Things I did in Finland

I had a lot of spare time on trains today (five hours) so made this nostalgic list of things I did in Finland, either very memorable or firsts.

• Walked on a frozen lake and sea
• Seen the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises
• Built a tiny ice house and lit a fire in it
• Had a bbq at -23
• Watched red squirrels play
• Swum in lakes
• Eaten reindeer, moose and bear.
• Played in deep, deep snow
• Drunk salmiakki kossu and eaten salty liquorice
• Not known what I was eating!
• Rode a bike as a means of transport
• Gone for hikes in suburbia
• Crossed the artic circle - three times!
• Free camped
• Washed in a lake - with oil in it…
• Sunbathed topless in only 20C
• Visited new Baltic countries
• Got chatted up by 19 year old boys
• Made girl friends
• Considered playing sports
• Gone out on the town dressed up
• Bought a rug
• Had a local pub and been a regular in it.
• Picked berries in the wild.
• Learnt a new language
• Regularly listened to Russian radio
• Learnt more Turkish words, cuisine and culture.
• Learnt what a wolverine is
• Seen long-haired kangaroos
• Explored tiny islands
• Used a dirt toilet and toilets with windows.
• Stayed in a mokki during winter.
• Eaten Finnish pancakes, hernekeitto and other local foods.
• Seen so many mosquitoes.
• Seen huskies and reindeer.
• Learnt something about Sami culture, and Finnish history.
• Cooked reindeer microwave meals
• Used Dubbel Dusch.
• Made new friends
• Talked to drunk people normally.
• Seen people pee in suburban streets
• Cooked for people working in a fast food shop
• Realised experience is more important than age.
• Be scared but do things anyway.
• Be glad of long finishing my degree.
• No longer have to explain what rallying is to people
• Recycled more.
• Been dumped - twice.
• Really turned down men.
• Felt good about myself, in every aspect.
• Got a hotel room in the town where I live.
• Appreciated the smaller things about nature for the first time since being a child.
• Realised that it’s not just England that gives lousy customer service.
• Learned the importance of using different potatoes.
• Eaten from dodgy late night burger stands while sober.
• Not visited the major monuments where I live.
• Be happy to be talked to by strangers in the supermarket.
• Been thrilled to live somewhere when the tourists come.
• Really appreciated the sun.
• Took summer off work.
• Eaten rice pastries for breakfast willingly
• Swum in a frozen ocean - in a dry suit
• Rode on an ice breaker
• Drank in an ice bar, walked through an ice castle.