I’m back!

A lot has happened in the last couple of months, in short: I took a short but awesome trip to Brussels, school life got a little bit hectic, and summer vacation started two days ago. I started a page on Facebook for my boss a while ago, its purpose is to share stories and news about Finland, specifically my life here in Helsinki. If you read Chinese, you are more than welcome to check it out, it’s called 漫步在芬蘭. I promise to write more often here as well. Summer in Finland is always something to look forward to. I think we all miss sunshine and beautiful flowers in the north :)  Here are several magical moments from late April to May.

Spring?

I really do apologize for posting so late. I didn’t vanish into the thin air :P I have been pretty busy with school in general, and didn’t really have time to hang out with my camera :) Life has been quiet. Valentine’s Day came and left. In Finland it’s a day when people celebrate friendship. But because we were apart for so long, we decided to indulge ourselves with roses, cookies and a nice meal. Apparently spring has arrived in town. Olli and I hear birds sing every morning, and the frozen sea is starting to break. At school, my friends are I are praying for sunshine. You have no idea how we miss the sun and its warmth! Gloomy cloudy days have made most of us depressed and not very productive for so long. Maybe the arrival of spring can cheer us up a bit?

Happy Horse Year

It’s not my first time celebrating Chinese New Year in a foreign country, but definitely the first time in Finland. My friends told me that this afternoon there would be performances and activities related to Chinese New Year in Kamppi, so we went and checked them out. The event host was amazing, he spoke fluent Finnish, Mandarin Chinese, English and Swedish, and had to translate everything he said four times! Even his Chinese was better than mine! We also saw a wonderful show by dancing dragons and dancing lions, a group of Kung Fu students (who took everyone’s breath away with their energetic yet beautiful movements). There were also several booths selling Chinese handicrafts, local delicacies and other interesting things. Even though I didn’t get to spend New Year’s Eve with my family, I got to share and celebrate my cultural heritage with my friends :)

Walking on frozen sea

I can’t remember the exact number, but in the past I’ve been told several times that walking on frozen lake or sea is very dangerous. For one, you never know how thick the layer of ice is, or whether it is strong enough to support you. Today was my first time walking on the Baltic sea, I was so scared at first. For some reason, the sea looked dangerous… in a silent and formidable way >.> Thankfully Olli was there to give instructions: “Just follow the footsteps!” “Walk slowly, wait… walk this way.” To my surprise, I discovered that we weren’t the only ones walking on the sea. There were several people walking with their dogs, and some neighborhood’s kids sliding in the snow. Near the piers, there was an ice pool. Maybe it was just me, but I simply can’t imagine swimming inside the pool, it’s too crazy!

Kamppi

My adventure in Kamppi today. No map, just a camera. I discovered another side of Helsinki by following the footsteps of pigeons and the words of sculptures on the wall :)