So that brings us to Juhannus, which is the Midsummer Holiday in Finland. It consists of rampant drinking in cottages in the woods (preferably near lakes), going into the Sauna, and generally just relaxing and having a good time. One thing I noticed about the Finns was the way their eyes darken when they speak of the winter. I think they share the melancholy mood towards it that the Russians have. Their Scandinavian neighbors in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway all seem to deal with the Winter just fine and often mention that they certainly prefer the Summer, but don't seem to be bothered by the winter as much.
Juhannus was...interesting. Half of the time the Finns were speaking their strange language so I had no idea what was going on and half of me wished I had taken a three day trip to St Petersburg, where I would b
e equally as oblivious to what was going on but also visiting a country that fascinates and also scares most Americans. But in the end as I look back I'm happy htat I stayed with the Finns and experienced Finnish countryfolk who gav
e us
directions, drank with the guys and joked around with them, and just had a good time unwinding and not worrying about making meetings or gathering research information.
One night I fell asleep a bit early but the Finns kept drinking and some of them came into my room and kept talking. I woke up with a g
irl I'd just met next to me in bed chatting, and I can't for the life of me remember her name. She left briefly to sleep on the floor and, being the gentlemen I am, I offered her to rejoin me in my bed. Surprisingly enough, she obliged and climbed into bed with m
e. Before I knew it, she began kissin
g me, asking me about California, and asking if I had a number so that we could meet up later in Espoo, a Finnish suburb outside of Helsinki where she lives. She told me she was 25, which is now the third time a Finnish girl is much older than she looked and acted and also the third time I've found out after we've been intimate. What is it with these women...?
I didn't really get a good picture of the bed girl but here is a picture of her lying in my bed...again...the morning after. She is blocked by the girl in black but you can kind of see her cheek I guess?
So Juhannus came to an end and I spent the next few nights stayi
ng with Emmi at her parent's house. It only took a week to realize the girl is still really having trouble settling back into life and letting go of Australia. She isn't happy with her job, isn't particularly excited or happy to be back, doesn't seem to ever truly be happy, and I have to admit she isn't the brilliant shining girl I met in Australia. I did my best to console her and help, but what can I really do? I can't even save myself from such things when they happen, let alone a foreign girl from a far away land. I even offered to cuddle on the last night, and meant it innocently, though looking back on what cuddle used to mean that might have been misconstrued, and it didn't go down very well. At first I thought I might say something and try to justify it or defend myself, but then I realized that tomorrow I would be boarding a plane for Holland and would likely never see her again anyway, so I just brushed my teeth and went to bed. If chivalry is dead, women have indeed killed it.
Oh and I took a day trip to Estonia, where I had a great time in the beautiful old part of the town. A great view from the terrace and the breathtaking church were inspiring. Still, the day trip was all I needed in little Tallinn and I was ready to head back to Finland and then fly to Amsterdam the day after.
So there I continued, with new experiences with new friends and lovers, and confirming that all the calls, messages, facebook chats, and things I otherwise began to disregard midway through my time in Australia were for the best. This time I said my goodbye and walked away from Emmi at the airport, with her continuing on about keeping in touch on facebook and saying bye many times as people often do. Goodbyes have never been my style, but at least this time I wasn't leaving her standing in the hallway of the RMIT village next door to where I live with her staring at me as if I was the only thing in the world as I made excuses for why I couldn't call her as I went upstairs to go spend the evening with my current love interest at the time. Plus I think she was pretty sick of me invading her life in Finland anyway. Regardless, I love the girl to death and owe her so much for planning such a great time in Finland for me.
Holland will be in the next post.
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