Summary style update

I have been thinking about writing for a while, but have not quite figured out the right approach.

On one hand I feel greatly nostalgic and longing for the past year. I keep getting random flashbacks: returning to my Chiang Mai guest house so drunk I giggle all by myself, running through our Hong Kong neighborhood park filled with elderly morning exercisers, repeating the crux move on an Yangshou project route... I have a countless amount of priceless memories! On the other hand I now enjoy having an established life with set schedules, steady income and ability to plan ahead. I have a cute home on the top of an old building, with wooden floor, leaning ceiling beams and old-style shaped windows.

The Hague

I feel that I have not got any new intakes about what life means for me. Instead, I agree to a lot of what I have already written before. So I thought to reflect with some of my previous posts...

25/03/2013: Intro
"After dying, one of my biggest fears is to get stuck with current routines and neglect the feeling of boredom - I have seen this, so what next? ... I doubt that I will ever find one single thing that makes me satisfied for the rest of my life. There are way too many things to experience to keep doing any of them for too long." - Nothing to add. Not to praise myself, but I could not have said this better!

Tried a new thing (ice), chose to stick to the old (rock)... 

09/06/2013: New winds are blowing
"We must have faith in ... guiding us to where we need to go. I do not mean passively waiting for things to happen but actively seeking for opportunities and staying open-minded to alternative options, confident that sooner or later they will appear ... I stream around for any seemingly interesting things that might provide me with good experiences, and try to hold enough courage to go for them!" - Towards the end of my last journey I was getting desperate at not getting a job. Yet still I would not have chosen to not to leave my old position. When my current work contract ends next year, I might be on the job search again. But that time I will have experience, knowledge and contacts, and I know I will for sure make it!

04/07/2013: Journey with music
"I decide to attempt to recognize special moments already when they are present, not just when they are past. Yet I should not desperately stick to those moments but let them pass, trusting that other ones will follow even if I have to wait for a while." - This promise is easier to fulfill when one's life is changing rapidly. Often experiencing special moments requires new situations, places and people. To be honest, I no longer want to be patient for long periods of nothing exciting happening. Life is just too short. I want to shape mine to be as special as possible, all the time!

18/04/2013: Brainstorming on decision making
"Should I end this stage of discovering development work and go back to IT business? Or should I pursue into finding more inspiring but risky career opportunities? ... What to value more, settling for achieved good or risking for potential great? For me, when is the right time to end the stage of discovery life? Ever?" - I think already back two and half years ago I knew what the final answer would be. I am happy I did it; I am now in the discovery mode and will most likely stick to it for times to come!

Packing yet for another trip...

09/09/2013: Pre-departure reflections
"I can be happy doing nothing. False. After relaxing for a while I want to start doing something productive to earn my living. Free time truly becomes valuable when it is balanced with scheduled responsibility." - Sure, let's take for example climbing. During my timely-free Asia journey I wasted many days near amazing crags by being too tired/scared/unmotivated to climb properly. Now that outdoors climbing is scarce for me, I appreciate every single route I get to try!

The weekend destination, Berdorf

27/05/2014: Unbeaten stress
"But what is THE path? Is it destined by some higher power and made accessible to those who dare to try? Or do we entirely by ourselves make our paths, shaped just by pure luck?" - We tend to think our lives are destined because we happened to be in certain positions or met certain people, to get us to where we are now. But we fail to acknowledge that also other random happenings would have brought cool things into our lives. They may have been different but equally meaningful.

25/11/2014: Nam Pha Pay Ai 
"But that is traveling; you see places and meet people for a while, and then say goodbye in order to go for yet new experiences ... I know that I will never meet again with most of these people, but I will have learnt different life lessons from them ... Then in the end, the most significant path-crossings will stay in my memories for a long time." - At the time of writing that, I could not even guess how right I was. Thinking about all the amazing people I met along the journey makes me feel incredibly blessed!

Reunion in Switzerland

Reunion in Italy

22/12/2014: Traveling and/or/versus working
" ... what kinds of career profiles exist that might interest me. So far my list of key words is the following: impact sector, developing countries, climate change, economic development, consulting, project management." - My current job has all that. I still cannot believe I eventually managed to get exactly what I wanted!

08/04/2015: Why I quit my job
"I must keep trusting on myself. As long as I believe that I am determined, smart and lucky enough, I will be alright ... Now I must stick through it until I find myself in a new, exciting and fulfilling job ... So when I eventually wake up one morning happily thinking about going to work, I know this struggle has paid off!" - Indeed, nowadays when my alarm goes off at 6am, I get up satisfied with the thought of quality coffee and biking to work. For the first time ever I am truly interested and motivated with what I am doing. Previously I did not even know what a difference it would make!

I have some vague plans for the future. But in today, (even though I still cannot climb even 7A, my bike got stolen and it's raining all the time), I am living my life just as I want it to be!

A year later

Almost exactly a year ago I wrote in Italy: "Dear adventures, bring it on! I am ready to go where ever you take me!" Now I am in Italy again, sort of closing the circle. I am sitting on a rooftop overlooking narrow canals and colorful houses of Venice; enjoying the darkening summer night. It seems almost like yesterday when I was dining in the small, sympathetic restaurant in Belluno; dreaming about upcoming adventures.

View from my hostel toilet

Back then I had no idea what the following year would be like. I was just excited about going for long travels to explore faraway countries and create myself a new career. What made the journey unique was not having a return date or place. I just promised myself to try my best to find something that would make me happy. From a job searching point of view, now looking back in time, I lacked clear strategy. I could have targeted better by choosing smarter destinations and doing more local connecting. However, I did not know better, so the decisions I made along the way shaped the year to be what it was - awesome, touch, teaching.

Now I am three weeks away from starting my new job. It is hard to believe I finally got what I wanted. After months of struggling and desperation, but also persistence and belief, I have landed a job that is exactly what I looked for. I had actually set myself a deal line: after July climbing in Kalymnos I would no longer go anywhere without working. I had some vague plan Bs, like a coffee shop in Australia or a climbing gym in Germany. Instead I am moving to the Netherlands to work among carbon finance for a reputable development organization.

My preliminary plan was to stay in Kalymnos for a month. However, just after a week there I did well on a Skype interview and got invited to final testing. I had just gotten used to the rock and was ready to start pushing my grades. Not climbing any records was secondary, though, as I quickly booked half a dozen flights and shifted my mind towards prospective employment. I left Kalymnos with the best possible compliment from a fellow climber: "Compared to other girls of your level, you are brave at leading. You climb until you fall. Now take that attitude to try harder on higher grades." He did not know it, but I had worked on that mental strength for the whole past year. So I did accomplish what I wanted, and eventually I will climb that first 7A, too!

Traveling around the world for a year is just a dream for most people. I was lucky to make it happen for myself. I am still living the dream - sometimes light and fun, sometimes sad and frustrating. I am glad I had the courage to choose change and uncertainly, for it can bring much happiness to me. I truly hope new adventures will keep coming!

About smart phones

There is a thing I find overly annoying. It is people (including myself) being glued to smart phones. There are couples on romantic dates, groups of friends among fun activities, business people at meetings, you name it – all looking at those small screens. It seems that people are either not mentally present at where they are or they are living through social media. Having constant access to everyone you know and do not know is addictive.

Let's say I go for a coffee with a friend. While she is telling me about what she has been up to, I half-heartedly listen to her. Every now and then I pick up my phone to check my e-mails. I am dying to know if I got this job I applied for. After a while my friend looks annoyed, as it is obvious I am not giving her my full attention. I am being rude, and she wonders why I invited her to hang out in the first place, since I am not really interested in hearing what she has got to say. This is not necessarily true. I do want to see her, but at the same time I am curious about an important thing that is about to shape my life. Since I have the opportunity to get the news at the very minute they arrive, I cannot resist to keep checking on it.

Then I go on a hike by myself. I take several pictures of the pristine landscape, and in my head I already form a catchy Facebook status to accompany them. As I walk the paths, I register and process my surroundings through mentally sharing them on social media. It is like, I want to show off to everyone what cool things I am doing, to gather many likes as acceptance and admiration. But on the other hand, I would not send every update to all my friends individually. Through larger distribution I allow those who what to, to follow my doings. Similarly I have many friends all over the world, with whom I am not close enough to stay in constant personal touch, but I enjoy seeing their updates to keep some track of their lives.

In Finland I have got an internet plan on my smart phone and I check it too much. Often it is actually a sort of disappointment: no new messages, invitations or likes. Nothing and no one interesting has appeared. Abroad I only have access to internet at wifi areas, which makes me more relaxed. It is easier to concentrate on people and experiences, who are presently there, when my smart phone is at the hostel. It is enough to check it just a couple of times a day, and I am actually happy when I am forced to do so. Otherwise I no longer have the willpower to stay away from my smart phone.

PS. I like instant messaging, especially receiving personal photos taken by friends far away. It is neat knowing those messages are meant specifically for me. Seeing what a friend is doing and knowing that he wants to share a moment of his life with me, puts a smile on my face. 

Notes about China

I spent six weeks in China. Culturally it is the strangest country I have visited so far. Here are some of my random observations:
- Chinese people in faraway areas look different from each other.
- Drug stores play loud party music.
- People speak to you in Chinese even though you understand nothing.
- Taxi drivers do not like picking up foreigners.
- Leaving food is polite. It signals you got enough to get full.
- English translations are absolutely hilarious.
- People photograph you like you were some rare species.
- When you are alone, people are very friendly and helpful.
- Spitting and coughing is common activity.
- The word meaning a white person is "hello".
- People make their babies pee (and even poop) on streets.
- Schedules and opening times are surprisingly accurate.
- Chinese climbers reserve routes for ages to project on them,
- People hold onto traditions and superstitions.
- Local beer is week (< 3,3).
- Airport personnel do not mind overweight luggage.
- Pointing and acting is the best way to become understood.
- Traffic lines are unorganized but functioning.

Market day

Giving autographs at Kailas store ;)

I traveled in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces. I enjoying experiencing varying landscapes, foods and styles in the different places, that reminds me what a huge country China is indeed.

My first destination was Yangshou, one of Asia's must-visit climbing spots. The crazy city is full of Chinese tourists, making it busy and noisy especially during public holidays. I stayed at Climbers Inn, which is run by Lily, who means well but keeps missing things. Every morning climbers decide what crag they want to go to and share a taxi to get there. To get most out of one's climbing, it is quite important to pick crags with adequate grades and styles. I liked long, technical face routes the best. Unfortunately my climbing performance got a bit distracted by late mornings and wine drinking, and I ended up leaving before I had sent any of my projects.

Moon Hill

Two flights and two bus trips (of which one was 12 torturous hours on bumpy unpaved mountain roads) took me to Dao Cheng. It is a small town at the Tibetan border, surrounded by snow capped mountains and influenced by its neighbor's culture. New bouldering areas are being discovered at high altitudes of 3600m - 4400m. We rode our bikes to the rocky hills and walked around them searching for potential boulder problems. Although the general rock quality was not great, we had fun identifying, naming and grading new routes. I missed making myself a route setter, though, since all my problems were too difficult for us to send.

Check out this video of Dao Cheng bouldering

Tibetan food

I ended my trip in Liming, which is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. The village, that is basically just one street, is in the middle of majestic big walls. It is China's major trad climbing area with potential for hundreds of high class routes. Walk-ups to the crags were long and strenuous, and crack climbing was a whole new thing for me. I was happy to be with experienced climbers, who set up ropes and taught me jamming techniques. I definitely got motivated to learn how to place gear, to someday add trad climbing to my skills! To top up the experience, we did a via ferrata going up the mountains and inside a large cave.

The transfer spot was Lijiang, where I visited altogether three times. For me, it was a city of annoyances (running around to arrange my visa extension), chill-out times (wandering in the idyllic, maze-like old town and staying in boutique hostels) and cries (leaving behind my only true travel romance). From there I flew to Finland.

Appreciate each day

I wake up to the familiar sound of my alarm and reach out for the cell phone to turn it off. It reminds me of the previous morning, when I similarly woke up. Except that since yesterday one day has passed. One day of my life is gone forever. I am one day closer to death.

How did I spend that one day? Did I do anything worth looking back to or being proud of? I sure hope I did not just blankly live it through. I hope I gave attention to the people I met, took notice on happenings around me and even initiated some sources of joy. Most of all, I hope I did not mistreat the day as an eternal source of time.

Today I am living the day that will be gone tomorrow. I may be going through repetitive tasks or big adventures. In whatever case, what do I want to remember of it the following morning? Or what if next day does not exist for me?

Gotta love Chinglish ;)

Why I quit my job

One morning my friend stated that he has got the world's best job. For him design is lifestyle and passion, and he does not mind spending all his time at work. I felt envious of him, because I have never been paid for doing what I really enjoy.

My previous job was secure and well-paying. I had reasonable working hours, enough vacation days and great colleagues. The only thing lacking was enthusiasm. I never used my full capacity but just performed well enough to pass. At times I was so frustrated that during days I counted hours till end of work, and when I was not in the office I got crumpy thinking about going there. I admit, I have got very high expectations of life. While many people are satisfied to do just something to pay the bills, I want my work to be filled with interest, challenge and impact.

If I work 8 hours per day and sleep 8 hours per night, in a week I spend over a third of my waken time at work. It is a lot of time. Sure every job is sometimes boring and difficult, but for most of the time I want to feel good about mine. Unlike my designer friend, I have no childhood dream profession. When I quit my job I did not have clear ideas about what I would prefer doing for work. I just knew I was not happy, and later on I would regret if I had not even tried to change it for better.

So when my company had contractual negotiations, I saw it as a good change to voluntarily leave with a resignation package. In no way it was an easy decision, as I feared ending up worse (extra reading: Unbeaten stress). But I wanted to have a strong push and enough space to create myself a new career. I decided to do it through traveling.

Now I have been on the go for five months. In the beginning my job search was relaxed and casual, but over time it has become increasingly focused and strategic. As I have been familiarizing myself with the international development field - including its different parties, systems and characteristics - I have found out what I would ideally want to work among. Already this is a break-through for me, since now I finally have a direction where to head to.

Entering the new field has proven to be extremely difficult. I am competing against hundreds of experienced people for positions spread around all over the world. It seems that sending out applications is waste of time unless I have connections backing me up. I am getting discouraged at trying my hardest and yet still barely getting any answers. It is stressful being in this situation alone; deciding where to go and what to do in order to maximize success, without proper information on job markets and conditions.

But now giving up is not an option. Even though some people are getting doubtful about me ever finding what I want, I must keep trusting on myself. As long as I believe that I am determined, smart and lucky enough, I will be alright. I anticipated that this career change would require lots of boring hours on the computer, persistence and even correcting lapses made on the way. Now I must stick through it until I find myself in a new, exciting and fulfilling job.

After all, hitherto I am closer than ever to my dream job. I actually know what it is, and I am putting effort into getting it. And anyways, true achievements are those that one has worked hard for. So when I eventually wake up one morning happily thinking about going to work, I know this struggle has paid off!

When climbing (or life or whatever) gets touch, have a mojito!