July

So, my summer in Maine was quite the unforgettable experience. I had always dreamed of, or wished, to have the opportunity to live in Maine while I was growing up just because Maine was so far away and nobody ever really talked about it. It was like one of the "forgotten states" (kinda like some of the states in the middle of the country). However, I think I want to at least visit those as well. Anyhow, my dream/wish came true and after moving to Maine, I was not prepared at all for how rural it is. At the beginning of July, I was able to take a small little break from Waterboro, ME and spend the weekend of the 4th of July with my parents in Boston, which was fabulous! On the fourth, we went to church in the morning and then met my friends on the esplanade to take part in those fun Boston festivities. Then, we made our way back to Maine on Monday, spending some time in northern Mass and New Hampshire. Having my parents in Maine that week was helpful with my adjustment to Maine because they gave me something very familiar to come home to after work and people I could interact with that didn't have anything to do except to spend time with me. :) (It also helped that they took me out to dinner and spoiled me rotten while they were here.) Then, before they left, they came by the clinic and met the people I was working with this summer, which was also good. It makes it so much easier for me to talk to someone about where I am and what I've been doing when that person has seen where I am and have met the people I interact with on a daily basis. Then, they left and I continued living and working in Maine, adjusting more and more everyday and gaining more of an appreciation and liking for that state that was once oh so far away and "forgotten".

The next weekend, the family I was living with took me to Fort Williams park to see the Portland Headlight on Cape Elizabeth. It was a pretty area with a lighthouse and a view of other light houses. The kids had a fun time showing me all the cool places to explore and hide out in and rocks to climb and all the different paths to take. And, I had a fun time being introduced to such a fun area too. The next day, they took me to Kancamagus highway in New Hampshire where there are a lot of pull outs on the side of the highway with a bunch of different short hikes to take and waterfalls and lakes to see and water to play in and all kinds of fun exploring and nature to see. It was such a nice day (it reminded me of a CA summer day) and it was the perfect day to be in the warm sun and near water. Needless to say, I enjoyed that weekend and it ended up being one of many good weekends. :)

The next week, I had the wonderful (scary) opportunity to experience my first real life tornadoes! I suppose they weren't the real big tornadoes, but they were classified as touch-down tornadoes. I don't know much about this natural disaster, but I did know that I wasn't about to drive in the heavy rain and wind that I met after leaving the clinic that night. Therefore, I ran back inside, soaking wet, to wait it out with the girl who was closing that night. After about an hour, the wind and the rain let up a bit and I was able to safely drive home. It is a storm I will never forget and am so thankful that everyone I knew was okay. I didn't hear of anyone getting hurt in it, but I did hear (and see) trees uprooted and blocking the roads all over. One of the physical therapists at the clinic I was working at was unable to come to work the next day because the trees were blocking his road so much. His pigs had gotten out, other people's outdoor furniture was destroyed and taken to other people's yards (and these people have acres of land...the neighbor's yard isn't necessarily right next door). That was an eventful evening and I'm so thankful it wasn't too bad.

That weekend, I went into Portland, ME and spent the afternoon with my fellow student at the clinic, and friend, in "the city" exploring a little bit and walking around the quaint downtown area. Portland is a cute little city with small shops and cobblestone roads and water and an enjoyable atmosphere. The next day, we went for a little hike to overlook a town nearby and go to see a pretty view of the treetops and some lakes in the distance. It was a nice hike and a good way to spend the afternoon. Let me tell you...the tops of trees can be very different. They are not all the same. If someone can explain to me the majesty and excitement in these differences, I would be more than happy to listen because I can't tell you. :) Honestly, though, it was a good way to get outside and do something and enjoy the nature that one can't enjoy everywhere because there are people and houses and businesses that have cut down the forests and open space. There is a lot of beauty (and trees) in the state of Maine.

That last week in July, my CI (Clinical Instructor) and I went to do an ergonomic assessment for some business one afternoon. It was a good experience to see another aspect of what a physical therapist can do. It's not something I would want to do full time, but it's necessary to do from time to time from the business perspective, but also what needs to be considered with my future patients who will be working at a computer with a desk job for 8 hours a day. So, that was a good one-time experience to have and be a part of. I also received my first gift from a patient that week, which was exciting. I was given a can of those Pirouline cookies...oh, they are so yummy! The hazelnut flavored ones are my favorite, but the chocolate ones were tasty too. :)

I saw The Sorcerer's Apprentice with my CI and his family. I usually don't enjoy movies with Nicholas Cage, but this one wasn't too bad. I usually don't go to see movies in general, but I suppose I'll go every once in a great while and this was one of those great whiles. It was fun to meet his family too. Family time is something that I generally enjoy, whether or not it is my own family. (Although, I will say that family time with my family is by far the best family time. I am a little biased though.)

To finish July off, my friends came to visit me in Maine! Shirin, Hannah, and Trisha took a bus from Boston to Portland for the day. I picked them up and we went to eat at DiMillo's (a floating restaurant) for lunch. By floating restaurant, it was more just a restaurant on a boat that was docked and it didn't feel like we were even on the water because it was such a large boat that it didn't move. It was still fun though and we were outside on a nice day, eating lobster club sandwiches--YUM!!! :) After lunch, we took a ferry over to Peak's Island. There are so many islands off the coast of Maine and people can visit, or live on, many of them! When we got to Peak's Island, we got ice cream from a place that gave gigantic scoops and it was oh so good! Some were rather messy as it melted and got all over our hands (Shirin's was extra melty), but it was a tasty treat! We walked around the island for a short while and then took the ferry back to Old Port (Portland) and walked around downtown and in the shops too. We finished up their time visiting by going to the Popcorn store where they have all kinds of crazy flavored popcorn. There are so many unique flavors and then they mix and match their flavors to make new flavors. The sky is the limit with this popcorn company! Go look at their website to browse some of their creative creations!

If you thought July was busy, just wait until you read about what I did in August! Some crazy things and some true "Maine experiences". The best is yet to come! :)

I'm Famous

Yeah, right! I am hardly famous. However, I just found out recently that my face is featured on two different websites, one of which has probably been there for almost a year, completely unbeknownst to me. It is on my church's website when we took pictures with our community group last fall (October or November). I have no idea how long it's been there, but probably since soon after it was taken and will be replaced with another picture from community groups this year, which begin in October. Check it out and see if you can find me here!

Secondly, while I was in Maine this summer, the clinic I was working at had someone redesign/revamp their website. They took more updated pictures during this process and a picture was taken of me and used on the home page. Can you find me?

Also, in case you didn't realize, there is a new poll question and is only there until the end of the month! I'll write about the story behind the question and why it is relevant to my life after the voting has ended. :)

Blog Poll!

So, to make this a little bit more interactive, I have decided to put in a little poll to see what people think. Right now, I plan on having a new poll every month, but it could change to more often, depending on how many people are voting/if you all want to give your opinion on things more often. Just let me know! And, if nobody votes...well, then, I suppose nobody reads my blog then, which is completely fine too! :) Happy voting!

The second half of June

I returned to Boston later than I had expected due to airplane issues...surprise, surprise, right? I was supposed to leave SFO Tuesday night sometime, maybe 11 pm? Well, the plane I had boarded was overbooked and they asked for volunteers to come off and leave on a later plane. Well, that later plane was 6 am Wednesday morning. So, I (so kindly) volunteered to get off the plane and the airline put me up in some hotel for the night...well, it was really only 4 hours maybe, considering I had to be back at the airport at 5 or so the next morning and I think I finally got to the hotel at 12 or 1 am? Anyhow....I got a free (or almost free) flight out of it...as long as I know where I put my voucher. Hmmm......I hope I find it when I move! :) So, I returned to Boston Wednesday night and had a little bit of roommate time. Then, Thursday night, I had the opportunity to go to the Foundation of Physical Therapy dinner. It was quite the event and a bit extravagant for my taste. It was a very nice evening. However, I did feel like nobody was really paying attention to what was going on when the MC was going through all they had planned out for the night. Also, it was the same night as the NBA Championship finals, which people were all caught up in. After all, Boston was playing the Lakers. I left the dinner a bit earlier than most people and came home to watch Boston lose....sorry Boston fans!

Then, that weekend, we had some fun roommate tennis attempts, which worked out not too bad! We were all equally as terrible, so it was a perfect match! :) I also had a whole car fiasco weekend, which continues today, BUT I have a car for which I am thankful for and trusting the Lord as the pieces continue to unfold. I eventually made it up to Maine and began my clinical experience Tuesday, June 22. I spent one week in the clinic and then my parents came to Boston that second week. While my parents went frolicking and flittering around Boston seeing all that there is to see and experiencing the fun sights of Boston, I was (stuck) in Maine, unable to see them after work/clinic. But, alas, thankfully I have Fridays off this summer and Thursday night came when I drove down to Boston after clinic. I was once again reunited with my parents this summer. Except, this time, we were on the east coast. Well, that Thursday was July 1, so I suppose this post is now complete.

Stay tuned for the fun adventures and happenings of my life in July! :) And, maybe I'll post some pictures one of these days too....

The first half of June...my time in CA

May was a busy month, but so was June! After our classes ended and the wedding festivities, my roommates went off to work in the clinic and I had 3 weeks to wait for my turn to start in the clinic. So, I took a trip up to Maine to move a few things before moving for the summer. Then, I got to go home to CA for two and a half weeks, which was SO good, but left me wishing for more of a CA (real) summer, especially when I got back to the east coast. Time at home was short, but fun. I got to take a trip to downtown Palo Alto (which we were so pleasantly surprised with the food at University Cafe) for lunch and then we walked around Stanford for a bit. And the best part about it, we started at Walnut Creek bart and took bart and caltrain down on our little adventure, giving us the chance to talk and catch up the whole ride, without having to worry about what the next turn was or where to get off the freeway...just as long as we knew when to get off caltrain (bart we took to the end of the line). Then, my mom, Stephen, Cari, and I took a day to explore the city (of San Francisco). We were originally going to go to the Walt Disney Museum, but when we got there, we found out that it is closed on Tuesdays, which was unfortunate for us because we went on a Tuesday. Anyhow, we drove down and walked around the Golden Gate bridge and then we drove through Golden Gate park, which is a really nice park (I had no idea!). We also drove up and around west of the Golden Gate and around the super nice neighborhoods and homes and whatnot, getting a beautiful view of the bridge from the ocean side. So, our Walt Disney Museum trip was not successful, but our San Francisco trip most definitely was and it was really nice to do something other than go to Pier 39. Oh, and we ended at Ghirardelli Square with some yummy ice cream too-it was SO creamy!!! (I had forgotten!)

During my time at home, I also had a special opportunity to spend some time with my dear friend Julie, which was so good catching up and having some face-to-face time together. We went to BJ's for dinner, and of course had to have a pazookie! Then, we had a little sleepover with some more chit-chatting and some slumbering...she did have to work in the morning. :) When she left for work, I left for home. However, she lives five minutes from my grandparents, so I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop by for a bit to spend some time just my grandparents and me. They weren't home when I got there, so I just waited for a bit on their back deck and spent the morning-afternoon with them, which was so special as well! It makes me wish I could see them more often and spend that quality time face-to-face with them more than twice a year, but I suppose I'll take advantage of what I can get and enjoy the time I have with them to the fullest! To finish up my time at home for the summer, we had a family dinner with everyone (except Cari...) and homemade ice cream--so delicious! Went on a little shopping spree with my mom (thanks for the clothes and shoes...I use them all the time!) and we also went on a little hike up and around Mt. Diablo, which was a lot of fun! :)

The Month of May

After returning from Finland, I went to see my last play as part of my season pass. It was titled, August: Osage County. I don't recommend it. It was a strange play and the family had some issues going on that I didn't find all that engaging nor entertaining. Then, I had two weeks of classes learning about learning (and teaching) and some different exercises that we could use while out on clinic. The first week was a four-day week and then I took a trip up to Maine to look for housing on that Friday. Saw a few different places, some I would never want anyone to live in and I was able to choose the best option for me at that time! Had a second full week of class, during which both my Grandpa and Grandma celebrated their birthdays!!! (Happy Birthday you two!!!) Then, that last week of May, I had a day of review and then a day of testing for my classes. I was able to take my test on the first day of testing (out of the three needed for everyone in my class to be tested) and then I took a bus down to New York that Wednesday, the day after I took my final. Vilma, another Finnish cousin, had spent the prior five months maybe (?) in CA doing a study abroad program and she was able to meet my whole family, except for me. Before returning to Finland, she and her friend Aliisa stopped in New York for about a week to explore and be in NYC. So, I took a bus down there and was able to meet up with both of them and explore some of New York with them. How fun was it to meet Vilma, someone I had only heard about from my parents and family who had been spending time with her! I was able to stay with a childhood friend, Christina, who has been living in NYC for the last year (and has just recently moved back to CA). So, it was good to see Christina again, meet Vilma, and see NYC all in one trip! It was a good time and definitely worth the trip! To finish out May, I went to my friend's wedding the day after I got back from New York! What a beautiful bride Emily was and such a fun group of people to celebrate with them! :) It was a very special day and I am so excited for her! She is a classmate and a friend, and I can't wait to see her again in September!

Finland

What?! A post two days in a row?! Yes, it's true.

I was in Finland for two weeks, which was quite the trip. It had been one of my dreams to have the opportunity to go to Finland with my Mummi to see where she was born, raised, and to meet some of her relatives with her. My mom has been twice, my sister once, and my aunts have been as well. I really wanted to go sometime in my life, but wasn't sure if I would have the chance to go with Mummi. When I found out that she and Scott were going for an extended period of time, I found the dates they would be there and looked at my schedule to find that I had a two-week break between semesters, while they were in Finland. So, my last final was Monday, April 26, in the morning and I left that night, at 9:30 pm. I flew from Boston to London Heathrow and then Heathrow to Helsinki, Finland. I was warmly welcomed with open arms in Helsinki by Mummi and Scott, and Mummi's cousin and her husband. We had dinner at their home in Helsinki and then we (Mummi, Scott, and I) took the night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. After maybe 10 hours of plane travel and 12 hours in the train, we met some relatives in Rovaniemi and borrowed one of their cars to make the 2 hour drive to Kongas, the village where Mummi grew up. We got to spend a few days there and I saw the house she was born in, the bed she was born in, the school she went to, Ounasjoki (a river through the village), I met other relatives, saw our cousin's reindeer farm, went bowling, ate food, relaxed a bit from all the traveling and finals I had just finished, and spent precious time with my grandmother in her homeland.

the night train from Helsinki

we arrived in Rovaniemi the next morning!

Riita took us to her home

welcome to Kongas!

we made it to Kongas, where we met Elsa (Mummi's aunt) and Terho (Elsa's son, Mummi's cousin) and stayed with them

Mummi's birth bed, in Elsa's home

Jari, Katariina, and me after bowling (Inkeri-Katariina's mom-was also there)

feeding some reindeer

Siltila (sp?) today, where Mummi grew up

After spending a few relaxing days in Kongas, we began our trek back down south. We stopped in Rovaniemi for a few hours and went to the Arctic Circle, where I met Santa Claus, in his workshop. We spent the time with Riita and did a few other errands (post office and driving tour of the city) before getting on the train to Kokkola to spend a couple days with Mummi's sister, Anna-Liisa and her husband, Lasse. There was quite a gathering at their home with people from nearby in Kokkola and others a bit further away in Pietarsaari. I had the opportunity to meet many more relatives and see them all together, which was a lot of fun. There were babies, little kids, parents, and grandparents alike; it was so enjoyable and so neat to meet relatives that I had only heard about and seen a couple pictures of a few times! :) Anna-Liisa is a very talented artist and she gave me one of the beautiful ceramic plates that she had painted. It was very interesting communicating with people who speak a completely different language; easier with some people than with others, but regardless, fun everytime!

I was on top of the world at the Arctic Circle

After a couple nights in Kokkola, we got back on the train and went to Hameenlinna to spend some time with Paivi and Paula and their families, which was a grand time! :) Lots of fun and lots of laughter being around those two! They spoke English, which made it easier to communicate with them and get to know them better as well. It was a great time to meet them and their families, see their homes, see their town, and spend time with all of them! After a night stay in Hameenlinna, we said good-bye and boarded the train once again to return to Helsinki!

The train ride from Hameenlinna to Helsinki was a rather short ride (only an hour and a half or two hours, I think), compared to the previous train rides. We arrived in Helsinki, which was the end of the line, and took a taxi to Minna's home, who is Mummi's cousin. It was so wonderful to meet Minna and her two children, Paulinna and Oskari. They are darling little ones! We were able to spend some time with them and then the next day, we (Mummi, Scott, and I) went on a tour bus to tour Helsinki. It was a rainy day, so not the best day to see the city, but still fun nonetheless. Helsinki is not a very large town and I think on our 2 hour(?) tour, we drove by the same places multiple times. I think we drove by the library 3 times. I definitely recognized places (again) the second time we drove past the same buildings. Either way, I got to see the city of Helsinki (multiple times) and it was a nice audio tour and a great way to see it on a rainy day! :) And, Mummi lived in Helsinki for some time before coming to the states, so she would tell me some of her stories of the apartment she lived in and how she would walk all around the city, from one end to the other in 45 minutes or so, when she lived there. She showed me where her apartment was (just don't ask me to take you back to it because I don't remember where it was). Then, later that evening, there was another gathering with relatives closer to Helsinki. Everyone who came that night spoke English, which made it MUCH easier for me to communicate with them. The further south we came, the more people spoke English. I think we counted 18 people who came that evening, and what a fun gathering and send off party it was! I left very early the next morning. Said good-bye to Minna, Mummi, and Scott, and took a taxi to the airport.

I found my way and got on a plane from Helsinki to London Heathrow, which took off without a problem. Then, when I got to Heathrow, I waited through my layover and boarded the plane a bit late and then waited on the plane for a couple hours before we could take off. You see, it was during the time the volcano in Iceland was erupting and all the planes were being re-routed to an alternate route. Fortunately, we were able to take off after some time of waiting and I didn't get stuck overnight in Heathrow. And, because of the new route, the flight that normally takes 6 hours took 7 and a half hours. When all was said and done, I was back in Boston the day I was expecting to be (May 8th), just 3 hours later than originally expected, which I was okay with. Instead of getting back at 1:30 in the afternoon, I got back at 4:30 pm, which is still a very decent time to return from a long trip.

The day after was Mother's Day (Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my grandmoms, and all the other moms out there!!!) and I was able to talk to my mom (and the rest of my family) for the first time in a couple weeks, which was extremely nice and refreshing! :)

That's about it for Finland; well, not all of it, but a small glimpse of my time there. I took so many pictures to help me remember my time there and the people I met. It is such a beautiful country and loved seeing and experiencing God's creation in that part of the world. It was so amazing and such a blessing to meet relatives face-to-face and get a little taste of Finland and Finnish culture and to learn more about my grandmother and my own family heritage and culture. Thanks Mummi and Scott and everyone for such a wonderful and memorable trip to and experience in Finland!!! I hope I can return again one day; maybe with my mom and sister and aunt(s)....maybe some of the boys and some of my first cousins too?!?! It's another dream at this point in my life...some dreams do come true though (like this first trip with Mummi!)!!!

Next time: the rest of my busy month of May.......

so, I have tried adding more pictures a couple times, but blogger has not let me. Maybe I have reached the max number of pictures for one post....is there such a thing? More pictures of Finland to come soon...