And the rain falls down...

Hey, I am back. Unline you would think following the title, it is not yet fall though it seems like it, being inside most of the day, wearing woollen socks (the "Finnish socks" as my friends abroad like to call them) and listening to the endless pouring of rain. It is not just the weather but the feeling I am back to reality, back to normal life. Just one week ago I was still at my friend´s place in Paris, and it was almost +30C degrees and really the middle of summer warm evening as we went for an Indian restaurant on my last night there. Last Friday I returned from a trip of one month travelling in Central Europe, before that I spent almost one month in Helsinki teaching children, adults and everyone between to dance Irish dance. I had a great two months away from the life I normally live, away from my city, from the people I meet every day, from school and work and hobbies and responsabilities. It felt good, it did good to me, and surprisingly for a person who normally hates more coming back home than leaving it, I am happy to be back. But though it was still July today, it feels like the fall is here again. And so I have concluded: seasons are more about the state of mind than the time of year.

During travelling through the northern part of Central Europe, mostly Germany and after also Belgium and Luxembourg, before ending up to Paris for a couple of weeks, I met a lot of people. Some for only to ask directions, or even give them (oh yes, we were thought to be at least Franfurters and Belgians), some others for longer talks and changing views and experiences. We met people from Japan and Siberia, from the U.S. and Canada, from Sweden and Check Republic and Italy, and of course lot of citizens of those countries we visited. Even some Finns, though very unwillingly. Some days I tried my best to communicate with three different languages and hoped to cope the situations with one of them, some times we still needed to use sign language or even to draw. And they did the same to us, but we finally always found some way to communicate. It caused funny situations, some frustration as well, but most of all made us put our thoughts in the primary order. It´s good when you actually know the language of the majority, but it is not needed. And it´s good if you know the habits and customs and normal way of doing things in each place, but you can survive with less as well. It is more about the attitude, the amount how much you wish to be understood and understand. There is no doubt you wouldn´t learn, if you want to.

It is not so strange to go to Central Europe, sure it´s not that different from here. But it is different enough to make oneself realize the big picture better. Take off from your ordinary life, go to abroad, or even just outside your usual city and neighbourhood, somewhere you don´t feel all that comfortable and familiar. See what happens, see how little you need to be confused and then again, how little you need to survive and go through. It´s mostly about the attitude.

I have some friends who have come to Finland from abroad to live here. To see the attitude they have towards the life of the Finns, the country, the language which is probably not the easiest one (and at least not the most common and useful one being spoken by only us 5 million...), the customs and habits and all these little things each country and nation have without anyone paying attention to it; to see how they live here with all that is somehow different makes me wonder how one is able to do that from day to day during years. Once again it comes back to the attitude. One can make a place home if they want to. One can adjust, learn, familiarize and finally, integrate. I have met people who have lived here for years and do not feel like home ever, as well as people who love this country more than some of the Finns born here. It is all about the attitude, and attitude is what makes our life how it is.

My attitude is to go to bed now, and listen some more rain falling down. Hope you had a good summer, and still keep on having that (as "vielä on kesää jäljellä" as one of my friends always with enthusiasm reminds us:) ). This was to let you know that my thoughts are back from the holiday. I am here, hope you are too.

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No way I´ll finish my first post of the new season without a piece of song here... this is the chorus of Incubus´s song Drive, which I got to know during June.

Whatever tomorrow brings I´ll be there,
with open arms and open eyes.
Whatever tomorrow brings I´ll be there,
I´ll be there.

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This is the attitude I would like to possess.