It feels really good to be home. I've been back almost two weeks now. On my way back it is amazing how "home" I felt at Heathrow - somewhere that just a few weeks earlier would have felt incredibly foreign. People speaking English all around me and signs in English everywhere felt good - and I worry it felt too good. That is the same with going/being home - I was looking forward to it but cautious to remind myself it was just temporary this time around. I'm wondering how it is going to feel over the next two years when I don't really have a home in the US - I know I'll feel at home at my sister's house in San Antonio (where I expect to spend a great deal of my time), but it will be weird in Austin for sure not having a home or a car of my own here.
The second half of my trip to Helsinki was good, despite that during that time I lost two more apartments (in addition to one I saw the first time I visited). My coworker Brian and his wife Les came my second week there and it was so nice having familiar faces (and voices) nearby. We had a great time walking miles and miles through the city and I finally got out to a few restaurants with them. I found a Finnish language class at a local university to sign up for when I arrive for good at the end of May. I got more familiar with the area and somewhat proficient at taking the bus to/from the office in Espoo. The weather remained pretty dismal - on Saturday when we were out and about (away from the hotel for several hours), the temps dropped significantly and I was dying before we got back. Les and I ended up buying hand-knit hats at the market by the harbor. I didn't bring any hats with me on the trip - I guess I thought I could will the weather to be warm enough to not need a hat - I was wrong.
I went to the Anglican Church of Helsinki the second Sunday I was there and it was great. I felt very at home with the service - much of it brought back memories of 11 years of chapel five days a week at Episcopal school. There were maybe 40 or so people there. I spotted a girl in cowboy boots and a dress I thought I recognized as being from Target. Afterward they had snacks and tea/coffee and sure enough it was a Target dress and the cowboy boots were straight out of Austin (from a recent road trip on their 6 month paternity leave). She is from Phoenix and her husband is Finnish and they have lived there 11 years - unfortunately they are moving back to the US this summer. But she was able to connect me with the American Women's Club which I didn't know existed and is connecting me with others in the church. It was such a welcome relief to meet her and other members of the church!
My time back has been good. Everything is so green and lush in Austin right now. Everything in Helsinki was still brown and dead so I think I am that much more appreciative of the "life" in Austin right now. Granted come July or August Helsinki will be beautiful and Austin will probably be its own lovely shade of brown. I finally found out yesterday I did get one of the apartments I had seen while I was there - I assumed I was going to lose that one too by the way things had been going. This is a huge relief as I don't have to go into temporary housing. This has allowed me to start to finalize some plans. I have lost count of how many lists I have -what to pack in my air shipment, what to pack in suitcases, what to permanently store, what to leave at my sister's house, what to con my parents into bring with them on their first visit, doctors to see, things to buy, things to get rid of...the list of lists goes on and on and on. And yes, there is a big part of me that loves it. There is another part that is part terrified, stressed out, and in total denial. It is funny - for the most part I'm really enjoying my last weeks here and trying soak it all in - the worrier in me though is afraid to enjoy it too much knowing it will be gone all too soon. Not to worry though, the positive voice then comes back in and reminds me that it isn't like I'm going to some black hole for 2 years - I'm embarking on an adventure few get to ever experience.
I had my first of a few going away celebrations last night - this was a work happy hour. My coworkers each wrote me a note in a little moleskin notebook - it was such a sweet, thoughtful token. We also celebrated my intern's last week at the office and he told me I was "seriously the best boss he'd ever had." Made my night (never mind he isn't even of legal drinking age so it is possible I'm one of the only bosses he's ever had :-)). I truly enjoy the people I work with and while I will still be "working with" them virtually, I am going to really really miss the day-to-day in person interaction with each of them.
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| My entertainment on the bus |
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| View from my favorite apartment - the one I didn't get. Still makes me a little sad, but it is what it is. |
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| Some girls handed me this when I got off the bus one afternoon - I had to show it to Anna-Liisa and ask if it was cheese or something far from it. Sure enough...cheese. |
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| These birds are what the company used for awards for those who worked on the acquisition - we had no idea how unique/Finland-centered the awards are. |
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| Mid-April - the "feels like" and length of day are both notable here |
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| Lighting options at Ikea - apparently in Finland, you have to even provide your own freaking lighting in rented apartments. As if furniture, washer/dryer, and wardrobes aren't enough! |
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| Les and me freezing in Kamppi |
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| I will be spending lots of time here - it is all CHOCOLATE |
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| Precious Marimekko dress - saw it and had to have it for my niece Bennett. It was her non-conventional first communion gift from me. |
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| I'm obsessed - Marimekko even wraps their gifts super cute. |
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| Amazingly green scenery on the trail in Austin right now |
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| Bennett's first communion - it was a huge treat to spend the day/night in San Antonio just a few days after I got back. |
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| Love |
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| Savoring my office view while it lasts |
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| Sweet card and notebook from work |
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