Tales of a Roaming Wolf

The first time I flew was amazing! I’d never even been to an airport before and I really did feel afraid. Getting on the airplane was terrifying. My stomach was jerking and I felt like I was going to be sick. I packed my stuff away and sat down, thanking my lucky stars that I was only travelling from London to Finland. The airplane began to take off and I closed my eyes. I really expected that I was going to be sick, or that turbulence was going to shake me about. When we were levelling off, I realised that there was no need to worry!

I felt as though I were on top of the world! I found myself peering around the person against the window, just to watch the way that the clouds were puffed out and fluffy below us. Being able to catch the occasional glimpse of land and sea made me smile. As we came down towards Helsinki, I realised just how amazing arriving in a new country could be. I’d gone from a sea of buildings and motorways to a country where every single town/city was surrounded by trees and fertile forests. The ground was covered in snow and I fancied that as we got lower, I could feel the cold burning through me.

It was only when I left the plane that I realised the difference between winter, and snow, between the UK and Finland! I did notice that the cost of living differed between the UK and Finland – a can of Coke in particular was five times the expense in Finland – however that did not bother me in the slightest. The range of shops out there was amazing, from bookshops selling native Mythological works in English and Finnish to modern, recent releases in both languages. It was still an amazing experience and I’ll definitely be returning to other such countries – the culture difference there is something unbelievable…from the use of public transport to certain types of food eaten during the holidays.

The celebration I witnessed in particular was the celebration of the National poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg. I tried a savoury type of muffin as part of it – not to my taste, but something I’d try again just to make sure I didn’t like it! If I were to return again, I’d go to the Northern part of Finland, towards Lapland. It’s my ambition to see the Northern Lights one day! I know Finland is the best place to see them, so I know my destination – it’s just the journey there I need to work out!