in-love-fallings, part three

When I first fell in love with...

* kind and intelligent men: Coming to a new school after finally leaving the one where all the boys were evil-eyed bullies with acne, hurtful words and really scary stalking techniques. In the new classroom, the boys said things like "I think you're electrical" and "Then the evil witch took out her chainsaw". Instead of frozen with terror, I was warm with laughter.

* Finland: When I moved to another country. Not until then did I realise that in Finland, things are done well and on time, people are honest, the coffee is strong, equality is not just a word, and when winter arrives you find out if you are a real Viking or not. Finland is EXOTIC.

* autumn: At university, cycling around a beautiful city filled with autumn leaves and rowdy students. I sipped my coffee at a sidewalk café and scribbled in a new notebook, made excursions to the far ends of the city and discovered beautiful, empty beaches, felt in love with all the new things I was going to learn ( this was before the reality of studying crept in ) and tricked a foreign student into eating rowan berries.

* crosswords: In a foreign country, when my Australian boyfriend convinced me that my English was good enough to attempt the ( easier ) crossword in The Times.

* animals: At age 1, when my parents bought a fluffy poodle puppy. All through my childhood, watching my mother rescue wounded birds, lost cats and trapped spiders. When my older sister took me horse riding, mostly to annoy our parents. And at age 11, when I befriended a tiny girl in my class who took me on a spree in the neighbourhood, knocking on doors and asking strangers if we could walk their dogs.

* learning new things: Long after I left university. Probably when things stopped happening to me and I realised I needed to make things happen. Or when I discovered the powerful feeling of knowledge and the joy of not having to downplay my intelligence in order to fit it.

* short skirts: That crazy summer when I felt constantly intoxicated - my friend lent me a green and white skirt, much shorter than any I had previously ever worn, for a party night. Men fell at my feet, figuratively. Or a balmy summer evening in Cambridge, England, when I walked home after a night alone at the cinema - in a dreamy mood and wearing a short denim skirt. Six gorgeous, impressively dressed student boys fell at my feet, literally this time, in the middle of the street and sang me a song. I can't swear that it was the skirt that did it, but I have a weakness for denim skirts ever since.

* cafés: As a teenager, on frequent trips to visit my big sister in the city. We used to "go shopping" but always ended up doing our favourite thing, spending a lazy hour in some place with good coffee, sweet pastries and a good view of interesting people. Hanging out at cafés became my main pastime when I was at university and was supposed to be studying.

* the English language: Probably the first time I heard the word "mesmerized".