Winter, which used to be the lowest priority for me, has now become a season I look forward to so much!

In Finland, there are four seasons just like in Korea, my home country.

However, compared to Korea, most days are cold like Frozen / a winter wonderland❄️.

To briefly explain Finland’s season and weather,

• Spring: The sunlight is getting longer, but it still feels like a cold winter.
• Summer: The same weather as Korea’s spring and fall, and it’s the national favorite season.
• Autumn: The toughest season for me. The darkness is getting longer and the sun doesn’t rise. And it’s always raining and windy.
• Winter: A literal winter wonderland. Frozen. The sun barely rises, the days are really short, the temperature is really cold, and it snows a lot.

It was the same in Korea, but also in Finland. I don’t like the cold weather very much, so winter was my least favorite season among the four seasons.

In particular, when I first came to Finland and experienced the first dark winter, it was so amazing and full of surprises, but since I started living here, it has been a daily routine to search for a trip to a warm country in winter or look forward to when summer comes. It was just one of the daily routines.

However, this year, ironically when a record-breaking cold wave hit Finland for the first time in 25 years, my thoughts changed.

One of the big changes for our couple in 2023, which is already last year, was having a car. Since we both work in the city area, we use public transportation during the week (parking is difficult and expensive). Therefore, we don’t use the car much, so we used to call our car ‘a real expensive hobby’. However, our car showed its true worth this winter.

To be honest, even though I always had a car when I lived in the USA and in Korea, I really hated winter and didn’t like to drive during the wintertime. Even in Finland, I personally don’t want to drive in the winter.

HOWEVER, what keeps me moving even in this cold winter is skating and cross-country skiing!🎿

I got skates as a gift from my husband last Christmas, and this year I got cross-country ski equipment, which is a whole new world! LOL

The good thing about Finland is that if you have your own skates or ski equipment, admission is free. Okay, tax is high, but there are also good things like this🤩

When you go to a school playground or an outdoor sports place near your place, the city freezes the floor most of the time.

Also, if you go to the forest for cross-country skiing, there are skiing tracks.

I went cross-country skiing with my husband even though it was minus 21 degrees Celcius, and my whole body was soaked with sweat as I skied hard while feeling the Finnish fresh nature.

I am fascinated by the charm of cross-country skiing, which gives me a lot of exercise and healing in nature! I’ve fallen in love with this cross-country skiing!

After feeling this awesomeness, I feel that winter is so attractive, and I am excited to think about what next winter will be like.

But isn’t it really interesting that one of the little things, that moment, a split second, when one really small thing changes one’s beliefs and attitude? I, who didn’t really like winter, started to love winter and look forward to it just because of the one experience of winter sports. It’s as if that moment of fateful meeting leads to a marriage that will determine the rest of one’s life.

For those of you who are planning to travel to Finland, previously I highly recommended coming in the summer (even though it is a winter wonderland), but now I highly recommend coming in the winter when you can enjoy not only the Finland aurora (northern lights), but also various winter sports!👍