Seen, Heard, and Experienced in Finland -not that much!

Life over here is kind of… dull. No offense to Finland or anything, it’s just me who’s gotten used to 24-7 action/odd stuff happening. See how little interesting stuff I’ve blogged about this summer? Being away from China has made me realize that the day I move from Asia is the day I’ll stop blogging. No point forcing something that isn’t there. After all, it’s not me who is interesting in this blog. It’s everything that I see, hear and experience.

During the last week or so, daily dramas have been very few and kind of lame. Just to give you some sort of idea of what sort of things stands out over here:

Shopping "dramas" 

I went jeans shopping the other day, and found myself a paid of black skinny jeans that not only made my legs look long and slim, but also felt like a dream.

-Feel comfortable, in those tight jeans?! Oh no no no! Gushed the sale’s guy. They are not supposed to be comfy! Those jeans are supposed to be uncomfortably super tight you when you buy them, then be awkward for a while, and THEN they will stretch some 2 percent (?) which will turn them into a glove on your body!

-But… these feel so good right now?

-They are not supposed to! Here, he said, and handed me a smaller size. Put these on and come out and show me.

With a tortured face expression I did like he told me. I barely made it into the jeans and closing that last button required more than a little effort. 

-See! Perfect! You look so slim! It’s great!

-Even though I cannot breathe? I tried. But he didn’t hear me. Or, he pretended that he didn’t. Although when I paid I must have looked a bit doubtful, because he suddenly reminded me:

-Don’t you worry, they will stretch.

And sure. They have. Actually, now I can get into them during the mornings, if I have a small breakfast. It’s around after lunchtime that it gets tricky, and quite often I have to cheat and unbutton that first button sometime around 1pm. No biggy, I’m sitting down most of the time at work. And, since they still are still so tight (like a glove, like he promised…) I don’t drop them when I have to unexpectedly rise from my seat.

Lunch "dramas" 

Although I hate to admit it… and although I am going have to eat this once I am back in China… I am kind of… sick of…. Salad. And. Salmon. There. I said it. Although I’m definitely going to continue having those salmon salads until I leave Finland. I have to. They are so good for me. Full of those good, fatty oils and other vitamins. And soon I am back to the oil, sugar, salt and msg -diet. Then I bet it won’t be long until I’m dreaming of salmon and fresh tomatoes again.

Exercising "dramas"

Seeing that I’ve been a real clutz and sprained my ankle (grrrrrr) I am now off the running and on the power walking. I mean, the foot is good enough to walk on now, so it’s time to step it up. Doesn’t matter that it’s still a bit swollen and that it hurts after my walks, I need to challenge it, right?

Unfortunately, power walking isn’t even half as much fun as it looks like. Well, not in my opinion anyways.

While I am out there, power walking, I feel both odd and uncomfortable. My movements are kind of stiff and I tend to bang my feet on the ground. And my arms… gosh, my arms? I have no idea what to do with them when I am walking! Where do I put them when I am running? Can’t I do the same while power walking? Sure, I could… although doing that makes me feel kind of… ridiculous. And I already feel ridiculous power walking! So arms up are just not going to happen! It’s bad enough that I am walking when I should be running!

Worse than the oddness is the look from the runners. Or, let me re-phrase that: the lack of looks. When I’m running I’m one of them. One of those fit-balls. One of those healthy, perky ones that tend to annoy everybody but other runners. Runners great fellow runners with a smile and sometimes a friendly nod, sort of saying: “Hiya, great work, isn’t this just great! See ya here tomorrow again!” (sometimes it happens that a fellow runner doesn’t look you in the eye but then you know s/he’s just a beginner getting used to the whole thing).
Power walkers get…. Nothing. No smile, no look. No acknowledgement. No respect. No encouragement.

Also, power walking is really slow. No matter how fast you walk even those slow joggers (that you happily pass when you are running) are going to pass you. And, it’s bloody hard to break a sweat when walking, however fast you are making yourself walk.

To top things off I feel slightly ashamed of the fact that I am not running, which makes me (I realized when I accidently saw my reflection in a car window) hunch. Great, huh, isn’t it? A hunching, odd-looking power walker! Now, this ankle better heal itself real soon or I might have a nervous breakdown.

Public transport "dramas"

The buses here follow real strict schedules. So, if you miss your bus there’s no chance of another one turning up, like in China. And while we are at the bus topic, I should also point out that they are really expensive to ride. Like, insanely expensive. I almost feel as if my seat should be golden, or that I should get a complimentary cup of coffee for the price I am paying for a 20 minutes bus rude. I’m sure you would in China. These buses would be considered luxury buses over there. Wouldn’t last a day unless there were perks.

And there seem to be a rule of not speaking while you are on them? At least no one ever says anything. If you happen to get a phone call you almost want to excuse yourself. That’s how quiet it is. Or maybe that’s just Finland?

Yeah, so with those few dramas pointed out I think that you can all agree with me that my temporary every-day Finland life isn’t that exciting. Oh well, got to give me credit for trying!

I’m off to the sauna. Challenging myself how long I can stay inside a tiny little room where there’s 100 degrees (Celsius) has become my new, odd hobby. So far I’ve managed 17 minutes without water. Let’s see how tonight goes.