Lest We Forget

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Lest We Forget.

 
Today- April 25, 2014, is the 99th anniversary of the landing of Anzac soldiers at Gallipoli, Turkey during World War I and founded what has become a tradition. As people around the world, from Australia and New Zealand to Turkey and the Western Front in France commemorate those who gave their lives so that we could live free, I decided that today is probably the most appropriate day to share something I wrote for the Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets course I did last year. I will include the requirements for what I wrote at the start.

Option #2: Bucket list

Sit back and think of what tomb, memorial or battlefield you hope someday to visit. This can be from any time period and from any part of the world. Explain your choice:

1. Describe the site or location you have chosen.
2. Explain why you've chosen it.
3. Provide details on your choice's particular significance, both historically and to you personally.
4. Include a relevant URL (web address) and/or upload an image* with your assignment, if possible.

Your answer should be between approximately 400 and 750 words.

Originally when I decided to do this option, I had decided to do Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el Bahri- I have been wanting to see that since I studied her in high school. Then I though about a few other places including Auschwitz, but the one I decided on is Anzac Cove at Gallipoli in Turkey. I chose this because it is a place I learned about at school from a very young age and not only is it just a place that has significance in Australian history-it is a place whose significance has spread to become not just about the place, but to become a tradition.

Anzac Cove is a small cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula, where the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) as well as other allied troops landed on April 25 1915, in the midst of World War One. It is only 600 metres long and  It became their main base for many months throughout what became known as the Gallipoli campaign. The campaign itself was launched because of unsuccessful attempts by the Allied forces to force a passage through the Dardanelles Straight. The campaign lasted for 8 months and was ultimately unsuccessful, becoming one of the largest failures for the Allies in the war. At the end of the campaign it has been estimated that over 100,000 soldiers were dead from both sides with at least 10,000 ANZAC troops killed and thousands more injured.

Every year on April 25, in Australia and New Zealand as well as at memorials in places including Gallipoli, France and the United Kingdom, people gather to commemorate those that fell in that campaign as well as in all the wars that those nations have participated in as well as to celebrate the servicemen and women who serve today. Thousands of people attend memorial services as well as marches through the towns. Many people who march, do so in memory of their relatives who have lost their lives and wear the service medals of those relatives.

Today there are 31 Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries on the Gallipoli peninsula, and the Anzac Day memorial service was once held at one of the cemeteries, on one end of the beach. Today there are so many attendees to these services that they have since built an Anzac Commemorative Site nearby to hold future services.

For many Australians in particular, the Gallipoli Campaign is seen as the place where the Australian nation was forged. It was the first major military campaign for Australia after it became an official nation and it has had a great influence over the years. Both nations have a memorial day shared and named originally for those troops, and the Turkish government officially recognised the name Anzac Cove on Anzac Day 1985. Australian and New Zealand troops still operate under the banner of ANZAC today.

For me as an Australian, the history of ANZAC is not just the history of those men who fought at the start of the tradition, but also of all the men who have fought since. It is solemn- for the memory of those who died, but it is celebratory as well. We celebrate the fact that despite the horrors of war and the tragedy, we are able to go on with our lives because of their sacrifice. For me, although I didn't have any relatives(that I know of) in the war, I do have family and friends now, who are or have been part of the defence forces, and my grandparents fled their home nation for a better life and freedom during World War Two. If not for men who fought and continue to fight for the freedom of others, they may never have had that chance. As a teenager, I also was a member of the Australian Navy Cadets. Through that I got the opportunity to participate in many memorial services and marches. One of the moments that I will always remember from those experiences, was having some elderly veterans come up to myself, and some other cadets, to thank us for marching, and thank us for remembering.

For Further reading, please see the links below.

http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/1landing/

http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_and_New_Zealand_Army_Corps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZAC_Cove

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli

Travel Trivia on Tuesday

HAPPY NEW YEAR! ONNELLISTA UUTTA VUOTTA!

It's the new year and it's definitely time for a new post. I decided that as the past year has been a year of travel for me, that I would put up a post about my travels in the form of travel trivia, as well as questions that friends have asked me.

Let's start!

Number of countries I have visited outside of Australia: 20

Number of countries I have lived in: 4 - Australia, Finland, Greece, and Thailand

Number of countries I have spent Christmas in: 3 - Australia, Finland, and Thailand

Number of countries I have spent New Years in: 4 - Australia, Finland, Estonia, and Thailand.

Number of countries I have spent my birthday in: 3 - Australia, Finland, and Greece.

What do I always travel with: A book or some form of reading device. E-readers can come in handy.

A book on the beach at Christmas... can't get much better.

 Why did you start travelling?

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of visiting places like Pompeii and Stonehenge, and of visiting museums like The Louvre and The British Museum. I have always wanted to see more of the world than just Australia. When I was in high school, I found out about youth exchange and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to start travelling, but I have always wanted to travel.

Why do you travel alone? What are the positives and negatives to travelling alone?

I have not always travelled alone. My first trip to Finland was really as part of a large group and most of the travel I did that year was part of a group.

Going back to Finland in 2012, I decided to travel alone, because I was going to be going to a country I already knew. Plus I was planning on going long term and none of my friends would have really wanted to come or been able to at the time. I have done much travel in the past 18 months by myself and I have had as much fun with that as when travelling with people.

Positives for travelling alone:

- You never have to worry about wanting to do something that other people you are travelling with don't want to do.
- You make friends with people you meet in places like hostels and walking tours around cities, as well as buses, trains and planes.
- You expand your comfort zone.
- You don't have any travelling companions, and so don't find yourself wanting to cause harm to anyone because you have been spending too much time with them.
- If something goes wrong and you miss a bus or something, you can be sure it was your fault, and not someone elses.

Negatives for travelling alone:

- You have noone to look after your bags when you really need to go to a public toilet and find yourself having to squeeze everything into a tiny cubicle and get the door shut as well.
- Sometimes you experience something really awesome, that you want to share, and you have nobody to share it with.
- You either find yourself taking way too many selfies as you try to take a picture with some sort of landmark, or you end up with lots of photos, but you are in none of them.

How has travelling changed your life?

I think travelling has made me more open minded and adventurous. I find myself outside of my comfort zone and not minding it. I have experienced things that some people never get a chance to experience and I have met many amazing people from all over the world. Travelling, and in particular travelling alone, has given me more self confidence to do things. I know that if I want something I can have it / do it.

What has been the strangest food you have tried on the road?

I wouldn't say that I have had any really strange foods that I have tried on the road, but I guess eating Reindeer is a pretty strange thing for most people to think about, even if it is delicious. 

I can't think of anything else that I would class as particularly strange in any way. I try to stay pretty safe with what I eat because I guess I am not particular adventurous. I don't ever see myself voluntarily eating insects for example.

Have you ever been scared while traveling?

I don't think sitting at the back of a bus on a road in the French Alps and looking straight down the mountain quite evokes the sense of scared that I think is implied by this question, so I would say no. I am definitely a little bit nervous before I move to a new country, but I wouldn't say scared.

Is there a country you always travel back to ?

Finland. Definitely Finland. But also Estonia. I love Estonia.

Do you have any packing rituals?

Not really. I pretty much just pile everything onto the bed/floor then fold it. I do tend to use space saving bags for my clothes so they take up less room but that is about it.

What is the most beautiful beach you have ever seen?

This is a hard one for me. I have not met a beach that could beat an Australian beach, and even with Australian beaches I couldn't say which one is my favourite that I have ever visited because there are so many.

In terms of other countries, I would say that one of the most beautiful beaches I have visited is Anthony Quinn Bay on the island of Rhodes, Greece. I also recently visited Promthep Cape, on the island of Phuket, here in Thailand. That was a very beautiful beach.

What was your first trip abroad?

My first trip abroad, was to Finland. I was an exchange student there in 2007 for the year.

What are the top 5 on your bucket list ?

I'm horrible! My bucket list basically is visit -insert historical site here- in -insert country here-.

That said let's see if I can do a top 5 of things for a bucket list.

1. See the Aurora Borealis in person.
2. Visit Pompeii, Italy
3. Visit Gallipoli, Turkey
4. Visit Stonehenge, England
5. Participate in an archaeological dig in some way.

If I hadn't already been to the Tower of London it would be on my bucket list.

Is there any place in the world you are not interested in traveling to?

I think there are countries in most parts of the world that I wouldn't be particularly interested in visiting, but I don't think it's right to rule out anything 100% because you never know what opportunities may arise. If someone told me a year ago that I would be living in Thailand, I would have called them insane because I had no particular desire to even visit here.

What is the one thing you miss at home when on the road?

My books. Definitely my books.

Do you think you will ever settle down and if so, where would you see yourself doing so? Australia? Europe?

I have no idea. I really love Europe, but of course I grew up in Australia, and that is where most of my family lives. I think it would really just depend on circumstances at any given time. If I find a job that I love and that suits me or some other good reason to settle down in a particular place, then I will settle.


What is your favorite airline and airport?

I can't say I have travelled through any airport frequently enough to really have a favourite, but Helsinki airport is pretty good, and I haven't experienced any crazy crowds there either... YAY FOR AIRPORTS IN SMALLER CITIES!

My favourite airline would have to be Thai Airways. I have flown one long haul international flight from Bangkok to Sydney and then one shorter domestic flight from Bangkok to Phuket and both times I really enjoyed it. The service was excellent and the planes were comfortable even in economy. 

How many time zones have you been through in one week?  

I'm going to take this as a how many time zones have I spent time in, in one week as opposed to time zones I crossed over in a plane.

I have spent time in 4 different time zones whilst travelling from Finland back to Australia as well as when travelling from Australia to Finland. 

In terms of actually spending more than 2-3 hours in an airport, in a time zone, then I guess the answer would be 3 time zones. Greece, Thailand and Singapore in a week at the beginning of November. 

What is your favourite place you've been to and why?

My favourite place that I have been to is, I think, Tallinn, Estonia. It doesn't matter what time of year it is, there is something incredibly enchanting about the Old Town of Tallinn. 

I don't think I could ever get bored visiting Tallinn. It seems every time I visit I get introduced to a new cafe, where there is amazing food. The people are friendly and the sights are beautiful. One of the other good things is that even though there are tourists, there aren't the huge numbers you find in some European cities like Prague or Paris which means that even in summer, at the height of the tourist season you can enjoy it. 

Tallinn by night is definitely something magical.

Thanks to my friends who asked me some great questions. This was defintely a fun post.

~~ Random Logic ~~

Visiting the Emerald Isle

So I could make excuses for this taking too long- I moved countries(twice), didn't have internet connection(and still sometimes it cuts out now that I do have it), and I have been busy working.... but the simple truth is I forgot!

In August I went to Ireland for a week. Ireland is a country I have wanted to visit for a long time. As luck would have it- my friend was getting married there and I was invited.

I spent the first 2 nights in Dublin as well as the last two nights and the 2 nights in between were spent in County Clare near Dromoland Castle.

Ireland I discovered, is a friendly country. It is also very green... and as my luck would have it- very wet.

I arrived in the evening and so didn't see much the first day. I found my hostel with some help from the locals, and I have to say it was probably the best hostel I have stayed in. It's called Jacobs Inn. The staff were great, the rooms have their own ensuite bathrooms(so no need to worry about running around the halls with just a towel around you and being locked out of your room because you forgot your key), and I was lucky enough to get a room that almost shared a wall with the reception area so I didn't need to go to the lobby to get internet.

But enough about the hotel.

The first full day we actually had some sun in the morning, and I did a free walking tour of Dublin with a lovely guide whose name(if I remember correctly) was Ashley. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the company that runs the walking tours, but it was a good tour. The guide straight up told us that she liked history, and if people were looking for a tour guide who would talk about architecture, then it wasn't her. It was great to get to learn a bit about the history of Dublin and Ireland in general including conflict with England. The tour started at the hostel and we got to visit the Temple Bar district, the Town Hall, Dublin Castle and gardens, St Andrew's Cathedral and Trinity College. I realised that I knew more than I thought and less than I would like about Ireland. Unfortunately it did start raining on us about halfway through the tour but we persevered and made it to the end... albeit a bit soggier than when we started.

That evening I did a pub crawl run by the same company. We visited 5 pubs and one club I think it was. I was unfortunate enough to encounter the one unfriendly person I can recall from my trip, in the form of a taxi driver who when it started raining wouldn't take me to the pub where it started. Luckily I also met one of the nicest people in the form of a elderly gentleman who offered to show me what direction I needed to go and then walked with me through the rain to the pub itself. Wherever you are, sir, I can only hope that good fortune comes your way!

The second day was a bit more boring. I didn't do much except catch a train cross-country to Limerick to get to where I was staying the next two nights.

The hotel I stayed at is located on the Dromoland Estate in County Clare, which is also home to Dromoland Castle. I did a bit of walking around both the estate and the castle where my friend's wedding reception was also held. It is exactly what I imagined castles to be when I was a child. It was grey stone with crenellations and towers and corridors inside that were more than a little confusing without someone to guide you. It is GORGEOUS! The grounds were amazing too. They have a very nice walled garden as well as some fabulous views if you are willing to go for a little bit of a walk. It is somewhere I would love to visit again, and hopefully next time I visit I can stay in the castle instead of the inn.

Back in Dublin for the last two days and nights I had an amazing time. After making friends with some other hostel guests, I did my own exploration of Dublin that involved touring St Andrew's Cathedral and the crypts beneath.

I also visited the Dublinia museum which covers Viking and Medieval Dublin. Here I was in my element. I am fascinated by certain parts of history- Vikings and medieval history is something I cannot get enough of. The museum starts off with a section covering the founding of Dublin as a settlement by the vikings as well as a bit of general viking history. We had a very friendly guide for a free tour of that section, but the whole museum is amazing.

 The exhibits are excellent. Often when you visit a museum, everything is behind glass and very boring. Dublinia uses bright colours realistic and/or lifesize reconstructions- want to see a privy(toilet) or a viking burial? They have it. You can walk inside a room made to look like the inside of a viking round house or even down a street of medieval Dublin and past a busy dock scene. The best thing of all is that it is really interactive. There are little games and tests set up through the exhibits so you can test yourself after you read the information- or before if you are like me. There are flaps to flip to explain exhibits. What's this shoe about? Flip it to the side and you can read about it underneath.

There is also a section right at the top of the museum called the History Hunters Exhibition which is about archaeology and how it, history and science are working together to uncover Dublin's past. As I had just finished an online archaeology course it was very interesting for me. I understood a lot of the information included and could guess what things were in exhibits without needing an explanation- like why archaeologists use toothbrushes.

Overall I would highly recommend Dublinia museum to people who love history and are travelling with kids- I think it is hard to be bored when you can get a bit hands on with things.

In the afternoon we also managed to get over to Trinity College and have a bit of a look around when it wasn't raining. Unfortunately we were unable to see the Book of Kells as the library was closed already, but in our wandering around, we encountered a fox. That's right. A fox! In broad daylight in Dublin it was just casually wandering around areas where people were sitting and enjoying the view. It was my first encounter with a live fox and it was pretty awesome.

My final day in Dublin involved what could possibly be the most history laden and awe-inspiring moment I have had ever. Maybe I overstate it, but it really was amazing. I did the Mary Gibbons tour of Newgrange and Hill of Tara. With the aforementioned Mary Gibbons as our tour guide I learned a lot about both sites and the history of the area.

Hill of Tara is the ancient Royal seat of the Irish high kings. 142 kings were crowned here. It is said that on a clear day you can see half of the Irish counties from atop the hill. walking on the hill, you can easily see evidence of structures that would have stood on the hill in the mounds, ditches and other earthworks that cover the area.

Newgrange is a neolithic passage tomb. It is older than both the Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza in England. It is particularly well known for the winter solstice, during which time as the sun rises it shines down the passage of the tomb to illuminate the chamber inside for about 17 minutes. I was lucky enough to go inside the tomb which only limited numbers are permitted to do each day, and although it wasn't the winter solstice, it was still awe-inspiring. To think that people 5000 years ago somehow managed to move these stones and build this structure that still exists to day is mind blowing. It may not have the spectacular look of the pyramids or Stonehenge, but in it's own right, it deserves to be experienced

All in all, I can say Ireland is a country that I truly did not have enough time in. I will definitely be visiting again to see all the things I missed.

Sláinte!

~~Random Logic~~

Newsflesh Trilogy Book Review

Title/Author: The Newsflesh Trilogy: Feed, Deadline and Blackout and associated ebook novellas: Fed, Countdown, San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats, How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea by Mira Grant.

Publisher/Year: Orbit Books. 2010, 2011 and 2012, and 2011, 2012, 2012 and 2013.

How I Got This: The library and the internet

Why I Read It: I saw the cover for the first book and picked it up, read the blurb and thought it sounded interesting. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Let me start with: I'm not particularly a fan of zombies. I don't relish watching zombie movies or tv shows(I still haven't got around to watching The Walking Dead, yet), and I had never until last week(that I can remember) read a zombie book.

The Newsflesh Trilogy books hold the honour of being the first zombie books I have ever read. And I loved them!

When I think of Zombie stories I generally think of something more along the lines of Resident Evil(the movies because I've never played the games)- where the plot is run for your life, the zombies are chasing you. Basically something set during the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse. The Newsflesh Trilogy is not this.

It is set post zombie apocalypse by about twenty years. The world has reached a relatively stable sense of being, with people living for the most part relatively comfortably in highly fortified buildings for the most part and constantly taking blood tests before they go anywhere and do anything to ensure they haven't turned into zombies or been exposed to the virus.

In this world however, there are some other big differences. Blogging is a profession, a lucrative one, as it was shown that they were the ones to tell the truth- and be unafraid to do so, when the zombie apocalypse started. It evolved so that many journalists actually maintain blogs and have licences and all sorts of bits and pieces in their arsenal(figuratively and literally) to stay ahead of the competition- and more importantly, to stay alive. Also pets have become a thing of the past for the most part with any mammalian animal over about 40 pounds(eighteen kilograms) being able to go into spontaneous viral zombie amplification and turn into a zombie form of itself.

Enter our main characters- Georgia "George" and Shaun Mason. A sister and brother who are bloggers, along with their friend and fellow blogger- Georgette "Buffy" Meissonier, who get chosen from a pool of applicants, to cover the campaign trail of Presidential candidate Senator Peter Ryman.

What follows is a fantastic mix of zombies and politics and of course intrigue and conspiracies.

The first book, Feed, is fantastc- once I got past the first chapter I could not put it down.

The second book, Deadline, follows with less politics as the election is over and a hell of a lot more conspiracy, and intrigue. Faked deaths, mad scientists and breaking into government facilities before going into hiding.

The third book, Blackout, has the entire cast of characters in hiding for their lives against government departments. They are offline for most of the book- through necessity more than choice. The events of the previous two books culminate in a fantastic ending to the trilogy. I really am not going to say how it ends because it just wouldn't have the same impact if you knew before you read it.

There are also some ebook novellas to accompany the series which are more of what I would expect of a zombie story.

Fed is an alternate ending to the events of the first book, Feed. It is good but I won't tell you what happens because that would ruin the story. I will be honest, the events in the original ending, made me cry. Who ever heard of a book about zombies making someone cry?!

 

San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats follows the outbreak(rising) in the early weeks when it hits San Diego Comic Con. At this point people have heard reports of some outbreaks but as the news outlets are mostly denying it, very few really even have a clue what is going on. It follows primarily a group of Firefly fans who were setting up a booth before the outbreak occurs and they get locked into a convention centre with zombies. The book is told in the format of a blogger interviewing the only survivor of the events in 2014 and I guess almost could be considered flash backs in which she recalls what she remembers and knows.

Countdown is another one of the ebooks. I guess you could say it is the first chronologically speaking in events as they occur, and covers the start and outbreak. I haven't read this yet but it is next on the list.

The final book is How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea and is set in post-rising Australia and from what I can tell from the blurb for it, it follows conservationists and their battle to maintain the natural beauty of Australia until a cure to the zombie plague can be found. I also haven't read this one yet, but the thought of zombie kangaroos and koalas makes me want to read this as soon as possible!

One of the things I love about these books, apart from the story itself, is the brilliant coverart. It was a combination of the title as well as the image more commonly associated with RSS Feeds on the internet that actually made me pick up the first book. The rest of the books have covers that are equally as brilliant with the mixing of imagery that is well knows with grittiness that can be expected from a zombie story. I highly doubt I would have glanced twice at the first book if it didn't have the image of the blood and the grittiness it implied.

All in all, I highly recommend these books. Especially if you want a story that has all the zombie stuff but with a fantastic plot behind it.

~~Random Logic~~

Books, Travel, Study and Planning a Move.

So I have been planning to update recently with some book reviews but I keep getting distracted by starting to read other good books- I highly recommend the Divergent books by Veronia Roth and the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant- so those posts will come when I hit a wall in the book reading. I have also been very busy on another note.

I started looking for jobs for when I finished being an au pair, and I was looking all over Europe, not just in Finland to find as many opportunities as possible. I ended up applying for a job in Rhodes, Greece, and I got it! So I will be moving to Greece as of the 29th of August... that gives me just under 3 weeks until I move.

I also travel to Ireland next week for a friends wedding! YAY! Weddings! YAY! Travel! I am there for a week and then when I come back, I think I will have two days here in Vaasa before I travel south and visit friends in Turku for a few days and then a day or so in Helsinki. I am tempted to try get in a day trip to Tallinn just for the hell of it before I leave as well. I love Tallinn and I don't know when I will get a chance to visit again. This also means that I have to do most of my packing for the move before I even go to Ireland, so that I just have to really worry about packing what I take to Ireland with me when I get back to Finland.

On top of all that planning, I have been doing the Archaeology MOOC that I talked about a few posts ago. The final exercise was due last week and the results were given this morning. I got full marks for everything! YAY! I'm happy with that because, apart from my language classes which have often been fairly informal in terms of any kind of homework, it is the first study I have really done on anything since high school. It was really fun and interesting too. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history. It is run through the Coursera website and is called Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets. I will probably also post some more of the stuff I wrote for exercises here at some point. One of the other students had the idea to start a blog for the students to post to with different archaeological themed things and I am going to be a contributor to that as well.

So basically to sum up my life I have been busy. Things are going to get fun and exciting over the next few weeks. I am excited to go to Greece and sad to be leaving Finland. Also I have never been to Greece so I can't wait to see some of the historical sites. At least the history geek inside of me will have fun!

Well that's all for now folks! I will try to post something up between Ireland and Greece at the very least.


~~Random Logic~~

Yksi Vuosi Sitten....

One year ago....

One year ago, I left Australia.

One year ago, I was sitting on a plane.

One year ago. I moved to the other side of the world.

One year ago....

That's right folks! If you haven't guessed it already- today is one year since I left Australia for Finland... and what a year it has been.

I didn't really know what to expect when I decided to come back to Finland, especially coming back here and becoming an au pair. It has turned out to be an amazing experience.

When I left Sydney airport, my mum, dad and younger brother were there to see me off. There were lots of hugs. I got on the plane and flew to Finland via Abu Dhabi and Dusseldorf.

The first people I saw when I got into arrivals at Helsinki-Vantaa airport were my friends Veera and Nupur. One greeted me with a sign, the other with chocolate, both with hugs! I almost ran them over with my baggage cart. Nupur drove us into the city centre where we had lunch and chatted for ages and then drove me as far as Salo where she lives.

When I got off the bus from Salo to Turku, I was met by two more friends, once more with a poster as well as chocolate and other Finnish goodies. It was a good day.

I stayed with one of my friends for most of a month before I started working as an au pair, and we caught up often on weekends after I started working. The best thing about some friendships is that it doesn't matter how long it has been since you have seen that person... you still get along and it doesn't really feel that long. And that is definitely the case with Sanni!

This last year has been a pretty amazing experience. I worked for one family until mid-February and then started with a new family in a city called Vaasa at Easter. Both have been interesting, and as with any jobs there are ups and downs.

I have learnt a lot more Finnish than I knew 12 months or even just 6 months ago- especially since I came to Vaasa because I speak only Finnish to the children here. I learn new things every day!

I have renewed my love affair with libraries. In Australia over the 5 years before I had not borrowed very often from libraries as I would just buy the books that I wanted. If there is one thing I do miss from Turku now that I am in Vaasa... it's the library. Vaasa does have one... it's just not as big.

I got to visit Spain last September(yes I know I never did end up writing a blog post on that!), Stockholm in December, London in March, and Estonia last July, over new years and then again in March. I have seen parts of Finland I had never visited before, and seen new things in some places I had visited. In August, I am going to visit Ireland and attend a friend's wedding. I just booked my tickets today!

I have made some amazing new friends in the past year. Au pairs and otherwise. I've made friends from all sorts of countries, who speak all sorts of languages. I've travelled with those friends and introduced them to places I love. I've discovered new places to love and rediscovered old ones.

 

I've been to my first music festival, sunbaked in parks like the locals, eaten new foods, relearned to ride a bike, experienced the aftermath of a snowstorm and the chaos it can bring on a large city(thank you Stockholm!).

All in all I have experienced! I have put myself out into the world and experienced. How long I will be in Finland for, I don't know. What I do know is that I will not regret having been in Finland. I think that if I do leave Finland this year I would like to try and stay in Europe. Maybe I will see if I can find a job in another country and move there. Maybe try and learn another language and experience more but that's for another time! So, sorry to all you people in Australia.... I don't think I'm coming home anytime soon!

~~Random Logic~~

A Little Princess

Last week I went to the library and I was looking through the books for children and young adults in English to see if there were any good books. I came across one book in particular. One I haven't read in a long time, but that I have loved since the first time I did read it. That book was A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

I first read this book when I was about 6 or 7 years old. It was not long after the newest movie adaptation of sorts had been released, and my dad had taken us out one evening to the shops and we ended up in a bookstore where he either told us we could choose a book each, or I bugged him until he got me a book. Either way I came home with the book and proceeded to read it. I loved it, and read it many times as a child.

Fast forward to last week and I decided to borrow it and read it. I have to say that I love the book as much as I ever did as a child. I'm not sure what it is exactly that made me love this book but I think maybe it's the fact that there is some mystery and romanticism to it. It also has some great imagery and descriptions. Having read it again, as well as having read The Secret Garden over New Years, it makes me want to go and rediscover more books from my childhood that I loved and read many times. I'm thinking I might see if the library has Little Women and borrow that and re-read it.