the-real-vera-jo-blog

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Where is your happy place? Where do you feel in peace? Where do you feel safe and genuinely comfortable?

My happy place is in the SKY. As silly as it sounds, I feel absolutely safe and free from all the worries when I’m 40 000 feet up. If you think of it further, I’m basically trapped inside a small metallic tube surrounded by the forces of the nature. I can’t explain it better than by saying my mind is in peace and I can’t think of a single thing to worry about up in the air.  I fear many things and situations on the ground however never had those feelings while flying. When you experience turbulence for 20 minutes or 2 hours not being able to go to the toilet or to leave your seat, it’s not something you wish for however I’d rather choose that as the biggest worry I have compared to the hustle that goes on the ground level. 🙂

I’ve always been fascinated by airplanes, flying and high towers. I had actually never flown until I turned 19 years old – since then I never stopped. Every year I fly more and more frequently. I started from 3 return flights per year and ended up flying up to 12 returns flights within a year. Now I’ve managed to start up my career in aviation therefore I might fly 2 return flights per day. 🙂 Flying is the transport method I use the most!

What is it exactly in flying that fascinates me so much? Everything! From going to the airport, knowing you’re about to head off somewhere – perhaps somewhere you’ve never been to before, taxiing to the runway, taking off, looking out of the window wondering all the landscape you left behind (I always have a window seat!!), just sitting on the plane while relaxing and writing stories, or staring out of the window while listening to your favourite music, to landing and touch down to the unknown (new destination you can’t wait to explore) or to the familiar place you’ve been missing.

It’s peaceful in the sky. Whatever you have waiting for you once landed or whatever happened before you took off, you’re in the sky and nothing can reach you there! You’re free from worries, overthinking, stress and anxiety…

The reason I mentioned anxiety is because recently I have been experiencing shaky hands and anxiety (increased heartbeat, sweating, confusion) in certain situations. It doesn’t last for long even though it feels like forever trying to calm yourself down (by controlling your thoughts). I only experience anxiety in situations where people try to scam me, argue or mistreat me. Unfortunately there’s a lot of corruption (small or big) in England therefore you might end up facing individuals who have their own best interest in mind no matter the consequences and any contracts you sign or any money you have to pay (eg. deposit). It is extremely hard o claim back in full as that’s when the corruption reaches its peak. When it comes to money – people, try and trick you or take advantage of anything they can. For so many times I had to fight for my basic rights – it gets tiring. However we MUST fight back. We can never give up, as long as there’s corruption, we must find the strength to battle and fight for our rights. Trust me, no one else will, unless you do. It relates to flying in the way, that I’m able to relax and to forget about the (sometimes) daily struggle and chores on the ground completely.

Taking off:

My mum told me taking off is like sitting in a Ferrari that’s speeding in the beginning of the race. She said some people are afraid of taking off as it’s such a high speed and you soon can’t feel the ground under your feet as it disappears.

I absolutely loved taking off since the first time I flew! It’s the same as breaking when landing – when you touchdown and realise how fast (minimum of 250 km/hr) the plane actually goes. It gets my adrenaline to rush into every single vain and for a short time I really feel like I’m ALIVE. While cruising in 40 000 feet altitude, it’s just calm and quiet. You’d never guess how fast the plane flies. But taking off and landing are the best parts of flying. 🙂

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Landing:

My mum warned me about experiencing pain in my ears. She advised me to have chewing gum and to yawn a lot.

I never realised what people meant by landing being painful – until I had sinusitis and had to fly back home (HKI to LHR). It really hurt and my right ear got blocked for the entire week. Once it finally popped, everything sounded too loud. Since then I’ve flown several times while being ill or on antibiotics. You can try Sudafed (nasal spray) but nothing really helps. You’ll just have to stand the pain until the aircraft has landed.

I always liked to just stare out of the window and watch planes passing by in the sky. Wondering where they were heading, where they took off from and spotting the airline. When I lived in the midlands of Finland, I didn’t see them regularly. It was something special to see a plane flying by. Once I moved to London, my first residence was in Bromley where I’d see planes landing and taking off from both Londo Gatwick (LGW) and London Heathrow (LHR). Every time I looked out from my bedroom window, I saw at least 5 planes in the sky. That’s something I still admire.

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ViviLnk

ViviLnk

ViviLnk

ViviLnk

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ViviLnk

While living in Wimbledon, I heard the aircraft noise louder than in other parts of London. I recently moved very close to one of the airports in London. I can literally see the runway from my bedroom window. Anytime one lands or takes off, I say the airline out loud. (Ok, not every single time as it would mean couple of times every single minute 🙂 ) It’s a dream come true, to live so close to an airport and to be able to drive home when an airplane is landing few meters above the car on the highway. Also, to only have a 10-minute-drive to the airport, work or pleasure, is the best thing. I’m exactly where I should be right now. Seize the moment and enjoy every second of it. 🙂

I mean, how could one not enjoy this, just look at the clouds and how calm it is outside! I guess it puts things into the right perspective when looking at the Earth from above. I always wanted to live in the sky, even to go to the space if possible.

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My routine while flying as a passenger:

Buy water or fill up your empty bottle after security control

Go through Duty Free whether buying anything or not. If I buy something, it’s either perfume or rum.

Take it easy and be the last one to board.

As soon as the seat belt sign goes off, I start listening to music and writing articles or whichever project I’m working on at the time. I might buy a cognac & Coke or two as my dear grandma used to do. 🙂

I rarely sleep during flights but if in need, I rest. A neck pillow is a MUST have item onboard.

I normally get chatty with the crew onboard. Purely because I’m interested.

I also like to take pictures every time even though I probably have thousands of them already. For me every flight is unique. 🙂

Since working as cabin crew myself, I pay attention to everything and everyone onboard.

Welcome on board and enjoy your flight! 😉

Best regards,

Vera Jo

Xxx

PS. Sorry, couldn’t decide which one to choose. So I decided to include all of the photos where I look slightly confident. Hahahaha, who knows me knows I’m just trying to get by. 😉

Born to Fly Where is your happy place? Where do you feel in peace? Where do you feel safe and genuinely comfortable?

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Another day in the office ❤ . . #crewlife #cabincrew #office #aviation #bestjobever #fly #flying #globetrotter #traveller #worldtraveller #plane #airplanes #airport #happy #happiness #work #motivated #motivation #excited #learning #studying #travel #travelling #travellife #travellifestyle #alwaysonthemove #herewegoagain

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Be happy with what you have while working for what you want. 💜 . . #behappy #happy #motivation #motivationalquotes #mondaymotivation #inspiration #inspirationalquotes #behappyforwhatyouhave #workforwhatyouwant #stayhappy #staymotivated #keepworking #stayfocused #keepgoing #curlyhair #alwayswantedcurlyhair #innerpeace #letyourlightshine #shinebright #shinebrightlikeadiamond #getwhatyouwant #goforit #potd #womanpower #femalepower #empowered (at London, United Kingdom)

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Talent develops in quiet places, character in the full current of human life. . Today I decided not to be bored and sick trapped in the house anymore. I did exercise, cut few inches off my hair and dressed up. That bloody fleece gown is gone now. 😆 . . #talent #staypositive #motivation #motivationalquotes #inspiration #inspirationalquotes #positivity #positivethinking #livelaughlove #haircut #barberscissors #haircutathome #developyourskills #character #sick #notsick #bored #boredathome #notbored #itsuptome #idecide #makelifearide #makeyourlife #makeyourlifebetter #everydaycounts #everydaymatters

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Inhale the future, exhale the past. Hope is stronger than fear. There's hope in each new day and it comes to us in the form of sunrise. . . . #hope #sunrise #auringonnousu #soluppgång #nascerdosol #salidadelsol #sonnenaufgang #leverdusoleil #anatolíilíou #saullēkts #saulėtekis #päikesetõusu #traveller #travelforlife #globetrotter #wanderlust #travel #travelphotography #nature #naturephotography #hopeisstrongerthanfear #motivation #inspiration #newday #hopeisallweneed #keephopealive

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Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. . . . #positivethinking #positivevibes #positivequotes #positivity #motivation #motivationalquotes #inspiration #inspirationalquotes #beautycomesfromwithin #beautycomesfrominsideout #sillyselfie #staysilly #stayfunny #instaphoto #ootd #potd #selfies #selfie2018

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

I’m not the biggest fan of Halloween so I usually tend to book a holiday to a destination where it’s not such a big deal. One Friday visiting my friend, we decided to look at budget holidays nearby and impulsively booked a trip to South of France. I then came home and told my partner “By the way, I’m spending Halloween in France this year!” He normally has to work during bank holidays so he is very used to my spontaneous travel plans with friends and therefore wished me to have a fun trip. Moreover he’s used to me booking trips over a phone call with a friend or while visiting one of my friends. I appreciate it and try to remind myself to be grateful we have a common understanding of how important travelling is for me – whether he comes with me or not. Travelling is my passion, not just a goal as a couple or to enjoy holidays.

I slept at my friend’s the night prior to travelling as we had an early morning flight and had to get to the airport by 4.30am. There’s a direct bus to the airport from where she lives and it’s safer to travel together night time. We flew from Gatwick to Montpellier where our hotel for the stay was located. It was fairly easy to get a bus to the city centre from the airport (€1.60 single ticket) although neither of us really speak French. We then stopped to have a morning coffee and breakfast at Comedie Square. We walked through the boulevard where the famous Opera House is located and continued to search for the hotel for check-in. We actually ended up taking a nap at the hotel before exploring Montpellier further. After a power nap we left the hotel to see some sights in the town. We walked all day visiting Saint Pierre Cathedral and Arc de Triomphe. We ended up having dinner in Tropic Addict Caribe, a lovely Caribbean restaurant, that served us grilled fish, rice and mango curry flushed down with Pina Coladas. We were quite tired that night so went back to the hotel round 10pm and stayed in bed watching Modern Family from Netflix before getting a well-deserved good night sleep.

The day after we had plans to go to another town by the river. We had options to take a train all the way to Barcelona or Andorra…as much as it was to our interest due to time and prices we decided to stay more local and bought tickets to Sete. The train journey was via Saint Gare – Saint Roch – Sete yet we first stayed off in Agda by mistake. We walked around the town and had a late lunch in Ville Centre serving tuna, rice and salad. We saw a massive Mediterranean cruise ship docked to the harbour while walking pass. In the evening we had couple of drinks at the hotel and headed out to the town for the night. Sadly to our surprise most of the places were closed as it was a Sunday night and everyone was preparing for the Halloween street party the night after. Little did we know all the residents actually came together for a massive street carnival for Halloween. Luckily we found a nice little corner pub where we sat outside in the garden. It was fairly warm that night…at least for two Nordics after a few drinks.

We also visited Avignon (by river Rhone) by train. Return ticket cost €32 per person so we left earlier to have more time to go around the town. We had salmon and potatoes for lunch, visited Palais de Papes, Horloge, little nostalgic street shops and had ice cream in the sunshine (poire = pear and lychee). We walked quite a lot during the day yet the view was worth every step. We popped into Polygone Shopping Centre when back in Montpellier before heading back to the hotel. That night we found “the only gluten free restaurant nearby”, a Mexican place that served corn tacos (de mais). There was a huge Halloween street party around us and it was quite enjoyable until a massive group of teenagers took over the narrow streets and we felt like getting crushed between them and the wall. The only way to survive was to move out of their way so headed into the park area instead.

At the check-out, the French receptionist told us how lazy she thinks the French are when it comes to Bank Holidays. She said they don’t need to use a bank holiday as an excuse in South of France in case they want to close a store, an office or a hotel for the rest of the day. 🙂 Apparently it occurs regularly regardless of the business. We also learned they have a lot more bank holidays in their calendar than we do back in the UK.

I stocked up my suitcase with some gluten free delicatessen such as French baguette and croissants from the local supermarket inside the Polygone shopping centre earlier on the day we had to return to London. We also did some clothes shopping…of course. 🙂 Once again, it was a miracle how I managed to fit all the shopping in my suitcase. I asked my friend if she had any space in hers but she wanted to teach me a lesson and laughed she won’t be carrying my stuff even if there was space. That was the moment I missed my partner who normally takes on my items instead of giving me a no for an answer. We had lunch in Paul’s Cafe before heading to the airport. We realised our flight was delayed when it said “retardee” on the notice board however it didn’t tell us how delayed the flight would be. After a while we sat down, had a drink and played Uno to relax. On our way home from the airport we ended up shopping more in TK Maxx before having dinner in Banana Tree, Clapham. At the end of the day I returned home 11pm however feeling more energetic than before the holiday. During the short break I gained more experience of travelling in France. Just like I had hoped for. I was then ready to face the challenges of November and the coming winter season.

Just a few tips on my personal observations below. Hopefully it helps you to plan your trip to South of France.

It’s easy to communicate with the locals. Some of them speak English very well, or at least they reply to you in French if they don’t speak English. So you’ll get a reply.

It was over 20C degrees daytime and 15C degrees night time at the end of October.

An average lunch or dinner including a soft drink cost €20.

Service is slow in general. Especially when you’re a foreigner. It’s good to know basic polite French words so you’ll get the attention of the restaurant or bar staff.

It’s quite difficult to follow a gluten free diet. Remember words like “sans gluten, sans ble” even though it doesn’t guarantee they’d have any meals available. In one restaurant the lady nearly pushed us out as I asked if they had any gluten free dishes I could have had. She straight away said “No No” and showed us the door by waving her hands. I guess she was afraid of allergies or just couldn’t be bothered to find out.

Don’t give up, keep searching for gluten free meals. The more restaurant staff you’ll speak to, the more they’ll give you options and you might end up finding a treasure in the middle of the town.

Most importantly you can find Reglisse (= liquorice) in France! 🙂

I’m an ultimate fan of palm trees. The happy news is that there are lots of them in South of France.

Next time I’ll travel to South of France, I’ll be heading to Marseilles, Toulon, Cannes, Nice. It will be more expensive in terms of accommodation, food and going out. Check out flights from Gatwick and deals with Easyjet, Expedia and Lastminute.

I find South of France relaxing due to it’s unique atmosphere and continuous sunshine.

Having travelled in the northern, eastern and western parts of France prior to the trip, I now understand the difference between these areas of the country and see why the South Coast forms part of the Southern European culture. Late night dinners out on the terraces of the street restaurants with family and friends after the sunset is probably the most well-known feature of South Europeans, while music and entertainment play an important furthermore visible part of the culture. I can’t think of a better way to describe the atmosphere of Southern France than: Traditional and classy while courageous and fun.

A votre sante et a bientot!

Sinceres amities,

Vera Jo

There’s magic in South of France: towns by the river Rhone I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween so I usually tend to book a holiday to a destination where it's not such a big deal.

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Find the beauty in everything. The harder you focus on the positive, the easier it gets. It's worth it. You're worth it. . . #positivethinking #positivevibes #positivequotes #positivity #motivation #motivationalquotes #motivated #selfmotivation #inspiration #inspirationalquotes #inspired #stayfocused #focusonthepositive #snö #jewellery #beautiful #interiordesign #decor #instaphoto #photography

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The best version of Fisherman's Pie although looks nothing like it. . . #glutenfree #glutenfrei #glutenfri #gluteeniton #singluten #semgluten #sansgluten #senzaglutine #fishermanspie #fish #basa #fisch #fisk #kala #pescado #peixe #pesce #poisson #glutenfreeinstagram #glutenfreemeals #wine #alcoholfree #alkoholiton #alkoholfrei #sinalcohol #semalcohol #alkoholfri #sansalcohol #senzaalcool

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

#2017bestnine pretty much sums up the highlights of last year; witnessed dozens of sunsets and sunrises in beautiful locations, travelled all over Europe, experienced the heat in Athens and the freezing temperatures in Finland, living by the seaside and late night walks under the palm trees. The only thing the pictures don't reveal is yet the most important: the people I got to share these experiences with. Cheers to 2018 being as awesome to say the least! ;)

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Highlights of 2017 I suggest you write down the Highlights of 2017 and the Goals in 2018. Keep them realistic and comfortable. What 2017 taught you, take it with you on your journey to 2018! . . • Lived in Athens • Holidays in Finland x3, Denmark, Gran Canaria x2, Ireland, Greece • Part of planning and organising @kirsiteppo wedding. Found out I want to shift my career to Events industry. • Witnessed close one's recovery from a dreadful illness • Found balance and routine • Focused on self care mentally and physically • Writing • More aware of migraines, stomach issues and basic needs. Learned to cope with them. • Learned more about budgeting - personal and professional • Had time to reflect and consider what I really want going forward • Started knowingly practice positive thinking daily

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Goals in 2018 . Doing my best without overachieving and burning myself out! . #newjob #newhome #travelling #selfcare #happiness #family #friends #workout #relax #feelgood . #goals #2018 #goalsin2018 #writedownyourgoals #whatareyourgoals #motivation #inspiration #yourpath #keepitsimple #realisticgoals #goalsetting #selfcare #whatisimportant #bridgebetween2017and2018 #takethegood #leavethebad #forward #theonlywayisforward

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Come to terms with your past in order for it not to destroy your present. Accept it, learn from it and move on! . . . #humble #behumble #motivation #inspiration #motivationalquotes #inspirationalquotes #accept #acceptance #learn #learnfromit #learnfromyourpast #forgiveyourself #moveon #pastpresentfuture #liveinthepresent #dontletyourpastruinyourpresent #dontletyourpastdefineyou #dontletyourpastdetermineyourfuture #dontgiveup #nevergiveup

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Time flies, doesn’t it? Not always but it really does feel like it when you don’t want it to move on too fast. When do you wish you could just pause time until you’re ready for it to run again? Do you often feel like time isn’t your friend as it hasn’t got your back when you need it the most? I certainly have felt that over the couple of past years.

As a child growing up there’s nothing more you wished than time to go faster – whether it meant holiday season to approach sooner or you to be ‘old enough’ for various reasons. In my twenties I actually didn’t even think about time. Even though my relatives or friends might have given me advice on important life decisions such as jobs, living situations, relationships and so on. However I didn’t care, I didn’t take anything seriously as I thought I had all the time in the world.

ViviLnk

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Reaching the thirties and the first one and a half years after, all I could think of was “I wish I had more time!!”. I need more time to figure out my life basically; I still haven’t landed my dream job, I’m not at the peak of my career, I haven’t got a family of my own, I don’t own a car or a house, sometimes I don’t even know myself like I thought I would once I reached “adulthood “.

What good does it do to me thinking of the things I haven’t achieved or earned yet? Absolutely nothing! Let’s face the reality; time doesn’t give a flying shoe about us. 🙂 Things you can’t change, have to be accepted. Once you will accept time moves on with the speed it does, you’re ready to adjust your own behaviour towards time.

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So what can we do to reduce the feeling of “not having enough time”? Please let me know what methods you tried and if they worked. I suggest we can take control of our own time. We can control the way we spend our time. We know time is limited so we just need a precise plan. I’m old fashioned, as mentioned previously, so I would grab a pen and paper, draw a mind map and start planning my time. Whether it’s a day, a wedding plan or how to get where you want to be in your life – you need a plan.

I challenge you readers to write down a sketch of the rest of your life. First I would like you to list the things that are important to you in life. Then, next to it mark if you have achieved them yet. If not, write down what you need to do in order to get there. You don’t need to give yourself a specific deadline when you want to achieve it, but it’s good to have guidelines. So for instance, if you would like to become a citizen in another country or to change your job to a completely different industry, write down the steps you need to take.

More importantly, how will you find the time to focus on the steps you just set yourself? You will find the time by giving up the things that take your time for no obvious reasons. Now I would like you to list the actions that take your time currently. Why do you feel like you have no time to do the things that really matter to you? What is it that you do all day? Once you have listed your daily actions, remember it might vary according to the day so you can make a list of Monday to Sunday stating all the different activities you carry out within a week. Once you will look into them, you can decide which ones are the ones important to keep in your routine and you may find some that you can be given up. If you have doubts why you continue to do an activity every week or every month, you can simply list the pluses and minuses – have a think about why you do it and if it really brings the desired outcome into your life. If it doesn’t or if you cannot find the answer, leave it. If you’ll miss it, you can always go back. If it doesn’t, you’ll realise you have more time to focus on more important things. If it’s important and brings a value to your life, you’re on a good track and keep doing it. The more free space you have in your list or your calendar, the more you have time in your hands to make sure you’ll use it towards the things you always wanted to.

The secret is not being scared. Even if you’re scared, go ahead and make a list. You don’t have to show it to anyone. You don’t have to tell anyone, even if they asked. When you focus on your life and the direction it’s going to, you’re doing it for yourself – and for yourself only! It’s recommended for everyone to spend at least an hour a day alone. You need to listen to yourself and give yourself time to relax. An hour a day might sound like a long time if you lead a busy lifestyle however it makes a huge difference in your life. If you never give time to yourself, you most likely will start losing the direction you’re heading to. An hour a day alone can be spent by having lunch by yourself, going for a run or a walk by yourself, doing yoga by yourself when everyone else has fallen asleep or numerous other ways.

We have to remember no one is perfect. I’m a perfectionist to the extreme so at times I struggle to remind myself regarding it. If there’s something you really need to hear every day in order to internalise it, write a note and hang it on a visible point such as a mirror, bathroom, bedside table, somewhere you will see it every morning. Now that you know you’re not perfect and you don’t have to be, you can focus on making yourself better and getting yourself to where you want to be.

I wish you all the success in your actions of taking control of time and how you spend it.  Let me know how it works!

There’s a lot of material online regarding the subject. If you’re interested, please have a look at:

https://www.wikihow.com/Control-Your-Mind

https://www.psychologies.co.uk/self/how-to-take-control-of-time.html

https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/meditation-101-techniques-benefits-and-a-beginner-s-how-to

Related quotes

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

J.K.Rowling

If you want light to come into your life, you need to stand where it is shining.

Guy Finley

Whether you say you can or you can’t, you’re right.

Walt Disney

If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.

Vincent Van Gogh

Stop fighting yourself and start fighting for yourself.

The Revolutionary Impact

If you ever find yourself in the wrong story, leave.

Mo Williems

We are who we choose to be. Nobody is going to come and save you. You’ve got to save yourself.

Barry Manilow

Best regards,

Vera Jo

XXX

Time is in your hands! Time flies, doesn't it? Not always but it really does feel like it when you don't want it to move on too fast.

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Don’t you just wish that you could support and trust yourself in everything you do? What if you were the biggest support for yourself? What if you encouraged every good idea you had and made it happen? That’s the biggest aim and the ultimate goal in my life right now. I know many of my friends are their own best friends and love themselves unconditionally however I’m not there yet and know many others who aren’t. It doesn’t mean we cannot get there, it just means we need to work harder.

Most of my childhood and teenage years I was shy – some people even called me timid. When I first heard the word, I didn’t know how to translate it into Finnish however I knew it didn’t mean anything good. At least not for the job I was applying for at the time. I was always the one at the background, the one following everyone else, the one not sure what they want but willing to support friends in their dreams. It gets tiring at times but then you kind of settle into your role. The role that you created for yourself. No one ever forced me into staying at the background, no one told me not to stand out, no one blocked me in anyway. I’ve come to realise it was me all along – I was my own worst enemy! That’s awful when you think of it. You could even somehow justify it to yourself IF there was someone who stamped on you and made you feel down. That’s never the case. Give me a scenario, I bet I can turn it around for you to realise there was no one who could have set the ultimate barrier for you chasing and achieving your dreams. You were the one setting that particular barrier for yourself.

I left Finland thirteen and a half years ago. I have moved from a country to another between 5 locations since then and although my main working language has always been English, I have also had to cope with German, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Dutch at work. It might sound like I’m bragging about my language skills whereas I keep comparing myself to other Nordic speakers or multi-lingual candidates. There are plenty of people who fluently speak several languages and compared to them I feel like I’m nothing. I feel happy for them yet “not good enough” about myself. It does make me feel good to hear my English friends telling me “You’re a genius, you’re so good at languages!” or “Did you know she speaks and understands like 6 languages…?” when they introduce me to their friends – only for the moment. Then I crawl back home and think to myself “Only if they knew there are so many more talented people out there!” That’s toxic, that attitude right there is what we should all step away from – far away. Why an earth would you push yourself down? Not everyone can be the best in what they’re good at nor should they be. We should only try to be as good as we can be, but not aim to be better than everyone else. Only that way we can appreciate ourselves and get the satisfaction needed for our minds to continue being creative.

I have never felt different from the locals when living abroad. In fact, nowadays I consider being in Finland more like “being abroad” rather than being in England. When I moved to England for the first time, it only took three weeks for me to start dreaming in English. Since then I can count dreams in Finnish language by one hand. I also naturally started thinking in English. Anything I write, I write in English whether it’s a shopping list or a diary. My family and friends would never expect to receive a birthday card or a postcard from around the world written in Finnish. They all know I’ve only written in English since 2004. It’s not something I think of, it’s just easier and natural for me. Accent however is something that cannot be faked – more often not. I know some people who aren’t English yet only few could tell the difference. I wish I had an English accent and some people think I do but I’m so full of self-criticism I could never give myself the opportunity to enjoy that thought. Most often it doesn’t bother me because I do know the vocabulary and I can keep up with any conversation but there are situations when I get insecure speaking with a group of people who have a posh English accent and I think to myself “How could I compete with that?” I cannot and I don’t have to compete with that because what makes me me is the fact that I’m multi-lingual. Most often the people with a posh English accent aren’t. I certainly don’t want to come across overconfident but at times thinking “Well, I can speak many languages whereas they cannot.” helps me to keep up with my self-confidence. Or if someone looks at me like “Well, you have an accent that I don’t recognise” or “You’re not from here” or “You’re not English” by thinking “I can say this in 6 different languages, I could easily ask them if they could do the same.” I know they couldn’t and it makes me more confident. I can then carry on focusing on the subject and forget about my own insecurities. There is no right and wrong in this subject. All I’m trying to say is that one shouldn’t underestimate themselves. If one wants to learn more languages, they can easily do so. If one cannot pick up a native accent, they surely have other competencies beneficial to them.

I might come across quite loud and confident to people who meet me for the first time – even to some who know me already. Mostly people who are close to me know me as someone who loves to have fun and appreciates a good laugh but also is sensitive and considers others. However the truth is I’m quite insecure and careful with how I represent myself to others. I’m very self-critical and often end up not doing all the things I want or wish to due to lack of self-confidence. Actually I have come to realise I care far too much of what others think of me. That thought even limited me from writing a blog years ago when my father first suggested me to do so. I used to write loooong emails to my family and friends of what it is like to live abroad. My father then said I should write to the Finnish magazines yet I wasn’t ready. Deep down I thought it would be a dream coming true but I was too scared. Later on I started thinking what I was scared of… I couldn’t think of a concrete situation that would have scared me. It was my own insecurity telling me not to. I simply didn’t believe in myself and my skills. When I finally started writing a blog in 2015, it felt good. I felt like “Why haven’t I done this for the past 10 years?” I started writing a blog about travelling as I found it an easy topic. The more I write, the more I want to write. Since then I have written multiple articles regarding motivation, feelings, life in general and the latest inspiration I’ve been working on is scriptwriting. I yet have lots of material to be published.

Dealing with lack of believing in yourself is devastating. I wish that for no one. I truly wish that everyone takes the time to find themselves and to fall in love with themselves. That’s my ultimate goal in life. Talking to friends, attending therapy or support groups can help you get there. I have my secret ways and started working on becoming the person I wish to be. I’m only in the beginning of the journey but I already feel relieved, content and more positive. The future is bright, the future is what YOU want it to be. Of course there will be times that test us, times that push us to our limits, but we can always choose our attitude towards the situation. Let’s remember to let go of the things we cannot control and to change the things we can!

Best regards,

Vera Jo

Xxx

PS.

Whatever you do, do it to the best of your abilities. If you write, write as if you’re the best author. If you act, act like you’re the most famous actor. If you sing, sing like you’re the best singer out there. If you’re a translator, translate like there’s no one who can replace you. You might not be the best but you will certainly make yourself feel worth it and that’s what gets you forward! That’s what makes you want to do better and to succeed further. Remember that everything you do has a chain reaction. Everything you do is meaningful.

Insecurities – Turn them into Strengths! Don't you just wish that you could support and trust yourself in everything you do? What if you were the biggest support for yourself?

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Early Friday morning I had breakfast at the airport while watching planes landing and taking off to different parts of the world. I called my dad just before boarding at the gate. I told him “I wish I could fly to a new country every weekend.” My dad laughed knowing that I genuinely meant it and reminded me that I also needed to work in order to do so. As I always say “Nothing beats the feeling of jetting off to the sky and heading to a new destination.” Whenever I sit on the plane above the clouds and look at the clear sky from the window – I know I will be fine. It will all be fine. The whole world is open to me, it’s up to me what I want to do and where I want to go. My mind is peaceful yet my heart beats from excitement at the same time.

I’m quite old fashioned sometimes so my essential travel accessories in the cabin bag are pen, notebook and music. I like to know exactly the route we fly in order to know the places we fly across and to take photos with specified locations. As we were heading to Geneva, Switzerland, the flight itself wasn’t too long – 1.5 hours to be exact. Usually it takes an hour to fly across the Alps when flying from London to the other side of Europe. We booked a package holiday with Expedia including flights and hotel. We only paid £80 per person for the extended weekend getaway in November 2015. Well, the trip itself turned out to be the only cheap purchase during the holiday. Just a quick reminder, everything in Switzerland is expensive…unless you receive your salary from there. 🙂

We arrived in Geneva at 10.50am and discovered at the airport Information Centre we would actually be staying in France. So the hotel I had booked along with the package holiday was located in France – just over the border. At first the lady had to convince me few times before I believed she knew what she was talking about but then I thought “Great, two flies at once!”. When visiting Geneva, every tourist gets a free travel card for the duration of their stay. For us though it wasn’t the case as we were not staying in Geneva.

http://www.geneva.info/transport/card/

So we bought a travel card to the hotel. It’s so confusing that the same bus goes from Switzerland to France but you pay a considerably different price of the ticket depending on the country. Anyway, we got to Park&Suites Elegance Gaillard but had to wait until 3pm to be able to check-in. We went out to explore the neighbourhood while waiting for 3 o’clock and soon discovered Annemasse wasn’t the best area in Eastern France. Later on one of my colleagues told me it’s considered as one of the most dangerous areas of France. Well, not sure if that was exaggerated but we were nearly robbed while entering the local supermarket. I only understood the guy thought we’re Americans but all turned out well in the end when the shop assistants got involved. I understood it wasn’t the first time the person tried to steal something from foreigners. I did get scared because he was huge – tall and very muscular. He was also clearly under the influence of either alcohol or drugs. We decided to only walk towards Geneva, not further to Annemasse from there on.

While my partner took a nap at the hotel, I was planning the daily activities. Later on that afternoon we discovered it’s better for us to walk across the border and take a tram from Thonex, Moillesulaz to Bel Air. That night Jet D’eau was under maintenance as we couldn’t see it. We visited Metro Shopping Cornavin and the Christmas market in Geneva. We bought a take-away dinner from Manor Geneve, a fashion chain equal to House of Fraser or Selfridges. It was cold after the sunset but we enjoyed some window shopping before heading back to the hotel. At first we wondered why everyone was staring at my winter boots…so many people in France actually stopped and stared at my shoes. It was so absurd we thought both of us had gone delusional simultaneously. When window shopping, we discovered very similar looking boots that cost up to €500 so it made sense the people staring at my boots thought I was actually wearing gold. Hahahaha I wish!!

On Saturday it was sunny but cold. I had a coffee (€1.50) at the hotel mixing it with soya chocolate milk bought from Manor. We headed out and bought daily ticket to the tram which costs €7.30 = 8 CHF. We finally saw the famous Jet D’eau fountain and the harbour of Lake Geneva.

We had a take-away lunch from Manor once again before taking the bus 8 to Saleve. There’s a cable car that takes you up to 1097 metres up the mountain Mont Saleve. I was extremely excited of course, considering I had just taken a cable car up to Borgo Maggiore in San Marino, a year before. Monte Titano is 739 metres above sea level so I was excited to go even higher. My partner is terrified of heights so he was mourning all the way there “I’m not going, I’m not going… You can go by yourself…” yet following my footsteps. I actually started getting butterflies in my stomach until we reached the area and realised it was closed temporarily. My partner laughed of relief while I was quite disappointed. However if it’s closed, then it’s meant to be. I believe everything happens for a reason and it just simply wasn’t meant to be for us to go up there. I looked at the highest peak and Oh Boy, it’s soooo steep!! I would have been scared on the lift. We took some photos before walking down to the bus stop.

That evening we walked in Carouge which is compared to Greenwich Village, London. There were different activities such as ice-skating and outdoor chess in the park. We walked a lot before jumping onto the tram where a refugee girl and her brother started singing and playing piano. She had a really nice strong voice and after signing the song they were begging for money. We stopped at Minor, a local supermarket, to buy some groceries and chocolate as a souvenir. My partner then cooked for me in the hotel apartment as we had our own kitchenette. He bought a kebab outside as it was only €9. The biggest reason for me not eating out was that it was extremely difficult to find anything gluten free as a take-away. Also we were trying to keep up with our budget and eating out for dinner would cost an average of £70 at the time.

On Sunday we made brunch ourselves at the hotel where I got my €1.50 coffee with soya chocolate milk. We went to Spar Supermarche to buy some things for home such as gluten free baguette, tea, spices, olives… After the check-out from the hotel we had time to walk around Jet D’eau and Cornavin. We also did some clothes shopping in Chicoree just outside the airport. Mistakenly I thought the winter jacket I bought wouldn’t count as extra luggage bu I ended up wearing two jackets and my partner nearly got into troubles while carrying my extra bag through the gate. I will never forget the look on his face like “This is the last time!” Understandably that time of the year and the weather circumstances, there was a lot of turbulence while landing back to Stansted that night however we got home safe and happy.

Thinking back to our trip to Geneva, it was cold and expensive, but it was also beautiful and peaceful. The image I had of the city in one of the richest countries in the world was most definitely affected by the poverty I witnessed on the streets. There were homeless people begging for money not only on every station but on the streets as well. Perhaps it was once again my naïve nature getting hit by the reality and ever deepening recession at the time. The trip however brought us closer together and we started planning more trips. We realised that even if it’s a weekend getaway, spending quality time with each other improved our every day life so much. Any type of travelling is worth it, whether it’s a day apart on a business trip or a two-week-holiday together far from anywhere else.

Personal observations:

Just a quick update, 0.5 litres of water cost 5 CHF (equals to £3.90 or €4.30) and a sandwich cost 9 CHF (equals to £7 or €7.80) at the airport in Geneva.

A standard lunch excluding alcoholic drinks for two costs £35 and dinner costs £70. The prices vary according to restaurants, drinks, menu etc.

The nature in Switzerland is wonderful so if you have time, please explore the country and the mountains as far as you wish to. There is a variety of cities, villages, lakes and peaks of the Alps to explore. You can go skiing, hiking, horseback riding and canoeing in the best scenery possible.

Due to the location of Switzerland and its neighbouring countries, their official languages are German, Italian, French and Romansh. They also speak and understand English in most parts of the country. Latin language is used on coins and stamps.

Switzerland is often compared to or confused with Sweden however they have two completely different cultures. Switzerland is in Western-central Europe whereas Sweden is part of Scandinavia, Northern Europe.

I would recommend anyone to visit Switzerland – any part of it when you have a chance. There are also cultural differences in the areas that are close to the border of their neighbouring countries. They have naturally been influenced by the cultures close to them on the other side of the border. This brings out diversity not only in the languages and accents but in the culture as well.

Best regards,

Vera Jo Xx

XX

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Geneva, Switzerland Early Friday morning I had breakfast at the airport while watching planes landing and taking off to different parts of the world.

[the-real-vera-jo-blog]

Take me back to Greece, parakalo! . . . #takemeback #missing #missyousomuch #tillwemeetagain #seeyousoon #please #parakalo #porfavor #bitte #traveller #travel #globetrotter #travellife #travelling #travelforlife #travelforever #turquoise #turquoisewater #aegeansea #sea #maar #meri #mare #oceano (at Greece)