Aim High, Willis!

Hello, people of the Internet!

I can't remember the last time I had as busy a busy weekend at work as I just did... I am sore, tired, and so very happy that next weekend I won't have to work. Damn it, I won't work even if all my coworkers got sick. Do I sound awful? Nah.. I earned my time off. Besides, I need to catch up on school work anyway. 

I haven't told you guys yet, but I'm on the lookout for a volunteer placement abroad! If you know me, it's not hard to guess where I want to go :) I have sent out inquiries (a lot of them) and gotten a bunch of replies... but I won't share more until I have something concrete. I know, I'm a tease. You guys know, however, that I cannot keep my mouth shut if I get a chance to go abroad for an extended period of time, so you'll be sure to hear if/when I have good news. 

I just realized I have an unopened bottle of wine here... it's late, so I'll save it for tomorrow. Mondays suck. 

Have a great week! <3

Where I've Been... What I've Been Doing

Hey, guys!

Um... is there anyone left? I've been away for a while, taking a break from blogging and just focusing on other things, so I don't blame you if you've deleted my blog from your reading list. 

I haven't just been chilling, I've actually been quite busy the last few months! Here are some updates from what has happened:

Been busy with school.

Pretty self-explanatory.

I wrote the 1st draft of my novel in November, participating in NaNoWriMo.

And yes, I made it to 50,000 words! I'm so happy and proud of myself for doing that, because to be honest, I did not think I could do it. Now I'm slowly working on the second draft and am psyched to notice the progress I'm making!

I traveled to the United Arab Emirates last month!

We were all sick at some point during the vacation, but had such an amazing trip nonetheless! We spent the first half of our stay in Abu Dhabi, where my friend lives, and it was amazing to see her after 4,5 years. After Abu Dhabi we went to Dubai, and went to see the tallest building in the world among other things. If you'd like me to do a separate post about this trip, let me know! :)

I had a friend visit me from the States.

It can be challenging to see your own country through someone else's eyes and be a good hostess, but I think she enjoyed her stay and she definitely got a taste of the real Finland!

And now I'm back in school. 

Again, pretty self-explanatory.

So that's what's been going on with me. Lately I've been thinking about coming back to blogging, even though at one point I was sure I'd never do it again. I don't know why. But I'm here now. I doubt I'll ever leave for good. 

So, what have y'all been doing???

London

We took an early bus from Torquay to London on Thursday, after spending two nights in the Riviera. I had blisters all over my feet (ugh) and was a little worried how the rest of the vacation was going to turn out. I was still walking, though, so that was good :D 

After a quick lunch we took the subway (or the tube, as the English call it) to Paddington, where we stayed at the Easyhotel. (a quick word about easyhotel: this was my first and last time there. You'd think that something like free wifi, TV, and cleaning the hotel room is included in the price, but it's not. They charge you extra for everything. Make sure to learn your facts before you book a hotel; I admit, we didn't do much research. Still, am I crazy to think this way?!)

Paddington is a great place to stay in. I've actually never stayed there before, Victoria has always been my go-to place. So here I have two places in London to warmly recommend: Paddington and Victoria. Both are full of hotels, amenities and within an easy and quick access to everywhere via buses and the subway. 

Torstaiaamuna otimme aikaisen bussin Torquaysta Lontooseen. Jalkani olivat täynnä rakkuloita (yäk) ja vähän huolin, miten loppuloma tulisi menemään. Mutta sentään kävelin, joten se oli hyvä :D 

Pikaisen lounaan jälkeen matkustimme metrolla Paddingtoniin, missä asustelimme Easyhotellissa. (pikainen sananen easyhotellista tähän väliin: oli muuten eka ja vika kerta siellä. Luulisi että ilmainen wifi, TV ja huoneen siivous kuuluisivat hintaan, mutta ei. Kaikesta veloitetaan ekstraa. Muista varmistaa tällaiset asiat hotellivarausta tehdessäsi. Myönnän, että tässä menimme vikaan. Silti, olenko väärässä tässä?! Typerää mielestäni)

Paddington on loistava paikka asua. Tämä oli itseasiassa ensimmäinen kertani siellä, yleensä olen asustellut Victorialla. Joten tässä on kaksi paikkaa mitä voin lämpimästi suositella Lontoossa: Paddington ja Victoria. Molemmat alueet ovat täynnä hotelleja, kauppoja, ravintoloita yms. ja molemmista pääsee helposti kaikkialle bussilla tai metrolla. 

It was great being in London without the pressure of seeing all the tourist sights. We'd already seen the most. There was still plenty to see, like the market in Portobello Road, Notting Hill. We stopped at the Hummingbird Bakery for some delicious cupcakes (carrot and red velvet) and enjoyed the beautiful day. From Notting Hill we headed to Westminster and walked by Thames. Our plan was to locate a certain café, that sold the most amazing chocolate cake... ten years ago. Needless to say, the café wasn't there anymore, but we did get to recreate a picture of us! :)

Oli ihanaa olla Lontoossa ilman mitään paineita turistinähtävyyksistä. Suurin osa kun on tullut jo nähtyä. Silti, Lontoossa on aina nähtävää, niin kuin esim. Portobello Roadin markkinat Notting Hillissä. Pysähdyttiin Hummingbird Bakerylla ostamaan herkulliset cupcaket (porkkana ja red velvet) ja nautimme kauniista päivästä. Notting Hillistä suuntasimme Westminsteriin ja kävelimme Thamesin varrella. Suunnitelmana oli löytää eräs kahvila, josta sai maailman parasta suklaakakkua... kymmenen vuotta sitten. Ei tarvinne mainita, että sitä kahvilaa ei enää ollut, mutta saimme sentään otettua erään valokuvan uudestaan! :)

London was as amazing as always. It would truly be awesome to actually live there. I enjoy the big city vibe, riding the subway, always having something to do and see... I know the novelty would eventually wear off, but still. I just love London, there's no way around it! 

We sat in pubs, met up with some friends, toured, shopped... really had a great trip. So if you ever have a chance, go there. Maybe I'll run into you :) because I'm planning on going back asap!

Lontoo oli yhtä mahtava kuin ennenkin. Olisi oikeasti niin ihanaa asua siellä. Rakastan sitä suurkaupungin fiilistä, metrolla matkustamista, sitä että aina on jotain tehtävää ja nähtävää... Tiedän, että se viehätys kuluisi jossain vaiheessa, mutta silti. Rakastan Lontoota, siitä ei päästä mihinkään!

Istuskelimme pubeissa, nähtiin kavereita, kierreltiin, shoppailtiin... meillä tosiaan oli hyvä reissu. Joten jos sinulla on mahdollisuus, käy Lontoossa. Ehkä törmäillään :) koska haluan takaisin mahdollisimman pian!

 

Greenway: Agatha Christie's House

Unfortunately this picture isn't mine, I fished it from Google. When we went to see the house, it was under construction on the outside, and we couldn't see any of it. We were able to see the inside of the house, though; all the tours were arranged as usual. 

During our short visit in the English Riviera Minna and I wanted to go to Greenway to see Agatha Christie's house. It's a short way from Torquay, and it's really easy to get there. You can actually take a ferry, a steam train, your own car or a Vintage Bus. We settled on the latter, and it was so cute! I've heard some tourists make the mistake of riding a coach bus, when the thing is that coach buses don't fit in the roads close to the house, and the people on board are forced to walk the rest of the way. The vintage bus takes you right to the entrance. 

The ride was spectacularly beautiful. It was straight from the British detective shows, if you've ever watched any... At one point we saw the steam train. Sitting on a vintage bus, seeing a steam train right next to us, in those amazing sceneries, it felt like we had traveled back in time. 

Lyhyen Englannin Rivieran vierailun aikana haluttiin Minnan kanssa matkustaa Greenwayhyn katsomaan Agatha Christien taloa. Sinne on lyhyt matka Torquaysta ja sinne pääsee helposti. Valittavanasi on lautta, vanhanaikainen höyryjuna, oma auto tai vintage bussi. Me päädyimme viimeisimpään, ja se oli niin suloinen! Kuulin, että jotkut turistit tekevät sen virheen, että menevät talolle isolla tilausbussilla, mutta ne eivät mahdu ajamaan lähelle taloa, ja matkustajat joutuvat kävelemään lopun matkaan. Vintage bussi vie vierailijat suoraan sisäänkäynnille.

Matka Greenwayhyn oli henkeäsalpaavan kaunis. Näkymät olivat suoraan brittiläisistä dekkarisarjoista, jos olette koskaan sattuneet katsomaan.. Jossain vaiheessa näimme edellämainitun höyryjunankin. Siinä kun istuimme vintage bussin kyydissä, höyryjuna edeten vierellämme, ja niin upeissa maisemissa, tuntui kuin olisimme matkanneet ajassa taaksepäin.

When we entered the house we were handed booklets with information about every room. The house was big and gorgeous, and wanting to be a writer myself, it was exciting and thrilling to visit the house of one the great ones. There are 4000-5000 books in the house (I don't remember the actual number), and we were told that every year or every two years ( the lady couldn't remember exactly) all the books are cleaned page by page. Every single page of every single book is dusted. Pretty impressive, I'd say. 

The grounds were as impressive as the house. If I lived there, I would probably write a ton of books, as well. 

Kun pääsimme taloon sisälle, meille annettiin kirjaset, joissa oli tietoa joka huoneesta. Talo oli iso ja ihana, ja oli jännittävää vierailla mahtavan kirjailijan talossa; haluanhan itsekin tulla kirjailijaksi. Talossa on 4000-5000 kirjaa (en muista tarkkaa määrää), ja joka vuosi tai joka toinen (opas ei muistanut tarkalleen) nuo kirjat putsataan sivu sivulta. Joka ainoa sivu joka ainoasta kirjasta putsataan pölystä. Melkoisen vaikuttavaa.

Talon ympäristö ja piha-alue olivat yhtä vaikuttavia kuin talo itsekin. Jos asuisin siellä, kirjoittaisin varmaan itsekin kasoittain kirjoja.

A painting of Agatha when she was four years old.

Greenway is most definitely worth a visit, if you happen to be in the area. I don't know why we didn't go there ten years ago. I am glad we went now. Did you know that they've filmed Hercule Poirot at Greenway? :)

Greenway on ehdottomasti vierailun arvoinen, joten jos satut olemaan lähistöllä poikkea ihmeessä. En tiedä, miksemme menneet kymmenen vuotta sitten. Hyvä, että nyt menimme. Tiesittekö muuten, että Hercule Poirotia on filmattu Greenwayssa? :)

Sorry for the not best quality of the pictures. I only used my iPhone camera during the trip!

Torquay

Ten years ago I spent three weeks in the English Riviera, in a town called Torquay, with my friend Minna. Neither of us had been back there in all these years, so when we decided to travel to London, we knew we wanted to go to Torquay as well. And since it was the ten-year anniversary of our language course there, it seemed like a perfect time!

We spent the first night in London, and left for Torquay the very next morning by bus. It's a six-hour drive, and you can imagine our delight when the driver alerted the passengers of the fact that the lavatory is broken. We did get a chance to use a bathroom at a rest stop when they switched drivers, but still... Not being able to drink as much as I needed (and having to sit down for so long) resulted to a swollen ankle. 

But, eventually we arrived to Torquay. Minna and I grabbed our luggage and started walking toward downtown from the couch station (mistake there). --> blisters. 

We knew our way around, and after a quick look in the map to check our hotel location, we found it. 

Kymmenen vuotta sitten olin ystäväni Minnan kanssa kielikurssilla Englannin Rivieralla, Torquayssa. Kumpikaan meistä ei ollut käynyt Torquayssa sittemmin, joten kun päätimme lähdöstä Lontooseen, oli selvää että myös Torquayssa olisi käytävä. Ja koska matkastamme oli juuri kulunut kymmenen vuotta, ajankohtakin oli täydellinen!

Ensimmäisen yön vietimme Lontoossa, ja heti seuraavana aamulla suuntasimme bussilla Torquayyn. Matka sinne kestää n. kuusi tuntia, ja olikin tosi kiva kuulla, että bussin vessa on rikki. Saatiin käydä eräällä levähdyspaikalla vessassa, kun bussin kuljettaja vaihtui, mutta silti... Kun istuu niin pitkään paikallaan (ja muutenkin) on hyvä pitää nesteytyksestä huolta, mutta tuossa tilanteessa ei ihan hirveitä määriä pystynyt juomaan. Nilkkahan siinä turposi kivasti. 

Mutta, lopulta pääsimme Torquayyn. Napattiin Minnan kanssa matkalaukkumme ja alettiin kävellä bussiasemalta keskustaan (virhe!). --> rakkuloita. :(

Tunsimme kaupungin ja osasimme suunnistaa siellä, ja nopean kartan katsastamisen jälkeen saimme selville hotellimme sijainnin ja pääsimme sinnekin perille. 

We were surprised by how familiar everything was. After all, it had been ten years, a decade, since the last time we were there. I think it's because we were so young back then, and it was our first time traveling without our parents, that we just absorbed everything. Every little thing. That summer had such a huge impact on us. I mean, we still remember the bus route from school to our host families'. It's bus no. 31. We hopped on and everything just came back as we rode to our old neighborhood. We got off at the right stop and walked to see where we lived. Nothing had changed. 

Afterwards we took the bus back and went to see our school. 

Yllätyimme siitä, miten tuttua kaikki oli. Viime kerrastahan oli tosiaan kulunut kymmenen vuotta. Ehkä se johtuu siitä, että olimme niin nuoria silloin, ja se oli molempien ensimmäinen kerta ulkomailla ilman vanhempiamme. Imimme kaiken, jokaisen pienenkin yksityiskohdan, muistiimme. Sillä kesällä oli todella suuri vaikutus meihin. Me muistimme vieläkin bussireitin koulusta kotiin. Bussi nro 31. Hyppäsimme kyytiin ja menimme katsomaan vanhoja kotikontuja. Jäimme oikealla pysäkillä pois ja käveltiin katsomaan taloja, joissa asuttiin. Mikään ei ollut muuttunut. 

Jälkeenpäin palasimme bussilla kaupunkiin ja menimme katsomaan koulua.

It was nice to see EF-students all around town! The school has changed its appearance in the last ten years, but it's still the same. <3

It was somehow reassuring to see everything again. It wasn't just some magical period in our lives ten years ago, and then forgotten. It's all still there. It was so wonderful to see the places I've missed so much. Torquay was even more beautiful than I remembered. The whole English Riviera was. 

Besides reminiscing we did something new, too. We went to see Agatha Christie's house (a separate post about that to follow). We walked around and relaxed. We watched people go on about their lives. We wondered why so many people had lace curtains.

Obviously, some things have changed over the last ten years, but not too many. Every once in a while, when I would see something I remembered from way back, I would get this funny feeling. It was like 2004 again, and I was fifteen. 

Jotenkin oli oudolla tavalla vakuuttavaa nähdä Torquay taas. Sain varmistuksen, ettei kymmenen vuoden takainen kesä ollut mikään maaginen, unenomainen ajanjakso elämässäni, joka sittemmin olisi unohtunut. Kaikki on ennallaan. Oli aivan ihanaa nähdä paikkoja, joita olen ikävöinyt niin paljon. Torquay, ja koko Englannin Riviera olivat kauniimpia kuin muistin. 

Muistelojen lisäksi teimme muutakin; kävimme mm. Agatha Christien taloa katsomassa (siitä tulossa erillinen postaus!). Kävelimme ympäriinsä ja rentouduimme. Seurailimme ihmisiä ja heidän elämäänsä. Mietittiin että miksi niin monilla oli pitsiverhot ikkunoissa. 

Tietenkin jotkut asiat ovat muuttuneet kymmenessä vuodessa, mutta ei niin moni. Vähän väliä kun näin jotain minkä muistin aikojen takaa, tuli sellainen hassu tunne... Yhtäkkiä oli taas vuosi 2004 ja minä olin vasta viidentoista. 

Back in Business!

Hey y'all! :)

I just got back from England today, and am excited to share my trip with you! If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen a lot, but I'm planning on writing a few detailed posts here. I had such an amazing time in the UK, and I wish I could have stayed longer. I do know that I will be going back at some point, though. I got back today around noon, and haven't slept much, so I'm pretty wiped. I'm still on vacation until the end of this week, so during that time I will try and sort out my pictures and other things and get back into blogging! Talk to you guys later, hope you'll have a great week!

Heippa kaikille!

Tulin tänään takaisin Englannista, enkä malta odottaa että pääsen jakamaan reissuni teidän kanssa! Jos seuraatte mua Instagramissa, niin olette nähnyt jo paljon kuvia, mutta suunnitteilla on kirjoittaa yksityiskohtaisia postauksia tänne. Reissuni Britanniassa oli aivan mahtava, ja mielelläni olisin jäänyt pidemmäksikin aikaa. Tiedän kuitenkin, että jossain vaiheessa sinne palaan. Tulin takaisin siis tänään puoliltapäivin, enkä ole paljoa nukkunut, joten oon aika rättiväsynyt. Kesälomani kestää vielä tämän viikon, joten sen aikana pyrin saamaan valokuvat ja muut asiat järjestykseen, että voin sitten palata bloggaamisen ääreen! Palaillaan siis myöhemmin, hyvää viikkoa kaikille! 

Bon Voyage to me!

Hey guys! 

Two weeks of vacation behind, two more ahead. I am happy and relaxed. Only slightly stressed due to packing, because tomorrow it's LONDON, BABY! I am sooooo freakin' excited to go, and cannot wait to get there! I love London so much, and it has been a while since my last visit. Lately I've been so preoccupied with everything else I haven't even had time to think about this trip, and it's sort of just hitting me now. I've been slowly packing my stuff for the last few hours and I'm mostly done! :) Only a few more things that will have to wait until tomorrow morning. My flight is at 4.25pm, which is a nice change. I usually find myself flying at inhumane times.. Anyways, most likely I will not be blogging during my trip, but will surely share everything with ya afterwards! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram (@grasshopper89) for daily updates! 

Heippa vaan kaikille! 

Kaksi viikkoa lomaa takana, kaksi edessä. Täällä kirjoittelee onnellinen ja rentoutunut tyttönen. Ihan pikkuinen stressi päällä pakkaamisen takia; huomenna suuntana LONTOO! Olen niiiiiiin niiiiin innoissani menossa takaisin sinne pitkän ajan jälkeen! Viime aikoina olen ollut niin kiireinen, etten ole ehtinyt uhrata ajatustakaan Lontoolle, joten kaikki vähän niin kuin iski päin näköä tänään. Olen tässä viime tuntien aikana hitaasti pakkaillut ja melkein valmista on jo! :) Vain jotain pientä pakattavaa enää, tavaroita joita en voi pakata ennen huomisaamua. Lento lähtee huomenna klo 16.25, mikä on mukavaa vaihtelua. Yleensä olen lentänyt hyvin epäinhimillisinä aikoina.. No mutta, en usko että bloggailen reissun aikana, mutta todellakin tulen täällä jakamaan kaiken jälkeenpäin! Älkääkä unohtako seurata mua Instagramissa (@grasshopper89), jonne laittelen joka päivä kuvia!

I chopped my hair a few days ago! Lost maybe 30cm.. But I love it! What do you think? :)

England Calling!

Ah! I am so happy and excited, you guys!

Today I booked a flight to London. 

In case you didn't know, I love London. 

I haven't visited London in six and a half years. My two-hour layover last December does not count. And being away from a place I love for over six years is just wrong. I am so happy to be going back, even if it is only for a week. London has a special place in my heart, and I can go back any number of times and still feel the first love. 

I'm going on this trip with Minna, who is one of my very best and closest friends. And this trip is going to be very special for us, because at the time we will be in England, it will be exactly ten years since the last time we were there together. In the summer of 2004 we spent three weeks in Torquay, South West England, and that journey was what sparked the desire to travel in us. We were just a couple of fifteen-year-olds on a language course, traveling without our parents for the first time. And our hearts were stolen by Torquay in the English Riviera and London. We have both been to London after that first time, but never in Torquay. That's a place where we should go together, and in just two months we will :) 

I will most definitely share my trip with y'all, and can't wait to go! I'm so happy to have something this great to look forward to. 

Have a happy rest of the weekend! <3

TBT: Portland, OR

I post old(ish) pictures on Instagram whenever I remember to do so on a Thursday. I really like the idea of Throwback Thursdays, and decided to try and blog about some great things I've experienced in my life every Thursday! I'll be super boring and just call them TBTs. Groundbreaking, right?!

I'll start this thing off by telling you about my time in Portland! :)

In the fall of 2012 I traveled to P-Town for three months, and volunteered at the Children's Museum. My job was to take care of the traveling exhibit that was centered around the work of Marc Chagall, and I ran the painting studio! I was in charge of making sure the kids had enough paper and paint, I got to interact with the kids and their parents and whenever I wanted to, I got to sit down and paint. I absolutely loved the job, and I had the greatest coworkers! <3 It was so sad when I had to leave after those three months, but my awesome supervisor gave me the best recommendation letter ever. I'm so happy I went to Portland; they were the best three months of my life!

I was actually talking about Portland just today with my friend Sabine, whom I met there. She's from Germany and she and I lived in the same host family. She and I clicked right away and became really good friends :) 

We were talking about how Portland just grew on us, and how it takes more than just a few days to really see what that city is all about. We love the weirdness, the people, everything! And the city's truly beautiful and offers great views from all around! Oregon's nature is a major perk, and within just an hour drive there are gorgeous places to see, such as Multnomah Falls and Mt. Hood. I got to see Mt. Hood every day on my way to work, and it was always the highlight of my morning. We don't have mountains in Finland, and I think they're just so beautiful with their snow caps and all. Very exotic for me! 

Portland has so much to offer, so if you're planning to visit, don't let the rainy reputation bother you. The summers are gorgeous, and the fall is just beautiful and colorful. I found the Portland rain to be kind of soft. That city made me fall in love with the rain. 

Don't think of Portland as just some city to pass on your way from L.A to Seattle. Stop and visit Voodoo Doughnuts, and have your picture taken under the sign that says Keep Portland Weird! Visit the world's most awesome bookstore, Powells, and have a cup of coffee at Pioneer Square. You might just fall in love with PDX.