Sari Constantinos in Finland decides to try the journal writing game.
Monday, April 23, 2007, Ivalo, Finland~
Dear Journal~
Terve! Miitu kuuluu? Kiitos hyvaa!
It is me, little ol' Sari Annike. Sorry for not writing in here, but this is something I've never done before, so it's all new to me. My friend in America, Louisiana Sandusky, does journaling all the time (as do several of her friends); she says it is very theraapeutic. She usggested I try it, so--here goes! :)
To tell you a little of my story, here goes: my name is Sari Annike, as I said above, Sari Annike Constantinos (nee' Gufstaffsenn). I was born on March 11, 1956 in Ivalo, Finland, where I've lived all my life (excepting the time when I went to university in Helsinki; worked at a bank there, too); I'm a native Finlander.
I have two older brothers, but no sisters. Both of our parents are dead; I still live in our parent's house, and my brothers live close by me, so I see them both just about every day, which is nice.
I used to work at a bank, and also at university, but then I got MS about two years ago or so; I am now unable to work. I get a small disability check from the Finnish government, and if I need a doctor, they provide it for free, which is nice, because I don't have to worry about huge medical bills. They foot the bill. I get this disability check every month; it allows me to live comfortably and take care of my needs.
Nearly three years ago, I had an opportunity to work at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, which were held in Athens, Greece. (I worked in the athlete's village. It was an unforgettable, rewarding experience for me. This is where I met Nikolas Artemis Constantinos, who would eventually fall in love with me and become my husband.) He was from (you guessed it) Greece. I had passed out due to the Grecian heat (plus I was wearing a sweater, I ddin't have any summerime clothing at that time).
Nikolas was the one who helped me once he revived me. It was very embarrassing, but Nik took it all in stride; he was a gentleman about it, didn't make fun of me. I thought that was very nice of him.
Eventually, as I got to know him, I fell in love with Nik, and he fell in love with me. I fell in love with his sexy Greek-god looks and his Greek accent. He loved the way I talked, and he thought me to be very beautiful, something I have really never been told before (besides by my mother and father, of course).
Nik was built just like a Greek god--and just about as cute. :) He looked like a greek model; he was incredibly good-looking with long, wiry dark-brown hair, a powerfully built muscular body, and dark eyes that could dance one minute and flare with anger the next. (his anger, thank goodness, was never directed at me).
He taught me a few basic Greek phrases ("hello", "how are you?", "good-bye", etc.), how to read (and write) in Greek (this proved to be quite hard at first); in return, I taught him some basic Finnish. (Turnabout is fair play! :) )
The rest, as they say, is history.
I will sign off for now; have to lie down; my eyes are starting to bother me (seeing double), and it is making me dizzy. I will write in here antoher day. Until later, this is Sari Annike saying Nakemiin!
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