Dear all,

I decided to write an introductory post although I joined the site long time ago... Six months ago I found out that I was accepted to do an internship at the Permanent Mission of Finland in the human rights unit and time has flown by ever since so fast that I realized a few days back that actually it's not too long before I'll land in Switzerland for the first time in my life. I'm an idealist dreamer who wishes to make be part of the change I want to see in the world as Mahatma Gandhi advised (I know it's such a cliche quote, but it's the one sentence that motivates me to work in human rights-field in attempt to make the world a little better place for everyone).

I am a 23-years-old studying political science and justice in the Hague. Prior to moving to the Netherlands I finished my high school in Swaziland and afterwards the world took me to the United States and Croatia where I was madly in love. Even though I consider myself to be a Finn, there's no Finnish blood in me as both of my parents are from India. People tend to raise their eyebrows when they see me -- all dark-haired and brown-eyed -- and I tell them I'm from Finland. And at certain moment of my life I did began to wonder if I am Finnish at all, if I belong to that country, if I truly belong to any continent or region of the world but in last few years I decided that it doesn't matter what people may think of me or my origins. I am a Finnish person and very much in love with my hometown Helsinki, that is perhaps the most sentimental and picturesque city in the world. Sometimes I hoped that all the UN-institutions would be located in Helsinki... :) Besides my studies, I worked as a research assistant to a professor of comparative sexual orientation law and I must admit LGBT-rights are one of the closest things to my heart... my not-so-secret-plan is to attempt to push LGBT-rights within the UN through my internship... let's see how that will work out !

Anyways in short things I really love: I love drinking wine with my friends and having cheese and bread and hummus and talk about the world, the moments that made us happy, misfortunates that bring us down sometimes. I love staying up late in the night and just talking and talking because there's nothing better than conversing with people who leave a mark on you, who shape you as a person and who you will carry for rest of your life even if you shared only a night with them. I love cities, I have never been fond of rural places and the major reason I love cities is the fact that there are people. Funnily enough I enjoy communing, sitting in a bus/metro/tram on way to work/school, listening to my own music and watching other passengers, wondering their stories and imagining what their lives are like. So cities indeed are the best place for me: just going to a picnic in a park on a sunny day, having a coffee in a terrace, getting lost in the noise and crowd whenever you feel like it. I know Geneva is not the biggest city in the world, and I have heard it's not very exciting either (someone told me it's worse than the Hague and that's a quite statement to make) but I am sure Geneva and definitely the people in Geneva will make my experience worthwile and amazing.

Yes I like to write a lot; when I was sixteen I dreamed of publishing a novel by the age of eighteen, but I never really succeeded in my plan. Recently I write less and less, but I am planning to pick up writing again when I am in Geneva and write wonderful love stories about the lake whose heart belongs to the city ;). Other than I am looking forward to meeting all the interesting and amazing people, sometimes discuss current political affairs and other times share personal stories, both good and bad, inspiring and sad... The world & life are wonderful things even with all the downs, but they are truly wonderful because of all the ups that we get to experience...

I should stop here... but this is me, idealistic dreamer from Finland who no matter how old he gets will always be a naive child-minded person who believes in happiness & wonders :)