Thursday, March 7, 2013

Helsinki-2nd Month, Forecast

An overview of the next couple of months...

Lapland
  Santa?
  Dog sledging?
  Northern Lights?
  Sauna!

Helsinki
  Guess who's coming to visit.... !?!?!?!?

Prague
  Family time!

Saint Petersburg
  First ferry ride in Europe!  Annina, Syndey, and I maneuver our way through the city with a personal tour guide, Annina's friend :)

Madrid
  Off to Spain with Sydney, Annina and Jenny thanks to Weldon!

Oslo
  Finally get to see the very patient Vikings in Norway!  Anticipation is killing me!

Oh where, oh where shall I go next...

But for now I get to wake up to this...

And end the day with this...

I need more letters for my shrine so please keep sending them!  I always write back!
The Address is Teekkari village, Jämeräntaival 1 B 410, 02150 Espoo.


Helsinki-2nd Month, Sitsit

Sitsit
   So the objective of a sitsit is to sing, and every time you do, you are supposed to drink, and every time you drink, you end up having to do some other sort of activity like dance on chairs.  And well it ends with having a full stomach and a song book, but not necessarily knowing any of the songs or what they mean in English. Aka a night filled with song, laughter, and making friendships to last a lifetime.

Each one is themed, the first one I attended withs a backwards sitsit and therefore called tistiS.


The second one was Kindergarten themed...


The next one I will be attending is the huge celebration for the 100th annual guild celebration!


Denmark-During 2nd Month


Denmark is the first trip that the three young Reverse Vikings made together.  We met with so many amazing Vikings and had the time of our life.  A picture is worth a thousand words... well here is a couple :)  (Unfortunately I took a lot on Sydney's camera and have not uploaded them yet so don't worry, more are to come!).  If you have questions about photos please don't be afraid to comment and ask :)

























Next trip... LAPLAND!

Helsinki-2nd Month, Birthdays


Birthdays
  Sydney, the love of my life, took me out the day before.  
We had din din at a wonderful Italian restaurant in the middle of Helsinki called Vapiano.  
Its a quaint place where you get to watch the cooks make your food right in front of you!  And my favorite part... they give you gummy bears at the end of your meal!
  Then we met Annina at Bakers.  There we had a pleasant evening of what most would like to label "girl time."  I love chatting with those two lovely ladies so much so that we almost lost track of time!  But sure enough when the iPhone switched to 00:00 a shot of blueberry goodness was consumed.  And upon leaving the bar Sydney and I went on a journey to take the best photo of us in Helsinki, here are a few...




My favorite so far is me riding Squirtle

Besides that I was able to celebrate on my birthday with Mats.  We went to a museum of my choosing (the science museum of course!) and then to dinner!


The next week I got to celebrate with my exchange friends and other buddies from school.


Overall, it was a fantastic birthday, one I will never forget.  And thanks again for the amazing Video Phil, the package mom and dad, and everyone for all the birthday wishes! :)  You guys are so wonderful and I truly feel lucky to have you all in my life!

Helsinki-2nd Month, Everyday Living


Everyday living
   Sunday.  One of my favorite days.  Not because I am excited that it’s still the weekend.  Not because for most people it’s generally the day of recover.  But because of Sunday night dinners.
   A close group of friends of mine all live in the same apartment.  To live up to Ellen Degeneres's campaign to incorporate more time together as a family, Johan, Jasper, and Mats switch off making dinner for the apartment on Sunday and everyone sits down and shares the meal.
Mats helping show Jasper how to cut carrots
An example of a Sunday dinner

   I look forward to it every week.  It reminds me that I have made my own sense of home here.  And I love my new home!
   But the grocery store... I must say I get VERY overwhelmed... it's like walking into a beehive, everyone rushing around grabbing things.  And this weighing business you have to do BEFORE you check out?  Confusing... but I am getting the hang of it with a little help :D


   Besides that I drag Mats and anyone else that will put up with me around the city to see all the sights. 





I still haven't been to nearly as many museums as I'd like to and it’s already been close to two months!  But no worries, the rents are coming in a couple of weeks and I know they like to see old things to feel young again ;)
   Which reminds me... Happy belated birthday to my one and only amazing brother Ben!  And Jenni... get pumped up for your big day because you get to celebrate it with me in Helsinki!
   By the way the food here... YUMMY!
First time trying tapas I believe it's called...
SUSHI!!!! Not as good as Edo's... but close enough :D

Besides that each week has a little adventure... one week it might be a Killer's concert...

Another might be a Chinese New Year celebration in downtown Helsinki!

We shall see what next month brings...