As a person who absolutely hates clichés, it’s difficult for me to admit just how much and how quickly my experience with international travel changed me.  I was expecting to maybe see some cool sights, listen to some different languages, and look for small differences between cultures.  In short, I was expecting to learn some things about other people, but looking back at my experiences I learned so much more about myself.

I’ve always considered myself the type of person that can get along with anyone.  I try to say the right things and avoid things that push people outside of their comfort zones, myself especially.  A month ago, I would have called myself a people pleaser, but now I have a different perspective.  If you don’t have your own happiness, what do you have?  Why surround yourself in people whose company you don’t truly enjoy or crave?  

My experiences in Finland have inspired me to do some major cleaning in many aspects of life.  The Finns are very blunt, honest people who don’t believe in having more than what they need.  As Americans, we will take all we can get, but I’m really working on changing that.  I would rather focus on building and maintaining a small number of friendships I value and know will last for ages.  I don’t want to waste any of my precious time by catering to people I really have no intention of keeping in my life for the long haul.  

The biggest thing I learned about myself in Finland is that I do have an adventurous side.  I’ve always been a person who likes to limit my risks.  The reward has to be very great in order for me to put myself out there at all.  Finland has shown me that life is really not all about the final destination, but how you feel while you’re trying to get there.  After all, the ultimate final destination is death, so why be in a hurry to get from point A to point B?  I’m the girl that won’t get on the roller coaster because she might get sick, and who orders the same food off the menu every time because it’s safe.  I take living in moderation to the extreme in every aspect of life, even though almost every time I have branched out, I’ve benefitted.  

Whenever I made the decision to run from a sauna in my bikini in the freezing cold into the arctic ice water, I felt freer than I ever have, even if I screamed like a little girl.  It made me vow not to limit myself, and to thoroughly consider taking more chances because life is short and the risk isn’t only offset by the reward, but by the experiences you have trying to get there.  In Finland, I laughed so hard I cried so many times and finally remembered what it is like to feel like a child in awe of the world and people around them.  I didn’t want to sleep at night because I didn’t want to miss anything; I wanted everything life had to offer me.  I want to bring that back home with me and never let it go again, because life is too short to always play it safe.