It’s time to say goodbye. To Helsinki, Finland which has been my home for the past 5 months. I take back with me, the most enriching experiences, not only of Finland but other places like Paris, Copenhagen, Basel, Arctic Circle, Stockholm etc. My plans for London got thwarted at the last moment due to visa problems. Unfortunately my time here has come to an end and I get back to the Delhi – Gurgaon routine soon. I will surely miss a whole lot of things including the frequent globe trotting that I have been indulging in. It’s my last week here now. On 19th November, I fly back to Delhi. Exactly 3 years back on this very date, I had landed in Tokyo and found myself amassed with a group of exactly similar looking, seemingly assembly line manufactured kind of ppl. Both my stints of working abroad have definitely given me a lot of variation not only with respect to India but also with respect to each other.

The next week shall be spent in finishing off the last bits of work for which I have been working rather late nights (hence no blogposts), and wrapping up the bits of my home here and trying to somehow stuff them into 20Kg of checkin baggage. I’ll also try to revisit the whole city one last time (especially since it looks different in christmas preparation time now), visit other cities in Finland and etch those memories into my mind. Inspite of wondering so many times in the past few months “What am I doing here in this corner of the world”, goodbyes are always difficult for me and would be this time too. I shall continue posting on FinnTimes even though I wouldn’t be here any longer. In fact for all I know I might be doing that even a year after getting back, there’s so much to write. My Paris trip, Copenhagen dash, Arctic circle stint and the Swtizerland trip would all surface there in some time. For those interested in reading about my Stockholm trip can read Cruise to Stockholm, Twilight in sunset and moonrise and A day in Gamla Stan.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye — Goodbye!
I’m glad to go, I cannot tell a lie
I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly