In Sweden (and Finland too) exists the concept of a fika. They’ve put a name to the act of, in American terms, going out for coffee. More specifically, the Swedish use it as a noun and a verb, and when people have a fika or are “fikaing”, they most commonly meet at a coffee shop for a beverage and a sweet snack to have a relaxed conversation. Now, I’ve done this at home, but the Swedes take it ten times more seriously. Seriously, meaning, they just do it a lot more than most Americans I know. It clearly says something about the difference in work life between the two countries. The workaholic culture in some areas of the States is physically and mentally unhealthy.
Going off of this, work-life balance and level of efficiency, so to say, are two topics I’ve thought about a lot for the past three months. In high school I was so used to just going, going, going, and although tiring, I felt accomplished. After one month in Europe, one day I realized that I still had twice as much time here than I had just spent, and the previous month had felt like the longest time ever. The idea of having almost no plan ahead of me other than where I wanted to go loomed overhead like a thundercloud, and thinking of having to plan out each day for that long of a time already made me feel exhausted and ready to head home. I stressed about making the most of each day, filling them all up to the brim because there is so much to see in Europe and I didn’t want to “waste” any time over here. (Cue the helpful reminder quote; “Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted”) In the grand scheme of life, however, three months is a miniscule piece; we young adults have so much more time left that slowing down seems necessary.
*sidenote - Often broadcasted on the public TV station in Norway is slow TV: it can be anything from a live-filmed seven hour train ride through the wilderness to a twelve hour campfire at night to a five day fishing trip in the Baltic sea. More than 80% of all Norwegian citizens tuned in to at least part of these broadcasts!
Well, I’ve made it to just under a week left in not only one piece, but feeling on cloud nine. And what does this have to do with silly fikas? I guess put simply, Europeans taught me to slow down: that it’s okay and many lights healthier. Alice explained to me how when she was in the US, one of the biggest differences she experienced was that everyone seemed so driven to her, so hard working, always striving to do more and be better. Which is not a bad thing at all. I don’t regret working hard in high school, but I also don’t regret taking it easy in Europe because of the previous four years. Sleeping in until whenever I want, spending hours at cafes, walking aimlessly down sides streets all day in big cities… yeah I’ll put my plug in for solo travel. Circumstances will be different in New Zealand but I’m ready for that.
Maybe these last two weeks have been so great because I’ve finally figured out how to solo travel the best, how to finally be comfortable but also have conversations with lots of people. Or maybe it is because I’m so close to the end that I can smell the inside of my house and that excites me. Nevertheless, I’m packing in lots of activities in Finland before I head home.
See you soon!
