So many thoughts running through my head.
Life is an interesting journey.
And at times we stop and take a moment to reflect.
It's humbling at times.
We learn (hopefully!!).
For me there have been many many things lately that have stopped me in my daily tracks.
Many reminders of what matters in life.
I keep learning things about who I am.
When I keep hitting walls due to my lack of language skills...
I realize that the person I like to be is suffering.
It opens my eyes for those that at some point have moved to a new country, and spent their lives there, and never have fully learned the new language.
I can now see how that can happen.
If your daily group of people speak the language you know, and you have very few opportunities to use the new one, well, the progress will be slow!
At times I feel like I'm standing at a busstop... waiting for someone to pick me up.
It feels like I'm getting nowhere, and it gets frustrating at times.
Then life goes on.
And things happen that help keep my own needs at a realistic level.
A young father has an accident at work and narrowly escapes death.
A young family loses a baby.
A middleaged woman loses her father and one of her sons in a matter of a week.
The list could go on with daily reminders of how short and unpredictable life is.
Today we attended our new little Goddaughter's baptism.
A joyful day when we got to celebrate God's greatest gift.
After attending this nice time with good friends, we went to see my Hubby's grandma who's 83 and in a nursing home.
Here she is at the end of the road, such a contrast after just holding the little bud who just started her journey!
She's been in and out of the hospital lately due to some infection.
She was tired. She didn't really say anything.
But she saw us and there was a tired smile in her eyes.
This precious lady became a young widow and a single mom of 6 kids when she was only about 40 years old.
She has held the family together with her big heart and humorus and loving ways.
It's not often you see kids being so loving to an elderly as her kids are.
What you sow you shall reap.
Well, her love has paid off.
Every day her sons that live locally come and see her.
They make sure she has taken her medication, that she eats, and often she gets a treat from one of her sons that he lovingly feeds her.
She had a stroke last year, so slowly it has become harder and harder for her to help herself.
Her mind is not clear, and I'm sure this journey is hard for her, knowing how dilligently she took care of her kids and now being so depending on them.
When we said goodbye I couldn't let go of her warm and soft hand for a few minutes.
I felt heavy tears roll down my cheeks, as she looked me so lovingly into my eyes.
We've never been able to sit down and chat because of the language barriare, but sometimes words are vain.
Sometimes you just know. You can feel love and care.
I don't know when the last time I tell her goodbye will be, it might be pretty soon.
I do know what she gave though.
Love. Lots of love and forgiveness.
These moments sure help to keep things in perspective.
I feel so blessed and fortunate to have these moments in my life to keep me reminded of what matters.
Love and forgiveness. And you don't need to know the same language in order to share that.
Showing posts with label language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label language. Show all posts
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Monday, October 3, 2011
15 months in Finland.
Time for another letter to America!! To give an update on how things are going in the old world. It's been 15 months since the boat arrived at the harbor... or I guess when our Finnair flight hit the ground in Helsinki. A lot has truly taken place since...
The move itself. Getting an apartment, and trying our first little jumps and hops, like a babybird learning how to fly, in a new country. Starting to build a new house. Starting a new business. New schools, language, Dr's, blah blah blah....
We moved again, and now live in the house we started building, the new company is growing roots, things are picking up.
A new baby is on the way.
The kids have a year of school here stuffed in their backpacks of life.
Lately there have been many things happening back in Canada and USA. Some friends of mine are expecting babies right around the same time as I. I'd love to "grow big" along side with them. I miss them. A dear friend has moved on to eternity, and she'll be missed. One of my dear sister-in-laws won't be my sis-in-law much longer... and that hurts, but she know's she'll always be my special L. I wish I could be there for many reasons at times. I get "homesick" for people. Sometimes for places too, but not much. I don't miss "stuff", I miss people.
Here I have laid the ground work for new friendships. Looking back in my life, I realize that I've "started new" many many times. Becoming a new friend to someone does not scare me. I love meeting new people, and I find that everyone is interesting in their own way. One thing I miss here is my ability to talk to anyone I want to. I like to talk to old ladies, but here the language barriare slows me down a lot. Very frustrating at times. After learning Swedish growing up, and now also being fluent in English, makes the road of learning Finn seem very long and bumpy at times. (I know how much work is involved in becoming equally fluent in 2 languages) I'm not 18 anymore either... The age I was when I spent 2 months in USA and learned English.
Now I'm mostly at home during the weeks, so the opportunities to use Finnish are sometimes far in between. Lately I've been to some "in home sales" parties. Great chance to practice Finn! And to listen to the person presenting their products. I actually "get it" every now and then. Finn is very different from most languages, so it's not like it "sounds like" or resembles any of the common Europeean languages either (which would greatly help me out). So. I struggle. And I'm taking small steps forward.
At least I can relate to how the kids feel! They are fortunately catching on faster than their mom thou...
We are going through our 2nd fall here, and it's interesting to experience the seasons change for the 2nd time. I'm curious and a bit scared to see if this February will be as cold as last one. Will we still have tons of snow at the end of March? Right now the trees are all dressed in sparkling colors, but their gowns are falling rapidly. Soon we'll hit that gray November... and I'll be looking forward to snow to brighten up the days. It's already getting dark quite early, and it's only getting darker. We are planning to spend Christmas at home. I hope I have energy to bake all the traditional Christmas goodies, and spend the holiday relaxing in front of the fireplace.
So... the latest review of life here?? It's good. I still like the fact that things are so close. I still don't miss crossing the international border crossing between Windsor and Detroit. I don't miss Detroit traffic, and my hubby stuck in it on the way home from work... We have seen each other a lot more this year, and that was one of our goals. The kids are adjusting, and they seem happy over all. Of course they miss their friends and realtives over there, just like I do! But you'll always miss somebody... especially when your family live very spread out! But as long as we are content in the moment, and with what we have each day, those things become easier to handle.
Some people ask if we are staying here, we originally talked about living here for 2-3 years. Some people said before we moved "Oh, you'll be back here in 2 years!" others predicted we won't come back at all. (besides for visits) At this point I think we are staying here for many years to come. 1st of all, I'm not interested in uprooting and moving our kids every few years, especially since moving back to where we used to live would not be an option. So if we moved back, it would be starting new all over again, in a new city etc. Does not sound appealing right now. Some of the reasons that made us move in the 1st place, we really would miss moving back, and why "fix" something if it's not broken??
I like to tell the kids that this is where we live now, feel free to root yourself.
If they knew that "We might be moving back in 2-3 years", would they dare to fully spread their wings and embrace all the new? And then after a few years, we aren't able to move back, and they feel disappointed?
I don't know if there is a "right or wrong" way to do a big life change like this, but being honest makes it easier. And I couldn't honetly tell them "in 2 or 3 years this or that will happen!" That's impossible!
Who knows what will happen in the next few years?? Besides, then our oldest kids will be in highschool, and highschool here and overseas is very different, so the older the kids are, the harder a move would be.
2 years ago it seemed very strange to move here. I was almost due with our youngest, and our overseas plans were just starting to gain momentum. So much have happened since then, and I guess time will tell how this move has changed our lives for better and worse. I like to look at the good stuff thou, and so far, so good! I realize that giving a timeline for a move like this is really quite pointless (unless you move on a one or two year work visa, where your company helps you with the moving costs, and you plan on returning to your old place, that's different). We sold our house, brought all our belongings with us, my husband quit his job... so after cutting all the ties like that, it's a lot more work going back.
So.... now you know where that stands! I guess we are Finns now! :)
The move itself. Getting an apartment, and trying our first little jumps and hops, like a babybird learning how to fly, in a new country. Starting to build a new house. Starting a new business. New schools, language, Dr's, blah blah blah....
We moved again, and now live in the house we started building, the new company is growing roots, things are picking up.
A new baby is on the way.
The kids have a year of school here stuffed in their backpacks of life.
Lately there have been many things happening back in Canada and USA. Some friends of mine are expecting babies right around the same time as I. I'd love to "grow big" along side with them. I miss them. A dear friend has moved on to eternity, and she'll be missed. One of my dear sister-in-laws won't be my sis-in-law much longer... and that hurts, but she know's she'll always be my special L. I wish I could be there for many reasons at times. I get "homesick" for people. Sometimes for places too, but not much. I don't miss "stuff", I miss people.
Here I have laid the ground work for new friendships. Looking back in my life, I realize that I've "started new" many many times. Becoming a new friend to someone does not scare me. I love meeting new people, and I find that everyone is interesting in their own way. One thing I miss here is my ability to talk to anyone I want to. I like to talk to old ladies, but here the language barriare slows me down a lot. Very frustrating at times. After learning Swedish growing up, and now also being fluent in English, makes the road of learning Finn seem very long and bumpy at times. (I know how much work is involved in becoming equally fluent in 2 languages) I'm not 18 anymore either... The age I was when I spent 2 months in USA and learned English.
Now I'm mostly at home during the weeks, so the opportunities to use Finnish are sometimes far in between. Lately I've been to some "in home sales" parties. Great chance to practice Finn! And to listen to the person presenting their products. I actually "get it" every now and then. Finn is very different from most languages, so it's not like it "sounds like" or resembles any of the common Europeean languages either (which would greatly help me out). So. I struggle. And I'm taking small steps forward.
At least I can relate to how the kids feel! They are fortunately catching on faster than their mom thou...
We are going through our 2nd fall here, and it's interesting to experience the seasons change for the 2nd time. I'm curious and a bit scared to see if this February will be as cold as last one. Will we still have tons of snow at the end of March? Right now the trees are all dressed in sparkling colors, but their gowns are falling rapidly. Soon we'll hit that gray November... and I'll be looking forward to snow to brighten up the days. It's already getting dark quite early, and it's only getting darker. We are planning to spend Christmas at home. I hope I have energy to bake all the traditional Christmas goodies, and spend the holiday relaxing in front of the fireplace.
So... the latest review of life here?? It's good. I still like the fact that things are so close. I still don't miss crossing the international border crossing between Windsor and Detroit. I don't miss Detroit traffic, and my hubby stuck in it on the way home from work... We have seen each other a lot more this year, and that was one of our goals. The kids are adjusting, and they seem happy over all. Of course they miss their friends and realtives over there, just like I do! But you'll always miss somebody... especially when your family live very spread out! But as long as we are content in the moment, and with what we have each day, those things become easier to handle.
Some people ask if we are staying here, we originally talked about living here for 2-3 years. Some people said before we moved "Oh, you'll be back here in 2 years!" others predicted we won't come back at all. (besides for visits) At this point I think we are staying here for many years to come. 1st of all, I'm not interested in uprooting and moving our kids every few years, especially since moving back to where we used to live would not be an option. So if we moved back, it would be starting new all over again, in a new city etc. Does not sound appealing right now. Some of the reasons that made us move in the 1st place, we really would miss moving back, and why "fix" something if it's not broken??
I like to tell the kids that this is where we live now, feel free to root yourself.
If they knew that "We might be moving back in 2-3 years", would they dare to fully spread their wings and embrace all the new? And then after a few years, we aren't able to move back, and they feel disappointed?
I don't know if there is a "right or wrong" way to do a big life change like this, but being honest makes it easier. And I couldn't honetly tell them "in 2 or 3 years this or that will happen!" That's impossible!
Who knows what will happen in the next few years?? Besides, then our oldest kids will be in highschool, and highschool here and overseas is very different, so the older the kids are, the harder a move would be.
2 years ago it seemed very strange to move here. I was almost due with our youngest, and our overseas plans were just starting to gain momentum. So much have happened since then, and I guess time will tell how this move has changed our lives for better and worse. I like to look at the good stuff thou, and so far, so good! I realize that giving a timeline for a move like this is really quite pointless (unless you move on a one or two year work visa, where your company helps you with the moving costs, and you plan on returning to your old place, that's different). We sold our house, brought all our belongings with us, my husband quit his job... so after cutting all the ties like that, it's a lot more work going back.
So.... now you know where that stands! I guess we are Finns now! :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
More Finland...
OK. I promised some more about Finland. With friends and family spread out over this planet, covering 10 time zones, it is hard to keep in touch with you all. My one sister asks me occasionally how we are doing over here, because "so and so" was wondering! Well. We are officially doing really well! So now you can share that piece of info with whomever your heart desires! I'm glad to say that too btw!
Last fall was a whirlwind of activities. It seemed like and endless stream of practical things that needed our attention. Importing the cars. Finding a new doctor for our diabetic daughter. Planning for our house. All school related things for our 4 schoolaged kids. Getting in to the "system" in a new country. Well, I'm glad to say that most of those things are now out of the way, and the wheels are turning more smoothly. As all that went on thou, I never felt that I had the time to "feel" how I felt about living here. It felt as if we were still in "moving mode". Then Christmas came out of nowhere, and with that a nice visit from my parents. Then we headed up to Northern Sweden and Norway to share the Christmas and New Year holiday with family and friends. Coming back here after being gone for 11 days actually felt like coming HOME! The kids felt that way too! That was such a neat experience.... Driving down the main highway of our city, with all the lights and snow, feeling like home! We all took that as a good sign!
January is January. Right? I never heard anybody claiming January to be their favourite month of the year, and for a good reason I think.... We did have a pretty mild January however, so that meant the kids were outside a lot! Yohoo!!! That pretty much saved us all from severe cabin fever! Talking about which, we have been relatively healthy I feel. We had a bout of some fever and flu, but that's pretty much it!
I can feel a difference in the air compared to Windsor thou. Normally our kids have runny noses all winter, but here they have barely used a Kleenex!
Things to be thankful for. Health!
Lately I've had the time to reflect on how we are all doing here. And I've had some "heart to heart talks" with the kids as well. After the obvious fact that we all miss many dear friends and family members, they have all said that they really like it here!
The school is a lot more relaxed as far as regulations. They ski and skate and play freely in the snow. They enjoy textile and woodwork class, and my oldest daughter told me that they are allowed to use paint here in art class "Becasue nobody is worried about making a mess!!!" (she's almost 13 btw...)
Wow. I was a bit stunned that this had actually stopped them from using paint in the classroom back in Canada! The language is coming along for all of us, although we sometimes wish we could fastforward the learning pace. But, each day it gets a bit better!
Now we are looking forward to another summer here. Hopefully in our new house! The kids can't wait to pick blueberries and enjoy the beautiful nature that is right THERE!!! So! I'm happy to say that we are doing well and feel positive about the future in this new country of ours!
And Oh! I almost forgot, there are many stores that I haven't visited yet.... for me to discover!!
Last fall was a whirlwind of activities. It seemed like and endless stream of practical things that needed our attention. Importing the cars. Finding a new doctor for our diabetic daughter. Planning for our house. All school related things for our 4 schoolaged kids. Getting in to the "system" in a new country. Well, I'm glad to say that most of those things are now out of the way, and the wheels are turning more smoothly. As all that went on thou, I never felt that I had the time to "feel" how I felt about living here. It felt as if we were still in "moving mode". Then Christmas came out of nowhere, and with that a nice visit from my parents. Then we headed up to Northern Sweden and Norway to share the Christmas and New Year holiday with family and friends. Coming back here after being gone for 11 days actually felt like coming HOME! The kids felt that way too! That was such a neat experience.... Driving down the main highway of our city, with all the lights and snow, feeling like home! We all took that as a good sign!
January is January. Right? I never heard anybody claiming January to be their favourite month of the year, and for a good reason I think.... We did have a pretty mild January however, so that meant the kids were outside a lot! Yohoo!!! That pretty much saved us all from severe cabin fever! Talking about which, we have been relatively healthy I feel. We had a bout of some fever and flu, but that's pretty much it!
I can feel a difference in the air compared to Windsor thou. Normally our kids have runny noses all winter, but here they have barely used a Kleenex!
Things to be thankful for. Health!
Lately I've had the time to reflect on how we are all doing here. And I've had some "heart to heart talks" with the kids as well. After the obvious fact that we all miss many dear friends and family members, they have all said that they really like it here!
The school is a lot more relaxed as far as regulations. They ski and skate and play freely in the snow. They enjoy textile and woodwork class, and my oldest daughter told me that they are allowed to use paint here in art class "Becasue nobody is worried about making a mess!!!" (she's almost 13 btw...)
Wow. I was a bit stunned that this had actually stopped them from using paint in the classroom back in Canada! The language is coming along for all of us, although we sometimes wish we could fastforward the learning pace. But, each day it gets a bit better!
Now we are looking forward to another summer here. Hopefully in our new house! The kids can't wait to pick blueberries and enjoy the beautiful nature that is right THERE!!! So! I'm happy to say that we are doing well and feel positive about the future in this new country of ours!
And Oh! I almost forgot, there are many stores that I haven't visited yet.... for me to discover!!
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