New beginnings

So...  Now for this moment.  It's 2016 can you believe it? It's been more than a year since I came home from my exchange program.  Even tho in my last post I wrote about how badly my thesis was coming on, I did it.  I graduated last May and it's AWESOME.  Since that I've been teaching a lot. I mean, a lot.

At the moment I'm the head coach to one gymnastic group and teach ballet / technique / strength / what ever to three other groups in the same club.  I coach a dance group of former gymnasts.  I teach Limón based technique to one group and ballet to adults.  In January (today it's January 22nd) I've already taught five gymnastics choreographies and tomorrow I'm going to one more town to teach one more,  It's been great but also kinda tuff.  I was counting that in all of January I'll probably have at least seven different employers. Which, I guess, means that in a lot of ways I'm in the exactly same situation than a year ago, except for one huge relief.  I don't have a thesis to worry about! In just three weeks and a day I'll turn 25! I'm a bit excited actually :D

This blog used to be about me leaving Finland for dance, and I believe I now have a good reason to start posting again.  I have a very strong feeling about getting away from here, rather sooner than later.  I'm applying to Danshögskolan in Stockholm (if only I get all the paperwork done during next week!) and also looking at a lot of other possibilities. I'm feeling quite anxious about my situation right now, since altho I really like my job, I don't feel like it's taking me where I want to get.

During this and last week I've been writing so many job applications, looking for summer jobs and also checking a bunch of possibilities to dance/work/live in London.  I have at least for now let go of my dream of doing the Limón PSP, and am more focused on my possibilities in Europe. I'm applying for grants, saving, saving and saving to make it all possible.

If in a year I'm in this same situation, I will not be satisfied. As the title says, I'm definitely hoping for and working towards new beginnings.

And this is Finland

This blog was about my fall in New York, the capital of dance (amongst a few other things), but after spending just over two months back home in Finland I figured, why not continue with it.  It's not like I'm not dancing anymore, all though at the moment there's way more teaching than training, more gymnastics than dance and more saving money for the next training session than spending it training.

Since, yes, I am saving to get back to New York and to really get to the point of Limón technique, I don't wanna loose my improved English now do I?  So I'm gonna write in English.  At least for now.  Next time might be a whole other thing.  If there'll be a next time.

Anyway, I'm gonna get to the point.  The point of what, right?  I'm not really sure if I got anything to write about.  Since I've been home I've been writing my thesis (a pretty sad story actually, not getting anywhere with it, at least not as fast as I should...), and doing other less gigantic school stuff as well.  I've been creating and teaching gymnastics choreographies (lier! One of them I figured out almost from bottom to top in Fort Lauderdale already) and doing some couching as well.  I've also been doing gymnastics myself after some years' break.  I've been teaching ballet and doing my share on regional training camps for gymnasts.  I've even taught school kids on math, English, Finnish, reading, writing,... It's been busy I say that much.

Ten days ago I turned 24. That day, I was teaching first and second graders (7-8-year-olds) and they were all asking how old I was and their reactions came dragging my feet on the ground for realizing some facts.  "So you're like... like a real grown-up."  Priceless.  But I guess I am, at least starting to be, at least every once in a while :D

I was hoping to get to a Limón teaching workshop in Dresden this spring, but it looks like it's not gonna happen, as isn't the Limón training workshop in California in July either... But I'll get there, someday.  Right now I'm just really tired and trying to figure out where on earth did all these things come to me?  I mean, I mean, I just worked for like five different employers in two weeks, in three totally different fields.  I'm trying to give myself a break but it's hard when there's no time for breaks.  I'm scared I'm gonna actually break myself.

So... This post was written almost a year ago, but I never posted it.  Until now.  I was actually starting to write a new post when I realized I still have this one here, waiting.  I'm gonna write a new one anyway, there's one kind of a funny thing I just realized.

So that was Fort Lauderdale

Cause I have a few hours to kill before heading to the airport, and because I can't even think about this WHOLE journey coming to an end, I'm just casually gonna write about my two weeks in Florida - as if I wasn't at all about to leave New York just as well.  Wow.  Was it really necessary to put all that into one sentence?

When I look up, I'm definetely not thinking about what this view means...

Fort Lauderdale was a cool, small place with palm trees and a long beach.  I stayed a little further away from the beach in my own little tent on the backyard of Carlos.  No, really, Carlos also had like five rooms for rent and I met there some really great people.  We had a nice, big common room to hang out in when the weather wasn't as good as it was supposed to be.  Cause we had those days!  The following nights my tent was like a freezer - but I survived!

My plan for Fort Lauderdale was to do my school assignements and to relax at the beach.  Which is exactly what I did.  I did like 10 wrong assignements as well, and skipped another five that I was supposed to do but wattahell.  I mean, seriously, when I realized this I was so pissed and decided not to do anything school related anymore - I spent my last days strictly at the beach.  And I'm happy about that.  Also, my wonderful teacher gave me credits for the wrong ones so no harm done.

  Pelicans

 The beach <3

Happy!



I got a little tanned! With my sun screen sensitive enaugh for babies and with SPF 50.  Yeap, that's where I've come.  Without that it's 15minutes of walking in Florida under some thin clouds and I'm all red like a crab. 

Like this...

 



I got to swim a little bit as well - or mainly jump in the waves.  There was a nice fishing pier - a local tourist attraction - which I really loved for whatever reason.  After my first day hike I didn't walk to the beach anymore.  A lot of times there was someone going somewhere by car and they would drop me to the beach.  And more often I used Carlos' bikes.  Ah that was awesome, I hadn't realized I missed cycling!

 View from the pier

 Happy me, at the pier

A view to the pier

 



Another thing I have noticed I miss, is driving.  But I got to do that as well!  Last Friday me and Magnus from Norway drove to Key West and back.  That was soo nice!  The highway is basically built in the ocean.  It goes through some small islands, but then there are those parts where you look right and all you see is water, and you look left and all you see is water, and you look front or back, and all you see is water and the road.  Key West itself was a super cute place!  It was tiny, but still international with all the tourists.  I highly recommend.  We and a couple hundred others went to the harbour to look at sunset, and sure enaugh it was beautiful.  A bit before that a huge cruise ship left from the harbour - "so it won't block the the view to sunset" someone new to say. 

 Highway from Miami to Key West

 There used to be a road

 Magnus, hammock and palm trees

 If I ever moved to Florida, I'd become a bird watcher. 

So many cool bird species I've never seen before!

 In Key West

 

Not bad I say, not bad

The harbour was also full of real showmen doing tricks and flicks.  They were funny.  One would be putting his own show down to gather a crowd, and once he was finally done with it, another would be yelling next to him that "Look!  Everybody watch!  Everybody come quick, I'm gonna do something!" They were putting the audience down a little as well, but it was funny.  When it was time to leave, we walked through a street with nice little bars right next to each other. Ooh man did we wish we could stay there, but we had to return the car the next Morning... So we kept going, and by midnight we were back home.

Eating in a cute museum-restaurant before getting back on the road

 

The next day, Saturday, was the one when I realized I had done all the wrong assignements, so it was good that both Saturday and Sunday were nice, warm days.  On Sunday I stayed at the beach basically all day, first just lying in the sun, then later sitting with some of my new friends just looking at the waves.  Even later we had dinner right next to the beach and watched as sun set, and finally I got my way and we visited once more the fishing pier that was now all dark and spooky and wonderful.

 Beach Santa, who wouldn't LET people take pictures of him, but who INSISTED people to do so :D

 A little more of the beach

 It's bright!

 A cool reflection on Magnus' sunglasses

And a christmas tree, of course!

Oh yeah, that reminds me of one more thing that was first just corny and funny, but then I really strated to like it! Here it comes:

 The christmas lights

And well, just some nicely lit palm trees. And just one more thing!

 I got a window seat!

And that would be Brooklyn, New York.

 

 

I just got a message (read: like two hours ago, cause it's taken me so freakin long to get all these pictures here) that my flight is gonna be late!  And of course, enaugh to make me miss my connecting flight from Oslo.  So I have no idea what time I'm going to get home, but I guess I'll get there eventually... Had I known this earlier I might have actually gone to Manhattan once more and enjoyed the nice, cold but sunny weather instead of doing this :D But that's fine.  Now I should just stop but I don't really know how to. So. Stop.



Kaupunkitelttailua ja -vaellusta Fort Lauderdalessa... Mitä?

Hahaha.  Melkonen päivä!  Laitoin äsken tämän päivän reittini google mapsiin - parhaimman muistini mukaan umpikujineen ja väärine käännöksineen.  Ei yhtään ihmetytä että vähän meinas väsyttää kun kämpille pääsin!  Ja että jalkoja himpun verran pakotti. 

Niin siis lennähdin eilen New Yorkista Floridaan, Fort Lauderdaleen!  Eilisiltanakin vähän väsytti.  Olin herännyt Staten Islandilla viiden jälkeen aamulla, matkustanut lautalla, parilla metrolla, bussilla, lentokoneella ja kolmella bussilla, kunnes saavutin kotoisan uuden kämppäni.  Niin siis teltan :D  No ei vais, teltta on vaan mun makuuhuone!  Tälläki hetkellä näpytän meijän kotoisassa ruokailutilassa, josta on näkymät mukavaan olkkariin, siistin keittön kautta hulppeaan eteiseen ja ikkunasta pihalle pikkuisella uima-altaalle, tunnelmavalaistulle terassille, ja kolmeen lisämakuuhuoneeseen.  Niin niihin telttoihin siis :D Naurattaako mua vähän liikaa että oon telttailemassa? Ehkä!  Vielä enemmän alko naurattaa ku tajusin (kiitos Krisun) että olin tänään vaelluksella.

22 kilometriä sanoo google.  Hohoho!  Siitä kolmisen kilsaa kengittä rantaviivaa pitkin.  Olisin luovuttanu monta kertaa, mutta siitä perhanan rannalta ei päässyt pois!  Vaihtoehdot oli siis jatkaa eteenpäin tai kääntyä taakse, ja sehän ei tullu kysymykseenkään.  Voi että mä olin jossain vaiheessa naatti! Tiesin toki, että rannalle on pitkä matka, mutta en ollu aatellu ensinnäkään kävellä 20ntä korttelinväliä rantahiekassa, ja ylipäätään en ollu ihan varautunu tähän meininkiin.  On kuitenki sanottava, että jos täytyy lähteä extempore-vaellukselle, niin olipahan aika hyvät olosuhteet siihen!  Aurinko paistoi ihanasti, oli mukavan lämmin mutta ei mikään hullu helle, ja tuuli viilensi vielä näppärästi lisää.  Ja kuitenki olin kerrankin niin fiksu, että lisäilin aurinkorasvaa enkä edes palanu!  No vähän jos rinta punottaa.  Ei sitä lasketa.

Lisäilen kuvia ni muistan sitä mukaa itekki paremmin mitä kaikkia matkalla näin.  Oli meinaan kyllä hieno päivä vaikka rankka oliki!

 

Aika kauan sain kattella noita yläpuolella olevia nättejä maisemia - ja myöski semmosa teollisempaa meininkiä mistä ei jostaki syystä tullu otettua kuvaa :D - ennen ku pääsin näkemään vilaukselta tämmösen kanaalin.  Näitä ei tosiaankaan sen enempää nähnyt, koska vaikka näitä on täällä paljon, niin rannat on niin täyteen rakennettu ettei pääse kattelemaan.  JA kaikki tämmöset tiet päätyy umpikujaan, joten jos on aika paljon matkaa takana ja vielä enempi edessä, niin ei välttämättä viitti käydä jokaisessa umpikujassa kurkkaamassa... :D  Mutta nättiä!

  Olin kyllä ihan haltioissani tästä eksoottisuudesta!  Lähivuosina ollu niin eri puolella palloa lämpölomilla, siis Thaimaassa, ja siellä on kasvillisuus kuitenkin ihan eri näköstä mitä täällä.

 

Leukaperät ja sieraimet, tärkeä.

 Noniii! Kaikkien umpikujien jälkeen mut ohjattiin viimein toiselle niistä kahdesta ylityspaikasta, jeah.

How awesome is this?!?! Iha huippu, justiisa ennen rantaa minikirjasto.



 Vettä! Finally! Ai että mikä voittajafiilis!  Ois varmaan pitäny laittaa paljo enemmän noita kuvia tuosta matkan varrelta että kattoessaki välittyis se odotus... :D

 Näitä kavereita makoili siinä rannalla vähä turhan paljon, sai koko ajan kattella varpaittensa perään ku käveli!  Mutta siistiä, en oo ikinä ennen nähny näin isoja meduusoita!

 Lounasravintelimaisemat 8)

 Irvistys kesäkuteissa!

 Pääsin rannan toiseen päätyyn ja tajusin että sitä olis vissiin alun perin kannattanut tulla tähän päähän...

 Taiteellinen otos Fishing pier:stä

 Meikä! Lenkkarit roikkuu mukana ^^

 Commercial Boulevard oli nimensä veroinen, siitä alko kaupat ja elämä!

 Nättiä taloa oli vieri vieressä muuten ihan koko ajan.  On tässä meijänki huudeilla kyllä!  Ehkä vähä nätimpää rannempana, mutta kaipa se on ihan ymmärrettävääki.

 

Taiteellinen otos vedestä ja palmunlehdykästä

 Tässä sitte meidän olkkari! Avonaisena minun makkari siinä

 

 Hyvä on patja!

 



 No tässä sitte se sisäolkkari :)

 

 Tervetuliaislahja!

 

 Tänä aamuna vähä nätimpää mitä eilisiltana

 

 Semmone

 

Tämä ihan vaa siksi koska näytän mielestäni tosi pitkäkaulaselta :D New Yorkin LaGuradia lentokentällä oottelen Fort Lauderdalen lennon lähtöä tässä.  Hokasin muuten, että nyt oon lentäny kaikkien kolmen NYC:n lentokentän kautta!  Kolme vuotta sitte Hki-NYC-Hki Newarkin kautta - no sehän on kylläki New Jerseyssä että ihan vallan eri osavaltiossaki että mitähän selitän - , elokuussa Helsingistä JFK:lle (ja reilu parin viikon päästä sieltä myöski takas Helsinkiin!!!) ja nyt tänne ja täältä takas LaGuardian kautta.  Olipa varsin mielenkiintonen juttu! Määpä alan nukkumaan.