Breaking the silence aka 4 months of adventures in one post.

Harooo!

Yees, taken how I so excitedly wrote that I could have my thesis ready in only one month here, it is funny that I now say that I haven't written so long, because I have stillll been busy with finishing my thesis. And maybe it reflects a bit the re-made priorities that I described here, and suggests/examplifies that yoga and me are indeed not the perfect match in this driven and efficiency-focused world. Yet, in fairness, the thesis project in itself experienced many difficulties and rearrnagements and I, meanwhile, undertook many other exciting adventures, so the thesis is also not the only reason that I've temporarily grown apart with this blog. (And yogaing and focusing on happiness in general, rather than just filling a lot of duties, is not the only reason why I haven't finished the thesis, so i'm sticking with the re-made priorities ;)).

I am still finishing the thesis and will dedicate an entire post on all what I've found out, once its done. In relation to that, as well as my life's other recent developments like the start of my internship, I have also thought more of the arrangements of the health science/industry and myself within them, and I would like to write of that too when the time arrives. 

But meanwhile, since I am ill this week and at home and since there indeed has been long silence in blog, but not in life, I will post a little, picture-filled update of whhatsuppppp :). So, with no further ado - a picture-overview of the first four months of 2017 in life of Kirsi.

After good and long Christmas time with friends

and family :D

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the new year started how all best years are meant to start - with Miili. Even with quite a lot of Miili :). 

Before other duties started calling again, I also managed to make some more great jokes with mom, with whom its always fun :D.

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I also demonstarted to her, how to have a two in one holiday - be happily home with family, but on the same time also spend time under palm-trees with boyfriend

After a happy reunion with everyone at Wageningen, we travelled to Copenhagen, where Luka could spend a lot of time with two sweet and very well-behaved midgets

and since we were so sweet, then Luka treated us to Danish Italian sandwiches and cake, which we so appreciated

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We travelled together with Katerina, who was visiting her best friend Angeliki, but forgot to take pictures :(. Here, they are having good time with us outside of the photo

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We also met Helen, who is already well-known in this blog as a star-runner, both in team-sports and survival runs, a talented young scientist and an amazing birthday-supriser. But again, we forgot to capture the moments for later virtual proof.

When the Copenhagen adventure was done, we returned to Wageningen, where sweet young Buck turned 24 and we celebrated with cake

and ice-skating :)

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On the following week, our already experienced road-trip team travelled to Leiden, so that I could discuss a possible internship at immunometabolism at LUMC with my potential supervisors. We were all very exited

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In fact, evrything on that day was so amazing, that I decided to accept the internship immediately. Then we were even more excited and even fed birds and read books in the middle of the street.

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Then followed February and March, during which Luka supersuccessfully finished his thesis and an additional course, while me and Katerina continued wroking hard and met for wine-evenings much less frequently than we would have liked to, and then worked hard not to talk of theses; but no-one took photos.
Almost before we could notice, it was already mid-March and it was time to leave the containers (after 5.5 years for some of us ) and move to Leiden. It was strange how dear these odd little-selfcontainers and their inhabitants had become from since I moved there only (already?!) 1.5 years earlier. But surely, Wagningen deserves its high reputation at sustainability and the friendships formed there, will be sustained well and with care.

Leiden is very very beautiful and we felt at home almost instantly, even just by the looks of our first guest and the closeness of sea it suggested.

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And the seaside, which turned out to be only one pretty 10-km bike ride from our home, was so beautiful

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After a week in Leiden, I went back to Wageningen to give the final presentation of my thesis. This went very well, and I could also get a good burst of laugh when noticing the meanwhile-developments of our cleaning ladies:

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In addition, I could strech toes, catch breath a bit at good old familiar surroundings

and I received my favorite ever pack from mom for my birthday the following day. Of the day I again forgot to take pictures, but it was the calmest birthday that I've ever had, with breakfast lasting until late lunch, a bought cake and no curls, which all perfectly fitted my new more grown-up (yes?:)))) being.

When finalizing the last things of the thesis report, often at odd hours between internship and sleep, the new appartment in Leiden lets me observe the prettiest sunrises

while enjoying the best coffee, which I can now make at home, thanks to our great Wagneningen-found Italian buddy Leonardo, who left me his old coffe machine. And like with good things ever - it turns out, the older the machine, the better the coffe :). I am not quite as good at making coffe as Leonardo was, but I think that the machine helps to compensate for my own relative inexperience, so me and the machine together make quite an amazing coffe-making-team :). 

We have also blessed in our home with a big Easter egg fight. My house-wife skills caused laughter for days when I super enthusiastically managed to color a bunch of originally white eggs to the color as if I had just bought brown eggs

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But no doubt about it, Luka and his Master Warrior Egg are the champions of this years "egg beating". Here, the happy champion

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That what happens in Wageningen does not stay in Wageningen was shown by our second guest here, who was Akhil :). And while the appartment awaits for the next visitors and future adventures in real life, it also already updates me that all is alright with them.

Here, for example, it can be seen on the bedroom wall how me and Katerina are having wine, while Sarah on the same time, is enjoying life in New-York.

Or, I can turn the side and enjoy a while in Paris

or, as it just turned out (:D) go to balcony and observe what seems to be a very extensive/intensive wedding party :D

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So by the looks of the first guest and by the artwork in the apartment, it really looks like this place was already waiting for us. In addition, and most importantly, we also both really enjoy our internships and are happy with our decisions. While further description of the internship and my future plans must await for another post, I can already show, that I am learning great truths of life:

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And with this, I would like to finish my update. Already reached today's date anyway, so no more is possible. However, as ever, I am much looking forward to all that may come and I am also not planning to wait another four months until the next blogpost. Enjoy and have fun and live the life to the fullest! 

My bestest regards,

Kirsi

https://hbr.org/2016/11/a-simple-way-to-stay-grounded-in-stressful-moments?referral=00203&utm_source=newsletter_management_tip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tip_date&spMailingID=16561888&spUserID=MzM0MjE1NjUzNDY0S0&spJobID=961150751&spReportId=OTYxMTUwNzUxS0

Evaluation

Coming back home always urges me to evaluate where I’ve been in the meantime and what I think of it all. The end of the year only adds to the urge, and so does the fast-approaching end of my MSc, so here we go, evaluation time.

I am so grateful for my life and also grateful for being me. I feel like the more I grow, the more I feel so well about being me and that I can trust myself to make decisions which make me happy. I am so grateful that throughout my life I have been surrounded by so many so great people, from who I could learn. I am happy that some of these people are from my family, so hopefully at least some of the things I had to learn, run in my blood. Other lessons come from their courage to make decisions in their lives, which does not always mean the easier option, but the one, which feels right. This I so appreciate and really hope that I will have the same courage. The rest of the great people I’ve come across, however, have no “obligation” to be in my life at all, and are or have been there completely voluntarily. This is the interesting part of friendship. And even my friends have families with many amazing people in them, and by knowing my friends, I hope that some of the knowledge of their inspiring parents, grandparents and their parents, has reached me. And finally, I am also grateful for all these people who I have met, known and not found so great. Because I think I have also learned a lot about myself by learning who I am not.

But all in all, I like myself, that after spending 19 adventurous years in Hiiumaa, Estonia, I have taken myself to see other countries and other people. I am happy that I studied something as basic and principal like health, which connects more or less to all other aspects of our existence or the world, and which is so fascinating for me and something, which I really have wanted and still do want to learn more about. I value this knowledge and its future perspectives, because either when counselling people or doing research (also cool that I learned both J), it allows me to help people and hopefully make at least someone’s lives more easy, happy and fulfilling. This value, in turn, I have most likely learned from my great people. (as well as from those who did not care of helping others and how I felt about them). In general, I like people and I believe that all people are good, but just some, sometimes, end up taking bad decisions due to specific circumstances. I am interested in our behaviour and happy that I can analyse it with the help of academic knowledge from behaviour to physiology.

So I would just like to say here at the end of the year, that at least the thing which I probably appreciate the most is the courage to question things outside as well as inside of oneself and to take decisions which feel right, even when you don’t know where it will end up leading you. That it is important to make yourself happy and do whatever you like. Afterall (and as I’ve probably already written many times before) if we all just got one life (at a time at least), then it makes sense to be at least a little bit selfish and do what is best for yourself. And that I personally have for sure learned it from my friends, family and all other people who I have come across. I so value and appreciate them, and I also want to do all I can, to be my personal best (which was the resolution for 2016 ;D), help, encourage and motivate others, and be the best possible influence I can. On the same time, I do not want to hurt anyone, be unfair, rude, ignorant, judgemental or in any way cause any unreasoned suffering. And when I think of these values, I am happy with myself and my life, because I really believe that these are good values (which, I do understand, one should better always think about all their values :D).

And yes, I am aware that likely if one has read even 10% of the posts in this blog, this post has not brought in much new (:D). But that at the end of the year, it is good to evaluate, and I am happy for having met, known and for still knowing so many good people. I am happy that I have education, which allows me to help people, I am happy that I have travelled and gained knowledge about a wide range of people and opinions, happy that I appreciate people and happy that I have learned good values, including valuing the courage of making decisions which feel right.

I am also unhappy about many many things in the world. But I do hope that being the best possible me is a good starting point to do what I can about the other things. So I think that I’ll also keep the same plan for next year – to be my personal best J. I would also like to hereby encourage everyone to evaluate the year, the life, and whatever else is relevant and think that maybe most suitable would be to end this post with the good old Serenity prayer (and hope it’ll then be in all of our minds at least for whole of 2017 J). And that if you dont feel like asking all that from God, then I hope that we will all find the power in ourselves to work towards the serenity, courage and wisdom.

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change;

the courage to change the things I can;

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Til next year J. Me.

(photos are of recent happy peacful moments and great people :))

third littel post

I was just walking in the hall of our department and heard a girl talking about a study, which found that yoga reduces the risk of diabetes. Such happy life that nice things do nice things :). Imagine if it would be vice versa, that watching TV would reduce risk of diabetes and we would have to sit in front of TV all day :D. Or if fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds and fish would make you fat and we would have to feed on chips and chocolate. I think we'd be sick and tired of them all the time. Gotsto love life. Again.


Cheerio,
me.

Politie

While my other post, filled with big thoughts, gets written and re-written almost daily for the last two weeks, but never ready, I have to just write this here:


We got stopped by the police yesterday for having no bike lights (bad style, I know :( ), but since we are a couple, we got one fine to share. :D :D :D.
Almost have to say I love the Dutch police. Then again, as I once heard at a comedy show - in the Netherlands, there even isn't police, there is polite-i instead ;D. They sure were polite, I am very happy  and we also got free bike lamps. Go politie :).

gotta love people and life

Luka just told me that once people thought that you can actually measure a human soul after it leaves the body and they measured it to weigh exactly 21 grams.
:D. :D :D.

Best day in a long time :D :)