Essays, really good books, sisters, and FINLAND (+ a little bit of Sweden)!!!
I AM SO SORRY HAIL. There are very few excuses for my lack of blogging, apart from essay writing, watching Smallville, running, getting over an injury, reading really good books, travelling, job hunting, attempting to vlog, failing, talking to family and eating yummy food! SO, a whole term has gone by and I have written some awesome essays, and have more still to write. At present I am working on my extended research project entitled 'The Historical Significance of Running in Cultures Around the World'...it is really fun to do, as it is something that entirely interests me, but the word limit is somewhat daunting. *GAH! Positive thoughts, positive thoughts* Sometime in the past two months my obsession with Smallville, superheroes, Harry Potter, purchasing books, Smallville, drinking tea, hiking, and watching the VlogBrothers and Lindsey Stirling and the Piano Guys has resurfaced in the form of procrastination. And, although my time spent doing all of these things is thoroughly enjoyed, there is a read flashing light and buzzer in my head echoing 'STUDY, WRITE, DO THINGS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR FUTURE BRIGHTER'. Much of this past term has been spent in the library writing, reading, and learning, so to an extent I feel justified in relaxing for a bit...but I am afraid that having qualities of determination, persistence, and motivation for achieving excellence can make one feel guilty for even the briefest break from assembling all of these important building blocks to life. My incredible mum and sister gave my a little box, upon my leaving, filled with motivational quotes to start each day in a positive manner. My wall is filling up with them, and each of these little pieces of paper reminds me of what is important in life, giving me a little taste of wisdom and motivation from those who have walked this earth before me. I honestly do not know what I would do without this little box. It keeps me happy and cheerful and reminds me each day how awesome my family is. The point in my introduction of this little box, was to point out that these little papers whisper the importance of choosing a path in life that will not be regretted, living so as to touch others in beautiful ways, and to enjoy every little minute of life while persevering to create a kick-ass legacy to be remembered for ages to come. This little box is my motivation to make the world a better and more beautiful place.
Right, so I have read a couple books within the past months, many of them to do with running, and most of them awesome. I am making it a goal of mine to read all of John Green's books due to the sheer awesomeness of 'The Fault in Our Stars' and thus have recently read 'Let It Snow' and 'Paper Towns'. I JUST FINISHED DIVERGENT. It was so good, and I read the book from cover to cover with no breaks save for eating food and using the facilities. That is the first time in a long time that I have allowed myself that luxury and IT FEELS SO GOOD! I finished the book at 3:45 this morning and couldn't sleep due to sheer excitedness at seeing the movie! At the moment I am in the middle of reading five different books: 'How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes' which is interesting, but takes some concentration, 'The Cuckoo's Calling' which is a crime mystery novel and is good as long as I can remember all of the characters' names while reading it, 'Born to Run' which is about the Tarahumara Native Americans in Northern Mexico and their innate ability to run long distances, 'Running with the Kenyans' which is similarly about the Kenyans' innate talent for running, and finally I began 'Insurgent' last night due to my enthusiasm. Except, I shouldn't have, because I have essays to write. Luckily, I am exercising self-control and will not be doing any more luxury reading until my extended research essay is completed. Additionally, the more I read, the higher my standards for a relationship are...I think about those relationships in books and only hope that something as powerful and beautiful as the love in Divergent, in Harry Potter, in John Green books, does exist. And I hope that one day it will find me. BUT, I still have to travel the world, and fight global warming and world hunger...I have to LIVE before I settle down. The more and more I read and travel the more I also realise how real the power (and how great its magnitude) that each and every one of us has to positively impact the world. And I become okay with experiencing the thousands of beautiful things other than the love found in books. That love which is so poignantly and powerfully created by authors around the world sets standards for those of us in the real world and I have yet to see for myself whether or not I will find something that powerful in my lifetime.
Sisters. I love them, they are both brutally honest with you and unconditionally love and support one at the same time, at least mine do. A few years ago, our family took the wonderful opportunity of getting an exchange student. The experience was priceless and taught each and every individual in the family something new about life and relationships. At some point throughout the year, the 'honeymoon' phase slipped away, frustrations broiled, confrontation ensued and we sat down and spoke about each of our frustrations and things on our mind. For a while, I thought that the friend I had made had slipped away, but after being open and honest with each other I bonded with my exchange sister more than ever. It was after that point that she switched from being my 'exchange sister' to my sister. Real sisters do get annoyed with each other, they do argue from time to time, but ultimately they love the other and share inside jokes that others frequently do not get. Being a sister is also so much more than that and I am glad that I get to have three. We learn things from our sisters, we learn things from our siblings--from their mistakes and from their successes; being a part of all of this has shaped me as an individual and I cannot imagine an environment any more enriching than the one in which I now live. Apart from having a gazillion other siblings...but that is pretty unrealistic, don't you think? Nevertheless, I am grateful for those that I have.
This little introduction into sisterhood leads me to my next topic of discussion...FINLAND! Right, so if you have not yet figured this out, I have a sister from Finland; and with that comes the perks of having a place as cool as Finland to VISIT! With studying in England and all, the distance factor standing between me and visiting my sister has been largely reduced. So, in January I decided that I was going to Finland. I booked my flight and train tickets and later used them to travel to Finland; I experienced sitting up all night reading in a train station, which is...COLD. I spent 20 hours travelling and finally arrived in Helsinki; immediately after my arrival and after meeting my sister's sister, we left on a ferry travelling to Stockholm, Sweden. Which is ANOTHER COUNTRY (that's like two new countries in less than 24 hours). We arrived in Stockholm in the morning and spent the day exploring the city. We visited the Stockholm castle and cathedral, roamed the streets lined with shops, and sat in a park listening to One Direction with the sun on our faces. After some time we left for the ferry again, navigating our way back through the streets of Stockholm. When back on the ship we decided to eat chocolates and sing karaoke, whilst doing so we met some really cool people, and we spent the evening alternating between not-so-understandable Finnish conversations and English ones. Whilst there I definitely became determined to begin learning the language, despite its apparent difficulty.
We arrived back in Helsinki in the morning and slept for a few hours, staying up all night talking with people does takes its toll in the morning. After that I met my sister's dad and we walked to get sushi, following that we all packed our bags and took off for Turku. Upon arrival there I met my sister's mother and we ate a wonderful traditional meal of reindeer, while catching up and learning new things about one another's lives. Throughout the following days we explored Turku, taking in a wide array of experiences once only described to me by my Finnish sister. Some of these experiences include visiting: Turku's castle, Turku's cathedral, Museum of History and Contemporary Art (Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova) which displayed the foundations of Turku in the middle ages that had been destroyed by the Great Fire in 1827, Suomen Joutsen, Ruissalo where a concert called Ruisrock takes place every year, the statue of Paavo Nurmi and my sister's school. We went to see Captain America: Winter Soldier which was, of course, incredible and I can now see why my sister loves going to the cinema so much...the popcorn is great (even when smothered in the seasoning she drowned it in), the candy selection is incredible, and the atmosphere is awesome! I later was able to meet some friends of hers and experienced Hesburger (a better tasting, yet not healthier, version of McDonald's). And although at the end of the week I was ready to shift from the city to the country house we later visited, I loved getting to know her family, her dogs, and her world.
On Monday night we left to stay on a friend's farm located between Turku and Helsinki. Upon arrival there, we were led up a cross country ski path to a campfire and shelter in the woods. There we cooked venison sausages over the fire, ate them with mustard and drank Coke (my sister's favourite drink in the world); it was relaxing and fun to talk about farming in Finland. Afterwards I was able to experience a wood-fired sauna...the real deal. It was SO AWESOME, honestly. In this sauna, one pours water over hot coals to increase the temperature within the wooden building, the humidity and heat make you sweat and the Finns claim that this clears bodies of toxins. The temperature was over 100°C and the temperature outside was below 0°C; so, the logical thing to do was to run outside after being in the sauna for 20 minutes and jump off a deck with frozen water covering the top into a pond outside the facility. That is what Finnish people do for fun, and you know what? The experience is exhilarating, it is incredible...it makes your body feel like it is reborn. So we did that three or four more times, and after my sister had had enough of it we rinsed off and cuddled up in a warm room and drank Coca Cola. There are very few times in my life that I have felt as relaxed, as free, and as content as I did in that little farm cottage sitting with my sister in Finland. I loved it.
The next morning we packed in a rush and heading out on the road to Helsinki while listening to One Direction's 'Midnight Memories' CD for the dozenth time. It amazes me what we fit into that day while still managing to feel chilled out! That Tuesday we were given a personal tour of the Finnish Parliament...it was incredible. Did you know that the Plenary Hall of the Finnish Parliament is coated in sugar imported from America to aid in quality sound resolution? It is. I was introduced to various interesting facts about the building and about the Finnish government itself, guided by a very kind tour guide who rolled her each 'r' with enthusiasm. Later on we visited shops in Helsinki and took photos with One Direction cut-outs. I debated for about an hour whether or not to buy a Moomin mug, and ended up not doing so. Later that evening we ate at an Italian restaurant with my sister's father and sister and then took a ferry to an island just off of Helsinki called Suomenlinna (or Sea Fortress) which was fascinating. Suomenlinna had been used for years as a military fort which had been originally built while Finland was under Swedish rule for protection from Russian invasions. After returning back to the main land we stopped at a Fazer shop on the way home and warmed up with hot chocolate, tea, and various dessert treats.
The following morning was the day I was to leave and we spent it relaxing by watching a movie and listening to music. Later on we walked into the town centre so that I could by xylitol salmiac gum, some movie treats to which I became attached, and a Harry Potter book in Finnish. It is my goal to have learned seven languages by the end of my life (as my grandpa did) and I am buying a Harry Potter book in each language I wish to master. Saara drove me to the airport with both of us singing 1D songs at the top of our lungs, we said goodbye, and that was my stay in Finland. Except way cooler than that, because travel can never be explained merely by words.
At present, I am again about to resume writing my essays and it is my hope to frequent this space more often in the near future.
-Mar
I just realised that I had I been writing on my essay topic, these words would have taken me through two-thirds of my assignment. I have no regrets.
theartofmadeline
areudirty
gamechangershow
romaincrisis