'Moi moi' means 'Goodbye'

While I came to Finland with mittens and a
toothbrush, I am leaving with a bag full of memories. 
(Please note that this photo was taken at 6am. 
Finland is now getting heaps of sunlight.)

I woke up this morning and thought it would be a good day to go home.  So, after eight incredible months in this Nordic country, I will be boarding a plane around 3:30pm to begin my journey back to Minnesota.  On my way home, I will spend a week in Iceland with my brother and dad.  Then, on May 14, I should be on a plane bound for the Minneapolis tarmac.

Before coming to Joensuu, I had read a quote from Juhani Merilainen, mayor of the town, which read, "though Joensuu may not often be your actual destination, after arriving you'll certainly find your journey was worth the trouble."  I fully understand now what Merilainen was trying to describe.  This small, unpretentious town was well worth the stay.  I think the Finnish language accurately portrays how it feels to be leaving Joensuu.

'Moi' means 'hello.'

'Moi moi' means 'goodbye.'

It is harder to say goodbye than hello.

Traditions in the Oven

Yesterday morning, I had the opportunity to partake in a Finnish tradition—Karelian pie (or 'karjalanpiirakka') making.  Filled with rice porridge and encrusted with a thin piece of dough, these pies are a typical part of Finnish cuisine.

The pie-making adventure began a little before half past nine when Tiina's mom came over to pick us up.  We then went to her friend Sari's house where we got a personalized culinary lesson.  Having made many thousands of these pastries, Sari was well equipped to show us how it was done.  She warmly welcomed us into her home and ushered us to the kitchen.  After washing our hands, we were given aprons and hair nets to protect both ourselves and the food.  Over the next three hours, Tiina and I were shown how to prepare the dough, form the crusts, fill the pies and shape the pastries.  Both the Finnish language and more universal smiles and laughs filled the kitchen as Sari patiently taught us how to create these pies.  Once the pies came out of the oven, we sat around the table enjoying the result of the morning's efforts.  All in all, I was happy to be able to make this memory.  Both the process and product are something I hope to be able to recreate back at home.

After making the dough, we created these small
dough patties that eventually formed the pie crusts.

The small dough patties were rolled out into thin disks.

After placing rice in the middle of each disk, the dough
was wrapped around the fillings and pinched closed.

The pies were then baked in the oven for 15 minutes.

Tiina and I both got the recipe
so we can make it again at home!

Graduation Caps with Citrusy Overtones

On every Finnish holiday, flags are flown around town and shops are closed throughout the country.  This past May Day was no exception to the rule.  With the signs of spring becoming more and more abundant, this holiday provides the perfect opportunity for the Finns to defy the last bits of snow and get out to enjoy each other's company.  (And when I say defy snow, I mean attempt to ignore not only the small piles that still exist from this winter, but also the white fluffy stuff that continues to fall from the sky—yes, there was a snow storm on May 2!)

Getting back to May Day, I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the celebration.  The city center was transformed into a bustling marketplace where children ran around in costumes and parades filled the surrounding streets.  Any number of delicious food smells wafted through the air, and homemade goods could be purchased at a variety of stalls.  Perhaps my favorite aspect of this holiday is what sat on people's heads.  It is on this day that many Finns come out wearing their graduation caps.  Unlike the American design, the Finnish graduation hats somewhat resemble what sailors might wear with white tops, a thick black band and small visor. The young and old sport the same fashion in many ways unifying the span of generations mingling in the marketplace. 

On May Day (or Vappu), the streets
were filled with parades.

Here, you can see two women chatting
while sporting their graduation caps.

Another tradition that comes with May Day is a unique drink called sima.  Made with freshly squeezed lemons, brown sugar, water, yeast and raisins, this concoction must be prepared several days in advance so it is ready for the May Day picnics.  While I think the drink tastes a bit like yeast, the citrusy overtones were much nicer than the Finn's Easter mämmi.

Sima is made with freshly squeezed lemons.

Tiina invited several exchange students
over to make this 8 liter bucket of sima.

Overall, I enjoyed the cultural experience that May Day provided.  As I will be leaving Finland at the end of the week, the festivities were a nice way for me to join with the Joensuu community one last time.  It is a community characterized by warmth and quiet—a community I will miss.

Short and Super Sweet

Since venturing north through Norway last November on my way to the Arctic Ocean, I have had a hankering to see a bit more of this Nordic country.  After crossing the border, I remember the landscape changing dramatically into rocky mountains dotted with wonderfully simple and colorful houses.  Therefore, upon finding 7€ tickets online, it was a no-brainer to once again return to this country over the Easter holiday and explore its southern latitudes.  Not only was I excited to have the opportunity to return to Norway, but I was also thrilled that my Finnish flatmate, Maria, could join me!  For pictures from the trip, you can visit my Picasa site here.

Our adventure started in Tampere, Finland.  We had a free afternoon in Tampere before our flights left, so Maria and I wandered over to the Moomin museum.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Moomins, they are a very popular hippo-like character developed by Tove Jansson, a Finnish author.  At the museum, we got to see original drawings from various scenes in the Moomin books.  We also partook in some children's games and acquainted ourselves with the dress-up closet.


Maria and I enjoyed a game of
'Ring the Hattivattit.'

From Tampere, Maria and I traveled west to Oslo by plane.  There, we were met with beautiful weather and many glorious signs of spring—flowering trees, vibrant green grass, and tiny leaves lacing deciduous branches.  We spent the afternoon enjoying the city bells while meandering through the streets.  Some of the highlights of the afternoon included the king's palace, Slottsparken (palace park), Akershus fortress, the Edward Munch cemetery, bustling harbor and botanic garden.

Maria stands in front of the Oslo Palace.

This was one of my favorite scenes in Oslo.
A small boy rides his training-wheel-equipped bike
up and down the cemetery sidewalks while ringing his
bell and sporting an over-sized cowboy hat.  Lovely.

The next day, Maria and I left Oslo traveling five hours by train west to the fjords.  We arrived in the snow-covered town of Myrdal at an elevation of 867m.  From there, we took the acclaimed Flåmsbana train partway down the valley, hiking the rest of the way to Flåm.  This small town sits at the base of the world's longest and deepest fjord, Sognefjord.  The hike was absolutely beautiful.  En route, we witnessed deep ravines, cascading waterfalls, lush mountain farms and quaint Norwegian establishments.

Maria and I enjoyed seeing all the waterfalls.

The hike took us down through this magnificent valley.

We spent the following morning wandering around the town of Flåm.  The water on the fjord was still, allowing for really nice reflections.  Maria and I also came across some ridiculously adorable baby goats, and had the opportunity to send off a few postcards.

Gotta do it.  A good ol' air guitar.

The baby goats were eager for attention.

In the afternoon, we took the Flåmsbana train back up the valley.  I fully understand why this train has been rated as being one of the world's ten best train rides.  Not only is the scenery gorgeous, but the engineering feat of winding the train through 20 tunnels so that it can rise 800m along a 20km track is impressive.

Maria enjoys the views from the Flåmsbana.

With a series of train, bus and plane rides, Maria and I eventually made our way back to Oslo, then Tampere and finally Joensuu.  Having the opportunity to once again see Norway's spectacular scenery was amazing—and getting to do it with Maria made it that much better.  I think it would suffice to say the trip was short and super sweet.

Coloring the Whites

With Easter just around the corner, it was time to once again share holiday traditions.  The Easter culture exchange started with my sampling some Finnish Easter pudding—mämmi.  With a flavor and texture resembling soggy rye bread, this dark brown 'pudding' is typically eaten with cream and sprinkled with sugar.  (You can read more about it here: mämmi.)  While the treat is not inedible, I can't say I enjoyed it much either.

Mämmi—Finnish Easter pudding

To return the cultural favor, I invited a few Finns to partake in traditional American egg dyeing.  While Finnish children typically use watercolor paints to color eggs around Easter, my friends had never used the small vats of dye I am accustomed to.  Therefore, the egg dyeing adventure began Thursday morning with an all-American PAAS coloring kit (my dad brought to me in Italy).  For a few hours, my friend, Henna, and I used the colors of the rainbow to liven up the white shells of our hard-boiled eggs.  My flatmate, Maria, and I continued with the fun the following day, dyeing another dozen eggs.  The smiles and laughs shared during this cultural exchange compensates for the fact that a few too many hard boiled eggs now sit in our frig.

Henna colored one egg with the
classic cracked-egg-with-eyes design.

I met Henna in my Chinese course, so we continued
to practice the language while dyeing eggs.

As a forestry major, Maria was keen on making a
pine fir spruce tree egg.  (Let's just say I got a short
tree lesson during the creation of this egg...)

It takes a bit of concentration to only dye half an egg.

In the spirit of Finland, I made a 'koivun muna'—birch tree egg.

How many puput (bunnies) can you spot?

Hyvää Pääsiäitä Suomesta!
Happy Easter from Finland!

Kemiaa Kaikille!

Every April, Joensuu holds an event called SciFest.  As the name suggests, it is a science festival of sorts.  Filling the arena with hundreds of science-related booths, this festival aims to "bring science, technology and the environment closer to young people in challenging and interesting ways."  It is geared for students from preschool to high school, and has booths that offer an array of activities to engage students and stimulate their interest in various scientific and mathematical fields. 

Every detail of SciFest is geared towards getting
students interested in science—even the 'street' signs!

As it is the International Year of Chemistry (as determined by UNESCO), the theme for this year's SciFest was "Kemiaa Kaikille'—Chemistry for All!  While booths ranged in topics from archeology to triangle geometry, there were a substantial number of chemistry booths too.  Honestly, I do not think they could have chosen a more perfect theme (...just a chemistry major's bias).


While each station had its own perks, they all
strived to be hands-on.  Here, some elementary
students mix chemicals to make bouncy balls.

After wandering through most of the booths, I must say that one of my favorites was CSP: Crime Scene Physics.  This station was developed by a group of aspiring physics teachers.  Students were introduced to the crime with a video.  Then, after breaking into small groups of four to five, they got to analyze different aspects of the crime using some really high-tech equipment.  Just to list a few, they had a glossmeter for fingerprint matching, infrared spectrometer for substance identification, specialized scanner coupled with a MatLab program to recover a message, high-powered microscope to uncover secret information on silicon disks, and heat-camera to predict time of death.  Wow.  To say I was impressed with their set-up would be a mild understatement.

CSP: Crime Scene Physics. 
Check out this video to get a glimpse into this station.

I do not know how many years this festival has been going on, but I think it is a fantastic idea.  People from all over the community volunteer their time and resources to give students a unique experience.  Not only were there some very cool stations, but many of them showed real-life applications to science.  Furthermore, I was appreciative of the time people took to find English-speaking individuals to give my friend and I mini-tours of their stations.  Reflecting on the event, my friend made the comment, "I think if I had gone to something like this when I was younger, I would have pursued a career in science."  Enough said.

One Row at a Time

This past week, AnKa and I had the opportunity to try our hand at a traditional Finnish craft—carpet weaving.  Upon entering the art center, we were met with a room full of floor-standing looms.  The sun shone through large windows, illuminating the colorful fabric strips which lined the walls.  After discussing which patterns we would each like to attempt, the kind women running the shop brought us over to the looms.  We were given a brief demonstration how to use the wooden apparatuses, and away we went.  Press the first pedal with your left foot.  Guide the fabric strip through the complex array of strings.  Press the second pedal with your right foot.  And pull a large wooden board towards you to secure the new row.  Working for a good portion of the day, we were both able to walk away with a rug.  While AnKa's was a nice array of earth tones, I went for classic Jenny style—bright, bold colors.  While the weaving was quite enjoyable, I must admit that I also appreciated the atmosphere in the place.  Quite like the quilt shops back at home, older women came and went throughout the day, forming small chatter clusters while their husbands waited quietly in the corner.

AnKa pulls the board towards herself to secure a new row.

You can see my carpet design on the
loom—green, red and blue stripes.

You use foot pedals to control the carpet's design.

Prego!

Several months back, the wind whistled over the frozen ground with temperatures hovering around -30˚C. Cheeks were rosy.  Fingers were bundled in two layers of mittens.  And the sun could not be coerced to stay in the sky for more than a few hours a day.  It was during this time that travel plans were arranged for warmer and greener lands.  Dad and I skyped back and forth until an itinerary was set and plane tickets were purchased.

Fast-forward two months, and you'll find that Dad and I just recently returned from this long-awaited holiday.  Destination?  41˚N, 12˚E.  Italy.

Rendezvousing at the "Meeting Pole" in the Fiumicino airport, Dad and I jumped into our small, black vehicle and drove off into the sunset an hour north of Rome.  It was during this drive that I learned Dad has a stowaway in his luggage.  With innocent yellow eyes, an oversized head and delicious ears, this stowaway was to become a sort of mascot for our Italian adventures.  This mascot was a chocolate bunny which had the opportunity to see many of Italy's greatest sights despite its proclivity to melt.

(I should probably pause now to let you know that more official trip photos are posted on my Picasa site.  However, if you are interested in hearing more about Bunny's adventures, read on.)

After spending the night in a lovely B&B, Bunny, Dad and I continued north through the Tuscan countryside.  Littered with quaint houses, spring flowers and meticulously prepared vineyards, I think I understand why the rolling green hills of this land may have inspired someone to discover the moons of Jupiter or sculpt a timeless masterpiece of David.  The landscape is beautiful.


Around lunchtime, Bunny suggested that we make a sight-seeing and gelato stop in the town of Siena.  Sitting out on the 'living room floor' that is the town's plaza, it was fun to imagine the annual horserace that occurs in this space. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking in a few more sights around Lilliano, Chianti and San Gimignano.  The day was wrapped up with a classic stop at the Leaning Tower.  Boy is that tower leaning.

The following day, Bunny continued to tag along with Dad and I as we made our way east to Venice.  The afternoon was spent getting lost among the canals while photographing the day-to-day life of this island.

We woke up bright and early on the third day to explore the land surrounding Venice.  First stop was at the University of Padova where Galileo and the man who discovered Fallopian tubes taught.  We even got to stand at the base of an anatomy theater where students used to observe human dissections.  Feeling scholarly, we moved on to more cultural sites around some of Venice's neighboring islands.  Murano specializes in glassblowing, while Burano is home to lace-makers and wildly colorful buildings.

On day four, Dad and I drove south to Florence.  Here we saw several amazing things including Michelangelo's David, Bernini's gold doors, Galileo's last two remaining telescopes and the resting places of some of history's greats.  The afternoon was finished off with a panoramic view of the city before heading further south to Assisi.



Day five seemed to come all too fast, but Dad and I were happy about all we were able to see and do.  It was on this last day that we finally made it around to touring Rome.  We started out in the Vatican, joining masses of other people in the Sistine chapel.  While Bunny enjoyed seeing St. Peter's Basilica, the sun proved to be a bit much for him as he slowly melted while hopping from the Pantheon to the Roman ruins and finally the Colosseum. 

Happy but exhausted, Dad and I parted ways on the sixth day.  He flew back to Minneapolis while I journeyed back to Joensuu.  All in all, it was amazing to see so much history in such a short amount of time.  Plus, the vibrant green fields and deep blue skies were a welcomed reminder that summer is just around the corner.

(Again, let me remind you that some bunny-less photos were taken.  They are here.)

Kaksi Kalaa

Yesterday afternoon, my friend, Janina, and I participated in the annual Joensuu ice fishing competition.  With the blow of a whistle, all 200 of us contestants went running out onto the ice to claim our pre-drilled holes.  We then had two hours to catch as many fish as we could.  Together, Janina and I reeled in 70 grams of fish (one fish each).  While neither of us attended the official award ceremony later that evening, we were told at weigh-in that we may have caught the largest fish—a whopping six inch perch!  Below are some photos from the event.

Here is my six inch perch.

Janina peers down into her hole
to see if there are any eager fish.

Janina's perch!

The competition was held right around sundown,
making for some dramatic lighting.

Just about the time we could no longer handle
the cold, the competition was over and we brought
our catch over to the 'fish weighting' station.

One Fishy Cow and Some Valnötters

Back in September, I posted a story about my adventures in the grocery store.  In particular, I made a comment about how shopping in Finland has been an interesting study in product design—language often is of very little help to me when it comes to discerning a package's contents, so visuals are essential.  Anyways, this past week, the grocery store had a sale on pudding.  And you ask how I knew it was pudding?  Well, not only did this product come in small pudding-like packages, but all the labels also had cows on them in one form of another.  A bee cow.  A kangaroo cow.  A bird cow.  A rabbit cow.  A seahorse cow.  And one fishy cow.  In addition to the unique packaging, I found the flavors to be an adventure too.  I'd never heard of apple vanilla pudding before coming to Finland!

To be honest though, there are times when language is necessary.  My friend had asked me to go pick up some walnuts at the store.  After examining the nut selection for a good five minutes, I had narrowed down my choices to two types of nuts.  Having forgotten how to distinguish walnuts from pecans, I scoured the package for any clues.  While I could not understand the Finnish labels, the Swedish ones did come in handy—valnötters, anyone?

Just Another Wednesday Afternoon

Well, folks, it has been nearly seven months since I started my Finnish adventure.  Seven wonderful months of new flavors, curious sights and unfamiliar sounds.  From the rich egg butter spread on Karelian pies to the pervasive silence that permeates all-things-Finnish, I have come to develop a great appreciation for this Nordic culture.

However, despite all the wonderful experiences I have had thus far, I must admit that I don't think my Finnish experience would be complete without the adventure I had this past Wednesday afternoon.  The sun was shining brightly and I had just settled into doing some homework when my flatmate innocently asked, "wanna go ice swimming?"  While I had anticipated having just another Wednesday afternoon, this simple question fueled an adventure in temperature extremes.

After a 45 minute bike ride, I found myself in the Joensuun Jääkarhut Ry parking lot.  While waiting for a few more friends to arrive, Maria and I carefully observed the Finns to learn proper ice swimming technique.  Go to the sauna.  Stay there until you can no longer handle the heat.  Proceed outside, and down the dock in a slow but determined fashion.  Climb down the down-ladder into the hole in the lake.  Swim until you can no longer handle the cold.  Then, climb back up the up-ladder before heading back to sauna (again, in a slow but determined fashion).  It all seemed simple enough, so after a few minutes, off we went to have a go at it.

First, we watched the locals ice swim.  (If you look
carefully, you can see the skiers in the background.)

For the next two hours, I hustled between sauna and icy waters in a hilarious and futile attempt to not become too hot or too cold.  While I can't say I enjoyed either the hot, hot sauna or the cold, cold water, I did appreciate having the cultural experience.  It was fun to watch the expressions of the Finns as they watched us foreigners try to engage in their sport.  Even more exciting was being able to use the small amount of Finnish I've learned to communicate with the locals.  All-in-all, ice swimming was a great adventure—an adventure that brought me one step closer to obtaining a complete Finnish experience. 

I could only stay in the water for about 45 seconds.

Serendipitous Saturday

Growing up, my family enjoyed spending our Saturdays going on small adventures together.  Whether we went out to explore a new museum exhibit or discover the bluffs of southern Minnesota, each adventure started the same way—piling into the minivan in anticipation that we may have another "serendipitous Saturday."

While my family and the minivan were missing today, I think I may have just had a serendipitous Saturday of my own here at 62.6˚N. After dinner, my friend AnKa called to ask if I wanted to go play some frisbee.  I had no other plans, so we bundled up and headed out to the river.  As the sun set behind the clouds, faint pinks and purples subtly swirled about the sky as if on cue from our plastic disk. 

While our game of frisbee was spectacular, the real serendipity came when we headed back home.  As AnKa and I were leaving the river, I happened to glance behind me to see a large sphere the color of a ripe pumpkin floating on the horizon.  I pointed it out, and my friend looked back and asked, "what is it?"  It's the moon.  A large sphere the color of a ripe pumpkin.  While at the time I did not know this, later in the evening I found out it indeed was a supermoon.  Tonight, the moon came closer to the Earth than it has in 18 years, making it appear 10 to 15% larger than normal.  If you missed it, be sure to mark your calendar for November 14, 2016—the date of the next supermoon.