Thursday, May 2, 2013

If you ever see me - let me know!

Today, something awesome happened. I was having coffee, getting ready to really get to work when a woman walked up to me and said: I'm sorry but you look so familiar - do you have a blog? I've been reading you for like 5 years.

Turns out she's a Finnish Swede/Swedish Finn who's just recently left Finland for Stockholm. She was so nice and it made me so happy that she said hi. It's really only happened to me a few times before, and I've loved it each time. So pleased to meet you.

Then, the lovely reader left the coffee shop and as I looked through my money for cash to buy a croissant, I noticed a coin I've never seen before.  It looks just like a Swedish crown with our king and all that, but on the opposite side it reads  ”Den underbara sagan om ett land på andra sidan av hafvet”. - The wonderful tale of a land beyond the sea. The coin commemorates Sweden's loss of Finland 200 years ago. 

I love this about Sweden and don't quite understand it. I love Finland. The celebration of Finland's independency is carried out as a gesture of friendship. But how common is it to commemorate the moment when another country liberated itself from your own oppressive nation? 

I dream of Finland. It's more than just a wonderful tale.