I came home yesterday evening and as soon as I stepped out from the airport building to a brisk -14’C winter weather the coldness hit my lungs and it felt a bit hard to breath at first. It was strange as I didn’t remember how the cold air really does that to you and for a split second I felt like an outsider, a non-native. And as silly as it sounds, it made me feel a little sad as I could see how I had become a little alienated from my Finnishness. From what I once took for granted and from what I hardly ever thought as it was so natural to me. Hence, the white-blue talk.
Mum and I drove home and I was really stunned by the amount of snow! Normally at this time of the year, Helsinki doesn’t have this much snow or such low temperature, but this year it is different and I do have to say that it looks and feels lovely. It is like a true winter wonderland here. Whoop, bring on the ice skates! I’m, and always have been, such a winter person anyway so I don’t complain.
You know how people always say that they would like to move to somewhere warm to escape winter and then come back home for summer. I have always said that my ideal seasonal cycle would include winters in snowy and cold places, summers in Finland. I LOVE Helsinki in the summertime! For me there is no better place on earth. Autumns I would like to spend in places where you can see how nature changes its colours or garments, if you like, before preparing itself for winter. I have a lifelong dream of going to Lapland and seeing the proper autumn “ruska” in those lattitudes.
Surprisingly, I have never been a big fan of spring. People often say that spring, the beginning of something new, is the best time of the year, but for me it really does nothing. I would rather spend my springs somewhere warm –like in Hong Kong :)
So yeah back to main post; I woke up today at 10am and it was so peaceful and clean! Oh I love my mum. She has passed down her OCD cleaning habits on me, which is why I just feel so much happier in clean and simplistic environment. So yes, I blame on my mum when I’m occasionally nagging at Rob and Charlie on the state of our flat at times. I’m especially bad when it comes down to kitchen and toilets. I can’t help it! They need to be clean :D
Now I’m watching TV, which is a luxury since we don’t have a TV at home and even if we would, I wouldn’t have enough time to watch it, so I’m enjoying my TV quality time at the moment. I was just watching a new Stadi.tv channel, which I assume, is an independent small budget TV channel aired only in the capital area. They are showing local documentaries and little clips on what has happened throughout the year 2010 in Helsinki. One of the programmes was called Astu ovesta sisään which translates to step through the door. The programme was filmed last summer and a young very Scandinavian looking girl was interviewing small shop owners around the city. In this particular episode they filmed little art boutiques and second hand shops in a part of Helsinki called Arabianranta, which is the city's "Art and Design city community".
It was interesting to see how all the boutique owners and gallerists said exactly the same thing; they wanted to offer something different from the mainstream and avoid over-materialism by recycling. Most of them wanted to sell only something completely Finnish or Scandinavian with very simplistic and clear design and cuts. I like that and I think that is a good ethos behind your business. It differentiates these little shops from big department store and chains and luckily there is always a demand for good quality products that are “made in Finland”. Interestingly, you could argue that Finns are very similar to Japanese consumers in a sense of people are willing to pay a little bit more if they know that the products have better quality. Funnily enough, I just realised I’m actually drawing connections between my Business School modules and watching TV here! Well done lecturers!
And then again, I believe it is the same everywhere in the world and every region you go. It is true when people say that you should always try to buy local products. I completely agree. And you should always try to support smaller sized firms and entrepreneurs whenever possible too. It is almost like a punch to globalisation’s face, if you try to buy products that are made as close home as possible –regardless where you live. I sound very green here, don’t I?
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