One thing that annoyed me during our trip to Indo was how "important" it seemed to "be connected all the time" for so many people (mostly those below the age of 40 years old). Due to the BlackBerry booming and the fact that internet connection via mobile phones these days is getting more and more practical and cheaper in Indo, many people can "chat" easily using their mobiles so easily as well as post pictures and share anything with other people.
When we were in Bandung, we went to the movies a few times and each time even when the lights had already been turned off, there was someone sitting down there who spent a few minutes doing something with his/her mobile phone. Because we chose seats located at the very back of the theatres, it was really annoying to see bright mobile phone screens in an already dark theatre.
Couldn't they have just waited until the movie ended? What could be so important? (FYI most of them looked like uni students 'coz we preferred going to the movies on a workday to avoid the weekend rush - plus the tickets are cheaper during weekdays compared to the weekend)
When I was talking to a friend, she told me that nowadays in Bandung it was a common sight to see a family eating in a restaurant, but each one of the family members was busy with their own electronic gadget or mobile phone. For someone whose primary love language is quality time, I am TRULY bothered, concerned, and sad when I hear that. I understand that it's convenient to for example use the mobile phone to "chat" or "browse online" or whatever you want while waiting for a doctor's appointment or while being on a public transit on your own, but too much is too much.
Another friend told me that when she went to meet our mutual friend, that mutual friend every once in a while kept on using the Blackberry or mobile phone. You know, I can understand the "addiction" once you start "being connected" that much. It's really handy these days to be connected via mobile phones and stuff, but on the other hand it's going to ruin many people's lives if they use it too much, don't you think?
My brother told me that it was "trendy" for Indo youngsters (or young professionals) to have three or even more mobile phones, especially to use "the latest gadget/application available". It's a whole different world that I feel here in this little village of Sodankylä. Now you don't have to wonder why I enjoy living here more than living in Indo, do you?
1. Being back in our beloved home. :-D Good old peaceful and quiet Sodankylä. :-D
2. Now I can chew on the right side of my mouth outside the house without fearing that food might get stuck in the gap between my wisdom tooth and my molar.
3. The wisdom tooth operation went very well. My right cheek was a little swollen for about two days after the operation day, but I only felt very little pain after the anaesthethic wore off.
4. Free days from work before starting again, so I have enough time to adjust to the weather and everything else in Sodankylä. GRATEFUL for my thoughtful boss who drew up the work schedule. :-D
5. The reflection of lights at night on a calm river's surface.
6. Our luggage came late, but at least it came the same day we arrived back home, so we didn't have to wait too long.
7. Spending time with MIL and brushing up my Finnish skills again. Grateful that she can't speak English, but more than that grateful that she's who she is: someone who accepts me the way I am and someone who never forces her ideas on me.
8. Still have time to enjoy autumn colours before winter sets in.
9. Thick and soft toilet tissue (as opposed to thin tissue in Indo) and wet tissue! :-D Wet tissue is very handy during travel.
10. Not having to shell out at least 120 Euros to renew my residence permit 'coz I've got Finnish citizenship way before my current residence permit expires. THANK GOD for that!
11. Coming back to Indo after foreign movies started to be shown again in the movie theatres, so R2 and I got a chance to watch plenty of them.
12. In-flight entertainment system during long flights which showed several new movies.
13. Delicious chicken curry with rice on Thai Airways flight back to Bangkok. I think it was the most delicious flight food I've ever had! :-D
14. Appreciating and loving R2 even more after I took him with me to meet my friends on several occasions - more often than not during those occasions we chatted for hours mainly in Indonesian, but he never complained at all nor did he put on an annoyed face (he just looked - understandably - sleepy hi hi...)!!! My angel!!! :-D
15. Fresh homemade salad after eating so much delicious food.
16. Exercising again after a long holiday. My body feels GREAT afterwards! :-D
Hi, people!
We're back from our holiday. Let me just write a short list of things that I'd like to share with you.
1. I got a WONDERFUL surprise when I got back home. Among a pile of letters there is a letter from Finnish Immigration Service about my Finnish citizenship application. It's been accepted!!! I'm now a Finnish citizen!!! :-D
I can't believe the process was so quick. It took only 5.5 months (the letter arrived 2 days after we flew to Bangkok), whereas in the big cities usually it takes at least 13 months for clear cases. I think it does help that I do live in such a small village he he he...Next week I need to report to the local police to sort out my current resident permit (to cancel it out) and I'm going to apply for Finnish passport. :-D
2. The holiday went very well. The weather was great (it rained only the last few days in Bandung) and my family are doing OK. I have to tell you one weird experience, though. My brother picked us up by car and when the car was near the alley where my parents' house was located, I had this sudden feeling that my world had just shrunk a million times. I mean, I've been so used to living in Sodankylä that literally my "zone of vision" shrank the instant the car arrived in front of the alley. It was quite surreal.
3. The 2.5 days we spent in Bangkok was spent in the malls HA HA HA HA HA...It was WAY too hot and humid for us that we didn't want to walk around in the heat outside too long. I didn't use my bro's laptop too much to get online, so I didn't blog at all. I got online using my mobile, but it wasn't comfy to use it to write long texts, so mostly I just used my mobile to check my emails, read them, and post some pictures in Facebook.
4. My "Finnish brain" is now so rusty again 'coz I'd been using my "Indonesian, English, and Sundanese brains". A few times I almost even said Indonesian words when speaking with Arttu. ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!
5. Two weeks after the holiday started, we wished we could have been deaf temporarily 'coz it was sometimes so noisy there in the big cities, especially in Bandung 'coz my parents live in a small alley.
Back when I still lived in Bandung, whenever I went to the malls, I never felt that it was noisy there, but now it feels too noisy. I think the longer I stay in Sodankylä, the less I can handle noisy places. (And I thought I was a city girl, who was a bit worried about moving to Sodankylä - turned out I'm a village girl after all! HA HA HA...)
6. Another funny thing is that I think my taste buds have changed. Prior to the holiday, I had been thinking of a long list of food that I wanted to eat in Bandung, but after a week or so of "too delicious food", I began to understand what "those foreigners" said. By "those foreigners", I mean those who aren't used to spicy Asian food. I felt as if I had eaten too much "too delicious food" (explosion of taste in the mouth). It doesn't sound right, does it? But it's the only way I can explain it. And I know at least one friend who's had a similar experience when she got back to Indo. What I wonder is...how far will my taste buds change? Hmmm...
7. R2 had diarrhoea for 2 days last week, but thankfully it wasn't too bad. I also felt a bit unwell for a few days, but at least now I don't feel anything weird anymore. We took it easy on the days when we felt unwell.
I'll write about more things later. Now I want to exercise a little 'coz I feel that my body's sore all over for the lack of exercise and the fact that we had been sitting in the planes for hours. Take care, people! Hope you're all doing well out there. I'll blog-hop later during the weekend, okay?
