Espoo
This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.
Before taking you into the content of this post, I would like to make a little confession. I collected this post from the draft folder which was supposed to be published on 5th April and started writing it from where I had left off. Since Easter was around the corner then, you would come across the word “Easter” in my post.
I was confused between choosing ‘Espoo’ and ‘Easter’ for the letter ‘E’ and ended up choosing Espoo over Easter[Coincidentally Easter Holidays were some days away from the day I had decided to write on ‘E’.] for sharing my personal experiences. What could be a better way to cherish memories of moving to a new place and slowly making it your home until the next move, who knows!
It has been close to 11 months since we moved to Finland and there has been a lot to explore in this country. Initially, we lived in Helsinki, a few tram stations away from the city center but later moved to the Espoo region. Unlike the hustle and bustle of Helsinki, Espoo is a quiet place. I would often miss the sound of the tram which would pass in front of the apartment where we lived in Helsinki, after shifting to Espoo. Every place has some pros and cons and it’s always a matter of time before adjusting to the new place. The view that the living room of our apartment provides is simply phenomenal. It feels like living in a fairyland and I am always so grateful for that.
Ever since we moved to Espoo, I have been exploring this place. We live about 700 meters away from the Metro Station and that makes it easy to catch the metro and move easily. The following are the places in Espoo. that I’ve visited so far:
1) Iso Omena
It’s a mall in Matinkylä metro station. It is a 3-storeyed tall building with all kinds of stores ranging from grocery, fashion accessories, cosmetics, and pharmacy, Home and sports accessories, to Cafes, restaurants, etc. The 3rd floor has a library, health center, pathology lab, government offices like kela office, etc. I like window shopping when not shopping in general and can be found spending time in the library.
2) Iso Omena Library
I have a membership card for Iso Omena Library. I have visited there many times and issued a lot of books. It has books in various languages like English, Finnish, Swedish, Russian, etc. There’s an automatic issue and return system. Helmet is the website covering the libraries of Espoo, Vanta and Helsinki. Various events take place in the library. Every year, a Helmet Reading Challenge is released to encourage readers to read books of different genres.
Aalto University is 3 metro stations, about 5 km away from where we live. It’s an international institute having different branches like Aalto School of Engineering, Aalto School of Business, and Aalto School of Arts. It’s connected to the metro station. Recently, I completed an open university course at Aalto University and got the chance to study a course from the course professor. It was great to get connected to the good old days of my student life and I felt it as a privilege for which I am so grateful. The result of the course is pending, and I hope it comes out well (fingers crossed).
4) Aalto University Library
Aalto University library is close to the metro station. I have visited the library many times and I like the couches on the first floor which make the sitting too comfortable. I also have got a membership card and as an open university student, I have access to all e-books, magazines, and journals.
5) Technopolis, Innopoli 2
It’s close to Aalto University, I think one or two bus stops away. I have attended some events of the Career Club or Espoo City related to self and career development. The advantage of joining such events is to get to meet so many like-minded people. I made a lot of connections through such events.
6) Tapiola
It’s an important place in Espoo where one can get enough connecting buses. It’s 2 metro stations away from where we live. Each metro station has a shopping mall connected to it. Similarly, Ainoa is the mall associated with Tapiola metro Station. It also has a health center, around 1 km away from the metro station.
7) Leppavara
Leppavara is a prime location in Espoo as it has a train station as well as a bus stop. There are many connecting trains to Helsinki or faraway places. I’ve seen tram tracks being laid out, close to the station, which may be operational soon.
8) Sello Mall
It’s a shopping mall in Leppavara. It has a lot of stores in different categories. It takes around 40 minutes from my home to reach there. There are a lot of Indian and middle east grocery stores nearby.
9) Sello Library
It’s not a part of the Sello Mall but a completely different building. I have visited this library many times and attended some of the events like job fairs, Helsinki Toastmaster’s meetings, etc.
10) Sai Baba Temple
It’s about 1 kilometer away from Sello Mall. I have visited there once as it is open during evening hours only on Thursdays and Saturdays. I’ve shared my experience of visiting the Sai Temple in this post. Please have a read.
What I find interesting here, in Finland, is the level of safety. It’s very safe here to travel. I mostly travel alone, and I enjoy it. People are very honest and I have recovered lost things back either in the mall or on the train. Finland has been topping the list of the Happiest Country in the world consecutively for the last 6 years and the reason is the collective awareness to focus on work, society and make it a better place to live.
All Rights Reserved!
Swati Sarangi
05.05.2023
