Home sweet home (eng)

Returning to my old hometown - the small city of Tampere with its 200,000 inhabitants - was rather weird after the huge metropolitan city of Hong Kong. The streets I used to find busy felt like one of those empty side streets, the luminous Finnish summer felt somewhat surreal and the houses are so so so low with only 10 blocks or less. On the other hand, Finland is rather beautiful after the rugged metropolitan. And truly restful.

The Tammer rapids

So peaceful

Whilst I was already missing Hong Kong at the second I stepped in to the plane, I still think it's quite nice to be back in Finland. On my first weekend I was lucky to get to my dearest Simola - our summer house, or holiday house because we stay there all year round. In the peace of the countryside I felt my jet lag melting away and I also got to go to the forest with my mom to pick up some chanterelles.

Finnish Countryside

I really missed this place

The Forest.

The most wonderful thing about returning to Finland however, was reuniting with my little prince - otherwise known as our Parson Russell terrier Pekka and of course my friends and family. I also managed to check out the night life of Tampere but I think I did it too soon after Hong Kong, because the atmosphere was really lame compared to the legendary Lan Kwai Fong.

My little prince

Baby

Karoliina ♥

Even though it's nice to return to Finland, it's also nice to know that I don't have to stay for too long. My semester in Beijing is starting on 8th of Septemper, although I might have to go there a bit later because I need to get my visa and it takes a week and I'm only able to apply as September begins.

If leaving for Hong Kong felt sudden, leaving for Beijing is even more sudden. Due to the problems in the information flow between my school and the school in Beijing, the whole exchange has been a bit unsure but this morning I finally received the long awaited email that cleared things up.

Going to China isn't half as easy as it was to go to Hong Kong. To get the residence permit I've gotten my cardiogram checked, X-ray'd my chest and it also turns out I don't have Plague, Leprosy or any other of these very common diseases in Europe and especially in Finland that were mentioned in the form.

Next weeks will probably be some of the busiest weeks in my life but at least I now know where I'm going. Oh, and it might be the time that I finally learn how to write my name in Chinese.

P.S It was about time to update the header - Next destination Beijing!

Home sweet home

Hongkongin kokoisen suurkaupungin jälkeen oli vähintäänkin outoa saapua 200,000 ihmisen asuttamalle Tampereelle, joka kuitenkin on aina ollut mun kotikaupunkini. Ennen mielestäni suhteellisen vilkkaan kaupungin kadut tuntuvat tyhjiltä sivukujilta, Suomen kesälle ominainen valoisuus tuntuu jotenkin epätodelliselta ja 10 kerroksiset talot matalilta. Toisaalta täällä Suomessa on aika kaunista karun metropolin jälkeen. Ja todella rauhallista.

Koskenranta

Niin rauhallista

Vaikka ikävöinkin Hongkongia jo lentokoneeseen astuessani, Suomeen on kuitenkin mukava palata. Pääsin heti ensimmäisenä viikonloppuna itselleni niin rakkaaseen Simolaan - meidän kesämökille, tai oikeastaan loma-asunnolle, koska ollaan siellä vuoden ympäri. Maaseudun rauhassa jet lagistakin oli helppo päästä eroon ja pääsimpä vielä sienimetsällekin tänä kesänä.

Maaseudun kauneutta

Tänne oli ikävä

Metsässä

Ihaninta Suomeenpaluussa oli kuitenkin se, että näin jälleen mun pikkuprinssiäni eli meidän Parsonrussellin terrieriä Pekkaa ja ystäviäni sekä tietenkin perhettäni. Käväisin myös katsastamassa Tampereen yöelämän, mutta taisin suunnata sinne liian pian Hongkongin jälkeen, koska meininki oli aika matalalla Lan Kwai Fongiin verrattuna.

Kulta

Sylivauva

Karoliina ♥

Vaikka Suomeen onkin kiva palata, on myös kiva tietää että täällä ei tarvitse olla kovin kauaa. Lukukausi Pekingissä alkaa meinaan 8. Syyskuuta, tosin saatan suunnata sinne hieman myöhässä, sillä viisumin saannissa kestää viikko ja pystyn hakemaan sitä vasta syyskuun alettua.

Jos Hongkongiin lähtö tuntui nopealta, Pekingiin lähtö vasta tulikin puun takaa. Koulujen välillä tapahtuneen informaatiokatkon takia koko vaihdon ympärillä vallinnut epävarmuus alkoi vihdoin hälvetä tänä aamuna saadessani viestin että kaikki alkaa pikkuhiljaa järjestyä.

Kiinaan lähtö ei muuten oo läheskään yhtä helppoa kuin Hongkongiin lähtö. Oleskeluluvan saadakseni olen nimittäin käynyt mittauttamassa sydänkäyräni, röntgenkuvaamassa rintakehäni ja totesihan se lääkäri myös että mulla ei oo myöskään ruttoa tai lepraa - tai mitä näitä Euroopassa ja etenkin Suomessa todella yleisiä tauteja siinä kaavakkeessa nyt kyseltiinkään.

Seuraavat viikot tulevat varmasti olemaan elämäni kiireisimpiä mutta ainakin tiedän minne olen menossa. Niin, ja voisin ehkä oikeasti vihdoin opetella kirjoittamaan nimeni kiinankielellä.

P.S Oli jo aikakin päivittää blogin headeri;)

From: Hong Kong International To: Helsinki - Vantaa

About three months ago, during one of the many sleepless nights I had before going to Hong Kong I was playing with different scenarios about Hong Kong. What if I don't like my job? What if I start to miss home? What if I don't meet any nice people? Knowing myself (or so I thought) I was 100% sure that I would cry myself to sleep for at least 10 times while embracing a Finnish book and looking at pictures of reindeer and hills.

If only I had known how wrong I was. What if I don't like my job? I can't remember a single day that I actually wouldn't have wanted to go to work. What if I start to miss home? I can't remember myself wishing I was in Finland. Except once - as I was walking home in this deadly heat - I think I wished I could be in the middle of a Finnish winter.

What if I don't meet any nice people? And here's where I went really wrong. During these three months I've built my social life up again from a scratch. I've met people with whom I can be myself . People, that I want to keep in touch with in the future.

Before I left Finland, I read through (more like memorised by heart) around three Hong Kong guide books and marked all the things that I wanted to do during my three months. I wanted to...

....Visit Macao

....Go to at least one hike

....See Big Buddha

...Visit Disneyland

 ...See Lan Kwai Fong ("once")

...See Infinity Pool

 ...Spend time on the beach 

 ...if possible, visit an Asian convention

...and of course Victoria Peak

...and Afternoon tea

...and first and foremost - learn how to enjoy life.

And I ended up doing every single thing from my little bucket list, most of them more than once. What surprised me the most was how much better I learned to know myself. I learned that hey, I can actually do things. I learned to smile more and rejoice the little things like my doorman saying hello to me every morning.

I haven't really talked about my job and I won't talk about it in the future either - at least not in this blog - but I've got to say that career wise Hong Kong was definitely the right choice. I learned so much more both about entrepreneurship and marketing and I think I know just a little bit better what I want to do for living in the future.

To conclude, I think I have spent the best summer of my life so far. That summer comes to an end tomorrow as my plane takes off to Finland. Of course, it feels horrible to leave it all behind and I will surely miss this place but right now, it's my time leave for the new adventures!

P.S I still have no clue how to write my name in Chinese although I've added that fancy little picture to all of my posts.

From: Hong Kong International To: Helsinki - Vantaa

Noin kolme kuukautta sitten eräänä unettomana yönä (ja niitä oli paljon ennen Hongkongiin lähtöä) kehittelin kauhuskenaarioita Hongkongista. Mitä jos en tykkääkään työstäni? Mitä jos koti-ikävä iskee? Mitä jos en tapaa ketään kivoja ihmisiä? Itseni tuntien (tai niin luullen), olin 100% varma että itken itseni uneen ainakin 10 kertaa ensimmäisten viikkojen aikana halatessani suomenkielistä kirjaa ja katsoessani kuvia poroista ja tuntureista.

Jos vaan olisin tiennyt kuinka väärässä olin. Mitä jos en tykkääkään työstäni? En muista päivääkään jona en olisi halunnut mennä töihin. Mitä jos koti-ikävä iskee? En muista ajatelleeni, että olisinpa nyt Suomessa. Paitsi kerran kävellessäni kotiin paahtavassa kuumuudessa taisin hetkellisesti toivoa olevani keskellä Suomen talvea.

Mitä jos en tapaa ketään kivoja ihmisiä? Ja tässä olin kaikkein eniten väärässä. Kolmessa kuukaudessa oon rakentanu sosiaalisen elämäni uudelleen täysin tyhjästä. Oon tavannut ihmisiä, joiden kanssa voin olla oma itseni. Ihmisiä, joiden kanssa haluan pitää yhteyttä vielä tulevaisuudessakin. 

Ennen lähtöäni luin ehkä 3 Hongkong opasta kannesta kanteen ja merkitsin asioita joita  haluan tehdä näiden kolmen kuukauden aikana. Halusin ainakin...

....Käydä Macaossa

....Käydä ainakin yhdellä vaellusreitillä

....Nähdä Big Buddhan

...Käydä Disneylandissa

 ...Nähdä Lan Kwai Fongin ("kerran")

Käydä Infinity Poolilla

 ...Viettää aikaa rannalla

 ...jos mahdollista, käydä Aasialaisessa conissa

...ja tietysti Victoria Peakilla

...sekä kokea Afternoon tean:

...ja ennen kaikkea oppia nauttimaan elämästä

Ja päädyin tekemään joka ikisen asian siltä listalta, monta niistä useammankin kerran. Mulle itselleni ehkä eniten tuli yllätyksenä se, miten paljon paremmin opin tuntemaan oman itseni. Opin että hei, mä oikeesti pystyn tekemään asioita. Opin hymyilemään useammin ja aidosti iloitsemaan pienistäkin asioista kuten siitä, että ovimies tervehtii mua joka aamu.

En oo puhunut paljon työstäni, enkä tule siitä puhumaan tulevaisuudessakaan ainakaan tässä blogissa, mutta täytyy kyllä sanoa että Hongkong oli oikea valinta myös uramielessä. Opin hirveästi uusia asioita niin yrittäjyydestä kuin markkinoinnistakin ja tiedän ehkä ihan vähän paremmin mitä haluan tulevaisuudessa tehdä työkseni. 

Kaiken kaikkiaan oon viettänyt ehkä elämäni tähän mennessä parhaan kesän. Se kesä päättyy huomenna koneen noustessa kohti Suomea. Tottakai se tuntuu kamalalta ja tuun varmasti ikävöimään tätä paikkaa mutta mun on aika lähteä kohti uusia seikkailuja! 

P.S En muuten vieläkään osaa kirjoittaa nimeäni kiinaksi vaikka oonkin lisänny ton hienon kuvan jokaiseen blogikirjoitukseen. 

Tai Long Wan beach and my thoughts about leaving

In one week I will be on my way to Helsinki-Vantaa airport. In one week, I will see my dear dog and other family members and breathe the clean and fresh air of Finlan. Even though the whole idea of getting back to Finland makes my head ache, I'm still kind of happy to go back to my "beloved" home country.

I already knew before I left to Hong Kong, that I just don't belong to Finland. And after three months of living here, I'm more than sure that my future is definitely somewhere else than in Finland. Is it in Hong Kong? Maybe, maybe not, no one can know that just yet! I'm 100% sure that I will return to Hong Kong though, at least as a tourist, if not more permanently.

One of the many reasons I love Hong Kong is the fact that even though we all live in a big metropolitan city, the whole area is surrounded by the most amazing nature. On Saturday last week, I managed to go for a hike to Tai Long Wan with my friends -  for once according to plan (instead of spending the whole Saturday morning in bed). The hike was about 1,5 hours and to my mind - it was definitely worth it.

Landscapes

To get to Tai Long Wan, you must first go Sai Kung, which you can either reach by a combination of MTR and a minibus or take the easy way out as we did and take a cab. From Sai Kung we took another cab to the pavilion at the start of the hike towards Tai Long Wan. The cab ride was rather exciting as the road to the pavilion was only broad enough for one car but naturally the cars were going into two different directions. Eep.

Cow? A nice cow?

Stairsssss

The hike itself was very easy to walk but it involved quite a bit of climbing and as it was approximately 40 degrees warm, it didn't feel too nice. There were also quite many free-running cows on the track that (thank god) were all nice and tame because I really wouldn't have wanted to run away from aggressive cows in hot weather and uphill. The beach itself was under a long set of stairs but it was worth climbing them down because the beach was breathtakingly beautiful and silent!

We spent most of the day just floating in the water and laying on the beach until 7.30 PM when we took a speedboat back to Sai Kung. The Speedboat was also quite an experience, because the boat was literally jumping on top of the waves and it had no seatbelts of any kind. Well, at least it was fun;) Although I was tired after spending the whole day at the beach and hikins, I still decided to go with the tradition of my weekends in Hong Kong and after spending an hour in the shower (and still probably finding some sand in my hair..) I headed towards the oh so familiar LKF...

Even after spending three months in Hong Kong, I hadn't had a chance to try Hot Pot, and when I noticed that there would be a hot pot meetup next Tuesday, I couldn't help but join in. Hot pot is basically a boiling kettle in the middle of the table where you cook all kinds of meat and vegetables. My favourite was definitely tofu, as I don't really fancy the Hong Kong kind of meet because it's mainly bones and tissue.

So much food..

An an experience, hot pot was rather exciting, but if I'm being completely honest, I was happy with trying it only once. I just didn't find the idea of mixing beef, chicken and fish in the same kettle too appealing and without the Beijing style Satay sauce the food hadn't probably tasted much of anything. Well, at least I've tried it now! :)

Yesterday I went to Granville road that is an amazing street for shopping (guess who just found it after living right next to it for 2 months..) I spent way too much money on cosmetics and shoes, but while shopping, I discovered this "delicacy" in Paisanos...I didn't have enough courage to taste it.

Diabetes in pizza form..yum??

I've got only 7 days left and those days include way too much boring stuff like packing, way too much shopping and goodbyes because many of my friends are also going back home this month. I'm just running out of time:(

Maybe it's actually the right time for me to come home - At least for a week or two as I received quite exciting news from Beijing and so far it looks like I'm going to BTBU after all! Yay! Waiting for more information...:)