Summer love

I haven't forgotten about this blog, not at all. It may seem as if I have but the true problem lies within the lack of inspiration and motivation. This is something all of us encounter probably, at certain times, at certain places. My source of inspiration generally comes from other blogs (like I mentioned in my first post), lyrics and most of all, long walks in the city or around my house which trigger my thoughts to be more than just about my daily life, what I'll eat for dinner later, the amount of homework I have, worrying. My thoughts become a lot more profound when I'm inspired. I start to think further than all that. I think of my future, what I'll look like when i'm forty-six, how many kids I'll give birth to, where I'm gonna live, whom I'm going to marry, will I ever be successful, what if I wont, what if., what if.. So yes, my thoughts are mainly based on the what if's and who's and where's. It is quite worrying to be honest, and often, thoughts as such upset us or worry us. And that is what we call overthinking, my friends. My point being, inspiration is necessary for everyone however, our methods of seeking it may often lead us to the wrong paths or lead us to thinking about thoughts we shouldn't really think about. I'm getting quite off-track with the general topic of my blog which is 'memories', but I figured I owe these few blog readers of mine an explanation of why I haven't been blogging lately!

Speaking of inspiration more specifically, I'd like to point out and relive a certain period of time which became one of the best phases of my life, so far. I always promised myself I wouldn't talk about boys publicly unless they have somewhat of a sentimental meaning to me. So yeah, surprise surprise, here goes nothing: That summer was probably the most memorable summer of all, excluding my childhood summers which are unforgettable in all ways. For the past couple years, I've always gone to Estonia the 22nd of June. This is because the school I go to in Madrid always ends very late in June, it's quite irritating but that's that. Honestly, I'm not too fond of leaving Madrid anymore, because I consider it my home now, but in the previous years, there was always something pulling me to Estonia - my friends. That summer was quite the same, I wanted to be in Estonia to be with my friends and my mom.

On the 3rd of July, I was exploring the nightlife of a small but unbelievably pleasant town in Estonia with some of my friends. It was cold, I mean what do you expect at 2 AM on a summer eve, and frankly I was bored. Being the only girl along with four guys gets quite boring. I figured, what the hell, I'll check my Whatsapp and see who there is to talk to. I, for some idiotic reason, decided to ask one of my friend's friend whether he is at a local skatepark currently, as I was there. I figured, you know, since I'm the only girl, why not meet up and simply have a chat. Instead of just chatting, it became Whatsapp conversations, one after another, day by day, week by week. It was pleasant, and I was senseless enough to somewhat catch feelings for this person. Warning: This is not a good idea when you're fully aware that you're leaving Estonia in a short while for ten months after summer, and you won't be seeing this person for a long while.

The 7th of July, that's my birthday, I got the funniest and most original picture of a 'birthday cake' from this person. It was a picture of a plate filled with apples and candy, basically, but I laughed so much. That was practically the first day we started talking legitimately despite the fact we only talked through Whatsapp for the time being. He would send me the craziest and funniest photos, videos and voiceclips which I listen to occasionally. All of the days and nights that we saw eachother were worth remembering, especially since we spent them along with his friends who are the coolest people ever, hands down. Since I stayed at my aunts house, I'd politely have to ask whether it's okay to go to town to see this boy. The most embarrassing part was the fact that I'd get home at around 2 AM each time, and I'd always take the cab home.

This one day, and probably my favorite day of all, we walked all the way to the top of this huge hill and just sat there for an hour or so. We just talked really, but it made me content. In cases like these, little things are what make a good relationship. Most of all, the sunset, the nice views and the presence of him was a nice combo. Jeez, I don't like being this mushy but how else do I talk about these things?

 The main moral I could possibly think of is don't take the risk of a long-distance relationship when your relationship is young and fresh. It's not worth it and it generally ruins the relationship as opposed to developing it. Furthermore, I came to realize that when you least expect something, it comes to you. Don't go around looking for your future husband or whatever significant person, you'll either be disappointed or your already high hopes will most likely come crashing down. These types of memories are unique and sometimes you won't even experience likely memories in your life, which is why we've got to reminisce once in a while to recall the good times.

The time spent together was and still is incredible to think about. It's fascinating how two people can become so close in such a short time, so close that when you think of the future, you vision yourself with that certain person. It's also quite incredible how fast these types of feelings can vanish.


Stay fresh,

Helen

The perks of living in Madrid

I'm not too keen on overly used statements, but the expression 'home is where the heart is' cannot be any more true. I live by that statement. I find that no matter where you reside, as long as your family (or at least a part of it, in my case) and close friends are physically and mentally close to you, the meaning of home already serves its purpose. 

If you read my previous post, you'll know that I live in Madrid. I'm not from here (although I wish I was), I'm from Estonia. If you don't know where it is...get yourself a nice lil' map of the world and try to spot it. In other words, it's quite a small place just below Finland and West of Russia. It's a humble place, but that's as far as it gets. Its humble, it's small, nothing ever happens there, or if it does, it always repeats itself after a while. Everyone knows of everyone, and occasionally you get the feeling and impression that Estonians are infact quite cold people. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this to all Estonians, but some are just...gah.. I just want to draw a smiley face on their face so at least there's something positive about them. It seems to me that many of them are permanently mourning for something or someone. Again, I'm an Estonian and who knows, maybe I seem the same to some Spanish people. It's simply my point of view. However, living in Spain, Madrid to be more exact, has had its downfalls and its utmost joys. Lets start with the downfalls, shall we. 

• When I moved here, in 2009, I began missing Estonia so much. It was at times unbearable, especially due to my dearest person not being there with me. 
• If you must know, I'm one of the shyest people you'll ever meet, and changing schools, changing friends and home was uncomfortable at first and I wasn't used to it whatsoever. But that's normal in any case :)
• I didn't like how gigantic Madrid was. The population of Madrid is about four times bigger than Estonias population in total. 
• I don't like the fact that Madrid is so far from the sea. I've grown up next to the sea. And I miss it.
• Driving from one end of Spain to the other would take you a day or two, which to me, is a lot. And here's a shocking contrast for you: driving from one end of Estonia to the other must be ca. 400 km? Crazy.
• I wasn't used to Spanish people having dinner at 9 or 10 pm. I'm still not used to it! But that's okay cause I eat my dinner at 6 or 7 pm.
• At first, I found it unusual how loud spanish people could be. But then I realized it's what makes a spanish person truly spanish.
• Cinemas are bloody expensive here. One ticket to a 3D movie may cost you around 11 euros. In Estonia, when I lived there, it would be about 4 or 5 euros. 
• No snow.
• Spanish women either drive slowly or drive like maniacs, in the latter case, I strongly advise you to watch out for them.
• The old men that shout 'guapa!' or wolf-whistle at you or are generally being creepy as hell. Not cool.
• Metro tickets are 2 freakin' euros. I'm pretty sure i've wasted all my life savings worth of money on metro tickets. 
• I'm 1.82 or so centimetres tall, and the average spanish woman must be about 1.60. So, I probably qualify as a female giant but that's coo'.
• The milk here tastes horrible. This is the reason why I don't drink milk anymore, basically. 
• The worst downfall, however, is how illuminating and beautiful Madrid is. It absorbs you, it attracts you and makes you somewhat wish you'll stay here forever. Good things happen here. Good people live here. Its a place of benevolence and love. My lovely Madrid, this is. So lovely that I hate it for having to leave it. 

The things that I love about living in Madrid.

• The people. That's all I need to say. Most of them are as lovely as it gets. They help you when you're hopelessly lost in the middle of Madrid, they will smile at you for no particular reason, they are incredibly enthusiastic when it comes to going out to parties or bars. (that's a definite plus)
• Adding on to the previous point, I'd say that not only do good people live here, but also some of the best people, like my best friend, Sofia. 
• The food. For example, the 24h pizza places in the centre of Madrid. Mmm.

• The buildings, the houses, apartments, parks in the centre of Madrid. Personally, my favorite area in Madrid is called Malasaña. The narrow streets, the beautiful terraces of apartments, of which some are filled with plants. The liveliness of the place is what astonishes me most, even on rainy days you'll always find some hipster-looking, cigarette-smoking, coffee-drinking person walking their dog (tends to be a smaller type of dog) and you just think: I wish i lived in this place. Well, in my case at least.
• Longboarding around the Kings palace, around Opera or Calle Arenal which are just as fascinating.
• Having the chance of just taking the metro and going wherever you wish in Madrid. Mind you, Madrid is enormous and some of the most alluring places are yet to be visited. 
• The Christmas spirit. The Christmas spirit is absolutely wonderful Even though there is no snow, Madrid's beauty during christmas is redeemed with the magnificent christmas lights on Serrano and Velazquez. 
• Having the chance to go to so many bars, because quite frankly, Madrid is filled with bars. My personal favorite one is Dubliners, an Irish pub.
• My friends in Madrid: now, I'm not the most social person, as I'm very shy but for some reason, I've managed to be lucky enough to have the most amazing people in my life. I'm strongly referring to my best friend, Sofia. I met her the first day I went to school in Madrid, the 4th of September, 2009. Ever since, we're inseparable, literally. With her around, living in Madrid is just ten times more valuable and the time that I have left here is twenty times more cherished. She's an unbelievably fascinating person indeed. I wonder and often realize how lucky I've been.
• The fact that Spanish little kids are much cuter than any other kids I know. I mean, I know all kids are supposed to be cute, but Spanish kids are exceptionally cute, with their big, brown eyes and colorful bows in their hairs.
• Living in Madrid, seeing what I see everyday, being where I am on weekends, talking to people that talk back to you and smile is something that you can't change for anything. You know why? Because that's the whole point of memories. You live it, you enjoy it, you look back at it once in a while and smile to yourself thinking, life is unexpected, full of surprises but in the end of the day, having something memorable to look back at is what keeps us going, hoping that the good memories last forever and that the bad ones.. Well, the bad ones are there for us to learn from our mistakes. Either way, Madrid will forever be in my heart, along with its people, the city, the endless amounts of coffees, beers, the 'besos' on the cheek, walking and exploring Madrid, lunches and dinners in restaurants, going out, going home, longboarding, being with my best friend and with my family. Those little things are the foundation of my happiness here in Madrid.

Here's a couple of pictures

This is the road I longboard on, featuring Hugo.

Cheapest beer in Madrid? '100 Montaditos'

Joseph and Raquel and I

Madrid truly is beautiful.

Palacio Real 

Sofia, Max and Sam

Helen

Washington D.C.

You know those holidays, or just simple days where everything you do, everything you see, anyone you talk to make you happy, no matter the circumstances? Maybe it's just me..Yeah, probably. But that's what makes life so much more interesting and enjoyable. I'm referring to my trip to USA. I had never been there before, and I was quite convinced I'd never visit it due to fellow Europeans telling me Americans are 'arrogant', 'morbidly overweight' and the crime rate is way too high. For starters, I completely deny that statement, and I shall persuade people into believing that USA is nothing like that, absolutely nothing. In fact, it is quite the contrary.

Washington D.C. was our destination. As an experienced tourist, and skills i've learned from my dad, I immediately read about D.C. online, I even bought myself a handbook of 'Washington D.C.: places to see and go' (which was very helpful indeed). Just the beautiful images and descriptions given in the book made my hopes grow so much higher along with my expectations. The humble Estonian that I am, I was a tiny bit worried or even afraid of going to a new place, let alone a new continent for crying out loud. Or even considering the fact that our plane trip was ten hours long made me slightly anxious. But, of course, this trip turned out to be an amazing, if not the best trip of my life.

We left Madrid (that's where I live, by the way!) the 29th of October in 2013. It was extraordinarily early. Like, really early.. like, 5 A.M type of early.. Nonetheless, the bundle of feelings such as anxiety, excitement and happiness was quite dominant that morning, and tiredness was unspoken of. Waiting to get on the airplane was surely a boring experience, as it always is. I, being my usual self, kept bullying and nagging my brother just to show him how excited I was. My dad, a great fan of airplanes, simply stood beside a window in the airport and spotted every airplane he could possibly see. My brother and him know every possible model of every possible airplane in the world (okay, i'm exaggerating), and it's quite impressive. I'll just stick to knowing which airline company serves the best food during flights, that's all I'm interested in.

The flight to Frankfurt (the place of holy pretzels and Frankfurters) was as dull as ever, given that I always fly to Estonia through Frankfurt. But the flight after it, Frankfurt to Washington D.C, was something I've never experienced before. It was, like I said, 10 hours long and my God, it was the longest ten hours of my life. I'm not saying I was bored, in fact I was as wide awake as ever due to my excitement, however flying across half of the world, and going against time was definitely an interesting experience. But you know, long flights have their cons as well: jet lag.

Jet lag was another aspect that I was warned about, but to be honest, it wasn't as 'hard' and 'overwhelming' as they said it would be. Infact, I felt no difference at all. Washington D.C. was marvellous, just like any other place you go to for the first time. But, I realized it's just about as normal as any other city. All the tourist attractions, which I've never been too fond of no matter the destination, were infact amazing. The White House, the centre of the city, The Capitol, The Washington Monument. These were all places I'd seen in movies or TV shows, and knowing that I've been at those same exact places made me happy like a little girl.

(I, regrettably, don't remember the name of this marvellous building (to the left), but it's located right at the center of D.C.) Washington D.C. was, and is a very memorable place to be at, especially when you're accompanied with two of the best kinds of men in your life; your brother and your father. Our Golden Trio is what keeps me going day by day. It's been us three for five years now, and to fathom that next year i'll be in university and beginning to live my own life, makes me upset, but hey, if it weren't for the good memories and good times, then the feeling of sadness, in these cases, would not be worth it.

This post is definitely too long, I'll have to get used to make 'em shorter so you don't get bored, so here's a couple pictures for you.

My brother and I standing infront of the Washington Monument.

The President's residence (I like it cause it rhymes)

View from Lincoln Memorial to Washington Monument

Eating Chinese food in America, cause why not.

Thank you, fortune cookie, it sure was pleasant! :)

 

Thank you for reading!

PS, all these pictures are taken by me (don't go all crazy with the copyright stuff, please)

Helen

Commence

I've always, well, for the past couple of years, found myself impressed by reading other people's blogs. Blogs which are related to one's life, one's memories are what I found most pleasing to read. It may often be the case that one's memories are merely important to other individuals, but in exceptional cases, such as I, do find myself completely stunned and perhaps impressed to read about other people's thoughts  and life on sites like these. It's a way of getting to know and understanding other individuals besides your friends and family. So, of course, I thought, hey, maybe this is what I should do as well. You know, I've always admired people that aren't afraid to express their thoughts, be it critical, positive or inspirational. As a matter of fact, this is what people use Blogs for right? To innovate? Motivate others? (Well, in most cases at least :)) Thus, I figured I should do what they are doing: express, let them know, motivate them (I hope?), inspire them. Now, the question is, can I do it? Will I do it? To the latter question, my answer is that I sure will try, but considering my horrible habit of forgetting, I'd much rather just let things flow as they must.  

So, getting to the point (another skill that I proudly lack), this blog beholds the aim of just me trying to look back a couple years, days or months and pick out the most memorable aspects of the timespan and simply put it into words. I, quite frankly, don't mind who reads this or who decides to outlaugh it, do as you wish, but remember, I'm not doing this to satisfy anyone nor criticize anyone; I'd much rather do this for my own purposes, own desires and to look back at this once in a while to reassure myself how god damn lucky i've been in the past (and still am), in all possible aspects.

Oh and, if you already made the effort to hop on this blog of mine, enjoy it, and thank you. 

Helen