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Write here your own story about how the hugging was December 2nd!
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December 2, 2006 at 7:28 pm
Wow… First I just have to say thank you to all of you that came! We truly had a grate day; and we made a difference!
It was wonderful to see how everyone one hugged, and also many of them that just smiled and were to shy to get a hug, just lit up. Many foreigners were very surprised and wondered if we Finns always are this open and warm. This was truly one of the most wonderful days in my life. It is such a big thing to give a hug, although it is only a small gesture. I have no idea of how many I hugged today, probably several hundreds. But, that doesn’t really matter.
It is just great to spread love and light into Finns, and others, hearts. Everyone (almost) here is so closed and shy. But today truly proved that Finns also can be open, if you first encourage them. I remember all these middle-aged and elderly ladies that first look suspiciously, then smile and then dare to receive a hug. I also spoke with many tourists. Especially I remember to guys from Brazil that I spoke with. They were very positively surprised about our actions – this way they saw a totally different side of Helsinki, and maybe we are one of the factors that will make many people smile when they think about their trip to Finland. (I can only speak for myself, but I think we will be a part in many holiday photo-albums).
So… Thank you! And maybe we’ll do this again
PS: Remember to watch MTV3 news at 10.00 pm today!
December 2, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Hei!!
This was the most happy day in my life!! I hugged and it was so nice:)
I think I hugged a couple of hundreds but somes were really nice! Like a guy gave me a rose after he hugged! And one of the guys changed his way to hug me! He was walking down the street he turned and hug me and contiuned to walk down:)
And of course babies! One of them ran to me and hugged me!One of them started to cry, because her dad didn´t let her to hug me:)
And one of them (I think she was like 1 year old) in the baby car hugged me!
I still can´t beleive!! In Finland I have been hugged by the ones that i don´t know!
They were asking questions and trying to talk with me and it was really great! And a guy (which was like 13) with a skate board, he stopped and hugged me and than contiuned:)
And Linda I really want to thank you because this was my dream for last weeks and you made my dream come true:)
Keep on touch!
Moikka!
December 2, 2006 at 10:18 pm
did you see the news? they didn´t even show us! it´s unbelievable!!!
December 2, 2006 at 10:28 pm
Which news did you watch? We were on the news on MTV3! I just saw it and recorded it. Usually they put in on the Internet too, but that will take a while. I will put a link to it when it is uploaded.
December 3, 2006 at 4:52 pm
Hi there everybody!
I´m really a 16 -year old girl from our once and for all very great Helsinki (I have learned a couple of days ago from my best friend, that there is no cae to say Hesa), but I write now in English, so almost everybody can understand. I wrote as my “name” also Gia, because that is the name I use in the Internet. So you can use that one.
So… I ought to write this yesterday to be the first to tell a storie, but I was so busy with my other “major” writings, that I’m writing this today.
First of all… *a BIG virtual hug to all of you!* It was just… great! Sometimes even words are too poor to express something is this some of those situations. So= great, upeaa, superbe, jätte bra, bravissima, sehr gut, kanpekina (= great in japanese, if somebody doesn’t happen to know xD )!!
December 3, 2006 at 4:53 pm
(my message was so long, that I have to continue it here, I hope you don’t mind…)
(…)I have to say, that I didn’t know about this day before yesterday. I was just by accident shopping with my best friend, when we came out from The Free Records shop just in front of Sokos when… We saw something very strange, something not-everyday-life. I guess that was my first and very simple thought. There was this Irish-looking-guy with a paper stating “Ilmainen halaus”. We were both, my bestfriend and I – or then it was just me, could very much be – laughing our/my brain(s) out. I’m sorry, but…. You reckon, somebody doing something like that in the center of a capital city without advertising anything. I admit it= I thought he was simply a zippy wacko, the “kylähullu”, having nothing really special to do on an ordinary saturday, so he made up this. Of course I had to take a picture of him with my cellphone. When he saw that, he said= “Hey there, come to give me hug!”. But I didn’t. And our way led to Kolmen Sepän aukio, where…
At Kolmen Sepän aukio I started to recognise that it wasn’t just a sick joke. And as a particulary curious person I went to ask what’s the Thing in this from a couple of huggers. They told me – and I was really surprised this isn’t a marketing of anything! The whole world seems to be so commercial these days…
I hugged just five persons – well, three persons twice – , because we were on a hurry. But I still had time to talk with one of the huggers. She was there at the Kolmen sepän aukio. I’m not sure about here name, but she had a gary hat and brown braids. She seemed to be just a sincerely very nice person – and that is very rare this days, I can assure you -, very sweet and beautiful. But anyway… I asked, as I always ask everybody, what is her personal relationship with the Finish word “tervetuloa”. Don’t think I’m crazy – allthough I am crazy… -, but as a writer I’m supposed to have close relationships with words and I hate that word because of its very strange way of writing. She found it funny too but not so annoying. And I asked about the name of my future novel (now going on about page 50…). One could be “57 pisaraa katkeruudesta” and she found it quite nice. The second one is “Kuoleman värityskirja”. This one she found veru interesting and said, that she would read a book called “Kuoleman värityskirja”.
Then we went to Akateeminen and came back to Kolmen sepän aukio. We refound the three girls and the one with whom I had talked said, that lets hug again, because you seem to like hugging. And then we all hugged again. And then I saw my “zippy wacko” coming. I told to the girl, what I thought, when I first saw him. Then I went to hug the cute “zippy wacko” and told him to about my first impression. He didn’t seem to be angry, so I hugged after that too huggers.
And oh! I took some photos, yes yes! But why on Earth isn’t the digital camera wiht me when needed…? So I had to be satisfied with my cell. I took another photo of that boy and one of the three girls.
But it was just fantastic! I can imagine it’s not the easiest of jobs to hug people in the street for many hours, but it sure gives a lot. It tells, that there still are people that care, that don’t find hugging too childish and who understand the meaning of proximaty. If my novel will ever be published, you will sure be in it!
My bestfriend and I are definitely coming along next year, even though we heard it’s not sure if it’s planned to 2007. Even so, even if don’t find any other as crazy people along as we are, we are going anyway.
AND I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK YOU! I have written about ten articles to the Nuorten Palsta of Helsingin Sanomat (and one to Kotimaa and one to Kulttuuri, to be very self-important…). And I would very much like to make a reportage about you. What do you think? I think it would be so sympathic and I could maybe ask you some questions. And a questions to those three girls= if I can do this reportage, can I use the photo I took of you?
I hope this wasn’t too long and I hope you read it whole wihtout yawning.
But let’s keep in touch!
Gia -chan
December 3, 2006 at 9:19 pm
You all brought joy and fun to the people in Helsinki. This was a job well done.
Welcome to Turku sometime
we need you too!
December 3, 2006 at 9:20 pm
hey! It´s very nice someone cares about us! Because there was a girl and she shouted me! `miksi sä teet?!!!` she was trying to say like ´are you crazy?´ i was really upset to her she was like 15 but I didn´t say anything… So it´s really good someone really understood want we tried to do!!! and of course we need to do it again! It was the funniest day in my life!
December 3, 2006 at 9:37 pm
[Offtopic] As Karoliina’s happy enthusiastic text my story will be quite a long one too – I mean when I get it finished. So could it be possible to put all these stories behind their own links or something? It’s really tiring to scroll down pages after pages to find the new texts. [/Offtopic]
December 3, 2006 at 10:00 pm
(Offtopic) Very nice, that I was mentioned enthusiastic, because I am!And I can of course link my storie, if somebody tells me, how to do it. Or could I simply put them to my homepage and then link it? And what story are you, nti Täti, writing about this? (Offtopic)
I’m not putting this in big, bevcause I would be angry, no, but I want to get attention to it.
And if you are okay with my IDEA OF DOING A REPORTAGE ABOUT YOU AT HELSINGIN SANOMAT, JUST CONTACT ME HERE!! =o)
December 3, 2006 at 10:16 pm
So now I linked my storie to my homepage. Is it okay? The right page is (which doesn’t prevent you from reading or writing also somewhere else there…)= http://www.foorumi.info/esoteric/viewtopic.php?p=363#363
And now I understood, after looking more closely, the title of this topic nti Täti, what you meant with the storie
December 4, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Hey everybody and thank you very much!! It’s sucha long time since i’ve smiled that much!! I came home and my cheekmuscles were cramping!! Hahaa…it was just an awesome day! Hugging has always been one of my favorite things to do and being able to hug people, friends as well as strangers, for 3 h was just unbelievably rewarding!! Seeing all those happy smiling faces just made my day!! So thank you so, so much to all of you who hugged and was hugged!!:D
December 4, 2006 at 9:48 pm
I wrote an e-mail to Helsingin sanomat and ask if they are interested in that they can contact to Linda:) I´m still smiling when I think about saturday! It was perfect! I´m really glad that I met you
and maybe we can get together sometime:)
December 4, 2006 at 10:14 pm
Gia –> it would be great if you would write about this in HS! You can feel free to contact at least me
December 4, 2006 at 10:15 pm
ece wrote=
(quote) I wrote an e-mail to Helsingin sanomat and ask if they are interested in that they can contact to Linda:) (quote)
Well, I actually meant that I could do a reportage about you…
December 4, 2006 at 11:04 pm
So, what do you all think= would you like me, Karoliina, to do a repotage about you, if I get a yes from the responsable of Hesari’s Nuorten Palsta?
December 5, 2006 at 7:16 am
HEY MICHAELA!!! I’m that girl from Kolmen Sepän Aukio, who discussed with you the problematic of the word “Tervetuloa” and told about my future novel “Kuoleman värityskirja”. I’ve invited you as my friend at MySpace, so could you accepted it TO DISCUSS ABOUT THE REPORTAGE! Thank you.
AND SIMO FROM THE KOLMEN SEPÄN AUKIO!!! I’m that girl, who first saw you in front of the Free Records Shop and then at Kolmen Sepän Aukio and I told you, that first seeing you I just thought you were a zippy wacko. So WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTACT ME HERE OR AT MY MAIL (NOT MY WEBSITES, ARE NOT IN USE!), if you would like me to ask you some questions about the journey TO MAKE THE REPORTAGE TO HESARI!
Thank you.
December 6, 2006 at 12:05 am
Hi Gia !
Sounds good , you can write to my e- mail .
Simozinzin@suomi24.fi
I couldnt see ur E-mail address in the message ?
See you (Hugs)
T. Zippy Wacho
December 6, 2006 at 2:32 pm
And if somebody else from the Free Hug -day would also like to contact me about the probable reportage at Helsingin Sanomat, my e-mail adress is= seme_in_black_and_white@hotmail.com
Thank you. =o)
January 28, 2007 at 5:20 am
hi! wow i,m impresed, i love finland, the people and everything in this world .
i,ve always wanted to live in finland but i,m just 15 but when i grow up i,ll go live there, i,m from mexico and here (well i live in U.S.A.)people think that finnish people are very closed and cold but i think they are awesome.
February 1, 2008 at 9:03 pm
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