During the first couple of years of my travels I only did tropical, exotic places like South East Asian countries or Australia and so whenever talking back home to friends and family the first question they'd ask was "how's the weather, is it hot?". Replies for my confirmation of good weather were "ooh"s and "aah"s, happy and jealous squeals. For Finnish people weather is very important - possibly because the weather back home is four-seasons-in-a-day sort of phenomena and summer is always too short.
One could say people back at home are somewhat obsessed with the weather and link it to happiness: sunshine equals good, happy life whereas anything else totally sucks and there's no way life could be satisfying.
When I posted pictures of the hot places I visited or lived in I would get an abundance of comments saying how wonderful life must be over there - because naturally life would be worry-free and perfect because the sun was shining and I was in the tropics. But when I moved to New Zealand and experienced my first winter in three years, posting pictures of snow covered nature barely anyone dared to comment on them but I remember one of my friend's comments: "well now I can honestly say I'm not jealous of you". This made me laugh out loud as it struck me so ridiculous. I thought about telling this friend that my life was genuinely so happy in this new country that I had completely forgotten the weather was actually not hot and tropical - yet I was loving it, whoaa!
Fair enough though, I have sometimes shivered in cold weather in a strange country and felt miserable. Those times the lousy, cold weather seemed to emphasize my misery of not having a job, catching a cold or adjusting myself to a different, strange country and culture. If you're not feeling good about yourself then grey skies can definitely make you feel worse. But I have discovered that if you're happy with who you are the weather makes little difference.
We've all seen those pictures on Facebook when someone travels abroad and posts a picture of the hotel (infinity) pool or the local tourist beach, maybe commenting how "life is good" or how they can finally relax and enjoy themselves. And yes, surely it's wonderful to enjoy good weather BUT I can't help but cringe when I think that majority of people have to travel approximately two times a year to a foreign country to lounge in a tourist resort's poolside deck chair surrounded by a hundred other tourists from around the world - also whom all can only feel relaxed there, a thousand kilometers away from their homes and jobs. Does happiness come as a two week holiday to a beach resort?
Personally I have very much knowingly stepped outside the rat race, taking time to just "be" and enjoy this great existence. Perhaps I used to be one of those people who thought that sunny, hot weather meant happiness, but after adapting to a much more free life style I've experienced happiness "outside the weather" if you will. I've spent a rainy, cold autumn in a small city in New Zealand, wrapped up in warm blankets watching TV shows and baking; to be fair on another occasion I took a month to island hop around Fiji with my main objective to acquire a tan. I succeeded in relaxing and enjoying my time, making the best of it, no matter what the weather.
Someone once said "weather is a state of mind". I believe that means when you're happy with who you are and how you live your life then you won't need sunshiny tropics to feel good.
Ps. Right now I live in Japan, it's a spring day and it's raining. And can you imagine it; I feel good.
Friday 29 April 2016
Friday 1 April 2016
New beginnings....yet again. Hello, Japan!
Here I go again.
Leaving the seemingly comforting idleness of my parents' house (and my home country) after a short visit was both exciting and terrifying. I felt the same warm rush of energy go through me as I always do when I embark on a new journey. Every time I jump head first to a new adventure there are still butterflies in my stomach although I've been traveling "professionally" for almost six years now. It's a sensation that's both wonderful and scary!
En route to Japan my mind was jumping all over the place. On one hand the experienced world traveler in me was relaxed, confident and had a strong knowledge that things will always work out. On the other hand I was a bundle of nerves, questioning my irrational jump to the unknown - yet again - and my biggest worry was hammering at the back of my head over and over again: what if I won't find a job in Japan after all?
A friend of mine who has also spent many of her years traveling and living abroad once told me that she keeps getting herself into situations that are challenging, nerve-wracking and out of her comfort zone. And that she absolutely loves it! For if not for those sensations of butterflies fluttering inside you, the "putting yourself out there" thrust and then the amazing rush afterwards, what is there to live for? What she said made me think about my life style in a new light. After pondering about things a bit I realized that those extreme sensations were exactly what kept me going, too: the thrill is addictive.
Throughout these years of traveling I've been in many situations that have been out of my comfort zone and those have been the situations that have forced me to grow as a person. Let's be honest: when everything is going smoothly and as planned, there is no thrill nor are you challenged to better yourself in any way. But a lot of "personality nonsense" such as excess vanity, self delusions and pride gets stripped away when you step out of your comfort zone over and over and over again. In a way you could say that stepping outside your comfort zone becomes less uncomfortable.
This time around arriving in Japan wasn't as big a step to the unknown as it could've been as I was lucky to have a friend here, a beacon of comfort that has certainly made me feel like home in a very short time. Unlike other countries before where I have traveled to in search of a new beginning, now I have been lucky to have a person to lean on. It has really made a difference this time and though I definitely still know I've taken a step out of my comfort zone I am completely enjoying the ride that I'm on. How's that for a paradox!
For now I have no idea what's in store for me in Japan - and I'm enjoying the uncertainty.
Leaving the seemingly comforting idleness of my parents' house (and my home country) after a short visit was both exciting and terrifying. I felt the same warm rush of energy go through me as I always do when I embark on a new journey. Every time I jump head first to a new adventure there are still butterflies in my stomach although I've been traveling "professionally" for almost six years now. It's a sensation that's both wonderful and scary!
En route to Japan my mind was jumping all over the place. On one hand the experienced world traveler in me was relaxed, confident and had a strong knowledge that things will always work out. On the other hand I was a bundle of nerves, questioning my irrational jump to the unknown - yet again - and my biggest worry was hammering at the back of my head over and over again: what if I won't find a job in Japan after all?
A friend of mine who has also spent many of her years traveling and living abroad once told me that she keeps getting herself into situations that are challenging, nerve-wracking and out of her comfort zone. And that she absolutely loves it! For if not for those sensations of butterflies fluttering inside you, the "putting yourself out there" thrust and then the amazing rush afterwards, what is there to live for? What she said made me think about my life style in a new light. After pondering about things a bit I realized that those extreme sensations were exactly what kept me going, too: the thrill is addictive.
Throughout these years of traveling I've been in many situations that have been out of my comfort zone and those have been the situations that have forced me to grow as a person. Let's be honest: when everything is going smoothly and as planned, there is no thrill nor are you challenged to better yourself in any way. But a lot of "personality nonsense" such as excess vanity, self delusions and pride gets stripped away when you step out of your comfort zone over and over and over again. In a way you could say that stepping outside your comfort zone becomes less uncomfortable.
This time around arriving in Japan wasn't as big a step to the unknown as it could've been as I was lucky to have a friend here, a beacon of comfort that has certainly made me feel like home in a very short time. Unlike other countries before where I have traveled to in search of a new beginning, now I have been lucky to have a person to lean on. It has really made a difference this time and though I definitely still know I've taken a step out of my comfort zone I am completely enjoying the ride that I'm on. How's that for a paradox!
For now I have no idea what's in store for me in Japan - and I'm enjoying the uncertainty.
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