tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post1193710444561935369..comments2024-02-07T11:31:44.141+03:00Comments on On Life in St. Petersburg: Another 6 months laterElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-58216552245435826102014-02-24T00:30:18.448+04:002014-02-24T00:30:18.448+04:00So true. I am REALLY bad at throwing things out, ...So true. I am REALLY bad at throwing things out, too. My delight in the hotel and apartment living, denies the reality of my personality. Everything has meaning for me....or if not that - it might be useful some day!Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623179886908222942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-56643169143131280882014-02-23T23:49:03.681+04:002014-02-23T23:49:03.681+04:00I enjoy the simplicity when I'm at a retreat o...I enjoy the simplicity when I'm at a retreat or in a hotel room, for example. I like unpacking my few belongings and getting it set up. I like the IKEA compact floor plans. But I'm not good at throwing things out, so I do need storage space.<br /><br />I do tend to shop a lot when I'm in the States. There's no beating the prices or convenience. I buy our clothes for the year and I'm done with it. In Finland it's more "eye candy" and in the U.S. it's convenience. However, in the back of my mind I know there is a cost. The low prices are probably due to someone somewhere not getting a fair wage. Yet that is characteristic of designer clothing as well. So there's that.<br />Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-75088138220921677222014-02-23T23:31:54.215+04:002014-02-23T23:31:54.215+04:00Very interesting that you brought up the temptatio...Very interesting that you brought up the temptations to materialism that Helsinki offered. I experienced something of the opposite feeling when we were in Russia. Part of my desire not to go back to the US was just a feeling of peace that came over me without SO MUCH STUFF. <br /><br />I have to realize that part of the peacefulness is the lack of work and social commitments....but, frankly, the idea of living in a small and simple apartment, with storage too limited to have much STUFF was sooooo appealing. <br /><br />I guess we all want what we don't have. Do you feel that way when you come back to the states?Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623179886908222942noreply@blogger.com