the best of the best

I regret not blogging more during my semester abroad. I regret it because I am afraid of losing any of the awesome memories I got to make while meeting the awesome people around me. And now it is too late. Or is it? Did any of you watch the notebook? And the scene where they are out on the water, and Noah is rowing the boat? I found myself in such a situation about a month ago. Except that Noah was replaced by two of my (girl) friends. And the water was in Finland. And it was really a big lake. And there was no rain. But we WERE in a rowing boat. And I had the best time. We went onto an island and build a fire (yes, us three girls. Or actually, my one friend who had been a girl scout). We roasted marshmallows and made smores. We hiked around the island, set near the fire, complained about our love life and totally had a photo shoot on the lake while rowing back to shore. And it was one of the best nights I had in Finland. It was a simple night. Just us and the boat, the fire and our little island to ourselves. And some baby ducks. 

This is just one memory and example of the easy life I got to live in Finland. And I am missing how easy-going everything was. Society, the people; everything was slow-paced. And afterwards it surprised me how much I appreciated this, while back home every minute wasted is pretty much considered a waste of time and money. At a slow pace I am adjusting to life back at home. Some days I cry, and my heart is filled with sadness over the fact that I have to go back to reality, a reality I do not prefer. But I am also aware that the grass is not necessarily greener in Finland, and that the time I spent over there was not my reality. But if anything, I encourage you today to take a step into the unknown. Because this was one of the biggest steps unto unknown territory, and it has brought me more than I could have imagined. It made me feel alive again. It brought raw emotions, feelings and appreciation to me, and a lesson learnt; if something scares you, it is probably a good thing. 
Much love,
J
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