...I got in touch with my wild side

And by 'wild' I mean feral.
Yes, this is kind of about Japan again but this story takes place in quaint little Finland. Let's go back in time to the year 2014. It was August and I had just returned from Japan (and also Hawaii). I remember this because while returning the airline managed to lose my suitcase so I had lost a year's worth of clothes and memorabilia and I was pretty broken up about it. But there was something that made my day a bit brighter: I was going to meet a bunch of my friends in Finland. See, one of the Finnish girls, Reetta, had invited me, Tytti and Mary to her summer cottage in the Turku archipelago. Mary was doing a Euro-trip with her family and she had convinced them to join us for a few days. I couldn't miss this opportunity so I gathered what little clothes I had left, stuffed them into a duffel bag and headed to Finland.
The trip to Turku wasn't too exciting so I'm going to summarize it in a few lines: I got on a boat, a train, was confused by the language (so much like Estonian but so... not), met up with my friends and took a quick trip around Turku. It was great seeing everybody again and I almost felt as if I hadn't left at all. The next day we headed off to the summer cottage to enjoy the end of Summer as northerners do: with sauna, barbecue and beer - a winning combination. I have a distinct feeling there was something other than beer being served at the cottage but I honestly can't remember.
Anyway, the day started off pretty tame. We had lunch on a small open terrace next to the house, took a little walk around the forest and just enjoyed the beautiful (although a bit chilly) weather. As it got darker we popped open our first beers and heated up the sauna and the grill. I'd been away for a year and realized just then how I'd missed the little things I love about Estonia: the forests, the clean air, the food, sauna and just the general atmosphere. I guess that's what made me get in touch with my more... primitive side.
It all started with dinner. We'd gotten some steaks and started to grill them as the sun was already set and it was almost pitch black outside. The crowd that was with us in the cottage had split into smaller  groups with some of us in the house and others outside. Me and Tytti were outside, waiting for our stakes to cook, staring at them with ravenous eyes. We were pretty hungry and the meat looked just so delicious... As soon as the stakes were ready we grabbed some plates and...
'Uh... where are the knives and forks?'
We were both trying to find them on the wooden table on the terrace but they weren't there. They were supposed to be but apparently someone had forgotten to bring them outside. Or perhaps they weren't even supposed to be outside. I guess by that point we had had a few drinks because neither me nor Tytti realized that it would have been incredibly easy just to go inside and grab some utensils. Instead, we solved the problem in our own way.
'What are we supposed to eat these with?'
'Our hands?'
'What...? Should we?'
'Why not?'
....
......
'Yes, we definitely should.'
It was a sound plan. A sound, disgusting plan. See, this is why I'm 100% sure there was more than beer involved. Perhaps vodka. Perhaps tequila. Perhaps both... simultaneously. In any case, the next moment I found myself with a huge chunk of meat in my hands, ripping it apart with my teeth like some kind of feral animal. I'm pretty sure I growled. In hindsight, it was one of the most unfeminine things I have ever done. I would've been ashamed as well if it hadn't been for the cover of darkness and the fact that I wasn't the only one going primal on a piece of meat. In the dark no one could see the grease running down my fingers or the BBQ sauce covering my face. They could hear the animal noises I was making but they probably thought it was a rabid bear or something. I'm pretty sure I sounded like that. I've got to say though that it must have been one of the best steaks I've had in my life. It was gone in a matter of minutes and I was left with greasy hands, a full stomach and an overwhelming sense of shame... which disappeared relatively quickly with the help of a bit of Salmiakki (the only drink in the world made of demon bile).
Next was the sauna. It had been a long time that I'd been in a real sauna and I was loving every moment of it. It was hot, dry and there was a lake just a few steps away. Jumping into the ice cold water after a ling stay in the sauna I felt alive and full of energy. I didn't even realize how much I'd missed that feeling until I experienced it. I felt... strangely free. Everything was amazing. And the weird part: I don't usually enjoy dipping into cold water after sauna. I'm more of a snow girl myself.
I wasn't the only one who was really feeling the sauna. Even the Hawaiians were on board with it, even though the whole concept must have sounded insane to them when they first heard it, and Tytti was doing flips when jumping into the lake. I don't remember how long we stayed in the sauna but it must have been one of my longest sauna sessions. I don't even remember when I got to the small cabin I was sharing with Mary. All I know is I had an amazing night that made me feel truly... Estonian again.
Aaaaand then there was the morning after.
Well... yeah... I remember the ground felt unstable hours after waking up. I didn't feel sick, just... unsteady. I wasn't the only one suffering though. We were all tired, groggy, a bit sick and very, very slow... Oh, and Tytti's face looked like she'd had a one-on-one with Rocky Balboa the previous evening. Apparently, while doing her flips she had miscalculated a bit and attacked the lake with her face. The lake won. The bruises didn't disappear for a few days but hey, what doesn't kill you...
I had to head back to Estonia that very day and the trip was... not really as bad as it could have been. I survived and by the time lunch came around I felt like a human being again. Despite the morning after being what it was I don't really have any regrets. Not about eating meat with my hands or taking a topless dip in an ice cold lake. Nope, it was a great night and remembering it makes me miss that Summer more than ever. Oh, to be young again...