Ayayay...I overslept. Haven't had time to blog-hop, but I'll do it tomorrow, OK? Started having a mild sore throat this morning, so I decided to take a longer nap today, especially since I felt SO tired when I arrived back home.
Let me write some tidbits of those people I meet in my current training place.
1. It's a small world after all!!! A Dutch couple came by and then the guy asked me, "Were you born here?"
I said, "Noooooooo, I come from Indonesia!"
He was nicely surprised. He said, "Really? I was born in Bandung!"
I was nicely surprised, too. I said, "REAAAAAAAALLYYYY? I come from Bandung, too!"
So we chatted for a little while. Turned out he moved back to Holland when he was a baby (didn't remember anything about Bandung), but he'd love to visit Bandung someday he he he...
Then they complimented my English HA HA HA HA HA HA...THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY MUCH!!! ;-D
2. An old Finnish guy came by to the office. I don't know him, but it seems he's left some books at the office to sell to people (it's a book on the local Finnish dialect). Then he asked my boss where I came from (my boss was near me when he came by). He called me "pikku neiti" or "Little Miss" hi hi hi hi hi...
Then he said, "Very interesting!"
I was nicely surprised that he spoke English since he looked old enough not to know much English. And then he talked too fast in Finnish, but I think he said that I looked like a doll HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA...
Nobody's ever said that, so again THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH HI HI HI HI...I take that as a compliment!
3. A Finnish woman came by to buy some tickets to watch Luosto Classic concert (it's an outdoor concert in Luosto). Nobody else was there at the time, so I had to deal with her in Finnish. I'd picked up some of the phrases from my senior when he handled customers to sell these tickets HO HO HO HO HO...
Different from other customers who just left right after getting the tickets, she started chatting me up. She asked me where I came from and stuff like that. She said that my Finnish was good. Oh, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the encouragement!!!
I told her that it was still hard for me to understand if people talk too fast he he he...And the other nice thing about her was that she was all smiles! ;-D And she even wished me a nice summer! ;-D
4. It never crossed my mind that I'd feel my nationality being at stake before moving to Finland. Now I always remember that people here may gather a general impression on Indonesians from me, so I must be a good representative of my country. I don't want them to think badly about Indonesians. :-)))) After all, there aren't any other Indonesians in Sodankylä.
5. I realize one thing about working in this tourist info office. There are periods of time when nobody comes in, so that can be boring, as well, but I've met interesting people along the way he he he he...And more often than not, they're happy since they're on a holiday, so they're not hard to deal with HI HI HI HI HI...Plus, to make sure I don't feel bored, I bring a novel to the store, so I kill two birds with one stone: I can also catch up on my summer reading this way HI HI HI HI...
Mind you, I still dare not pick up the office mobile phone since I'm still not confident with my Finnish on the phone he he he he...but I've begun to be more proactive when there are tourists in the office. Before I didn't have the nerve to come near them and ask if they needed any help, since I wasn't really sure that I could help them HI HI HI HI HI...
Plus I've never been an outgoing person all my life, so even now I still have to push myself to come over and be proactive to them. It seems that life's teaching me to be more active in the "service" area, since I also had to confront customers in the other training place, the souvenir shop.
One time I felt REALLY pleased with myself for having pushed myself to be proactive. I noticed one Finnish lady taking the wrong brochure, so I took the right one and explained to her in brief Finnish that the one she took was the wrong one HE HE HE HE HE HE...I still had to gather courage and try to think of what to say before approaching her, though HE HE HE...
I had NEVER worked like this before all my life, so these two trainings have been SO valuable to me, even though at first I thought that they weren't suitable for me.
So THANK YOU, God, for having given me these opportunities!!!!!!!!!!
I decided to write this list since it's near the end of this year. I just wanna remind myself of the lessons I've learnt and re-learnt this year. There are new lessons and old lessons learnt once more. I may update this list later on, but so far here is the list I've compiled. Before I start, I'd also LOVE to know the lessons you've learnt or re-learnt this year. I wanna learn from all of you. ;-D
1. Letting Go.
This has not been an easy lesson for me. I tend to hold people too tightly in my arms and I expect much from the closest ones. I have learnt and re-learnt this lesson lots of times this year. Besides my expectations from those people closest to me, I've also learnt to let go of my past: my job, my hometown, my friends, my family, and everything else I have left behind that I can't possibly have here. I'm pretty sure that there will be plenty of other lessons on letting go, though. ;-D
2. God truly has a magical way of opening "unexpected" and "unseen" doors for me. It's truly amazing to see His plans unfolding bit by bit, one step at a time, in my life. Thank you, Lord!!!
3. Loving myself despite myself. This is one lesson I should learn all the days in my life, but since I left my job and everything behind, I have learnt more lessons on loving myself.
4. The benefits of networking. In my "previous" life, I used to rely on other people's network instead of building my own network. Only after I moved to Finland do I have these MANY friends. I feel SO blessed!!!!
5. Being proactive ---> this is related to #4. If I didn't become proactive (blogging and building network), I think I would be TOTALLY depressed right now: no friends, no possibility of getting some income online, no nothing.
6. The joys of being a wife and having a new family plus the joy of cooking and baking. Honestly speaking, on the plane to Finland, I freaked out. The "what ifs" came barging into my head and my mind started thinking of "worst case scenarios". Gladly everything has been MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more WONDERFUL than even my most positive thoughts!!! HIP HIP HURRAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!! And I never thought I'd love cooking and baking this much. *tee-hee*
Well, having a hubby who eats everything I cook no matter how bad it looks and who always comforts me whenever I make mistakes DOES help TREMENDOUSLY in making me enjoy everything here. ;-D
7. The prices I have to pay for pursuing my dream. Being far away from my parents and brother is one of them. It's toughest when one of them gets sick or when one of them has some inner problem and I can't be there for them physically. It's also tough when I can't be there on special occasions like my brother's wedding, but I've gotta pay the price no matter what!
8. Not complaining. One of my first resolutions when I moved to Finland was to catch myself before I started complaining. So far I think I've done a great job in this area. However, I must be wary all the time. :-))))
9. Not taking things too seriously. This is another one of my first resolutions when I moved to Finland. It is HARD for me to do this since all my life I had been such a sensitive person, but honestly speaking, my hubby has helped me A LOT in this department with his easy-going personality. ;-D
10. Learning to accept that my mistakes don't make me and learning to laugh at myself whenever I make mistakes. Learning to laugh at myself hasn't been easy for me. Funny thing is that the first time I managed to do it was only after I moved to Finland. So moving to Finland has been GOOD for me! HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...
11. Joy is found in precious fleeting moments that oftentimes go unnoticed. I have to be really alert in order to be able to cherish those moments.
12. One of humans' greatest weaknesses is to take things for granted. I'm learning not to take things for granted and to be thankful all the time. I have to remind myself about this over and over again.
13. Live as though I'd die tomorrow, plan as though I'd live forever. I'm trying to follow this adage so that my life is balanced and I can enjoy today as much as I love planning for the future.
14. It's definitely NOT easy at all to practice what you preach.
15. Learning to relight and feed my inner child. I've been wacky and crazy in front of my hubby and it feels OHHHHH SOOOOO GOOOODDDD!!!! Plus I also awaken his inner child, so both of us are sometimes like little kids goofing around he he he he...
16. The danger of being too focused on money. I can be consumed with the ambition of saving more and more money that I lose focus on the MOST important things in life that money can't buy.
17. Dressing up in layers is the best tactic for the worst kind of weather and human body loses heat the fastest through their heads, so I have to make sure I put on a warm cap whenever it's so cold outside.
18. I learn that being me is enough and that I'm where I'm supposed to be.
P.S. Don't forget to check on my Plumper Snowman pics here.
