Life in Birmingham

I got a bit rough start when I moved to Birmingham. I came here excited and ready to settle down. At least to tick the box in my bucket list " live somewhere for more than a year". I ended up without money, bank account - scammed and scared.  There was all the odds that I could have grown to dislike Birmingham as it didn't welcome me in the best way. Luckily I have such a strong safety network: friends and family who helped me in need. Even my new colleagues and my landlady offered to help me. I was welcomed by the people in here which helped me to look past the incidents in the beginning.


Symphony hall

After a couple of months without money (I have done that during my studies, it is kinda good exercise for everyone. One really finds out where all that money goes :D) I finally got my bank account and even my scammed credit card was refunded, and life started to look quite nice. I have my flat which I share with one flatmate who is also my landlady. It is actually a house, semidetached like a proper British house. We have a small garden with a compost (and a garden next summer!), two floors (all carpeted of course) and our own rooms as well as nice common areas which she has decorated. My roommate is surprisingly similar to me and we get along well. Social when we feel like it and free to be antisocial when we don't.

My home street // kotikatu

The house is freaking cold. All the stereotypes of English houses are true. And I finally understood why the young Britons can manage to walk outside with short skirts and t-shirts even in winter. It is because it is as cold inside as it is outside! Not kidding. They have gotten used to it. And surprisingly, I think I have now as well. I was absolutely freezing the first months but now I am under two blankets, with long sleeves and woollen socks and I am perfectly fine :P

By the canals // Birminghamin kanaaleilla

In addition to having a nice place to live I have been very lucky with my job. I am really enjoying it and to be honest, for the first time I feel like I am actually building a career in something that is not only useful for me in the future but exactly what I want to do. I still have my dream about MY hotel but juggling the numbers is something every manager needs to do and this future manager really enjoys doing. Who would have guessed! :D I am responsible of the daily revenue management of 4 soon to be 5 hotels and even though I wake up sometimes thinking about work I go there happily - even on Mondays.

View from our office // näkymä toimiston ikkunasta

One of the main things why I like to go to work is of course the people. We have a very multicultural team of people more less the same age as me. It is great to work with people who are ambitious and even though we kind of compete in our performance everyone is nice and helpful. To be honest in England they kind of over-do the politeness which is often a complete scam. Some pretend to be nice which is enough if you just need help and don't care what they say about you afterwards. If you can look past this gossiping, people are nice over all. And of course not everyone is like that. I have found awesome people with whom I like to spend time also during free time. I have had good parties, great dinners (so far at least Persian, italian, thai, indian, romanian etc one great advantage of multicultural city), funny games, disgusting shots, good talks and maaaaaaaaany after works in pubs. We even have a "local" next to our working place which is something very British and I love it :D

I have really enjoyed the life so far in Birmingham. I loved my masters but now when they are over I  cherish the evenings when I don't have to study unless I feel like reading something. I thoroughly enjoy Saturday mornings when I can go to gym, eat a big breakfast and decide if I feel like going somewhere (like museum, café or something like that as there are plenty of options), meet friends or if I just want to watch Netflix and do laundry :D Even though Birmingham is not definitely the prettiest city in the world or England it is lively, colourful, multicultural and has many things to do. Yep, I  am excited about this new year. I feel like I will enjoy living here as young professional :)

Biketrip 2: From Balloch to Tyndrum and around

kyllä tällä pelillä kulkee  //
the lead actor in this play

Tämä kyltti oli tervetullut, kun 60 kilometrin matkasta viimeiset pari tuntia oli ylämäkeä. Otin kyllä niin rauhassa että matkaan meni koko päivä mutta mikäs siinä ihmetellessä kun maisemat olivat niin upiat :) //
This sign was most welcomed because the last 2 hours of my 60 kilometers trip was uphill. I took my time and spent the day enjoying the trip and amazing views.

 

Tyndrumin hautausmaalla ei ole tunkua //
Tyndrum cemetery



Tallustelin eilen pari tuntia ympäri Tyndrumin maastoa ja lueskelin mitä upeimmissa maisemissa //
I walked around yesterday and I have to say that the views where I read my book have never been better :)

<3 scotland



Vasemmanpuoleinen liikenne käytössä //
sheep know their traffic rules

Lehmä-selfie //
cow-fie

ihan vaan selfie. Tänään jatkuu matka eteenpäin. Skotlannissa kuulemma sataa reippaasti yli 200 päivää  vuodessa. Nyt uskon... // Just a selfie. I continue my trip today. They say that it rains in Scotland way ovcr 200 days a year. Now I can believe that ..

Dates by myself - why is lone traveling such a taboo

Like completely alone in the movies, spooky
/
"yksin leffaan" sai uuden merkityksen, en nyt olis aivan
kokonaan yksinäni tarvinnu koko leffateatteria

I had a great day couple of weeks ago. A sunny day off, loooong breakfast at home, newspaper, coffee and all sort of food I like. Then I took a bus to Christchurch, wandered around, went to see birds to the riverside, visited a church and ate a second breakfast as a lunch because bfast food is amazing. Then I took a bus to Bournemouth, went to the movies, ate as much of popcorn I liked and even studied when I was waiting for the movie cos I felt like it. After the movies (it was a movie called "The theory of everything" and I cried like a girl) I went to one restaurant which had live jazz and had a delicious glass of red wine, read my book and watched people. Then I went home content and sleepy.

Beautiful church of Christchurch
/
Kävin Chrichurchissa päiväretkellä itsekseni

The day was exactly how I liked it. But when my friends heard about it they were feeling sorry for me and some called me "so Finnish" -  why didnt I ask anyone to go with me. It is hard to explain, but after traveling alone in Asia, it is very natural for me. Week after my perfect date with myself I went to London alone, just for fun for one night since I had to attend a seminar in there anyway. I bought a ticket to London Symphony Orchestra concert, it was on my "must do" list and I waited for it eagerly. I enjoyed the concert and the small trip enormously.
 

London Symphony Orchestra, loved it
/
Kävin Lontoossa ja toteutin yhden haaveistani. Lontoon sinfoniaorkesterin
konsertti oli upea kokemus

So this made me to think, why is lone traveling such a taboo? I mean, I would prefer to go to a concert with someone and would have loved to have someone to watch the superbowl after that but I wouldn't have stayed home just because I couldn't think of anyone who would like the same things. And the day-off was just perfect as it was, I got to do what I liked. Going with a group of friends (asking everyone if this or that is okay and if everyone want to go and see the same things) is not always the best way to do things. And when traveling a "loner" gets to know easily the locals since one person is easily approachable - or what do I know, maybe they just pity me :)


My dear new friends
/
uusia ystäviäni

I came across with an observational research done by one student who studied how it feels to eat alone while traveling. Pure existence of that study tells something about this time. There are more and more people doing this odd thing of traveling alone and finally some companies are waking up and offering packages for single travelers. Intermediaries seem to be quite fixed with their options - do you want a flight and double-room or a flight and a twin room - for one or two travellers. Meanwhile social media and new services like Eatwith are making it easier for "loners" to find company for dinner in their travels - if they wish to have it.  


Girls night out with cocktails and Mr Grey
/
Tyttöjenilta, namidrinkkejä ja hömppäleffa

I get this feeling that in every text I write I end up pondering how to find a balance. But that really is the issue in here as well :) I have to admit that sometimes I am too fixed in doing things alone and I forget how to behave in a group. To start with I forget to ask other girls to go to the ladies room together or wait outside if someone goes (which is funny but a thing people do naturally) or to agree to meet people just to go to the bus stop together. But I also forget to ask if someone really would be interested in classical concert or second breakfast and I just assume and go alone.
 
All in all I think that doing things alone shouldn't be terrifying or pitied, being a single might not be your own choice but what to do while single is. And just to remind myself - doing things with friends is fun too. And compromising and doing things which wouldn't be your own ideas should also exist in good friendships and not just in relationships. There is so much to see and so much to do alone or together :)