Pauliina's monthly journal: Time period June 2001- August 2001

Richterswil, Switzerland 10.06.2001

So here it comes. My first "mothly journal". And what should I write? Well what about startin about writing a little bit of the last winter. I came here (Switzerland) just before Christmas and worked in Saas-Fee in a world's highest revolving restaurant. In the beginning of the May I began practical placement in Gammarus GmbH, Zurich.
We live in Richterswil which is near Z�rich, just 30 minutes by "local train". Our apartment is in a attic and as I have surely many times mentioned.
As it now appears that nothing good comes up, I continue some other time....

Richterswil, Switzerland 23.06.2001

Hello, it's me again. It took a little while , but updating homepages isn�t exactly the only thing in the world, you know. The things haven�t much changed since the last time I wrote. But perhaps there�s something I would like to share with you. Well, one Friday afternoon, after the work I was sitting on a train on my way to Richterswil (where I live). The train takes 30 or 40 minutes and the railway goes along the lake shore > a very nice one. Anyway, I was sitting on a train and reading a book. The name of the book is "Wish you well", written by David Baldacci and I suggest that�s the next book you gonna read. I loved it. But back to the train. So there I sat and once in a while I noticed smiling to my self (a good part going on). I raised my eyes and saw a beautiful hill along the lake and I remember thinking: "What a beautiful spot. People living there must be lucky". And the next second I realised, it was my stop! Boy O�boy! So the train stopped and on the platform I saw a happy reunion of grandchildren and grandparents and the smiles on their faces made me smile. The rest of the evening went by in a happy mood also and that night I had this feeling that anyone couldn�t be happier than me. An extraordinary feeling. And what is then so special about that? I don�t even really know myself. But now it�s told.
This summer is surely one of those summers, I will be memorialising in my rocking chair when I`ll be a way older. So much nice things going on. Last weekend we made a little trip to Germany and France: Stuttgart, Schw�bish Hall, Hockenheimring (the place for Formula-1 fans like Ville) and Strasbourg. A lot of sitting in a car, but fortunately we like it. I�ll show some photos later on. Take care!

Richterswil, Switzerland 05.08.2001

I spent a week in Finland, last month. We really cannot call it "the summer holiday" cause it was full of programme; meeting people, doing stuff, going from one place to another", but still it was an enjoyable period of time. Half of the time I spent in Finland was spent by arranging Ville's sisters (named Kaisa-Leena) wedding. Wedding was held on a hot Saturday on 28.07.2001. It was a beautiful day indeed. I don't have pics though but in any case you know how the weddings are like, don't you? Eating, dancing, games, meeting people, drinking a little bit and that kind of thing.
Before I went to Finland, I was looking forward seeing people, but in Finland I realised that I didn't miss people so much but the places. With people you can speak on the phone, send e-mail and "old-fashioned" mail and they can visit you. But even though you have a picture of the place, it isn't the same. The air here in Switzerland is more moisture and in a hot weather I don't enjoy it. The air in Finland is always fresh, you can feel it. And the colour of the sky, that's different in Finland as well.
Many Finnish people living abroad come to see Finnish summer every year and they say they wouldn't miss it in the world. For a foreigner it is difficult to understand this that what is so special about it. Perhaps that's only a Finnish thing...
Hearing a little bit homesickness here? Well I must say that I have already seen quite a many places, places that my grandmother or my mother have never seen. And I still have hunger to see kangaroos, hear the birds of Amazon, see the mountains of Peru, the busy Tokyo and so on but there's always a point in one's life where they consider settling down, raising a family etc...