Last week I just had to get some time off from this vicious cycle that being unemployed causes in ye ole noddle. I do tend to demand quite a lot from myself and this is not any different with the situation with finding a job: I never feel that I have done enough and that I should try even harder. This then leads to feeling guilty most of the time I do something else, or to regretting having spend time on “nonsense”. This takes out the joy of many, many things. In the end I end up spending more and more time psyching myself to keep on going and feeling bad about wasting this time…

This time the solution was to get out of my usual surroundings and head up route 4 (E75) to visit my family, friends and to spend some time in the solitude of our cabin. The destinations on my map were Jyväskylä, Viitasaari and Oulu.

After a quick pit-stop at my parents and at the cottage, I got a fantastic opportunity to see and experience a wholly new place in my small home country. I was invited for a visit by a nice and charming lady whom I met earlier this year, and whom I am privileged to call a friend. She showed me around the city – which I found to be a compelling combination of Lahti and Jyväskylä, my two favourite cities in this country – and of some of the cool nature surrounding the Uni area there. All in all I was impressed, and mark my word Oulu: I’ll be back!

After Oulu, Viitasaari and the solitude of the empty summer house awaited. Most of the time there went into self study, being scared of all the awesome sounds of nature and at cursing the wet firewood at the sauna… I did manage to sink the ice on our end of the lake though 😛

And last, in Jyväskylä I got the chance to see my family for the last time before heading out and we sat down for a nice family dinner during the Finnish independence day (a mere coincidence) – one of the things I have been missing the most from my early childhood and a thing that we have been trying to bring back.

All in all, the week had a pivotal role in supporting me through the hectic time just before the Asian Adventure begins. Without this I would be a nerve wreck by now… So thank you to everyone who contributed to this awesome week 🙂