It’s been already 4 months since I moved back to Vietnam and after those time being away from Finland, I have to admit that I miss this country a lot. Therefore, I am going to list out 5 main things I miss about the country in order to calm this nostalgia (and the excitement for the coming-back trip).

No.1 Fallen leaves and Snow

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… because they are the definition of breathtaking beauty to me. Memories of my first time watching snow falling from the sky is still vivid and the sound of fallen leaves crunching under each footstep is fixed in my mind until now. The scene I used to dream about had already happened to me but it still feels surreal every time I flash back to it.

No.2 Sushi (Finnish ver)

During the three and a half years staying in Finland, I worked as a waitress at sushi restaurants for more than two years and maybe that’s partly why I love this dish. More than 90% of sushi restaurants in Finland are the buffet ones, which means you can have as much sushi as you want with a fixed price. And that’s exactly what I need because I am in love with Finnish sushi more than anything!

Some of my friends told me that the sushi they had in Japan is different and “those are not real sushi”. However, I don’t mind if it is similar to the original one or not, cause I am aware of the difference and that doesn’t affect my love for the dish after all.

No.3 Public transportation

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I used to prefer using public transport since I was studying highschool in Vietnam and that preference was emphazied even more when I went to Finland. Using public transport means that I can read few pages of a book, listen to a couple of songs and take a nap on the way, which saves lots of time.

Since the country’s public transport has a modern system with advanced quality and most of the time Finns will keep quiet while travelling on those, I find it a pleasure instead of a hassle whenever I travel between places.

No.4 Privacy

I love the fact that I can be myself when living in Finland, when I didn’t have to be afraid of any judgement and do what I think is right. In addition to that, the number of private or non-delicate questions which were asked just to satisfy one’s curiority was close to zero so there was no need of preparing answers for those – that’s a relief!

I also miss those times when I get to be alone for the whole day and do whatever I like. Mostly I would lie in bed reading books, playing games on Ipad, doing the laundry and preparing food for the next week,  and sometimes wandering to a new street and take a couple of photos. It’s indeed a nice feeling to experience.

I suit the Finnish lifestyle a lot more than I expected and there is one key point which I believe that’s how we people shall behave: respect other people’s lives and focus on yours.

No.5 Atmosphere

Sometimes we didn’t appreciate the very basic yet most precious things in our lives and that can’t be more true at the moment for me. Taking a full deep breath of fresh air and drinking the purest water ever right from the tap are two of those, even though I would not recommend anybody to do the former in winter :))

On a bright sunny day in Finland, you would hardly find any unocupied space on the grass and off the coast, and it will be even more challenging to get yourself an icecream without queing a long line. And the queing will continue in the winter, because it is always the right time to have an icecream in Finland.

Definitely I will miss these things even more once I am graduated and leave the country without knowing when the next time I will be there again. However, Finland will always be my first and have a spot in my heart no matter what.

Cause it’s hard to forget the place which gave you so much to remember.