My life in Finland

'In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.'  -  John Muir It's been quite a weekend here in Helsinki/Espoo. As a result, I've not had much time to write a blog post. That's not a bad complaint when you're having too much fun! Friday morning started with some painting around the house here. It was -13 degree s when I headed down to the basement in my shorts. I think the neighbours are getting used to me wandering around in the snow barely clothed. That being said, I made my way to the coast around Espoo for a nice walk. I also accomplished something I've been wanting to do for almost 8 years. I made my way out onto the frozen sea ice!!! I've been wanting to do this for so long and while I only intend a walk along the coast, once we saw so many people out on the ice, we had to check it out. It was really enjoyable and the best part was that I neither fell on my ass, nor did I fall through the ice and drown. I'd call tha...

"Winter is Coming." - George R.R. Martin I know, I know, it's a short quote, but if you've not experienced Finnish winter and you come from a temperate climate like Ireland or the UK then believe me, winter here is vastly different from what you're used to and you need to be prepared. First of all, winter in Finland is LONG !!! I can't emphasise that point enough. I spent a little over 2 months here last winter from mid December until the end of February. It was getting brighter all the while but bitter cold. October sees autumn come and go quickly with leaves falling and days shortening. There can be some snow but generally it starts off colourful and ends up grey. November is when the chill arrives and grey skies are now the normal colour. You can go weeks without seeing sunshine or blue skies and it's pretty depressing. Plenty of rain can be expected too. December is generally when the first snow falls and sticks, although this can come much ea...

"Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things." ‒   Flora Lewis So. I'm learning Finnish.... or at least I'm trying to! This is my tenth year coming to Finland now (ok, I live here, but still) and despite owning books, CD's and a dictionary, I've struggled to add to my vocabulary and more that that, I've really  struggled  to  understand   conversation . In all honesty, this is mostly due to the fact that  every  time I was here in Finland, my friends were mostly speaking English or Swedish. They did inform me that it was a waste of time trying to learn if I wasn't here in Finland and having moved here, I now appreciate this fact. I was looking into taking up some Finnish classes but over the years I have actually built a small vocabulary and I've studied the structure of the language and some grammar. This fact,  coupled  with my free time...

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain Anthony Bourdain was one of my favourite personalities. He  loved  the food that I love and he lived life to the fullest. He has also visited Finland in the past to film one of his shows and I really think this quote epitomises just what travel is all about. If you're moving to Finland then I believe these are wise words to remember as you go through such an important journey. Initial Arrival - OK, so if you're moving here then it's most likely that you've been here before but nevertheless, it's good to cover the basics. Take the  train  into the city. It's cheap and convenient and from the Central Railway ...

"Everybody does have a book in them, but for most people, that's where it should stay."  -  Christopher Hitchens  I like to start each blog post with a quote. As this is a  brand  new blog, I thought it best to start with one from my favourite contrarian and one that is quite fitting, under the  circumstances, being both a writer and a soon-to-be novelist. This is now a fitting time to introduce myself and my blog.  The  'who', 'what', 'when', 'where' and 'why'  questions should suffice. Who am I?  I'm Ronan. Originally from Ireland, I've been planning to live in Finland for many years after falling in love with the country back in 2009 when I first visited. The dream became a reality in July of 2018. (last summer) What am I doing here?  Well I guess I kinda answered that but nevertheless, I'll try to expand.  I'm writing a novel and working. I'm also experiencing my second long Finnish winter...