Category Archives: Expat life

Day 65: Proekt 365 (Lost in translation…)

by in #365grateful, Everyday Life, Expat life, Finland and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
Day 65: Proekt 365 Lost in Translation

Day 65: Proekt 365
Lost in Translation

Life took over and threw a few curve balls. The busy-ness of work and a few days of unfortunate news resulted in a short hiatus from the posts which are Proekt 365. Despite a lack of posts, I have been taking time out each day to revel in the little bits of goodness around me. And, there are many even on the gloomiest of days.

Today, though, provided a bit of comedic relief. I’ve recently returned to the life of gym bunnies and joined a local fitness centre. It’s a great, no frills sort of place, with a dedicated women’s only section. No classes, no annoyingly cheerful and well-toned (if not ridiculously young) staff watching to make you feel even more self-conscious—just a bunch of equipment and locker rooms and 24/7 access. And, others hoping to get fit and stay in shape.

In addition to being generally impressed with how low-maintenance the whole process has been thus far, many of the signs hung throughout are written not just in Finnish, of which I understand nothing, but also feature English. I greatly appreciate this bi-lingual attention. But, it also provides a bit of insight as my friend pointed out in just how different English and Finnish are to one another.

Case in point, the picture above. The upper portion of the sign in the Finnish seems a little less cumbersome and wordy in English. The information in both languages, according to my friend whose Finnish is amazing, is the same. It just takes a bit more work to convey the same message in Finnish, evidently.

Oh, Finland. With signs like this, my hope of ever learning any of your native language is once again dashed. Ah well.

It just makes me all the more appreciative of how incredibly awesome Finns’ English is. In another moment from today, I had to phone my bank. The first person who answered the phone told me in absolutely perfect English that, no, she did not speak English. But, if I could hold the line, she would get someone else who did. (I swear, her accent was absolutely perfect and her language skills were flawless!)

Lost in translation, indeed.

Days 42 & 43: Proekt 365 (No complaints here)

by in #365grateful, Attitude, Everyday Life, Expat life, Food, Gratitude, Helsinki and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
Day 42: Proekt 365 Good thing the deadline was yesterday....I have no complaints!

Day 42: Proekt 365
Good thing the deadline was yesterday….I have no complaints!

I spied this sign yesterday at my new favourite lunch spot–Roslund. I can’t imagine that they’d have any complaints at all because the food is fabulous.

But, this sign also resonated with me for other unrelated reasons. I’ve found that by holding off on immediately reacting to situations, things seem less dramatic, less pressing and dare I say less annoying. Even if something is troubling or a bit of a concern, mulling it over or letting it lie helps. At least that seems to be the trend as of late.

Plus, given that I had several large and looming deadlines this past Monday, I loved the whole ‘deadline’ synergy.

Day 43: Proekt 365 A bit of pastrami and an (unreal) taste of home

Day 43: Proekt 365
A bit of pastrami and an (unreal) taste of home

Today brought another little bit of simple pleasure to my world.

A friend of mine who lives in Pennsylvania has been torturing me the last several months with pictures of mouth-watering mounds of pastrami. Not intentionally torturing me, but… each photo reminded me of just how much I love pastrami. Pastrami. I miss pastrami. Desperately.

Yesterday, I finally found proper pastrami at a butcher shop. (Insert the ‘I scored’ dance here!) It wasn’t cheap, but it also wasn’t prohibitively expensive and I didn’t have to figure out how to make it myself. (One day, I will. But, not now.) An added bonus—the butcher sliced it incredibly thin, so it’s perfect for sandwiches. (Seriously, if you can’t find me elsewhere, chances are I am camped out at Roslund’s.)

For lunch today, I made myself a sandwich. Just a simple little sandwich. And, I swear, I nearly cried it made me so happy. There is nothing quite like a big deli sandwich in my book. Today’s may not have been quite the same height as a pastrami on rye from one of my favourite haunts in New England, complete with fresh rye bread, fresh and not swimming-in-sauce cole slaw, crispy fries and deli pickles. But, oh… pastrami. How I love thee.

Nope. Not a complaint in sight. Regardless of the deadline for their submission, I have no complaints at all.

Day 40: Proekt 365 (Anything and then some…)

by in #365grateful, Everyday Life, Expat life, Helsinki and tagged , , , , | 1 Comment
Day 40: Proekt 365 I'd do anything, and then some...

Day 40: Proekt 365
I’d do anything, and then some…

The life of an expat is filled with bittersweet moments, just like life lived anywhere. It is a great life for the most part, although not quite the ‘adventure’ that most envision. It’s certainly not a life I ever thought I’d find myself living.

Unlike life in my home country, my circles of friends tend to shift each year if not every few months. (I intentionally say ‘circles’ since at this point there are circles of friends in Moscow, Amsterdam and Helsinki as well as all those in the US and those who live all over the place and don’t necessarily fit neatly into any of the other geographic circles.) The shift, however, is not a result of any sort of fickleness within me or amongst my friends. It’s just the nature of the ‘community’.

Rather than finding a job, buying a house and settling for several decades in a particular neighbourhood, life abroad is a very large game of musical chairs of sorts. Individuals and families drift in and out on a fairly regular basis. Contracts and assignments are temporary and tend to last several years at most. Unless one has strong family ties to a particular country (such as when someone’s spouse happens to be from that particular country), the community is in a constant state of flux as people come and go and move from one place to another.

It must have been a year or so ago that I read a fantastic blog about the intensity of expat friendships in particular. (I wish I could find it, because it struck a cord with me in so many ways.) It’s difficult to describe just how intense those bonds can be between expats. They form incredibly quickly and with an urgency and intensity that are rare in one’s home country. Perhaps it’s because we all know the temporariness to the time we’ll physically spend in that shared place and space. For whatever reason, they are immensely meaningful and powerful. It is also incredibly difficult and painful when friends move on to the ‘next’ place, and it happens far, far too often.

I do not like that ‘moving on part’ of the expat life, whether it is our own or watching a good friend leave. But, I’d not give those relationships up for anything in the world, despite how gut-wrenching it can be when it is time to say farewell to a fellow traveler.

Today’s image was from a send off for one such friend. Part truth (in that I’d do just about anything for these particular friends in whose company a lovely afternoon was spent) and part humourous (in that it’s not clear if the ‘deer’ was meant in an ironic way or simply an instance of ‘funny English’), it provided a nice backdrop over lunch on an otherwise bittersweet occasion.

And, to the girlfriend leaving, this is not farewell, but until we meet again, my deer (I mean, dear).

Day 39: Proekt 365 (More than just afternoon tea)

by in #365grateful, Expat life, Random musings and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
Day 39: Proekt 365 More than just afternoon tea

Day 39: Proekt 365
More than just afternoon tea

Today is not a standard Caturday of fun—I’m once again sat behind my lovely desk pounding away at the keyboard in a desperate attempt to meet my Monday deadlines. As I hit that afternoon lull that always greets me between 14.00–16.00, I contemplated a re-dosing of coffee before deciding to have a spot of afternoon green tea. I’m glad I did.

Not only do I love this particular teapot— a total impulse buy found on sale at Indiska several years ago—but, every pot of tea reminds me of some lovely friends in Amsterdam and various Caturdays spent doing all manner of things silly and fun. To keep my tea warm, my friends Brad and Christopher helped me acquire not just this particular tea warmer, but also a twin of its which suffered an unfortunate and mysterious accident after I became thoroughly attached to and dependent upon it. (Said tea warmer still functions, but looks a little less lovely.)

That first teapot warmer was found on our first outing to an antique market in Haarlem several years ago, which necessitated an insanely early morning alarm for someone who had imbibed a little too much the night before. (Nope. Wasn’t me. I swear.) These two darling friends took great care of me that day, and indulged my immediate infatuation with the idea of a teapot warmer by helping me score this beauty. Every time I use it, I am reminded of Christopher’s race to find the very best antiques. He searches carefully, keeping tabs on the behaviour and movements of his competitors and, then, swoops in at just the right moment to find that special something. It’s a lovely sight. Brad had told me that the closer we’d get to the market, the quicker Christopher’s pace would become. A more apt description I’ve never heard!

It’s an incredibly fun way to spend a day, even if it does start early. And, reminds me of just how much The Cuban and I need to get to Amsterdam to visit all those friends we haven’t seen in far, far too long!

But, today is also made special because of the particular tea in the teapot. Those same friends  also turned me on to one of my favourite teas these days — Bigelow Mango Green Tea hits the spot on a chilly, grey winter afternoon. It’s so perfect, I might just go for two pots today.

I may be trapped at my desk today. But, at least I’m surrounded by reminders of more relaxing days spent in fine company. (And, as soon as possible, we will get there for a visit, guys!)

Day 36: Proekt 365 (My girlfriends)

by in #365grateful, Expat life, Helsinki, Random musings, women and tagged , , , , | 1 Comment
Day 36: Proekt 365 To all my Thelmas & Louises

Day 36: Proekt 365
To all my Thelmas & Louises

No film captures the bond of friendship and ‘family’ I feel towards my closest girlfriends more than Thelma and Louise. Steel Magnolias comes very close, but can also just as easily apply to some of my very best guy friends as well. (In fact, there is one particular friend for whom that film fits better…but, I digress.) There is something specifically about Thelma and Louise as individuals and the journey they share which reflects just what I would do and how far I’d go for my sisters—the sisters I may not share a last name with, but with whom I share a very deep and real bond.

Today was all about sharing moments with some of my ‘sistahs’ in Helsinki. I didn’t get to see all of those I’d like to have (you know who you are and it will happen soon, damnit!), but I saw more than I’d expected to when I walked out the door this afternoon. That’s fine by me.

In the few stolen moments I scheduled for some quality time with my girlfriends, my plan was initially for a late lunch with one friend who is currently house-bound due to an unfortunate pasta accident. We were delightfully joined by another friend who is moving on far too soon to another country — the awful part about being an expat, but one we all deal with in whatever way we can. At this point, any chance we get to schedule quick meet ups and a few more moments of face-to-face bonding are very welcome. Before heading home, I decided to try to squeeze in a quick cup of tea to catch up with yet another girlfriend I’d not seen in a while. And, then, there was the random running in to yet another girlfriend at the supermarket whose been on my mind and I’d not seen lately.

Basically, it was all about the ladies today.

I’m very fortunate. In every place I’ve lived, I’ve met and been lucky enough to get to know and become close friends with some truly extraordinary women, most of whom are still in my life today. Despite many years and miles separating us, I’m quite confident that we’d easily pick up right where we left off the last time we saw one another given our all-too-infrequent communiques these days.

But, here in Helsinki, perhaps more so than in any other moment in my life, I feel downright blessed by the closeness and extent of what I’ve come to view as my sisterhood of girlfriends. All of the women I know and love here are incredibly talented, smart, witty and truly special in one way or another. They are as varied as women everywhere are, and each has taught me something important at key moments. We’ve been through some shit together as each of us has had to deal with life’s more challenging aspects on various occasions. And, I can only hope to be there for them a fraction as much as they’ve been there for me.

I don’t have my own picture from today. How could I pick just one instant to capture given the many moments of joy these girlfriends of mine provided? So, I’m borrowing Thelma and Louise, partially because I love this particular image so much, but also because I want all of those women who I’m lucky enough to call my friends to know that I’d do just about anything for them.

Good. Bad. Near. Far. New. Old. And everything in between, y’all bring more to my world than I’ll ever deserve and infinitely more than I ever expected. I love ya, sistahs! This post is for you.

Day 15: Proekt 365 (Solitary bus rides)

by in #365grateful, Everyday Life, Expat life, Helsinki, Random musings and tagged , , | Leave a comment
Day 15: Proekt 365 A solitary bus rides with stunning views

Day 15: Proekt 365
A solitary bus rides with stunning views

I am continually amazed by two things in Finland: the incredible efficiency of the region’s public transport system, and stunning views and scenery when you least expect them.

Since we don’t drive in Finland, lacking both a car and a driver’s licence between us, we are completely dependent upon the public transportation system. Not only do trams, buses, and trains for Helsinki’s commuters go just about everywhere, a fantastic journey planner website (which is also available in English and available as a mobile application for various smartphone platforms) makes mapping out a route incredibly easy. We’re especially fortunate to have several routes which make reaching just about anywhere in the region quite simple. This makes getting around very easy for the car-less couple.

It’s rather amazing as well what you can see from various buses. People watching is always a treat. But, the scenery in Southern Finland can be particularly lovely. The views today traveling from downtown Helsinki to Espoo were absolutely stunning. With plentiful, bright winter sunshine falling across the frozen bays, the time on my journey passed all too quickly.

It’s a treat to live here on days like today. I can easily see how the quality of life for Finns is rated so highly so consistently.

Day 13: Proekt 365 (‘Community’)

by in #365grateful, Everyday Life, Expat life, Helsinki, Knitting and tagged , , | 1 Comment
Day 13: Proekt 365 An unexpected gift from folks in my 'community'

Day 13: Proekt 365
An unexpected gift from folks in my ‘community’

One of my favourite spots in Helsinki is a yarn shop, Snurre. It’s not my favourite simply because of the yarn it stocks; it’s my favourite because of the people who own and run it—Anne and Mikko.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Snurre as a customer, teaching knitting classes, at various knitting / crafting events and to help celebrate milestones in the store’s brief history thus far. It’s evolved incredibly since opening a little over two years ago, and I’m thrilled to see this local shop doing so well. It’s a great place to spend a little time with fellow crafters and in fine, fine company. In addition to being a place my knitting friends and I enjoy going together, I’ve made a few new friends there as well.

Obviously, Anne and Mikko are two such friends. Today, they surprised me with a holiday gift (above) that was so, so unnecessary, and so incredibly thoughtful. Wine and yarn. And, knitting needles for the yarn. (Like I said: perfect!) I am touched beyond words once again, not just by their generosity, but that they have included me in their community.

There are plenty of yarn shops in Helsinki, but Snurre will always be special to me because of Anne and Mikko. Always ready to greet those who enter warmly and with friendly and genuine smiles. Always ready to help those who enter find just what they are looking for. And, always interested, genuinely interested, in how you are doing and what’s new — not just in the world of all things fibre, but in life in general. Because of their sincerity and the care with which they treat those of us who return again and again and because they are such great people overall, I’ll do whatever I can to support their business and to help it thrive. As members of a ‘community’ of crafters, it’s a great thing to have Snurre amongst the tribe and the go-to place for all one’s fibre needs. And, it’s a local business I feel incredibly good about supporting in whatever way I can because they make the community a better place.

Thanks, Anne and Mikko, for your kindness! And, thanks for helping make me feel so incredibly welcome in your community!

Why ‘proekt’?

by in #365grateful, Everyday Life, Expat life, Random musings and tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Thanks to those of you who are following my Proekt 365 posts. Today’s post will come later, but I wanted to take a few moments to address one question I’ve received a few times now.

As an expat, my English is no longer strictly American. After living in Moscow, Russia, for eight years, a few Russian terms have become far more accessible at specific moments.

One of those words is проект, or ‘proekt’, the Russian term for ‘project’. For whatever reason, when I began thinking about doing this specific project, I kept hearing thinking about the project title in Russian: Проект 365 (‘Proekt trista scshest’decyat pyat’). Perhaps it was because I had chatted with my friend Gunilla about challenging one another to complete the project (she is a close friend from our days in Moscow). Who knows?  Regardless, in my attempt to claim ownership over this little project and make it more meaningful to me, #365grateful became ‘Proekt 365′. And, that it shall remain.

There are other Russian words and phrases which have crept into my everyday vocabulary and displaced the English terms. Beer is no longer beer, but пиво (‘pivo’). Sour cream is always сметана (‘smetana’). Да, ладно (‘Da, ladno’) is a catchphrase for ‘whatever’. Less translatable but a particular favourite is хитрый (‘khitri’), which roughly translates as ‘cunning’, but also carries a sense of twisted cleverness, and streak-of-evil cunning attached to its meaning.

Living with a Cuban has brought other phrases into every day use. My favourite and one which I use far, far too often ¡Oye! ¡Mira!‘, roughly translated to ‘Hey! Look!’ (my use is more akin to ‘shut up and listen’, but you get the idea).

Since Southern Finland is so English-friendly, there are few Finnish phrases which have entered our particular language. Perhaps that will change when / if we ever get a handle on what seems an incredibly difficult language.

It’s a great thing to be an expat and to have been afforded the opportunity to fully immerse into Russian life. Not only did I gain an understanding of a people who for so, so long occupied my consciousness as ‘the enemy’ having grown up during the Cold War, but it’s allowed me to luxuriate in the richness of Russian and my own native language (and recognise those same individuals as a people who are now very dear to me).

The words we choose carry such profound meaning because of how they are understood collectively but also because of the meaning we as individuals attach to them. So, choose them wisely. And, for kicks, add a few ‘foreign’ words into the mix.

How do you say, 'hello'?

How do you say, ‘hello’?

Day 5: Proekt 365

by in #365grateful, Expat life, Helsinki, Inspiration and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
Day 5: Proekt 365 It's all about the light.

Day 5: Proekt 365
It’s all about the light.

Light is a precious commodity in Helsinki in winter. So, when LUX comes to town, you go. It’s all about the light.

My favourite installation this year was a gigantic blinking-light pinball machine with sound on the fascade of a building in downtown Helsinki. I didn’t get to play it, but I loved it all the same.

Thanks, LUX, for brightening the otherwise dark January evening when light is exceedingly rare.