American Mom in Finland

 We’ve been living in Helsinki, Finland for a little over 2 years now. That’s not super long, but it’s long enough that our lives have drastically changed to fit our new environment. I still remember the first day we were in Finland in our temporary apartment, suddenly in a record breaking heat with no air conditioning, trying to figure out how such tiny grocery stores could possible have all foods we were used to, and completely forgetting that we actually had to carry our food home. Never mind the fact that my Finnish was limited to hei (hey), kiitos (thank you), and anteeksi (excuse me/sorry), which does not help you at all when trying to read food labels for allergens. We didn't have any bags, so S had to carry our groceries. It’s strange to think about those versions of us. Raising kids in Finland has forced us to adapt and conform to Finnish norms faster than we probably would have naturally, and I love that. I love that I’ve changed in many ways that will probably be permane...