I think returning "home" from any vacation is a drag but it is particularly hard when you are returning exhausted from your vacation. I must admit, it feels kind of strange to refer to Finland as "home". This is the first time I have referred to Finland as such. I realized from the time we landed back in Finland, and was greeted by signs that were posted in English as well. In Munich, most signs and postings are in German, so it takes a little extra thought and time to decode information. Munich is an amazing city with so much culture per square inch- it's overwhelming. It is a happening place with smartly dressed people who seem to be making things happen. I have been debating about how best to blog about our time in Bavaria. Honestly, we saw and did so much, that I am still processing it. There is so much history in Munich. Standing amidst that level of history is... heavy. I am still in the process of going through and organizing pictures; trying to remember what very important piece of history is in each picture. I plan to post pictures and details in my blog but I need time to get my pictures and facts straight.
Political Ambush
Being in Finland has been quite the political buffer. I cringe to say this, but I don't really know what is going on in US politics, and it has been... refreshing. Every now and again, I will catch a bit of US politics when surfing channels- we have an international CNN that is in English, but, most of the time I am oblivious. Yesterday, I got a different kind of reminder. I met some friends at a local cafe to catch up after our vacations. We were only there 5 minutes when there was a commotion. Apparently, one of the front runners for Finland's presidency, had planned a campaign speech for that exact same time and place. I thought it was a novel experience... for about 5 minutes. After about 30 minutes into the speech (that was all in Finnish), I was reminded of all the wonderful speeches I must be missing in the US. I probably got as much out of this Finnish politician's speech as I do from a US a politician's... I didn't understand a thing! I must do better if I am going to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
Also, today I participated in my first aerobics class in years, in Finnish I might add. I wish I could blame my poor performance on the language barrier. Unfortunately, my coordination is to blame. It was fun though. I am beginning to relish being outside my "comfort zone". I'm afraid comfortable may feel a bit mundane now.
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