Where the Sky Dances

Early yesterday morning, I returned from the land of frozen toes, red cheeks and frost-laced hair.  I don't think I have ever witnessed a more beautiful winter wonderland than the snowscapes of Lapland.  In what follows, I will give you a brief rundown of the adventures I had.  However, for a more complete set of photographs, you can visit this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/jeninnz/WayUpNorth.

Day One: We departed from Joensuu late Sunday evening and drove through the night.  By morning, we arrived in Rovaniemi.  While this city is the capitol of Lapland, it was not our final destination.  After a quick stop at the grocery store, we headed north to Santa's Village and the Arctic Circle.  I can't say I fully enjoyed Santa's Village as it appears to be the capitol of tourism, but the cheery atmosphere created by the folks dressed as elves was nice.  Another perk to Santa's Village was the fact that it is located on the Arctic Circle.  I can now say that I have gone north of the Arctic Circle twice in my life (the first time being on the opposite side of the globe in Alaska).  Having sent a postcard from Santa's official post office, we proceeded several hours north to our home for the week, Saariselkä.  In this small village, we stayed in cozy log cabins surrounded by tall pines layered in snow.  Before settling in for the night, Sabine (my German friend) and I ventured out to make a snowman.  With long pine needle eyelashes and an oversized torso, this snowman was like none other.

Postcard from Santa's Village.

Our snowman.

Day Two: The second day began with a cross country skiing trek around the rolling hills of the surrounding forest.  While the sun rose around 8am, the blazing ball of light only managed to crawl slightly above the horizon by noon.  While at first I found this behavior somewhat confusing, I quickly came to appreciate it as the daylight hours always appeared to be either a sunrise or sunset.  After managing to tame my cross country skis, our group stopped for warm pea soup and fresh bread in a small Lappish hut.  Snow shoeing ensued after lunch.  With the large webs secured on our boots, we wandered back to our cabins through a frozen river valley which contained only the footprints of the resident wildlife.  When evening came around 3pm, our cabin waited anxiously to see if the Northern Lights would grace us with their presence.  Sure enough, around 8pm the sky danced.  It was beautiful.

Snow shoeing through a frozen river valley.

The green hues danced above our cabin.

Day Three: On the third day, we got out of town, driving north through Norway to the Arctic Ocean.  Upon crossing the Finnish-Norwegian border, the landscape changed dramatically.  I think the best way to describe such landscapes is barren simplicity.  The trees turned into shrubs which quickly turned into nothing.  The log cabins turned into modest wooden cottages painted in bright, bold colors.  As an interesting side-note, we learned that the first thing Norwegians do when they visit their cottages is put up a Norwegian flag in the front lawn.  This way, the neighbors know they can stop by for a cup of tea.  It also illustrates the incredibly low crime rates of this wealthy nation.  After driving around the Arctic coast, we eventually stopped in the small village of Bygoenes.  Here, I had the opportunity to take a short dip in the Arctic Ocean.  Besides being a tad nippy, the water was also surprisingly salty.  We returned to Saariselkä that evening. 

The small village of Bygoenes.

"Swimming" in the Arctic Ocean.

Day Four: By day four, I had mastered layering up before heading outside.  Two layers of long underwear.  A long sleeved shirt.  A short sleeved shirt.  Two sweaters.  Two layers of socks.  A jacket.  And some snow pants.  Such fashion was necessary in order to stay warm in the -26˚C temperatures.  Such fashion was also necessary for today's adventures.  Since learning about the Iditarod race in seventh grade, I have wanted to go dog sledding.  Well, today was the day that I got to try.  With a team of six huskies, I got to both drive the sled and be a passenger.  It was amazing.  After dog sledding, our group headed over to a nearby reindeer farm.  Did you know that reindeer can run faster than horses?!  This speed is part of the reason that Finns have reindeer races in which they secure themselves behind reindeer on cross country skis (kind of similar to waterskiing).  Not only did we learn about reindeer at the farm, but we also got to hear a bit about the Sami culture which originated (and still thrives) in northern Scandinavia. 

The dogs were excited to meet the people.

Day Five: On the last morning, some girls in our cabin decided to go sledding one last time.  Near to our cabin was a small mountain that provides 360˚ views of the surrounding area.  However, even more impressive is the mountain's one and a half kilometer sledding hill which takes you straight through a fairytale-like wonderland.  Definitely the best sledding hill I have ever been on.  Upon arriving back at the cabin, it was time to pack up and head back to Joensuu.  All in all, it was an incredible week filled with incredible adventures.

Making our way up the sledding hill.

The Whole Town

Last weekend, the young and old of Joensuu bundled up and headed out into the frigid temperatures to enjoy an evening of holiday festivities.  At this annual Christmas gathering, the typically vacant town square came alive.  Christmas lights were lit.  Children sang Christmas tunes.  And Joulupukki (Santa Claus) made an appearance.  The grand finale included a spectacular display of red, white and green fireworks.  As November comes to a close, I found this gathering to be a lovely start to the Christmas season.  The whole town enjoying each other's company.  The whole town sharing in the celebrations.  The whole town.

Dressed in penguin and Santa costumes, the
local children's choir sang many popular Christmas
tunes.  While most songs were in Finnish, I was
still familiar with nearly all of the melodies.

The whole town came out to join in the festivities. 
The Finns sure do know how to dress warm.

Joulupukki and his wife greeted the town.
Yes, that's a giant dancing snowman on the left.

Maria (my Finnish flatmate) and Tiina (my Finnish
friend) enjoy the fireworks.  Please note that this photo
was taken at 6pm.  The sun had set about three hours
prior, so it was plenty dark to see the fireworks. J

Warming Up

As the sun finds its way to the horizon earlier and earlier, the accumulation of snow grows higher and higher.  This past week, we received a hodgepodge of weather, getting everything from rain to snow, sun and clouds, and even a sprinkle of ice pellets.  Needless to say, by the end of the week, Jana and I decided that the blanket of snow that resides outside our window needed to be played in.  The result of our efforts was a stout little snowman with leafy hair and a carrot nose.

You might consider this snowman to be a warm-up for what is to come next week.  Jana and I will be going on a student trip up to Lapland (northern Finland).  While we are there, there should be opportunity to view the Northern Lights, swim in the Arctic Ocean, try out some dog sledding, and perhaps even build a snowman or two.  Pictures and stories are sure to come next weekend.   

Hyvää Isänpäivää ja Pulla

This morning, a simple Google search resulted in two special surprises.  First, upon visiting the Google homepage, I found the logo had undergone a facelift.  Curious about why such a change had occurred, I scrolled my mouse over the logo to reveal the message "hyvää isänpäivää."   Having now attended two and a half months of Finnish lessons, I can happily report to you that I could translate this as "Happy Father's Day" without the aid of my pocket dictionary.  So, surprise number one... it is Father's Day in Finland!  Not only was Google celebrating the fathers of Finland, but all the shops were closed and we enjoyed "isänpäivää kakku" (Father's Day cake) at church this morning.

After enjoying the small surprise that Google provided, I refocused and continued with the purpose of my search: how to make pulla.  Seasoned with cardamom and topped with special Finnish sugar, pulla is a Finnish sweet roll that can be found at nearly every coffee shop in town.  Having enjoyed these pastries at the local shops, it was now time for me to make it on my own.  After several hours of whisking, kneading, waiting, shaping, and waiting some more, the pulla came out of the oven.  Surprise number two... a cold glass of milk with a warm pulla roll makes for a lovely snack on a snowy November afternoon.  Thanks Google.

Third Time's a Charm

As the title suggests, I have finally had success in my rice porridge making endeavors.  Rice porridge is a common Finnish dish, often appearing on the table around Christmas time.  Most commonly served with cinnamon or lingonberry sauce, this hearty dish takes anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes to prepare (regardless of the 12 to 15 minutes that my rice porridge box suggests).

Now, getting back to my rice porridge making adventure...  Having mastered oatmeal porridge when I was in New Zealand, I thought rice porridge should be no trouble.  How hard can it be to mix three ingredients together?  A little rice, a sprinkle of salt and some water.  This is where I went wrong the first time.  Milk, not water.  My first attempt at rice porridge resulted in a soggy mess which resembled the moors so nicely described in Sherlock Holmes' novels.

Ok, so the first attempt was a bit of a setback, but a few weeks later, it was time to remount that horse.  A little rice, a sprinkle of salt and some milk.  Boil on high for 12 to 15 minutes (as the box suggests...but remember all directions are in Finnish).  About 10 minutes into this adventure, my Finnish flatmate wandered into the kitchen to peer into my pot which was boiling away.  What are you making, she gently asked.  Confidently, I informed her that this was the makings of a rice porridge culinary masterpiece.  Hmmm....maybe you need to turn the heat down a little, she gently remarked.  Attempt two at rice porridge resulted in a sticky mess that resembled small children's fingers after encountering PlayDoh. 

The first two attempts were not in vain.  Valuable lessons were learned.  Use milk, not water.  Boil slowly and don't bother setting a timer.  Again, a few weeks passed until it was time for attempt three.  A little rice, a sprinkle of salt, and some milk.  Simmer on the lowest heat setting until a velvety porridge is produced.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and douse with a good helping of milk.  Success.  Hyvää ruokahalua.  (Enjoy your meal.)

Lessons from School

This past week, I had the opportunity to observe a number of classes at the primary school.  Here are a few highlights and reflections from my time with the Finnish youth.

• 'Ah ha' moments are universal.  A third grade class was learning about water during a science lesson.  The teacher asked the students to figure out if the shape of an object affects its ability to float.  Students were given pieces of PlayDoh to test their theories.  The look on one boy's face when he shaped his ball into a boat was priceless.  No translations were necessary.
• Fifteen minute breaks are a good thing.  All primary school lessons run for 45 minutes and are followed by 15 minute breaks.  During these breaks, children must go outside (unless it is pouring rain).  Such breaks are great because they basically eliminate all behavior issues during lessons.  Also, they provide an excellent time for one-on-one teaching if a student does not understand any part of the lesson. 
• As I wandered around one class during work time, I was stunned to see all the little third graders practicing order of operations.  Third grade?!  Only two months into the school year?!  Order of operations?!  I am fairly sure I did not learn this concept until at least fifth grade as part of the accelerated math curriculum.  Later, I asked the teacher when students learn their multiplication tables.  She casually replied, "first grade."  I did not even learn subtraction until second grade!  Yikes.
• In addition to the math and science classes, I also attended a few English classes.  In this particular lesson, students were learning to say what types of pets they have.  "I have a dog."  "I have a cat."  "I have a hamster."  And then the teacher introduced the word "budgie" while showing a picture of a parakeet.  I'm glad I can learn new vocabulary in third grade English.

Crêpes, Castles, and Cow Bells

I returned from my travels around Europe about a week ago.  Driving over 2000 kilometers in five days, Dad and I traveled from Paris through the French countryside into Switzerland down to Italy and back up to Germany just in time for me to catch a plane and Dad to attend his business meeting.  While it may sound like a whirlwind of a trip, the pace felt quite relaxed as we meandered from place to place. 

This past weekend, I spent some time organizing photos from my Russian and European adventures.  Nearly 3000 pictures later, I decided it was best to put an assortment up on my Picasa site rather than squeeze them into a blog entry.  If you are interested, you can go to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/jeninnz. 

All in all, it was a great trip.  The Eiffel Tower was impressive.  The castles were incredible.  And the French villages couldn't be more storybook-like.  But, I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was the Swiss cows.  All the cows wear bells.  So, as you drive through the Alps, there is a soundtrack resembling windchimes.  Here's a video so you can get a taste of it:

I have to admit, while I absolutely LOVED my time away, it was also nice to return to Joensuu.  Alpina was waiting for me just where I left her.  The ground was lightly sprinkled with snow.  And the familiarity of the unfamiliar Finnish language almost made me feel at home.