New Years Eve in Finland was definitely low key for Jordan and I but we still had a good time spending it together and having the ability to share a kiss at midnight :o). We ended up going to another couple on Jordan's team apartment where we enjoyed some wine and played Xbox Kinect. I am OBSESSED with it! We played Dance Central for a couple of hours which was a lot of fun because A) It's always a good laugh watching Jordan/guys in general dance, B) I killed Jordan dancing to Soulja Boy haha, and C) the game takes pictures/videos of you dancing and they are sooooo funny when they are played back on the screen. Here are a couple pictures of Jordan and his roommate playing Dance Central and evidence that I kicked some serious butt!
After we spent time dancing/making fools of ourselves we went out to the town center to watch a huge fire work display which was pretty cool and very different from any New Years traditions I have experienced in the States. I really enjoyed the fire work display and the crowd watching in the snow. It was actually really pretty but my camera didn't do the event justice and you can't really see any fireworks but I thought I'd share a couple.
After we watched some fireworks we headed to a local pub and had a drink with a few of Jordans teammates and their wives/gf's. We decided to go home shortly after because I still had to pack and we wanted to spend some time by ourselves before I left in the morning.
Now, if your wondering about the title of this post let me explain; I have never been so happy to come back to Massachusetts and eat normal HEALTHY food, see my friends/family, and take in the ease of everyday living in the US. Yes I know this makes me sound uncultured/unappreciative of Finland BUT I truly feel lucky to live in the states where there is so much opportunity and variety. I kind of felt like I was in an optionless bubble when I was in Finland. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a beautiful country and the people are great, but I definitely missed being able to go to the grocery store and buy asparagus, tomatoes and brussel sprouts. Ok not really brussel sprouts but I like having the option! Or another example, going to the movies and being able to pick from 10 or so new movies; In Joensuu they had 5 or 6 and only 1 or 2 in English for us to watch. If any of you REALLY know me and Jordan then you know that going to the movies is our thing so this probably affects me more than other Americans....but still I like my options.
So maybe this post is is a reflection of the little things I need to appreciate more in the US. Maybe it's a indicator that I need to get my butt out there and experience other cultures and embrace what the rest of the world has to offer (besides movie theatre's haha). Or maybe it's a little of both ;o)
So here is to Jordan and I taking in everything US, EVERYTHING FIN, and everything else the world has to offer in 2011 and beyond. Happy New Year Everyone!
Oh no, I hope you didn't have too hard of a time at the grocery store! It took me a good 2 months (at least) to figure stuff out... I was so intimidated just walking into the store, but they do have tomatoes, asparagus, etc and lots of healthy foods, once you figure out where the heck to look! :) Maybe there is more variety here since it's a big city, but definitely nothing like the variety we have in the U.S. :( Food is probably the #1 thing I miss about home! (aside from family and friends)
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad about the movies!! I've heard that some of the movies they'll only have 1 English copy in the whole country and have to pass it around the cities in Finland so each one gets a turn with it. lol. Pretty much all of the movies down here are in English, just with Finnish subtitles though... so I guess we should feel fortunate and start taking advantage of the movie theatre! :)