Beyond fika & hygge. [PRIVATE]

Welcome!

What I not only envision but hope to accomplish in reality is gathering together with like-minded curious minds through the journey of lifelong learning (with an emphasis on Northern European/Nordic/Baltic cultures, arts, lifestyle practices, philosophies, etc.).

While I'm not originally from Europe myself, I have explored European events (out of curiosity) in Southern California for years now.

As a heads-up, my meetups happen AT LEAST once a month on weekday evenings, and occasionally on weekends, mostly in Orange County (for now).

We meet at a variety of open-air and outdoor venues (e.g. farmers markets, night markets) and indoor venues (e.g. studios, theaters).

Some ideas of what to expect at my upcoming meetups are (but NOT limited to):
-nature walks
-urban exploration
-dance gatherings
-live music (e.g. classical, jazz) get-togethers
-art-hopping
-film screenings
-trying new foods/drinks
-deep conversations about bucket lists, vision boards, aspirations, anything open-ended, etc.

Eventually, I will introduce a multilingual approach to our meetups where we speak/practice:
-Baltic languages (e.g. Lithuanian, Latvian)
-Nordic/Scandinavian languages (e.g. Icelandic. Norwegian, Swedish, Danish)
-Finno-Ugric/Uralic languages (e.g. Estonian, Finnish)
-Slavic languages (e.g. Polish, Czech)
-a mixture of other foreign languages (e.g. Urdu, Dzongkha)

Others who have attended my past meetups would describe them as fun, casual, laid-back, down-to-earth, inspiring, quirky, adventurous, energetic, "niche," and/or "off the beaten path," and I strive to continue to incorporate these characteristics in my upcoming meetups.

If you intend on hosting your first meetup here, but are stuck, here are some ideas I suggest using:
-meal at a "hole in the wall" dining establishment
-holiday picnic at a park
-day trip to an island
-hiking across some regional parks
-workshop/lecture at a museum
-sauna social on a mountain
-viking-style historical reenactment book club
-trash pickup/cleanup day across some cities

Besides Orange County, I expect that more event organizers will commit to help hosting meetups (AT LEAST once) in San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and/or anywhere else in Southern California any time of the day of the week, so therefore, if you intend on actively committing to host meetups anywhere in Southern California, please ask, and my messages will always be open!

DISCLAIMER: THE LEADERSHIP TEAM WILL NOT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE NOR LIABLE FOR UNINTENDED OUTCOMES (E.G. INJURIES, ILLNESS) OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES, SO PLEASE PARTICIPATE AT YOUR OWN RISK!