The Fourth of July – Independence Day for some, moving day for us! Like a 1950’s traveller our belongings had survived the six-week voyage by sea and were ready to be delivered to our new address in central Helsinki.

Anchors aweigh! Our things ready for sailing

Only three months have passed since we packed but it was funny to see what I had anticipated we would need. It was soon evident how sentimental I am as I unpacked boxes of photos and gifts from family and friends. This includes a small rock I was given for my 21st birthday that I have taken with me to Australia, back to New Zealand and now Finland. (Sentimental or just semi-mental?)

You know you’re in Finland when the last tenants forget to empty the freezer of reindeer fillets and escargot

If I could go back in time, here’s a few packing tips I would give myself:

– don’t worry about all the small appliances like the toaster, jug, lamps and  fairy lights. The power adaptors you’ll need to run them may cost more than the item did.

– unlike Sydney, where built-in wardrobes are very rare, storage won’t be a problem in Finland. So leave the large chest of drawers behind.

–  also unlike Sydney and Auckland, moths and cockroaches don’t seem to be compulsory flatmates. You can leave half your airtight storage jars behind.

– a Japanese phrasebook and an absinthe spoon – what were you thinking?

– it’s good you packed the books you’ve been meaning to read and haven’t yet. If you haven’t read them by the end of winter, stop carting them around!

– same goes for cookbooks.

– there are shops in Helsinki.

View from our lounge in Auckland (moving in day, 2012)

The fourth of July was also the due-date given to us last year for the arrival of our twins; two baby boys we lost at 16 weeks pregnancy. If I could talk to my former self from that time too I’d say, time doesn’t change things, but it does keep moving forward and you really never know where you might find yourself just one year on.

View from our lounge in Finland