From the last page of my diary

(Reflecting on my journey of 2022)

It has been a custom of mine to summarize the year in my diary. I know, it’s late to publish this article but I believe that the freshness of the new year hasn’t faded in our minds yet. So, here I present a wrap-up of the year 2022.

Dear Diary,

I’m happy to have reached this page which is the last page of 2022. The time has come to reflect on the happenings of 2022 and it’s hard to believe that this year passed too quickly like all other years. Ignoring the turmoil of recent days from the news of my relative’s health condition, If I close my eyes to read my emotions for the year 2022, it has been a wonderful year for me which gave me enough experiences to explore the world.

In the first half of the year, I got an opportunity to witness the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong which fell in the month of February. The vibes and decoration of this festival filled my heart with joy. As a part of the ritual of this festival, I received some Laisee from my colleagues and gave some too. Really, festivals give a break to the ordinarily-appearing life and bring immense joy. Professionally, I entered a phase of facing and solving real-world problems after completing my probation period. I enjoyed my work life even though it was a little hectic for me to travel and bonded with my colleagues well. With a resolution to improve myself, I took up many #100DaysOfX challenges like #100DaysOfWriting,#100DaysOfReading,#100DaysOfCode, and #100DaysOfMeditation. Out of these challenges, I gave up on #100DaysOfMeditation too soon while sticking around for other challenges to complete them. Luckily, I am now able to continue with the second round of these challenges for #100DaysOfWriting, #100DaysOfReading, and #100DaysOfCode. I started writing actively in my technical blog – Coding Concoction. I strongly believe in the power of habits to transform life and little habits, like these create a great impact in the long run. Due to these challenges, I could complete reading 17/26 books that I picked up this year, written several articles/gratitude emails/poems, etc, and coded more than ever before. I am on a 521-day strike in Duolingo for learning Finnish and German. In short, I have accomplished more than I can ever imagine.

In the middle of life and job, destiny had a different plan. My husband got an offer to move to Finland in the second half of the year. We had to bid adieu to the Country, Hong Kong which had hosted us for a year and a half and provided us a lot of memories to cherish for life. I loved exploring Hong Kong, and the fast-paced urban life taught me to always keep moving and learning. Before relocating to Finland, I decided to meet my family and attend the most awaited function, my sister’s wedding. It was a great reunion after a long time and life gave me chance to fly to my homeland through a transit country, Thailand. Even though my travel in the COVID era was hectic, but it was all worth it in the end when I met my family.

The second half of the year was all about moving to Finland, coping with the weather, getting to know the country, and settling there for a while before any change of plan. It was for the first time I traveled with my husband by flight, and it was my longest trip by the flight of duration 9 hours from Delhi to Helsinki. This new country was colder, quieter, and more spacious than Hong Kong. Every moment of my stay in this country, made me realize why it has been able to secure the tag of “The Happiest country” in the world five times in a row. So, we started living in the capital, Helsinki, close to the city center, which made it possible for me to avail all modes of transport, including Tram, bus, Metro, Train, and even public rental cycle stands. There’s a provision for renting cycles from March-October. The month of June urged one to put on a jacket to face 9 degrees Celsius. I also had never experienced uneven distribution of hours for day and night based on seasons. During summer, referring to June-July, the sun would be in the sky till 1 a.m. and rise at 4a.m. I could never imagine, just 3-4 hours of blank out in a day during summer. The weekend would bring a little hustle bustle in the area we lived because of the presence of small Cafés and Restaurants.

Living in the proximity of the City Centre made it very convenient for me to explore nearby places. We lived just 3 tram stations away from the City Center and it took just 10 minutes to reach there. I explored the National Museum of Finland, the Cathedral, Sibelius Park, the Sibelius Monument, the Central Railway Station, Malls like Forum, Sokos, the City Center, Mall of Tripla, Restaurants like Gandhi, Maharaja,etc. As a person of books, I explored the Library of Töölö, Central Library Oodi, Rikhardinkatu Library etc., and got a chance to read a lot of books written during World War II and Nazi rule.  

The sight of a tram passing just in front of my apartment was something unusual for someone like me who has relied more on private modes of transport like cars, cabs, taxis, rickshaws, etc.  There was a unique calmness even in the sound of the passing tram and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with this place, but I had to remind myself about the fact that the apartment we had booked, was for a temporary stay. We stayed in Helsinki for 1.5 months and moved to the Espoo region, closer to my husband’s workplace. We booked an apartment close to the Metro station and it was now about 15 km away from the Central Railway Station. This region was too peaceful, and I often missed the hustle-bustle of Helsinki. My usual outing decreased which gave me ample time for hobbies like reading, writing, and singing. I received certificates for my performance in two of the contests in Smule and collaborated with wonderful singers around the world.

My search for Indian restaurants, Libraries, Indian grocery stores, job opportunities, etc. began in this region too. The nearest one is Iso Omena, Matinkylä. I found a library to continue with my reading challenge. I came across various Indian communities to celebrate Rath Yatra, Janmashthami, Saibaba’s Punya Tithi, Diwali, Kartika Purnima, Christmas, etc. I got a chance to meet many Indians through such gatherings and events. During September, we planned a short trip to Tallinn, Estonia, and Stockholm, Sweden. It was a wonderful trip by cruise. I can’t forget my experience of singing “My Heart will go on” on a Karaoke, on the cruise. Some experiences are for a lifetime, and I got to strike out a lot of things from my bucket list this year.

With the advent of winter in October, there came the season of snow. It was my first experience of witnessing snowfall and coping with negative temperatures. Thankfully the temperature inside my apartment is well taken care of, and I am always so grateful to be able to look at the magnificent view of snow-clad trees from the comfort of my living room. 

This year has been wonderful for me which helped me to tick off so many things from my bucket list. It threw challenges towards me to test my strength and I discovered a lot about myself for that. There have been some pending tasks in the field of learning that I want to continue doing but I have no regrets about anything. Like every year, my priority for this year stays the same; the well-being of my family and friends. I would like to make some deep and genuine connections for a lifetime.

With a sense of gratitude, I end my writing here. See you soon in a brand-New Year!!

Thank You 2022 and Goodbye 2022!

Welcome 2023!!

Yours lovingly

Swati