Waving Along

This morning S and I ran into our summer school Finnish teacher at the university. It had been a few months since we last saw or spoke, and the encounter jolted my consciousness of how much time had passed and how settled I now feel in Finland. I was happy to see our teacher, a Belgium woman in her late 20s, with the same calm and patient presence as I remembered. She asked if we were happy here, and we said "yes" and "okay," to which she responded, "You don't sound very convinced." "It goes in waves," I explained. "Well," she said, "you have been here for only a short time, and you are still going through culture shock, even though you might not realize it." My nod turned into a slightly sentimental smile, and I wondered if my past had been a series of culture shocks. When would I give into staying in one place for an extended period of time?

I mentioned the UN's first World Happiness ranking, with Finland coming in at number two. She said that Finland was also listed as having one of the highest suicide rates. I asked whether people seemed happier in Belgium or Finland. "I can't answer that," she said. But she has noticed more people here are open about expressing their sorrow or depression. In Belgium, it is something bad, and people try to supress those feelings. "Maybe they're happier because they can express their sorrow," our teacher offered. Maybe.



This is my mom and I in Takapoto, an atoll in the Tuamotus. In my life, I have moved well over 20 times. This has given me the perception that home is where my family is, and with them, I don't feel detached from the places I have lived, am living, and will be living, however short term it may be.