First few days in Finland

I was dreading the 12 hour night flight with the kids.
As always, the more I fret the more my kids will work on making me look like a fool. They were good as gold and Shriya slept 10 hours :-)

I was on an emotional roller-coater the last few days before leaving. Eating my favourite Singaporean foods was only rapidly increasing the waistline and not filling the void that I was feeling inside. I was

moping all the way to the airport with the kids staring at me. Vaibhav broke the silence and asked me " So, amma, how long will you be feeling

sad and grumpy? Will you also cry when its time for us to leave Finland?"

I was keeping my fingers crossed and hoped that spring had truly, fully set in. But I did not know that my kids had kept all their fingers and toes crossed for a freak winter experience bang in the middle of spring. Guess who's prayers were answered? Vaibhav and Shriya enjoyed their first ever snowfall (although mild), played in whatever sparse leftover snow and braced 0 degrees very comfortably!

We are all still acquainting ourselves around this quaint little city. Exploring the streets around where we live and experiencing the Finnish way of life. Learning to do everyday things all over again. Like taking the tram, buying grocery, cleaning up after a meal (we've been quite spoilt thatnks to our Filipina housekeeper in Singapore).

But its been great lessons in adaptability. The kids pitch in with everything. Shriya is always ' neating' the appartment. Vaibhav helps put away all the cold wear back in its drawer after an outing. They set the table and try to remember bus routes around the City Centre. We look forward to our evening walks by the sea. We've learned to relish the crisp cold outside and the toasty warmth indoors !

There is no time or need to mope. The picture postcard scenes outside the balcony alone should lift up the spirits. The little ones' levels of excitement and eagerness make us move on and count our blessings. With V and S's right spirit to goad us along, I know that we will make the most of our stint in this new land that we are still getting accustomed to calling HOME!