From the last page of my diary
(Reflecting on my journey of 2022)
It has been a custom of mine to summarize the year in my diary. I know, it’s late to publish this article but I believe that the freshness of the new year hasn’t faded in our minds yet. So, here I present a wrap-up of the year 2022.
Dear Diary,
I’m happy to have reached this page which is the last
page of 2022. The time has come to reflect on the happenings of 2022 and it’s
hard to believe that this year passed too quickly like all other years.
Ignoring the turmoil of recent days from the news of my relative’s health
condition, If I close my eyes to read my emotions for the year 2022, it has been a
wonderful year for me which gave me enough experiences to explore the world.
Chinese New Year |
In the first half of the year, I got an opportunity to
witness the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong which fell in the month of February. The
vibes and decoration of this festival filled my heart with joy. As a part of
the ritual of this festival, I received some Laisee from my colleagues and gave
some too. Really, festivals give a break to the ordinarily-appearing life and
bring immense joy. Professionally, I entered a phase of facing and solving real-world problems after completing my probation period. I enjoyed my work life even though it was a little hectic for me to travel and bonded with my
colleagues well. With a resolution to improve myself, I took up many
#100DaysOfX challenges like #100DaysOfWriting,#100DaysOfReading,#100DaysOfCode, and #100DaysOfMeditation. Out of these challenges, I gave up on
#100DaysOfMeditation too soon while sticking around for other challenges to
complete them. Luckily, I am now able to continue with the second round of
these challenges for #100DaysOfWriting, #100DaysOfReading, and #100DaysOfCode. I
started writing actively in my technical blog – Coding Concoction.
I strongly believe in the power of habits to transform life and little habits,
like these create a great impact in the long run. Due to these challenges, I
could complete reading 17/26 books that I picked up this year, written several
articles/gratitude emails/poems, etc, and coded more than ever before. I am on a 521-day
strike in Duolingo for learning Finnish and German. In short, I have
accomplished more than I can ever imagine.
In the middle of life and job, destiny had a different
plan. My husband got an offer to move to Finland in the second half of the
year. We had to bid adieu to the country, Hong Kong which had hosted us for
a year and a half and provided us a lot of memories to cherish for life. I loved
exploring Hong Kong, and the fast-paced urban life taught me to always keep moving
and learning. Before relocating to Finland, I decided to meet my family and
attend the most awaited function, my sister’s wedding. It was a great reunion
after a long time and life gave me chance to fly to my homeland through a
transit country, Thailand. Even though my travel in the COVID era was hectic, but it was all worth it in the end when I met my family.
The second half of the year was all about moving to
Finland, coping with the weather, getting to know the country, and settling
there for a while before any change of plan. It was for the first time I traveled
with my husband by flight, and it was my longest trip by the flight of duration 9
hours from Delhi to Helsinki. This new country was colder, quieter, and more
spacious than Hong Kong. Every moment of my stay in this country, made me
realize why it has been able to secure the tag of “The Happiest country” in the
world five times in a row. So, we started living in the capital, Helsinki,
close to the city center, which made it possible for me to avail all modes of
transport, including Tram, bus, Metro, Train, and even public rental cycle stands.
There’s a provision for renting cycles from March-October. The month of June
urged one to put on a jacket to face 9 degrees Celsius. I also had never
experienced uneven distribution of hours for day and night based on seasons.
During summer, referring to June-July, the sun would be in the sky till 1 a.m. and rise at 4a.m. I could never imagine, just 3-4 hours of blank out in a day
during summer. The weekend would bring a little hustle bustle in the area we lived
because of the presence of small Cafés and Restaurants.
Living in the proximity of the City Centre made it very
convenient for me to explore nearby places. We lived just 3 tram stations away
from the City Center and it took just 10 minutes to reach there. I explored the National
Museum of Finland, the Cathedral, Sibelius Park, the Sibelius Monument, the Central Railway Station, Malls like Forum, Sokos, the City
Center, Mall of Tripla, Restaurants like Gandhi, Maharaja,
etc. As a person of books, I explored the Library of Töölö, Central Library Oodi, Rikhardinkatu Library etc., and got a chance to read a lot of books written during World War II and Nazi rule.
The sight of a tram passing just in front of my
apartment was something unusual for someone like me who has relied more on
private modes of transport like cars, cabs, taxis, rickshaws, etc. There was a unique calmness even in the sound
of the passing tram and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with this place,
but I had to remind myself about the fact that the apartment we had booked,
was for a temporary stay. We stayed in Helsinki for 1.5 months and moved to the Espoo region, closer to my husband’s workplace. We booked an apartment close to the Metro station and it was now about 15 km away from the Central Railway
Station. This region was too peaceful, and I often missed the hustle-bustle of
Helsinki. My usual outing decreased which gave me ample time for hobbies like
reading, writing, and singing. I received certificates for my performance in two
of the contests in Smule and collaborated with wonderful singers around the
world.
Celebration of Rath Yatra,Helsinki |
My search for Indian restaurants, Libraries, Indian
grocery stores, job opportunities, etc. began in this region too. The nearest
one is Iso Omena, Matinkylä. I found a library to
continue with my reading challenge. I came across various Indian communities to
celebrate Rath Yatra, Janmashthami, Saibaba’s Punya Tithi,
Diwali, Kartika Purnima, Christmas, etc. I got a chance to
meet many Indians through such gatherings and events. During September, we
planned a short trip to Tallinn, Estonia, and Stockholm, Sweden.
It was a wonderful trip by cruise. I can’t forget my experience of singing “My
Heart will go on” on a Karaoke, on the cruise. Some experiences are for a lifetime, and I got to strike out a lot of things from my bucket list this
year.
View from the window of my living room |
With the advent of winter in October, there came
the season of snow. It was my first experience of witnessing snowfall and
coping with negative temperatures. Thankfully the temperature inside my
apartment is well taken care of, and I am always so grateful to be able to look
at the magnificent view of snow-clad trees from the comfort of my living
room.
This year has been wonderful for me which helped
me to tick off so many things from my bucket list. It threw challenges towards me to test my strength and I discovered a lot about myself for that. There have
been some pending tasks in the field of learning that I want to continue doing
but I have no regrets about anything. Like every year, my priority for this year
stays the same; the well-being of my family and friends. I would like to make some
deep and genuine connections for a lifetime.
With a sense of gratitude, I end my writing here. See
you soon in a brand-New Year!!
Thank You 2022 and Goodbye 2022!
Welcome 2023!!
Yours lovingly
Swati
No comments:
Post a Comment