Outlandish

Another funny thing came into light again this week where Finns and Eastern-Europeans differ a lot. OK, I can't say this applies to most Slovaks but definitely to most of my team here. Holidays.  In Finland we work for the sole reason of having a long, lazy summer vacation. I started here last summer and people were being   told  to use their vacation days from 2013... I can't imagine how that is even possible?! And still, before Christmas people were really being told that you   absolutely HAVE to   take days off. I mean, if people here really aren't that eager to have days off I volunteer to help them by taking those days from them! But anyway, we had a funny incident in a grocery store this week with my neighbour/colleague: we were queuing behind an elderly woman talking in English, of course. When the woman got to the counter she started talking to the salesperson about us. My neighbour translated to me: according to the woman it is so important...

I was so hoping that this winter I would completely avoid the snow and ice-covered pavements just because I am not spending the winter months in Finland. But no... unfortunately the white shite reaches these levels every year as well. Although not in such quantities as in Northern Europe, thankfully. I've never been one of those people who run to the window smiling like crazy when the first snow falls. OK, fine, snow makes nature look beautiful but practically it makes life extremely difficult. Either there's too much of it or if there's not so much, all roads are covered in this uneven, trambled mixture of snow and ice: definite death to ankles and knees. Having gone through couple winters in the UK I must take my hat off for how this yearly phenomenon was received here. Nobody went to panic, shops, schools and offices were still open like normally, no major setbacks in traffic (as far as I know) and no people running around like headless chicken shouting ...

Time to get on the road again. Three weeks in Finland has been very nice, very lazy, full of wonderful food and people, and just plain simple relaxing. Most of the time I've occupied my parents' couch.  I wouldn't mind spending another lazy week here, but on the other hand I miss my friends in Bratislava and I miss the office full of people. I also miss the weather, no matter if it rains and is cloudy, as long as the temperature is above 0. My poor high heels have been completely useless here. Even though it really is too dark here and going outside is a challenge, because I don't have anything to wear in my feet and every step is a risk, I'm going to miss the snow-covered landscapes. So beautiful and peaceful! I'm also happy that we had time to go check out our summer house in the archipelago. I've missed the sea so much! But it was so cold that day that I couldn't smell the salty sea air. I was not built for the cold.  So, I...

Christmas came and went and as I always do, I became ill just before. Thankfully I got a bit better by Christmas Eve so was able to enjoy the food, company and presents wholeheartedly. The best present has to be the bag with the ultimate truth written on it: Varför Paris när vi har ju Åbo! (Why Paris when we have Turku) Amen to that. Few days before Christmas it snowed here, to my mum's delight. And even though I hate coldness, snow does make the world look extremely beautiful: