Seinäjoki has been my home since February 2018. In the beginning I called it Seinäjoki, pronouncing it with jay. Then I learnt it’s Seinäjoki, like we are saying Seinäioki. Every day in this city can be different. I wake up and it’s sunny, but then it rains and then there’s some kind of summer and autumn weather. Some other times I wake up and it’s snowing and dark. Other times there are no curtains that can stop the eternal summer light to come inside the buildings.
It’s already November and my spaceship will soon go back to Portugal, the jewel of the Atlantic Ocean. While being in Seinäjoki I learnt how to survive four full seasons. The incredible light snow and the feeling of broken glass hitting my bones. The funny fact that my freezer at home is hotter than the temperature outside and that we actually need fridges to keep food warm. The joy of watching the snowflakes sticking in the pine tree I can see from my rooms’ window.
Later on the snow melted and all the roads were lethal to the body. People become dancers when the ice appears, instead of the snow. Luckily I learnt how to dance on the ice, even without skating shoes. Of course some of the times I had involuntary dancing partners to hold me, otherwise I would be dancing to the hospital with some seasonal injuries.
Seasons in Finland happen fast and in a blink of an eyes Spring brought the first flower, it was still cold. All of the sudden Seinäjoki became green and flourished. In May I remember going to swim for the first time in the unbelievable artificial lake. The water was cold to my skin but temperatures were around 25 degrees. Very promising to Finns.
Summer caught Finland like it didn’t for already 100 years. July was a ‘hell month’. At 8 am the thermometer was already on the 23rd degree. I remember I couldn’t sleep properly, I sweated a lot and open windows weren’t enough.
In a blink of the other eye, Autumn arrives. Leaves are yellow, red and still a bit green. The first rain drops start to rush the fall. The floor is flooded with all the colors the trees don’t have anymore.
Grey sky and short days. Finland is returning to winter. Or maybe winter is returning to Finland. Every season was a blessing, an adventure, an amazement. In my country we only have Summer and Winter. Seasons are long, there is no mid-term.
Now everyday gets darker in Seinäjoki. That couldn’t be more incredible. After all, Seinäjoki is the capital of space and stars only shine in the dark.
A girl and a backpack 