Advent Calendar, Day 21

December 21, 2016 Mia1 Comment

sunset and snow on pier — Tuusula, Finland 2009

Today it’s Winter solstice which means it’s the shortest day of the year. I’ll sleep late so I don’t really see the light. From now on the days are getting longer and lighter. It also means spring is near and that’s something Finns look forward to. If you see a sulking looking person in December and a happier one in March, that’s a Finn. People is general have more enthusiasm in the spring and summer. Even me who likes the cold and the winter months. Warmth makes any person happy.

When it’s lighter outside longer, it makes you less tired. I don’t suffer from the so-called November blues. I can be tired all year around and it has nothing to do with what month it is. But summers can be tiring if it’s hot and I hate hot weather. I rather have cold and lighter days which is the reason why I like early spring. The time when it’s still winter but yet not too cold. Even better if there is snow. Snowy and sunny days are the best.

Before that this Christmas should be taken care out of the way. On the radio they play Christmas songs and complain about the stress people have. I have never understood why. If you don’t want stress, then take a trip. Don’t buy presents and if you really have to, buy online. There’s always a solution.
We always spent Christmas around the closest family. Those are the best. I feel sorry for those who have big families. You know uncles, cousins and so on. I could never imagine spending the holidays with relatives so luckily I have nothing to do with them. They have their own families. Our Christmases was always just me, my sister, parents and grandmothers. Those were the most memorable. I didn’t need anything else. Now when those days are gone, travel has been the easiest way. I’m stress free and I don’t have to think about any food, presents and things like that. We haven’t even had a real Christmas tree for years. There’s just too much fuss and not forgetting the mess. You can still have a nice Christmas without it. Decorations is a good substitute for it.

No matter how and where you’re spending your holidays, don’t stress. It’s only once a year. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t cleaned up the whole household from top to bottom. No one really cares. If you don’t know what to buy to your friends and family for a present, then don’t buy anything. Spending time with your loved once are more important than spending money on junk you don’t really need. If you think presents makes Christmas than you should buy something the taker can use. Presents doesn’t need to be materialistic. There’s too much of that already. There’s so many people out there who doesn’t have anything. Donating something to charity is a good way to help. It makes other people happy and also a happy feeling for you. Helping the less fortunate is the greatest present you ever get.

Tallenna

Advent Calendar, Day 14

December 14, 2016 Mia7 Comments

elephant toy at a window — Nori watching the rain

Finding your place in this world is not only a teenage problem. Being an adult is no picnic either. Some find their place easily and some don’t. I’m the latter. I’ve never really known what I wanted to be. It always felt I’m behind in everything. The reason I’ve studied a lot was because I’ve never really felt I belonged anywhere. I’ve studied something I liked at first but then later realised it wasn’t for me. Maybe because my fellow students weren’t my kind of people. The atmosphere in a class room is very important to me. It’s nicer to study with nice people than with people who aren’t. I also get bored easily and my interests change.

I don’t feel comfortable anywhere really so it takes time for me to adapt in new surroundings. It’s easier now than it was when I was younger though. I do things that feel right and not what is realistic. That causes problems, like getting a job. I’ve been told my wishes are too unrealistic so I should do something else. But I prefer doing things I like and not how much I get paid. I’m not money driven. I rather have job that I like. Some say a job is a job (my mother said it) but I’m picky. There are jobs I can’t do, like cleaning because I have an atopic dermatitis and all kinds of strong detergent are bad for me. I’ve never wanted an ordinary job anyway. If you would see my CV, most of what I’ve studied are creative occupations. Even the subject I’m studying now, Web Design, is creative. If I was in an office job, I would be bored out of my mind.

It’s an inner struggle trying to belong somewhere so I stopped trying. I’m perfectly fine with not belonging anywhere. People come and go. I don’t like being detached to anyone. It’s much nicer to meet new people than keeping old ones. Even though old friends are comfortable, it’s not something I look for. I’ve never really had any friends so I’m kind of used to be on my own. Maybe I belong there, in my own world. Sometimes I scare myself for being so laid-back. But when I do stress about things that are difficult, I feel like giving up. I try to find solutions myself and hardly ask for help. First I’m an introvert and it’s hard to speak up. Secondly I’m used to do things by myself.

One place I know I belong to is the city I’ve been born and raised in. I won’t tell you where it is because you shouldn’t really say that on the internet. But I can tell it’s in Finland. When I’m studying in another city, it feels like I’m on another planet. But when I get back home again, I feel at ease. I know my hometown like the back of my back pocket and yet there’s so many places there I haven’t been in. That’s where I belong and that’s my place. Home sweet home, how I miss you so.

Advent Calendar, Day 13

December 13, 2016December 13, 2016 Mia1 Comment

Today it’s Saints Lucy’s day. She brings light to the darkest time and it also means Christmas is near. We had a Saint Lucy procession in school today. It’s a tradition in Scandinavia where one is chosen to be Lucy. She wears a crown with candles or electric ones. She’s usually blonde but these days it’s not that fussy which is a good thing. Anyone should have a chance to be one no matter what the color of their hair is.

The Finnish celebrations have been historically tied to Swedish culture and the Swedish-speaking Finns. They observe “Luciadagen” a week before the Winter Solstice. St Lucy is celebrated as a “beacon of brightness” in the darkest time of year. The first records of St. Lucy celebrations in Finland are from 1898, and the first large celebrations came in 1930, a couple of years after the popularization of the celebrations in Sweden. The St. Lucy of Finland has been elected since 1949 and she is crowned in the Helsinki Cathedral. Local St. Lucies are elected in almost every place where there is a Swedish populace in Finland. The Finnish-speaking population has also lately begun to embrace the celebrations. – Wiki

When I was in kindergarten I wasn’t allowed to be Lucy because my hair was too short. It went to my friend instead. But years later I got be one at home at Christmas. I borrowed an electric crown from a friend. I had a real candle in my hand and sang a traditional song ‘Sankta Lucia’ I read out something and then sang another song. It was much more fun only performing in front of my family. I was glad to be Lucy at least once.

Bespoke