Can learning a language really change your personality? I think so. But the funny thing is, it does so naturally. So that we don’t notice, unless we’re paying really close attention. Blink and you’ll miss it. I had never noticed this before a couple weeks ago.

It’s July.
The weather has been freaking awesome and you deserve to enjoy it. Take a break from whatever you think you need to be doing and head outside: Kick a ball around, call some friends, have a picnic; or just grab a book and go soak up the sun.

When moving abroad, you quickly notice some differences in how people interact from strangers to family. In my case, I noticed that I was the only person smiling at strangers on the street in Tampere, Finland, whereas I’d never even questioned why everyone smiled at each other in Canada. I made a decision in 2010 to change my ways and adapt, but a couple weeks ago, I decided to revisit that decision from a new perspective.

In January, I came across an interesting event going down in Berlin in June and I thought I’d register: a Polyglot Gathering in Berlin. For people who have a passion for and speak many different languages, that sounded like a fun way to nerd out on some grammar talks. Well the event is over, and I can tell you I got a lot more than I bargained for. I’m struggling to find the words to explain it all but if you’ve been on exchange, you might recognize this as a mini-exchange…

Juhannus is coming up so I figured many of you may be headed to mökki about this time, and as always, nudity is part of the experience. As much as I would’ve liked to have been raised in a nudity-friendly culture, I wasn’t. And changing this mindset has not been easy…

Foreigner, immigrant, resident, alien, newcomer, stranger, non-Finn, [insert your nationality here], visitor, tourist, expat, minority, migrant, settler, floater, exchange student, finnophile, English speaker, international student, asylum seeker, refugee, outsider, gypsy, wanderer, outlander, nomad, new kid on the block: all words for people who don’t belong.

But what happens when none of these words seem to fit quite right?

I have a confession to make…

Summer seems to be rearing its head and Finland is really starting to come alive. I’m not just talking about weather here – people are outside! Avid people watchers have loads to ogle as millions take to the streets: dogs, couples, families, hipsters and fashionistas in throngs – all out enjoying the sunshine.

City life is quite shockingly unrecognizable.

We’ve all been there – stress, uncertainty, confusion – it doesn’t always take much but we manage to get lost in our heads and complain to anyone who will listen, while closing our eyes to the rest of the world. In today’s post I share one of my favourite quotes and explain why it’ll easily remind you to take your head out of your own butt (in a nice way 🙂 ).

The stage is set, the lights are dim. A man you’ve never seen before walks out on stage, takes his position and waits for his cue…