New Year, New Home, New Beginnings...
2008 was a tough year. Despite the fleeting moments of joy, happiness, comfort, I'm mostly aware of the struggling, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. There were too many drunken nights and the ever-pounding anxiety keeping my heart captive. There was also growth. I started therapy at the end of September and have already been able to access places I never wanted to return to. Growing and learning how to grow has been extremely painful. Continues to be. It requires all my strength to continue probing those buried, nearly forgotten memories.
L and I went through a relationship crisis, then found eachother again, fell in love again, again, again. New courses, new friends, new actions I thought I'd never do. Hurting my beloved. Regret, remorse. And growth again. More understanding. Some things lost, other things gained.
And now, it's the beginning of january. The virgin voyage of the new year, and of my 26th year. At the end of this month I will turn 25; another cycle completed. By then, I will be living in Kallio, one of the most eccentric, quirky, and restless neighborhoods of Helsinki. For the first time in my life I'll be living near the city center, near tramway tracks, next to and accross from bars, sex shops, peep shows, and vegetarian restaurants. The Meira Coffee Factory is a stone's throw away. The beautiful Kallio church another stone's through in the other direction. I'll be close to two yoga studios (finally!), close to the University, walking distance from grocery stores, Alko, cafés, the metro, The Lesbian Bar, the bong stores (ha!), and Piritori, the meeting place of money for drugs/sex for drugs and late-night urine trails and broken beer bottles. The Whole of Helsinki at my fingertips. I can't wait.
We are moving in less than two weeks. A whirlwind weekend of apartment hunting and showings, and finally landing the cozy 50m2 blue-kitchened apartment on Vaasankatu. Our landlords are a young couple about to have their second baby who chose us from among at least 10 other couples at yesterday's showing. The whole place has been redone in 2003 and has hardwood floors and a bubbly personality. At least 35m2 of our apartment is in the livingroom, where we can finally hang all the artwork we own, have a little work corner, and finally invest in a coffee table! For pics of the apartment go to www.oikotie.fi/aptsearch_forrent and choose number 23 A. There's pics of the kitchen, bedroom, a view from the livingroom into the kitchen, and a view from the front door into the apartment. Here! That's my new home! We're moving on the 17th-18th. So soon! So Soon!
Oh, and for those of you in the area, we are having a little flea-market probably on the 18th at our current apartment to un-clutter and give away things we can't take to our new place. All furniture, clothing, shoes, decorations, and electronics are in either good condition or completely unused. You can donate to our moving fund whatever you feel like giving for the items you'd like. We'll be serving some nibblies and maybe some of Laura's yummy punch :) Stop by! And if you have a car and/or would like to help with the move, we'd greatly appreciate it!
So here's a toast (of coffee) to new beginnings, and to a year of de-cluttering and de-stressing.
Om shanti.
L and I went through a relationship crisis, then found eachother again, fell in love again, again, again. New courses, new friends, new actions I thought I'd never do. Hurting my beloved. Regret, remorse. And growth again. More understanding. Some things lost, other things gained.
And now, it's the beginning of january. The virgin voyage of the new year, and of my 26th year. At the end of this month I will turn 25; another cycle completed. By then, I will be living in Kallio, one of the most eccentric, quirky, and restless neighborhoods of Helsinki. For the first time in my life I'll be living near the city center, near tramway tracks, next to and accross from bars, sex shops, peep shows, and vegetarian restaurants. The Meira Coffee Factory is a stone's throw away. The beautiful Kallio church another stone's through in the other direction. I'll be close to two yoga studios (finally!), close to the University, walking distance from grocery stores, Alko, cafés, the metro, The Lesbian Bar, the bong stores (ha!), and Piritori, the meeting place of money for drugs/sex for drugs and late-night urine trails and broken beer bottles. The Whole of Helsinki at my fingertips. I can't wait.
We are moving in less than two weeks. A whirlwind weekend of apartment hunting and showings, and finally landing the cozy 50m2 blue-kitchened apartment on Vaasankatu. Our landlords are a young couple about to have their second baby who chose us from among at least 10 other couples at yesterday's showing. The whole place has been redone in 2003 and has hardwood floors and a bubbly personality. At least 35m2 of our apartment is in the livingroom, where we can finally hang all the artwork we own, have a little work corner, and finally invest in a coffee table! For pics of the apartment go to www.oikotie.fi/aptsearch_forrent and choose number 23 A. There's pics of the kitchen, bedroom, a view from the livingroom into the kitchen, and a view from the front door into the apartment. Here! That's my new home! We're moving on the 17th-18th. So soon! So Soon!
Oh, and for those of you in the area, we are having a little flea-market probably on the 18th at our current apartment to un-clutter and give away things we can't take to our new place. All furniture, clothing, shoes, decorations, and electronics are in either good condition or completely unused. You can donate to our moving fund whatever you feel like giving for the items you'd like. We'll be serving some nibblies and maybe some of Laura's yummy punch :) Stop by! And if you have a car and/or would like to help with the move, we'd greatly appreciate it!
So here's a toast (of coffee) to new beginnings, and to a year of de-cluttering and de-stressing.
Om shanti.