It doesn't matter where I am, I'm still the same crazy Finnish girl who stays up all the hours to watch ice hockey. :D I really did stay up all last night to watch all quarter-final games. What could be better than a big screen and no one interrupting the watching? Only thing I’m not happy about is that the games start with half an hour delay on Youtube, but hey, you can’t have everything. I just have to stay out of Facebook and Finnish news sites during the games so I can watch without knowing the result. Knowing the result just ruins all the excitement. There’s no game I would watch and wouldn’t care which one of the teams win, I always have my favourite. There isn’t always any reason how I have my favourite, but who cares? But you bet I’m always on Finland’s side when they are playing!

When you’re travelling you can do your research on hostels and pick the one you like. It’s your choice and you’ve been able to do all you research where do you want it to be, what you want from the place and so on. If you want to have a supermarket next to it, do your research. It’s not the hostel’s fault if supermarket is bit of a walk away. And it certainly is rude to go rolling your eyes and saying isn’t there anything closer by, especially when the person you’re talking to tries to give your options of walking to the supermarket or a smaller grocery shop or getting a lift to a supermarket. If you’re having a bad day, don’t take it on people who are trying to help you. I really wasn’t proud to be Finnish when I heard this story of the rude Finnish girl today.

This is where I spend a lot of my time when I'm not working.

A couple of weeks ago we had some Finnish girls staying at the hostel and I made the mistake telling them I’m Finnish. After that I said I won’t tell I’m Finnish for Finnish people that stay here. I just can’t speak Finnish in this environment! And yesterday we knew we had a couple of Finnish girls coming, and what Bill did? He had told a Finnish girl to speak in Finnish to me. I was talking in the reception with Lyn when this Finnish girl came to the front desk, she said something and I just said “Sorry?”.  And Bill just laughed.  



I may not always eat healthily,
but I couldn't eat this for breakfast!

Sometimes when I’m too lazy to cook anything for lunch or I haven’t been shopping for anything so I opt for an easy way and get just some take away food. I know it’s not that healthy, but I just can’t be bothered to cook every day. And when you’ve work hard for a few hours and would need the food right away, it’s just too easy to go and buy something. It doesn’t help that you can get a chicken n’ cheese burger for $2 in McDonald’s. I often find myself walking there to buy ice cream as well, maybe too often! This week has been bad considering I’ve gone to McDonald’s a bit too many times! I should get worried if the boy at the counter recognizes me! :D

On one of my days off I headed to Maryborough. It’s nothing special, but it’s nice to get away from Hervey Bay and just walk around in a new place. It’s a small place but it was a beautiful day to walk around and sit in the park. I really liked the old buildings (not old in European standards, but old buildings for Australians) and I almost felt like stepping into a world a hundred years ago. It was also a day for Maryborough Heritage City Markets, which wasn’t anything that special but at least it brought some life to the city, at least I’m guessing so. And this month Maryborough has been on the news because there has been sighting of a big saltwater croc in Mary River near Maryborough. It’s the first ever confirmed sighting of a saltwater croc this far south. I wouldn’t want to see it close by!

For all people I left behind back home I’m travelling around and seeing new places. But at the moment I’m just living pretty normal daily life of a working person. There’s nothing special, I’m just living here and working. And I do like it a lot! The weather is definitely better here and surroundings are a little bit different. It’s great that after working I can just walk to the beach and enjoy the sun, can’t do that too often in Finland. But it’s also a different kind of job that I have here than I did back in Finland. If someone thinks I worked a lot sometimes back in Finland, it’s nothing compared to the work here sometimes. And even when I have time off I’m partly in a working mode. Only because I’m not only working, I’m also living in the place I work in. And if someone comes up to me and asks something I’m not going to say I’m having a day off, go and ask someone else, it’s not in my nature to be rude or unhelpful. It’s sometimes hard, but it’s my own choice to work here. And I really do like my job. But I must admit that I’m waiting for my weekend off in Noosa next week!

"They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything."
- Bil Keane -