100! Yesterday we had 100 views to our blog. Wow! Thanks everyone. This is just the beginning, so much more to come.

New on the blog: Germs on airplanes. Know where they lurk to avoid getting sick on your trip. visit: eastboundandup.wordpress.com

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/files/2007/11/finlandia.jpg

So, I get this question a lot.  Not to be rude, but if you haven't heard the news about Finland, where have you been?  I am using this space to place articles that explain... Why Finland?  This topic needs a space of its own because the information is all over the net.

What It Takes to Live and Work Abroad The Basic Criteria and a Questionnaire - By Celeste Heiter

I found this great article on the web. The questionnaire that accompanies it will really make you think... Do you have what it takes to live abroad?

Are you tired of the status quo? Bored with the daily grind? Sick of the rat race?

Do you picture yourself breaking free of earth’s gravity for a while, and soaring off to live and work in some far-flung destination, perhaps for a year, or even for good?

Maybe you imagine yourself teaching English in Bangkok by day, enjoying the sizzle of the city by night, and basking in the laid-back beach scene on the weekends. Or perhaps you’re an IT expert who dreams of consulting for an up-and-coming dot.com in Beijing while perfecting your tai chi forms with a wushu master. Maybe you’re a post-graduate archaeology student with an urge to dig, or a statuesque beauty seeking the allure of international fashion runways, a fluent Spanish translator who wants to run with the bulls, or a wannabe chef (have knives, will travel).

Whatever your dream, now may be the time to go for it, but not without first taking a good, long look at yourself to see if you have what it takes to live and work abroad. -Read more... http://ping.fm/Z855O

Eastbound and Up - New Directions...

When the title of our blog was suggested to me, I honestly had to think it over for a while. After a few days, the name rung like a bell in my head. This is exactly what we are about. Sure we are moving East (to Finland), and up (as we take a northerly turn) geographically. But, it means much more. As I head Eastbound, I am hoping that life takes an 'up-turn'. Maybe the kids don't share the same hope. Maybe these are the dreams of a 30 something year old mom needing a change of pace, but I really feel that I will return a better person.

I can't wait to live amongst people of a different culture. I can't wait to be fluent in the language. I can't wait to eat different foods. I can't wait to sit around the table and discuss the politics of the day, within a different framework altogether. I can't wait to battle the winter temperatures and darkness (ok, maybe I have some worry in this area). What I mean is, I am embracing the moment. I refuse to return home unchanged.

I am even a little proud of myself, and my willingness to take this journey. I truly trust my adaptability. Most of the reactions I get are favorable, but some people express their fear and inability to take such a plunge. Weather you make the move I plan to make, or not, I hope we all fulfill our sense of wonder in our own way. The point is, to fulfill it.

Happy Martin Luther King Day from Eastbound and Up! How are you spending your day of service?

Snow in the ATL getting us ready for Finland...