You like me, you like me not...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah dears :) how has your week been?

I just had an evening snack/supper (iltapala) and made a nice cup of tea. Alhamdulillah. How are u? ♥ I hope you had a nice day. I did, I walked way too long to pick a small package that was delivered to an alternative post office. Came back home via market, cooked and then had dinner etc with hubby. He is so sweet ma sha Allah, he brought me some coconut cookies. :) 

...

I am not very good with changes. Or let's say that changes take time with me. Usually at first, I'm very flexible and everything is ok, until it kinda hits me and I take a 180 degree turn. Then it passes, and I'm happy or at least content with the new situation.

Well, latest change was moving to a new apartment and area in May this year. It's been bit more than three months now, and I start to feel good and at home. This area also has been both nice to me, but with some challenges too.

There's seemingly less muslims living in this area. There are, but not that much, at least at this side of the area we live. I remember the first market visits, I felt like everybody looked at me. I tried to be nice to the neighbours and greet them, but some were very rude and I stopped greeting them all at once. I liked our apartment since the beginning, but the neighborhood seemed different. Like I was a stranger. 

I went my ways, of course I had to go market regularly like us all. I went to my walks in the forest.

I worked on my self esteem.

I feel like more and more I come out from my shell, the world seems to respond. I stopped caring, or maybe not 100 percent but mostly, I just don't care anymore. There has been so much talks and mocks that it just reached a point of change. And I have actually had so nice encounters.

There was a lady who told me my scarf and bag match perfectly. There was a woman complimenting my skirt, asking where I got it from.

There are still people who seem to think that commenting someone's appearance negatively is ok, too.

But there are so many smiles, encouraging words, little favors, "have a nice day"'s. It makes me start to feel a small breeze of belonging. Maybe I belong here, maybe I have place in the society. Maybe I am good as I am, and I have the right to exist as who I am and actually some strangers like me wish to celebrate it with me, with these small, grand gestures.

...

Finland's Immigration Service stated earlier this week that Finland will give asylum to all Gazan refugees. That was great news. The atmosphere has been quite tense. The current government doesn't want human rights to recognize the state of Palestine, so the news about asylums was a shock. Positive one. But of course the current government had to come up with something, so they have started to clear a possibility of a niqab and burkha ban.

Yes, our "happiest country of the world"... so much hatred and racism. The ban is only one example of our government's values. And all this circus has been made to quietly sweep under the carpet the fact that they have been cutting social security from students, elderly, unemployed, single parents, all people who already have very low income. I get so angry that I don't even know what to say. I don't know how these people sleep their nights. Can you live without a heart? Or soul?

...

Allah knows best. That's a comforting thought. Everyone will have an ending, and our life here determines the state of our afterlife. So rather than getting angry and complain, it's better to be patient and strive to do good deeds. I want to believe in the goodness and kindness of people, as naive it might be. And I can see that. I think it's great that many people are also willing to take steps towards, to make these gestures like I wrote, to make you feel included. We need to fight together. Good will repel evil in the end. In sha Allah.

...

So, back to the news, I got my makeup today. I've used this Avril mascara for years, it just works so well :) I also got my new lipstick, and I have made a mistake with it.. I thought the shade is more peachy, when this is actually more darker and more of a brown shade. It's not bad though, it looks good and probably I don't even really wear it outside the house so.. This is the disadvantage in online shopping, you might get something unexpected sometimes. Maybe this is a change I need time to adapt in? Hehe. I know already I will like it later. 

We're waiting for thunderstorms, starting this evening. It almost starts to be the season to put your wool socks and blanket on.. but not just yet. This is summer saying goodbye. And as a gesture, we wave back with a smile. :)

Later then,

Aisha