Perfect Beginning of the Day...

… a colleague and I spent a good 15 minutes talking about one of the most wonderful cities in the world. Do you know which one I mean?

Disaster Psychology

This weekend I was occupied with a course in disaster psychology, this specific module was focusing on catastrophes. We talked about a lot things that were interesting, horrifying and touching at the same time. Seeing all the terrible things that people go through, and survive, gives a certain feeling of amazement and hope: we are so much more stronger when we get the right kind of help. Disaster psychology is a field of psychology that concentrates on the survivors and how to help them. It was refreshing to get a more practical approach to psychology instead of all the theory that forms such a great part of psychology studies: the theory is interesting, but my wild guess is that most people study this specific subject in order to understand people, to help them. I definitely think I will study this field more.

The lecturer, a woman who is specialized in this kind of work, also gave us the “quote of the day” – a quote that does not only relate to disasters, but which can also be applied to most aspects in life:

If you want to see the world, and experience all it has to offer, you will need two things: humility and respect. If you lack these qualities, you’d better stay in your little village and gossip about your neighbours.

Sounds of Silence

This morning I was cycling to the local university when I noticed the complete silence that was surrounding me. The trees were humming and there was a slight breeze coming in from the sea, but apart from that it was quiet. That silence is so typical for this place. Sometimes it’s so peaceful, and I think that everyone who has grown up here will feel a need for that silence at times.

At the same time I was thinking about the fear of getting stuck, of never getting away. The craving for sounds, people everywhere and life. Those are as important as the silence.

Man tager vad man haver… (SWE: one uses what one’s got)

Sunday. What to cook for Monday? Unless the fridge is shining with emptiness, it’s quite easy to just gather all random ingredients, mix them and hope that the end result will be, at best, delicious.

This is what my kitchen witnessed today.

Carrots, green pepper, onion, garlic, chanterelles, mushrooms, parsley (all fried in olive oil), couscous (with a bit of butter) and shrimps. Quick, easy and – hopefully – tasty.

Hello World!

…I’ve got a new toy!!!

Good News!

This morning I was delighted to read that the local government is going to work to improve different immigration issues on the island. This is a great initiative, because the truth is that the amount of people coming from abroad is increasing rapidly. According to my own experience, there seems to be a divide between locals and immigrants, which I personally find a great pity. A multicultural society is a great thing, but all its members have to feel like a part of it in order for it to succeed.

Such Fun!

Favourites right now…

…tv-show: British comedy Miranda. It’s a lot of fun, but… can’t she get it on with that Welsh guy already? (question: why are Welshmen and Scotsmen so much better looking than Englishmen?)

…piece of knowledge: I should get my new laptop this week, which is such a relief.

…thought: softness wins over hardness.

…discovery: one of the local second hand-shops has a lot of cheap books: wandering around in that place is almost like being in paradise.

…ice-cream: café latte, so sweet!

…drink: cold, fresh water… the best thing there is!

 

 

 

 

Ticking Off Items On The Life List

…apparently one of my goals is to learn some statistics (now, what was I thinking?). Well, just imagine my excitement about the fact that I’m currently “forced” to do a course in methodology and statistics, it’s like the best thing EVER. Yippieeee! (sarcasm, my friends, it’s called sarcasm).

 

There’s another item that should be on that life list, but because it’s something I want really badly, I don’t have the guts to put it there. One of my dreams is to spend six months or so (or more) travelling in Central Europe. There’s this romantic image in my head that I just cannot get rid of: sitting in coffee shops, writing about life, listening to those wonderful languages, and observing the life in that part of the world.

Odd Things - Do Not Mix Languages

Maybe I’m the only one who finds the following address rather odd:

 

Muotoilijankatu F porras

Aalto universitetet

Konstindustriella högskolan

Hämeentie 135

Helsingfors

 

 

Thing is – Helsinki (in Swedish: Helsingfors) is a bilingual city, meaning that all streets etc. have both a Finnish and a Swedish name. For those of you, who don’t get this: part of the aforementioned address is in Finnish and the other part is in Swedish. I suppose the person who wrote this never met my high school English teacher who used to say: “it doesn’t matter how you speak, as long as you are consistent”. Now, he was talking about mixing different types of English, but this bold statement could probably be applied to mixing different languages as well.  

 

Thoughts

Smedette* wrote an interesting post about the “requirements” for happiness… how much does one need to be happy? And what are those things that make a person happy? Not only is the answer very personal and subjective, but I think it depends a lot on the situation and culture, as well. People develop, our lives change – what was important three years ago might have lost all its importance now, and vice versa. Some people need more, others need less. Surely, life might be easier when one doesn’t need much, but that doesn’t mean that we all should become eremites living somewhere far from civilization. The

At this very moment I can only think of three things that are essential for my own happiness: a few, but close human relationships, challenging myself and the possibility to go on learning and gathering experiences. At the same time, due to the fact that I’m living where I live, I’m also blessed to take a lot of things for granted – things that surely affect my happiness positively – with a general feeling of trust and a functioning welfare network, I don’t have to worry about the very same problems that many other people have to struggle with on a daily basis. Survival is granted, so it’s easier to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

 

*unfortunately I’m unable to link… *sad face*