在西班牙11個月,我學到11件事
Yup, I’m back in Finland with the snow, reindeers, and polar , I’m back in Finland with the snow, reindeers, and polar , we don’t actually have reindeers or polar bears roaming the streets, but everyone seems to think otherwise, so I’m happy to play along.
是的，我現在回芬蘭了，回到了有雪，馴鹿和北極熊的芬蘭。好吧，其實芬蘭也並不是滿大街都是馴鹿和北極熊的。但人們好像都這麼想，我也樂得奉陪。
Time seems to be going faster and faster. I hardly noticed the 11 months spent in Spain. I experienced, learned, and grew a lot during this time, but it all seems like a dream.
總覺得時間越過越快。在西班牙的11個月也眨眼間就結束了。我經歷了很多，學到了很多也成長了很多，卻亦覺那段歲月，宛若一場夢。
Our dog almost died, I learned a new language, I made new friends, I solved new problems, and I got an earplug stuck in my ear. You know, the usual stuff when you travel.
我們的狗都快死了，我學會了一種新的語言，認識了新的朋友，解決了各種新問題，塞上了耳塞——一些旅行時就會有的事。
Why I Left
離開之時
I left because I felt like returning to Finland. I also realized that traveling from Spain would be harder because I had rent to pay, and a dog to take care of.
離開是因爲我想要回到芬蘭。我也知道，異國旅行不那麼容易，因爲我還有房租要付，有一條狗要照顧。
Moving back to Finland not only gives me more flexibility, but also cuts my expenses in half, which is always a nice thing when you’re fond of minimalism.
搬回芬蘭，生活很自在，開銷也少了一半。對喜好簡約生活的人說不失爲一種好方法。
As the years have passed, I’ve learned to trust my intuition more and more. I do what feels good, and above all, I listen to my heart. That doesn’t mean I run away from fear and eat candy, it means facing my fears and giving my heart space to communicate.
歲月經年，我深信要相信自己的感覺。我只做我想做的事情，所以我聽從了自己的心聲。我並不是逃避恐懼，也不是貪圖享樂，我只是直面它們，給自己的心留出了一些空間。
It’s something you learn with time. The more you trust your intuition, even if you misinterpret it, the more you realize that you can put faith in yourself, and you can listen to your own self for guidance.
漸漸你會明白，只要你相信自己的感覺，即使有時候可能有那麼一點出入，你就能更相信自己，跟着心走。
The 11 Things
11件事
1. Openness. It seems Spanish people smile, talk, and say hi more than Scandinavians do. Don’t get me wrong though, the Finnish (and Swedish) people are pretty damn nice, too. I tend to be reserved myself when I meet people for the first time, because I never know if they are ready to meet the monster that is me, and I suspect many Scandinavians are the same way.
開朗。比起斯堪的納維亞人，西班牙人好像笑得更多，說得更多，打招呼也更多。別誤會，芬蘭人（還有瑞典人）當然也足夠好。只是我的話，見到生人時多少有點保守，因爲我不確信他們是否做好心理準備認識我這個“怪獸”。我想很多斯堪的納維亞人也都差不多吧。
2. Breakdown. When I arrived in Spain, I wasn’t comfortable with the budget I had in the bank. On top of that, opening up bank accounts and getting the paper work done took longer than I expected, but through all this I learned a thing or two about myself, and collected vital experience points along the way.
冷靜。剛到西班牙時，我很不滿意銀行的預算。最火大的是，開個銀行帳戶，做個預算，要花很長的時間。但經歷完這些，我學到了一兩點東西，一路下來也積累了很重要的經驗。
3. Traveling? Easy! The more I travel, the easier it gets. I always propose massive action, because when you do stuff, you get an accurate view of reality, and you know what to expect. You can read all you want about travel, but it still won’t matter, because your experience will be different than everyone else’s.
旅行？簡單！旅行越多會越容易。我主張“大張旗鼓”地去旅行，因爲當做一件事情的時候，你會對全局有一個精確的把握，也會知道將有什麼發生。關於旅遊，你可以讀很多相關東西，但那些仍舊無濟於事，因爲你的經歷將是獨一無二的。
4. Making Friends. I enjoy being alone, reading books, thinking, writing, and creating, but I don’t mind making a few friends here and there. I attended CouchSurfing language exchange meetings, where I met tons of new people. I took trips with a few of them, ate dinners, and had a lot of fun. Making friends is easy. How easy it is depends on you. Just look at Benny, he travels the world, learns new languages, and has no trouble making friends without drinking.
交朋友。我喜歡獨處，看書，想問題，寫東西，創作之類，但我也喜歡到處交朋友。我參加了“四海爲家的國際互助旅遊”項目，交到了成羣的朋友。我和他們一起旅行，一起吃飯，過得很快樂。交朋友很容易。有多容易也在你。比如貝妮，他周遊世界，學新語言，不用喝酒也很容易可以交到朋友。
5. Breaking Patterns. Whenever I travel, my mind changes as much as the landscape around me. I get new ideas. I meet new people, and I learn new things. It forges new pathways in my brain, which in turn spark new, innovative, and brilliant thoughts. If you’re stuck working the same job, doing the same stuff, and eating the same food, chances are you will stay stuck ;) .
打破常規。每次旅行，彷彿地形一變，我的想法也準會變化一樣，我會產生很多新念頭。我會認識不同的人，學到新的東西。它們會在我腦中搭成新的思路，反過來會和以前的想法碰撞出新的創意的燦爛的火花。如果你總做一樣的工作，做一樣的事，吃一樣的食物，你很有可能就這麼一成不變了。
6. New Language. While in Spain, I picked up a nice level in Spanish. I spent three months obsessively listening, writing, reading, and speaking Spanish, then I woke up one morning and decided I had learned enough. That’s just how I roll. I like to focus on as few things as possible, or in other words, I like to eliminate and discriminate.
新的語言。在西班牙，我西班牙語還學得不錯。我用了三個月的時間，狂吃狂寫狂讀狂講西班語，然後有天早上醒來的時候，我覺得我已經學得夠多了。這就是我。我喜歡挑戰新東西，或者說，我喜歡淘汰一些，再選擇一些。
7. Overcoming Fear. Moving to a new country, doing new things, and facing the unknown is scary. During the past 11 months, I ran into obstacles I hadn’t run into before, and I had to solve problems in new ways. Luckily, I quickly adapted everything was back on track in no time.
戰勝恐懼。在一個陌生的國家，做沒做過的事情，未知只是很可怕的。在過去的11個月裏，我遇到了前所未有過的困難，也只能以新的方式來解決它們。所幸，我很快適應了，不久一切都走上了正軌。
8. Minimalism. I lived for almost a year with very little. In my post radical minimalism, I wrote that I had 43 possessions, but I threw and gave a lot of stuff away, so I was probably close to 30 items for several months, and towards the end, I realized that I could’ve lived with even less clothes, as many of my shirts were only used a few times during the whole year. Now that I’m home, I have a lot of uncluttering to do.
簡約。我“輕裝”起居，過了近一年。在我的“簡約生活卡”上，我寫道我有43件所有物。但我丟棄了很多，所以有幾個月接近只有30件起居用品。到最後，我才意識到，其實衣服再少一點，我一樣可以活得很好，因爲我有很多T恤一年也就穿那麼幾次。現在在家，有一大堆的清理工作等着我。
9. We Are All the Same. When you meet people that are open, happy, and most of all, sane, you notice that there really are no differences between us. We may have different shells, come from different parts of the world, and have different beliefs, but deep down we’re all the same. Everyone is curious about you, and everyone wants to get to know new people, just like you do.
我們都一樣。當遇上一個陽光，快樂，最主要的是一個正常人的時候，你會發現，其實我們之間都沒差。可能我們有不同的外殼，我們來自不同的地方，有不同的信仰，但內心深處我們都是一樣。每個人對你都很好奇，每個人都想認識新朋友，都和你一樣。
10. The Heart. Getting through more obstacles, fears, and puzzles will spark new growth on many levels, but above all in the hart area. I learned to trust my heart even more during this time in Spain, and I learned to follow my intuition just a tad more. It’s a slow, highly fascinating process.
內心。歷經過更多困難，恐懼和困惑後，我們會成長很多，在內心裏。這次西班牙之旅，讓我更相信自己內心的力量，跟着心走。這是一段緩慢而美妙的旅程。
11. Appreciate Home. Spain is cool and all, but when I got back home, it was awesome. The mundane things suddenly seemed special. I’ll get used to this soon, but right now it’s magical, especially with snow on the ground. Traveling not only teaches you stuff, but it also helps you appreciate what you already have.
感恩之心。西班牙很棒，棒到不能再棒，但我到家的那一刻，卻讓我大吃一驚。很普通的事物瞬間變得很特別。我知道，很快我會對這一切習以爲常，但，至少目前爲止，它是神奇的，尤其踩在有雪的地上。旅行會教給你很多東西，同時也讓你對所擁有的一切學會感恩。
What Happens Now?
現在如何？
I’ve been asked this questions so many times, and to be honest, I have no idea. I’m as curious to find out what I’ll come up with as you are.
我已經被這樣問過很多遍了。說實話，我不知道。我和你一樣好奇，一樣想知道。
But one thing is for sure, traveling will be much easier from now on, as I can leave whenever I want without having to juggle rent, the dog, and, well, stuff.
但有一點我確信的是，以後的旅行將會變得更加容易。因爲只要我想，我可以隨時啓程，我不會再讓房租，狗，這種瑣事填滿我的腦子。
I may decide to leave for Thailand next year and spend a few months there, I may come to the U.S and explore, or I may stay put and enjoy the north. I have no idea.
我可能明年去趟泰國，呆上個把月，也可能去美國探探險，也或者就留這兒了，感受感受北方。我不知道。
As far as I know, this is the only way life should be lived.
但我知道，生活就應該是這樣的。
