Profile joulukuu 3, 2006

At the moment I’m 25-years old. I live in Jyväskylä (in central Finland) where I’m studying as a second year student in Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences. My degree is Bachelor of Cultural Studies (Fashion). Let’s see if some day I wake up old, wise and educated!

Important part of my life is my boyfriend Tuomo, who is living in Finland’s capital, Helsinki (300km south of Jyväskylä). That’s why I’m travelling often to south Finland and I’m feeling that my second home is with him. We have enjoyed each others company for quite many years already, so you are probably going to hear bit about his life too…

Those who haven’t heard about me for a while and those who have known me only a while, I have to tell something that has happened to me in recent years. During the senior high school I spent a summer (1999) in Virginia, USA. I was lucky to live in wonderful family that took me as part of their life. Special thanks to that goes to Joy. You are always my “American mom”, whom I think with warm heart.

During the senior high school I also met Tuomo, and fell in love with him. After graduating I spent two years trying to figure out what I would like to do for the rest of my life. Not that easily done! Finally when I didn’t figure out absolutely a thing I desided to go to school which would have some kind of connection to my hobbys. This school was Lahti College of Arts and Crafts. I studied there for two years and graduated in Vocational qualification in Crafts and Design, artisan, just to understand that I would never want to do exactly that for my living. But I also realised that the clothing industry was something that I was very interested of. So I desided to apply to Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences, to Degree Programme in Fashion and Clothing.

Luckily I got in on first try, but I postponed my starting year for one year later (2005). Instead I moved to High Wycombe, UK with Tuomo. He had his compulsory exchange year from his degree (European Degree in International Music Management) and I wanted to experience something new and possibly learn some english language.

In High Wycombe we lived with three other finns, Elina, Joel and Juuso, in “Finnish Embassy” as our house was called among all the other exchange students. All the boys in our house studied and Elina and me were working. We both worked in Octagon Center, in the shops next to each other. Elina worked for BB’s Coffee and Muffin and I worked for Bon Marché.

After UK I started my studies and have been enjoying them since! Lot has happened to my family also. My sister Anne got married with a great lad called Toni last winter and July 2006 they got a little boy, Onni (in finnish Onni means happyness). I am the proud god mother of him. My little brother Juha has also growned up and he moved away our childhood home to Espoo (just next to Helsinki) with his lovely girlfriend Meiju. Mom and Dad are still living in Mäntsälä (about 50km north from Helsinki), but are renovating Dad’s mom’s old apartment in Lahti.

Family is very important to me and even though I think it’s sometimes a bit weary to travel to south Finland almost every week, I’m also very happy to do it, just so I can meet them.

But at the moment I’m not feeling tired, just happy!