23.09.2012 – Why haven’t I been posting?

Well, if you’re new to this blog, I’ll give you a short intro. Within one and a half years of moving to my new country, Finland, I opened the first self-serve frozen yogurt bar in Helsinki called Yobot. I’ve been open for six months now, just long enough to take a step back and take a deep breath and reflect on what’s happened.

I thought it would be good to share my experience. The idea of this blog will change from exploring my new home country to the life of an entrepreneur in Finland.

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01.02.2012 – I was thinking of finding three pictures to represent 2011 but I could barely get through last December. So much has been happening this year, I decided to change careers and open a frozen yogurt cafe, I took up salsa dancing lessons to “unwind” and I’ve met a great group of people who are like a small family and I’ve settled into my new home country, Finland. Wow. This is only scratching the surface. When I think of what’s transpired over the last year, at times I think things aren’t happening soon enough (the cafe!) but I can’t help admitting the last year has been a blur. I can’t say I hope 2012 will be better because I’ve loved so much about 2011 (the friends and family!) but I am looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store. I know it’s going to be interesting I hope yours is too!

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12.13.11 – Stockmann, Helsinki‘s most iconic department store, located in the city center, always has a Christmas display in one of their corner windows. There’s raised walkway for children to walk up to get a closer view. There’s a tram stop next to the display and when I’m there, I always love trying to get some shots of the little kids “soaking up” the holiday spirit. Always warms my heart!

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12.11.11 – Here’s another great 3 Pix and a Post from my friend Dave. He’s spending his first Christmas season in his new home in Florida which is in many ways different from his old home in Michigan. 

Dear Friends,

You might be wondering what the Christmas season is like down here in south Florida. First of all, not only is there no snow, but there is zero possibility of getting any snow. Ever! There was a cold front that went through here this morning and the temperature dropped down to 73 degrees. The people who have lived here for a long time and have gotten used to the temperature being about 85 all the time were all dressed up in long pants, flannel shirts, hoodies, and talking about how cold it was. Not me, though. I thought it was pretty nice.

But, there isn’t any snow, and I think I will never get used to that at Christmas time. I hope I never get used to it. If I do, I will feel like I’ve lost something very special. There are leaves on all the trees, the grass is green, there’s butterflies and flowers…but no snow at Christmas is never going to feel quite right.

There are Christmas decorations here. Lots of houses in the neighborhood have the lights on at night with little Santa’s, reindeer, stars, manger scenes, wise men, all the usual stuff. While I was out walking after dinner last night, I was admiring some of the displays around where I live. Aside from the obvious strangeness of walking around in shorts and flip-flops in December looking at Christmas decorations, there was something else that struck me as strange that, at first, I could not quite figure out. Then, it dawned on me. As I stood there in the glow of colored lights that spiraled up the trunk of a palm tree, I could hear the chirping of crickets. That was weird.

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12.10.11 – My usual morning routines these days is to ride the tram from my place with Max on his way to school in Katajanokka in the morning. I hate working at home so after we leave each other I head to my favorite “office” these days, Cafe Carusel, located in Eira down by the waterline. I usually walk along the coast, past the Kauppatori and harbor where the Silja and Viking lines come and go, because the cafe doesn’t open until 9am. I have time to kill The walks these days have been exceptionally beautiful because the timing coincides with the sunrise which makes for some beautiful shots… and memories.

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12.04.11 - Maybe not the best pictures but I really like the first.

The Helsinki dance school, Baila Baila, had a pikkujoluosalsat party, a little Christmas party this past Friday. My two sisters Kim and Jackie, and my friend Dave have been having a Hipstamatic photo challenge once a week so I was lucky and grabbed a shot at the party for this weeks challenge, “photo representing something from a Christmas song.” The guys in the photos are three Cubans who live in Helsinki. They were dancing together getting all the (mainly ladies!) people on the dance floor and dancing with them. I thought of the song We Three Kings.

It was a great party!

08.10.11 – Life has been crazy lately! My last couple of weeks have left me feeling “in the weeds.” I’ve been running around trying to deal with building inspectors, the health department and realtors trying to find a suitable space for the cafe. Emma also started football (soccer) practice with a group that practices on the outskirts of Helsinki, so I’ve been trying to show her how to get out to practice by riding with her on the buses. No big deal but the round trip by bus is an hour and a half

While Emma was practicing with her team I had some time to kill so I wandered around the field and found some colorful bushes to take some shots of. Not the best post but I hope you enjoy the shots.

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29.08.11 – My world is picking up momentum once again. It’s a bit more than a month since summer solstice has passed and the Earth’s movement away from the sun, here in the North on the top of the world, is made obvious by the dramatic sunsets. Although I’m not looking forward to the Winter months ahead, I can still enjoy the evenings on my balcony as the sunsets grow longer and approach 5 minutes earlier each day.

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23.08.11 – Chaos and order, I loves it! I get both when I’m walking out on the platforms of Helsinki Central Railway Station. The main building of the station is constructed of Finnish granite but the platforms behind the station are covered by a glass roof supported by a complex pattern of steel bars and flourescent lights. I find myself looking up to the glass roof as I make my way to my track, finding a vanishing point and admiring how the various patterns morph.

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18.08.11 – I was looking over some pictures from this summer and there are some I didn’t have time to post because I was having so much fun. This was a great summer. Lots of karaoke, salsa dancing and visits from friends and family. These shots were from a mini-road trip I took a month back. I headed to Tampere, Finland for a salsa event and had to drive to Jaana’s parents summerhouse the next day in Padasjoki, Finland. I’ve barely used my car since I moved here but this was the perfect opportunity for me to make the most of my Honda Element. I danced (well, maybe more watched) till 4AM and then headed out of Tampere where I found a beautiful little campground, about 20 km out of the city, pulled over, laid the seats back and spread out my comforters. After 4 hours of sleep, I headed to Padasjoki to play in the annual farmers vs. summerhouse people’s pesäpallo, Finnish baseball, game. What a great weekend!

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