A blog! Is that something edible?

Hi y'all!

I think it's time to introduce yours truly to those who have not yet had the chance to be spoiled by my inadequate writing skills or lack of manners before. I am a 22-year old university student from the Finnish city of Jyväskylä. My major is English language and I will probably graduate as a teacher in about 3 years. I started this blog to document my adventures in the great unknown beyond the Atlantic, also known as the United States of America. My student exchange starts in the little town of Wise, in Southwestern Virginia, on the 10th of January. I have never before visited the US, so in this blog I will record some initial experiences and my process of adaptation to the American way of life.

I was partly inspired to start this blog when I read about the 100 thing challenge by Dave Bruno. The challenge involves getting rid of most of your stuff in order to free yourself from the burden of things. I'm not a minimalist by nature nor do I share Dave's religious background which affects his writing, but I do believe that consumerism is not the way to roll when our planet is showing symptoms of ill-being, such as the global warming. I began thinking that if I cut down the amount that I consume, while thinking about what I consume, I could learn to live more ecologically and also feel less stressed by all the junk weighing me down. I will begin the process of getting rid of stuff by giving away and selling things that I don't need.

I will also post in this blog some of the best photos from my journey. I intend to be writing this blog at least weekly, so stay tuned to know how I'm doing!