Snow How

It seems impossible to live in Finland without making some mention of the weather.  February proved to be a snowy few weeks.  Small, delicate flakes fell from the sky most of the month.  As you can imagine, these small flakes accumulated into substantial snow cover.  Consequently, snow removal was a common scene.  Plows, shovels and muscle worked together in a choreographed dance to keep the roads and roofs clear.  The Finns refer to it as their "Snow How."

The Jokiväri came to clear the snow off our bike shed.

It was these snowy days that made the sunny ones all the more blissful.  This past weekend, my flatmate and I ventured out onto the river banks to enjoy an orange dreamsicle sunset.  Glorious.  It's amazing what a little sun will do for the brain.

I think the sun may have gotten the best of us.

Rivaling Knitting Club Chatter

On one evening in the middle of February, I had the opportunity to attend a Finnish basketball game.  While I am not a huge sports fan, the tickets were free and the game was the highest level in Finland (a national basketball game, I suppose?).  Anyways, it quickly became apparent that either basketball is not a popular sport in Finland, or the status of professional Finnish sports is at a more reasonable level than in the US.  Only half of the seats were filled in the small arena, and the fans were about as loud as the chatter of a knitting club.  However, despite the less-than-enthusiastic atmosphere, I still enjoyed the experience.  It was an interesting contrast to the games played back in the States.

Bite-Sized Culture

One of the unique aspects of studying abroad is the opportunities you have to develop an international perspective.  Not only have I been learning about the Finns and their culture, but through interactions with other exchange students, I have also experienced bits and pieces of the rest of the world.  Two Saturdays ago is a prime example.  In the afternoon, some friends came over for a pancake extravaganza.  Together, we enjoyed American, Finnish and Polish pancakes with an assortment of different toppings.  This meal was rounded off with a few Turkish and Chinese cookies. 

The culinary adventures did not stop there.  In early February, my German friends discovered I had never tried marzipan (a common German treat).  To ameliorate this situation, we recently made blueberry muffins.  The muffins were special for two reasons: (a) they contained chunks of marzipan, and (b) the blueberries turned the batter plum purple.  Both the taste and appearance were a colorful adventure.

They Grow Up So Fast

It seems the longer I stay in Finland, the faster time goes.  Sunrises come earlier.  Sunsets come later.  And the time in between races by.  How it is already the end of February, I am not sure.  Indeed, even my orange trees are showing signs of the passing time.  Now just shy of 5cm tall, what used to be mainly roots has grown a trunk and some leaves.  Oh, they grow up so fast.

However, this post is not intended to bemoan the passing of time, but rather to serve as a sort of introduction to the next few posts.  Seeing that I have not added to the blog in a while, I thought I should fill you in on some of February's highlights.  It was a busy month filled with new adventures.  By the end of the week, I hope to post a random assortment of stories and photos from the past few weeks. 

Joensuu, the Second Narnia

As the days grow longer, the snow drifts grow taller.  While biking to school, I am pleased to find that the sun peeks over the horizon a little past 8am and does not dive below again until 4pm.  Solid eight hour days.  Eight hour days with snow cover that rises to waist level and snow drifts that surpassed my height weeks ago.  Such is life in Joensuu—a sort of Narnia-like winter delight.  These wintery overtones have proven to be a great stimulus package for hobby development.  In what follows, I'll introduce you to a few of my new favorites.

First up, we have ice skating.  With free skate rentals at the Student Union and several community ice rinks a stones-throw away from my flat, I have enjoyed wobbling around on semi-sharp blades.  At first, I was about as graceful as a cow on skates; but with each passing attempt, I find that my legs are growing increasingly accustomed to the physics of ice.  I have to admit, I also like watching the Zamboni cruise around the rinks.  It's kind of like the winter version of a lawn mower (a summer sport I am quite fond of).

For Christmas, my lovin' bro thought maybe I needed a bit more light to illuminate the dark Finnish nights.  One of his gifts was a light-up frisbee that glows different colors—fire engine red, sour apple green, frosty white, plum purple, corn husk yellow and icy blue.  Needless to say, my friends and I have had great fun passing this saucer back and forth.  However, it's not just the colors that make this game so interesting, but the terrain on which we play also adds to the excitement.  Remember how I described the waist-deep snow we have?  Well, for this reason, running and throwing in the snow can be a bit of a challenge.  Instead, we have taken to the ice rinks where we slide and slip in gallant attempts to catch the lighted disk.  Thanks James!  It's a huge hit!

After acquiring a few bumps and bruises from my previous two hobbies, I find that it is nice to sit down with a cup of tea and ball of yarn.  While knitting technically is not a new hobby for me, it has been a while since I picked up the needles.  Currently, I have made a mitten and a half.  Their color is orange in honor of the orange trees growing on my desk.  In addition to the practical side of knitting, I've also found it to be a fun excuse to get together with friends at the university's new knitting club.

So, there you have it.  Gliding across ice, through air and into stiches.  Skating.  Frisbee.  And knitting.  My Narnian hobbies.