It's about three months now since I left my home country. You might wonder if I miss Finland - I don't. I love my life, every bittersweet piece of it. I enjoyed my time with my friends and family in Finland, but it wasn't for me. I am meant to travel with the wind, not knowing about tomorrow.
So I left. I gave away pretty much everything I owned (which really wasn't much..), packed my one suitcase and hit the road. I based myself more or less in the Netherlands; more or less because half the time I'm all over Europe. But international journalism studies keep me somewhat tied to the Netherlands until June.
And that is one huge reason for my leaving as well: journalism. I have a hunger for knowledge, understanding and truth. I enjoy writing and photographing. I want to tell stories, but not just any stories, stories that are true: stories that are interesting, touching, sad, happy, funny, important - or just annoying.
I consider myself merely a student of life. A student, who might be able to pass on information and encourage wider aspects of thinking. Not that my thinking is so wide, no. I need some encouragement as well.
An experienced journalist, whom I hugely respect, once told me that journalism is about searching the truth and uncovering injustice. It sounds very sophisticated, very idealistic. But then again, journalism is an idealogy.
Idealogy that says everyone has the right to know what is going on in the world or in their country.
Same journalist also told me that journalism is never about the journalist but always about the topic itself. I agree with that. So I will try to make my blog more about different topics and less about me. If I sometimes concentrate too much on myself, apologies for that in advance, please remind me of the values of journalism.
I sincerely hope you will accompany me to my travels and adventures all over the world - and enjoy it too. If you have criticism for me, I welcome that as well. My only goal is to make you think - about what? Doesn't matter. Something you haven't thought of before. But just think (outside the box).
To end my first blog text I will use a writer much greater than myself: C.H. Lawrence:
"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself."
"My mood had changed from lonely wanderlust to an odd European species on nothingness. I felt I could sit there forever, suffering. It seemed a valuable thing to do. Sit still for years on end and eventually things will begin to revolve around you, ideas and people and wars, depending on their folly and brilliance on that source of light which is human inertia." - Don DeLillo
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