Hi there!

As I promised, from now on I try to keep you updated as best as I can, which means writing my blog more frequently. Next, we are going to do a little time travelling and go back to last fall in the U.S. This will be my last post about my exchange semester, so I wanted to list ten most important things I’m definitely going to miss the most. There will be plenty of pictures and amazing memories hidden in this post.

When I was picking the photos I started to miss my NAU (Northern Arizona University) friends even more. Everytime I look at our group pictures I can feel a burn in my heart. There’s a piece of my heart missing. Luckily I know where to find it! Thus, I decided I really need to book a trip to Central Europe asap! Be aware my dear mates there 😉

Anyways, here comes my top 10 list of the U.S., enjoy! Things I will miss the most are…

1. Amazing cities to travel to

 
This could be my motto

Los Angeles

Point Loma, San Diego

Las Vegas

Paris.. Just kidding (Las Vegas)

San Francisco

Santa Monica, LA

2. LOTS of shopping opportunities

VS.. what else

Sephora <3

The ”famous” Flagstaff Mall, my Friday tradition

Fashion Show Mall, Las Vegas

Makeup, makeup, makeup…

 
The Mall of Hollywood Boulevard

3. Beautiful landscape

Phoenix

Horsebend Shoe, near Utah

 
Cute County Fair in Flagstaff

Flagstaff sunset

The lights of Las Vegas

 
Lower Antelope Canyon, near Utah

 
Amazing canyon

San Diego Ocean Beach

Grand Canyon

4. Starbucks (and the fact that they always spell my name wrong)

Yep, I’ve got the evidence

Starbucks Halloween Edition

5. Group Fitness Instructing at NAU

Plenty of various classes at the Rec Center

 
Wearing my instructor shirt

First, let me take a selfie

5. Big supply at different stores

Protein bar heaven…

Candied apples!

Sooo many options for milk! These whole food markets are the heaven for people who have various allergenes. Picture from the Sprouts.

Also lots of gluten free products!

 
Boba Tea (bubble tea)

I have a smoothie / milkshake addiction!

There are nearly hundreds of different options at the Cheesecake Factory! Decisions, decisions…

6. Wonderful sport opportunities

NAU Tennis building

The NAU Dom

NAU Health and Learning Center, Rec Center (my old work place <3)

Passion

Gym mouse

7. Plenty of great sushi places

8. Victoria’s Secret (in case you asked where all of my money went)

PINK! I love the decoration at the stores!

Lace lace lace

I was so sad when I had to throw most of the VS shopping bags away.. Luckily some of my friends helped me and took care of some of my little baby bags <3

VS dressing rooms are also pretty cool.

The wonderful BALMAIN edition.

Wearing PINK all day every day.

9. Sunny weather

NAU Campus


Smoothie and sun = perfect combo

It is easier to smile if the sun is shining. Especially we Finns know that.

NAU Campus Heights, our apartments

10. The most important thing: my dear friends! <3 miss you so much guys!

So, as I mentioned earlier this will be my last post about the exchange in the U.S. Next, I’m going to have some new adventures and challenges coming up in my life and I promise to keep you updated. I’m that kind of person, who always needs something to look forward to. We’ll see what comes next 😉

Have a lovely beginning of the Spring!

💖: Siiri

Long time no see, right?

It’s been a while since I wrote the last blog post. The guilty one, which has been stealing my time, is called LIFE. I wish I had all the time in the world to do the tasks on my to-do list. After the exchange semester in the U.S. my biggest priorities in Finland have been school and work 24/7.

FINALLY I found some time to write about my last adventures in the U.S.! So here you go…

On the first week of Christmas we (my friend Tamara and me) headed to San Francisco. We were super excited about the whole city of arts and amazing culinary world. As we were so hasty, we drove on the very first day to the most famous sight: Golden Gate Bridge. The view was just like a painting. Sigh…

We had booked places from a sightseeing bus, which turned out to be very handy, as we could just sit back and enjoy all the popular sights during the drive. Luckily, we managed to use the same tickets just the perfect amount to see all the places we wanted to (Tamara you know what I mean 😉 ). High recommendation for City Sighseeing buses.

The architecture in San Fran is just phenomenal.

We also drove by bus through the China Town. Amazing how two different cultures can mix so easily. There was a completely different atmosphere in the Chinese streets.

The weather was very windy (which is typical in San Fran) so we had to hold our glasses during the drive. Anyways, it was a blast!

Picture from the Union Square in the middle of San Fran. There was a warm Christmas feeling everywhere.

Selfie at the Golden Gate Bridge. Cheese!

The feeling when we got the see the Bridge first time was just breath-taking. There are no words to describe the beauty of the view. The weather was surprisingly good as the sun was shining and the sky was bright. The local people told us that typically people are not even able to see the bridge because it is so foggy and rainy all the time. We had luck!

Me and the city of San Francisco posing together.

The lenght of the bridge was pretty long (1.7 miles so nearly 3 kilometers!) so we didn’t walk it all to way to the other end. We were just wondering how would it feel like to drive over the bridge every day to work or to school…

Amazing view of the whole city of San Francisco.

Afternoon coffee at the Bridge. There was a signature cafeteria very close, so we couldn’t resist trying out their delicious Golden Gate Cafe Mocha.

In the evening we headed to the Cheesecake Factory in the center of San Fran.

And yes, they do have also something else than cheesecakes at the Cheesecake Factory.

Christmas decoration everywhere. Picture from the Macys.

Christmas lights at the Union Square.

The second day was dedicated to our Alcatraz Prisoner Island trip. There was a miniature of the whole island at the harbor.

It was kinda creepy to actually walk into a prison where the most dangerous prisoners of the world have been living. I felt like I was in the Orange Is The New Black episode.

Selfie timee!

We got the wear a headset and listen to the stories of the prison while we were walking around the famous places. The stories were told by the actual prisoners of the island so it felt very real and exciting. High recommendation.

In the evening we decided spontaneously to go to the movies. There was a Christmas movie (Daddy’s Home 2) going on, so as we both love Christmas, it was perfect for us. The whole theater was an extremely positive experience, as everyone had luxury adjustable super soft armchairs. Lovely!

Of course our trip included some (a lot) shopping too. Again, I spent a fortune at one specific store…

Now after three months I can look back and smile thinking how many amazing things we could experience. San Francisco has always a special place in my heart and I’m happy to go back whenever I get a chance.

Next, we are going to jump to Las Vegas, my favorite city of all! This was my last and final destination in the U.S. before flying back to Finland. Knowing the fact that it would be the last trip there, I wanted to make sure it would be something extra. That is why I book a room from Ceasar’s Palace for me and my boyfriend.

The fancy lobby at the Ceasar’s.

If you’ll ever have a chance to book a room at the Ceasar’s Palace, I promise, it’ll be worth it. We had a luxury suite with a huge king size bed, bath tube, living room and a nice view from the balcony. Boy, I slept well there!

There were lots of funky decorations at the different hotel’s lobbies.

My personal photographer (and shopping bag holder).

The fantastic fountain in front of Bellagio. Because it was Christmas time, all the musical water shows were related to it. Definitely one of my favorite sights in Vegas.

C’est la vie. They say that when the darkness comes, Vegas starts to live by its fullest.

All the attractions look totally different when the lights are on. Industrial or not, I like it how the whole Strip sparkles.

New York New York. Also one of my fave spots in Vegas. The colors are super cute.

Christmas decorations everywhere.

One selfie a day keeps the doctor(?) away.

We spent our last night admiring the amazing view from the Stratosphere building. If you are willing to see the whole city of lights, enjoy a nice drink or try extreme rides at the mini amusement park on top of the building Stratosphere is your go-to. We had some of Stratosphere’s signature desserst at the restaurant bar on the top floor and just watched how the city was shining. In my mind I thought I will capture this picture and all the memories from the U.S. in my mind forever.

Now, after three months I can finally say I’m over the biggest culture shock about coming back home. When I look back, I start to realize I’ve been experiencing A LOT during these last six months. Even though there have been both ups and downs, I wouldn’t change a thing. These memories and friends(<3) I’ve made during my exchange semester are things that you can’t buy. They are priceless. Every one of you with whom I spent my days at NAU knows that you’ll have always a special place in my heart.

From now on I have other big plans coming up, so let me just say, stay tuned.. 😉

💗: Siiri