someone who said she'll never ever travel again. She had made the decision voluntarily, not because she was forced to by anything. I'll be honest, I can't remember the reasons she told me, because I was too shocked that she would make a decision like that in the first place. That anyone would. Why wouldn't people want to see what this world has to offer? Why wouldn't they be open to widen their horizons? 

I understand that some aren't able to do much because of limited resources. The financial situation isn't great anywhere now. And trust me, I know what it's like to stretch every penny. I can't even afford my rent right now. And I'm not kidding. But I also know that when there's a will, there's a way. 

When you have a passion for something, it's hard to understand the point of view of those, who do not share your passion. I cannot understand people who don't want to get out there, but I respect their decisions. It's their life. 

My life would be empty without a getaway every once in a while. 

This fall couldn't come soon enough.