I got tagged, again! Instead of passing this one on to others for their tagging joy, I will just fill in the answers as if it were a survey!
What I was doing 10 years ago
April '98. I lived in Shell, Ecuador. I was homeschooling myself, volunteering at the hospital laboratory twice a week (I drew blood from all my willing friends so I could make culture plates to grow bacteria on...) and helping with a kids club at church. I'm sure there was plenty else, but it was ten years ago, and the details have blurred somewhat.
Five Snacks I enjoy
1. Chocolate!
2. Chips & Salsa
3. Carrots
4. Yogurt
5. Chifles
Things I would do if I were a billionaire
1. Give at least half the money away.
2. Buy my dad a plane.
3. Buy a house or two (you know, one here, and one somewhere really warm!!).
4. TRAVEL around the world leisurely.
5. Set up a scholarship program.
Five jobs that I have had (most recent first)
1. Assistant for Baltic Countries
2. Senior Chapel Intern
3. Resident Assistant
4. Cafeteria worker
5. Youth World Intern
Three of my habits
1. Studying and reading about Arabic culture.
2. Socializing frequently with dear people.
3. Making up conversations in my head.
Bad Habits
1. Procrastination
2. Online too much
3. Keeping in touch poorly
Five places I have lived
1. Bilbao, Spain
2. Denver, Colorado
3. Helsinki, Finland
4. Giza, Egypt
5. Azusa, California
Five things not many people know about me
1. I painted a rose on a corner of the summer cottage wall with my first oil paints in 1996.
2. The boogey-eyed monster used to live behind my house.
3. The best book I've read out loud to my sister is I Want to Go Home, by Gordon Korman.
4. I get to see one of my dearest friends in 11 days! I've known her since we were 4!
5. I like doing dishes.
The End.
Monday, April 14
Friday, April 11
Reunion
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.~Anäis Nin
Wednesday, April 9
adventuring
Last week I meandered my way through the drizzly nighttime streets and public transportation of Prague. Then I traveled the next day to the Czech border by train where Essy met me! Her part of the world is really beautiful! We spent a lot of time at her church for a conference that was very encouraging and edifying regarding our purpose in life. Let's just say it hit home, and validated something I already knew about myself: I have a heart for adventure. You might say that that's self-evident, but it was nonetheless reassuring in the context of the prayer.
Along with her brother and her boyfriend, Essy and I also adventured out onto a ropes course one day! I have always wanted to go on one, and it was a first for all of us! We zip-lined in the trees and swung our awkward way through strange obstacles many meters above the ground, from one platform to another until we all completed it successfully! We hiked up into the mountains surrounding her fair city and enjoyed the leafless early spring views and relaxed with card games and good discussions. The time flew by so quickly that I almost can't believe I'm home again. (Apparently my luggage wasn't ready to end the trip and decided to extend its stay. When it arrives with my missing camera cable, I will post pictorial evidence of my journeys!)
Now, I am sitting on my couch in Helsinki accompanied by the melodies of Anna Maria Jopek, missing Essy and remembering breakfasts, exchanged mugs, her wooden apartment with great views from every window, her friends and family, little winding paths along canals, the yellow house across the street, worship, and a general sense of tranquility. I am often amazed at the privilege I have to travel and see how friends and people live in other places, honored to be part of their everyday life for even a small moment! In my perusals through the airport duty free shops while waiting for my flights, I found a scent by Davidoff that made me smile with its irresistible name and its aptness for my journey: Adventure. It's just too bad they haven't made a version for women!
Along with her brother and her boyfriend, Essy and I also adventured out onto a ropes course one day! I have always wanted to go on one, and it was a first for all of us! We zip-lined in the trees and swung our awkward way through strange obstacles many meters above the ground, from one platform to another until we all completed it successfully! We hiked up into the mountains surrounding her fair city and enjoyed the leafless early spring views and relaxed with card games and good discussions. The time flew by so quickly that I almost can't believe I'm home again. (Apparently my luggage wasn't ready to end the trip and decided to extend its stay. When it arrives with my missing camera cable, I will post pictorial evidence of my journeys!)
Now, I am sitting on my couch in Helsinki accompanied by the melodies of Anna Maria Jopek, missing Essy and remembering breakfasts, exchanged mugs, her wooden apartment with great views from every window, her friends and family, little winding paths along canals, the yellow house across the street, worship, and a general sense of tranquility. I am often amazed at the privilege I have to travel and see how friends and people live in other places, honored to be part of their everyday life for even a small moment! In my perusals through the airport duty free shops while waiting for my flights, I found a scent by Davidoff that made me smile with its irresistible name and its aptness for my journey: Adventure. It's just too bad they haven't made a version for women!
Tuesday, April 1
jobless & jolly
So, guess who's enjoying her second morning of waking up and not having to go to work...!!!
The fact that I feel so relieved and happy about being jobless is just confirmation to me that the decision to quit was a good one. Logically I had already thought it out and made decisions based on practicalities (like the need to focus on my thesis). My feelings now confirm the rational decisions I made, and it fills me with peace. Now I have left over energy and thoughts for other things, like returning library books I have hoarded for over a year without actually reading them and figuring out summer travels (the tickets have been purchased!). I have a curious sense of expectancy about what is to come in the near future.
In the nearest future, meaning tomorrow, I will be setting foot in the Czech Republic and the next day in Poland for the first time! I will get to see Essy again, and this has me grinning from ear to ear! I am looking forward to meeting her friends and seeing her family again, going to a conference and exploring the nooks and crannies of her city. I can't believe it's been over a year since she visited me! But a departure tomorrow means plenty to get done today, and I must hop to it! The sun is shining and Spring is definitely around the corner!
Mne harasho.
The fact that I feel so relieved and happy about being jobless is just confirmation to me that the decision to quit was a good one. Logically I had already thought it out and made decisions based on practicalities (like the need to focus on my thesis). My feelings now confirm the rational decisions I made, and it fills me with peace. Now I have left over energy and thoughts for other things, like returning library books I have hoarded for over a year without actually reading them and figuring out summer travels (the tickets have been purchased!). I have a curious sense of expectancy about what is to come in the near future.
In the nearest future, meaning tomorrow, I will be setting foot in the Czech Republic and the next day in Poland for the first time! I will get to see Essy again, and this has me grinning from ear to ear! I am looking forward to meeting her friends and seeing her family again, going to a conference and exploring the nooks and crannies of her city. I can't believe it's been over a year since she visited me! But a departure tomorrow means plenty to get done today, and I must hop to it! The sun is shining and Spring is definitely around the corner!
Mne harasho.
Sunday, March 23
vision:
a person or sight of unusual beauty
be thou my vision, o Lord of my heart
naught be all else to me, save that thou art.
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
a mental image of what the future will or could be like
be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father, I thy true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
a vivid mental image
be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
be thou my dignity, thou my delight;
thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower:
raise thou me heavenward, o Power of my power.
the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom
riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
experience of seeing someone or something in a dream
High King of heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, o bright heaven’s sun!
heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, o Ruler of all.
as per hymn and dictionary
be thou my vision, o Lord of my heart
naught be all else to me, save that thou art.
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
a mental image of what the future will or could be like
be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father, I thy true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
a vivid mental image
be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
be thou my dignity, thou my delight;
thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower:
raise thou me heavenward, o Power of my power.
the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom
riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
experience of seeing someone or something in a dream
High King of heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, o bright heaven’s sun!
heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, o Ruler of all.
as per hymn and dictionary
Wednesday, March 19
A tail of my own...
Hello from a winter-spring Wednesday in Helsinki!
The weather apparently can't make up its mind whether to tell winter goodbye or cling to it a bit longer in hopes of squeezing from it the snow storms that never came! Seriously, while worldwide this winter was the coldest in 14 years, here it was the warmest we've had in a long time! This morning I ate a few falling snowflakes on my way to work (hahaha, try to do that without looking like a weirdo!), and now I'm seeing blue skies and sunshine in the mix! Moody, that's what the weather is.
We have Easter break, both from school and work. This means I'm going to Heinola for a few days of reading, rest and rescheduling (ok, plenty of lolling around with the cousins as well). I have to read sources for my thesis, rest from the busyness of the past week while gaining energy for the craziness to come, and paint the broad strokes of travel plans that are looming in the near horizon. The week after Easter will be my last here at the Embassy and I am very excited about what will come after it! (First and foremost, a trip to POLAND!) We've been interviewing candidates to replace me, and there have been a few excellent ones among the many very qualified applicants.
I learned a new colloquialism yesterday. To have a fox's tail in your arms (ketun häntä kainalossa) means to have an ulterior motive. The reason I tell you this random bit of information (other than the enjoyment of conjuring up an image of a fox tail--perhaps slyly and absurdly twitching from somebody's armpit--in your mind's eye) is because I'm looking forward to dinner with my dear relatives at the Fox&Chicken this evening. And I must be hungry to be thinking of that already!
Hah, ok, this will conclude this random post from the mixed-up files of Yours truly. Receive my cheerful greetings and pass 'em on!
The weather apparently can't make up its mind whether to tell winter goodbye or cling to it a bit longer in hopes of squeezing from it the snow storms that never came! Seriously, while worldwide this winter was the coldest in 14 years, here it was the warmest we've had in a long time! This morning I ate a few falling snowflakes on my way to work (hahaha, try to do that without looking like a weirdo!), and now I'm seeing blue skies and sunshine in the mix! Moody, that's what the weather is.
We have Easter break, both from school and work. This means I'm going to Heinola for a few days of reading, rest and rescheduling (ok, plenty of lolling around with the cousins as well). I have to read sources for my thesis, rest from the busyness of the past week while gaining energy for the craziness to come, and paint the broad strokes of travel plans that are looming in the near horizon. The week after Easter will be my last here at the Embassy and I am very excited about what will come after it! (First and foremost, a trip to POLAND!) We've been interviewing candidates to replace me, and there have been a few excellent ones among the many very qualified applicants.
I learned a new colloquialism yesterday. To have a fox's tail in your arms (ketun häntä kainalossa) means to have an ulterior motive. The reason I tell you this random bit of information (other than the enjoyment of conjuring up an image of a fox tail--perhaps slyly and absurdly twitching from somebody's armpit--in your mind's eye) is because I'm looking forward to dinner with my dear relatives at the Fox&Chicken this evening. And I must be hungry to be thinking of that already!
Hah, ok, this will conclude this random post from the mixed-up files of Yours truly. Receive my cheerful greetings and pass 'em on!
Wednesday, March 12
my kaleidoscope
lakeblue squares melt next to rings of redsunset.
junglegreen covers triangles of periwinkleflower.
one small twist and equatorsun joins nordicdark
in a winged starshape rimmed by birchbarkwhite.
grayunknown meets the points of bluesky streaks
junglegreen covers triangles of periwinkleflower.
one small twist and equatorsun joins nordicdark
in a winged starshape rimmed by birchbarkwhite.
grayunknown meets the points of bluesky streaks
until another shift replaces them from sight with
small circles of purplelilly and pieces of pearlsea.
gasp at the beauty wrought by each minute turn
unexpectedly enchants with precision and design
visible when Light shines through globecolors.
small circles of purplelilly and pieces of pearlsea.
gasp at the beauty wrought by each minute turn
unexpectedly enchants with precision and design
visible when Light shines through globecolors.
(photo:h.pellikka)
Monday, March 10
peach in the sky
you, magical orb of muted light
my melancholy morning sight
peaking behind the city's walls
as i continue down office halls,
you could be ebullient, fierce
exude heat and light to pierce,
but apricot is your color today
glowing behind a mist of gray.
(and i like you that way)
my melancholy morning sight
peaking behind the city's walls
as i continue down office halls,
you could be ebullient, fierce
exude heat and light to pierce,
but apricot is your color today
glowing behind a mist of gray.
(and i like you that way)
Tuesday, March 4
press release
Interviewer: Tell us, what are your thoughts now that you have turned in your resignation?
Yours truly: Reality is different than dreams and plans, even if the awaited dreams are actually unfolding. I can play "what if..." and "when..." and picture things happening in my imagination. But then when the real event occurs, I realize the limitations of my imaginings. I can't predict how others will react. The ripple-effects of my pebble thrown in the glassy water may have unexpected reach.
But perhaps what is most difficult to imagine is what I will actually feel as something happens. As much as I can anticipate feeling excited about future challenges and adventures I see in the distance, reality dictates that I am tied to this moment, here, now. And right now, other than too tired, it means I feel the pangs of letting go. I feel sad. Maybe even scared.
Interviewer: Sad and scared of what?
Yours truly: Sad about goodbyes to people I have worked with for a few years now. And scared of...hmmm. Change itself. On the one hand this is silly, because I like things to change and variations to be thrown into the colors and shapes of life. But on the other hand, change also brings the unknown. And there are so many unknown factors in my life currently, that the apprehension may stem from that. Generally we humans tend to have routines and habits that we find a measure of stability in. When they get shaken up, it can cause some anxiety.
(And I can picture that tomorrow or next week, I will be rocking down the halls with excitement and energy about this all. But you would have to ask me that tomorrow or next week.)
Interviewer: And a few closing words for our public, Yours truly?
Yours truly: Thank you for the opportunity to share these recent changes. I am sure, and feel secure even in this moment, that the course plotted for my present and future are under the direction of One whose plans are the best. I can trust His reality, no matter what I feel.
Yours truly: Reality is different than dreams and plans, even if the awaited dreams are actually unfolding. I can play "what if..." and "when..." and picture things happening in my imagination. But then when the real event occurs, I realize the limitations of my imaginings. I can't predict how others will react. The ripple-effects of my pebble thrown in the glassy water may have unexpected reach.
But perhaps what is most difficult to imagine is what I will actually feel as something happens. As much as I can anticipate feeling excited about future challenges and adventures I see in the distance, reality dictates that I am tied to this moment, here, now. And right now, other than too tired, it means I feel the pangs of letting go. I feel sad. Maybe even scared.
Interviewer: Sad and scared of what?
Yours truly: Sad about goodbyes to people I have worked with for a few years now. And scared of...hmmm. Change itself. On the one hand this is silly, because I like things to change and variations to be thrown into the colors and shapes of life. But on the other hand, change also brings the unknown. And there are so many unknown factors in my life currently, that the apprehension may stem from that. Generally we humans tend to have routines and habits that we find a measure of stability in. When they get shaken up, it can cause some anxiety.
(And I can picture that tomorrow or next week, I will be rocking down the halls with excitement and energy about this all. But you would have to ask me that tomorrow or next week.)
Interviewer: And a few closing words for our public, Yours truly?
Yours truly: Thank you for the opportunity to share these recent changes. I am sure, and feel secure even in this moment, that the course plotted for my present and future are under the direction of One whose plans are the best. I can trust His reality, no matter what I feel.
Saturday, March 1
jumping into pictures
I have just visited the high snow peaks and verdant mountainsides of Nepal and checked out the luxurious interior of a train chugging through vast Siberia. I skipped the friendly elephants in Botswana, although I do like the big ears of this African species. I also considered the adventurous treehouse hotel in Connecticut, but thought that I could just settle for the icy swimming holes readily available right in this country. All this without leaving my cozy spot on the couch or my coffee cup! All this because some silver-tongued salesman persuaded me to order a year's subscription to MONDO, a brightly illustrated and tantalizing Finnish travel magazine. I have been living vicariously through it on this lazy and gray Saturday morning!
So if you were sitting next to me on the couch with your coffee, and after we had dreamed up our next journey to a new destination among the myriads of fascinating ones on the planet, we could continue to chat about actual travels. And I could perhaps ask you if you knew anyone in Prague I could stay with when I stop over in that romantic city on my way to Poland next month. If you answered negatively, I could consider finding a friendly stranger though the Hospitality Club or by Couchsurfing. Then before the topic turned to world news or the day's activities, and as we drained our mugs and stared out at the cold March day, I could ask,
so where are YOU going next (and can I fit into your suitcase, please)?!
So if you were sitting next to me on the couch with your coffee, and after we had dreamed up our next journey to a new destination among the myriads of fascinating ones on the planet, we could continue to chat about actual travels. And I could perhaps ask you if you knew anyone in Prague I could stay with when I stop over in that romantic city on my way to Poland next month. If you answered negatively, I could consider finding a friendly stranger though the Hospitality Club or by Couchsurfing. Then before the topic turned to world news or the day's activities, and as we drained our mugs and stared out at the cold March day, I could ask,
so where are YOU going next (and can I fit into your suitcase, please)?!
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