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.

Vitamin D-lightful

As the sun rose Sunday morning, cloudless blue skies and beautiful snow laden landscapes emerged.  Such weather is a rarity around this neck of the woods, so in the afternoon, I headed outside to get my fill of vitamin D.  Below are a few photos.


There is a maze of trails running along the river
bank near my flat.  While I have explored them at night
with a friend, this was the first time I saw everything
lit up.  The light reveals a different world.



The sun brought out nature's true colors.
Rich blues and oranges danced among the forest
as the sun moved across the horizon.

Sometimes, I think nature likes to poke fun at
human creations.  I suspect that this is supposed
to be a door preventing access to the river...it does
not seem to be working so well in this weather.

While Minnesotans snuggle up in their cozy huts,
the Finns prefer to fish in the elements.  Here you can
see two small trap doors through the ice, and some
twigs to aid in finding the holes after heavy snowfalls.

I've always thought it would be nice to live
in a small red house.  I think this one would do
nicely.  The marshmallow snow-cover on the
roof makes it all the more quaint.

The sun seared through the tall pine forest,
creating an even taller forest of shadows.

While I did pass by a few cross-country skiers, I was
surprised to find that I basically had the trails to myself.
All in all, it was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon.  The
blue skies and intense sun provided a nice respite
from the grey I have grown accustomed to.

A Study in Smörgåsbord

It has now been two weeks since the start of the semester, and to be honest, things are starting up rather slowly.  Similar to last semester, my courses can start and end as they please, meet for any number of lectures, in any room, at any time, and on any day.  This semester, it just happens that most of my courses will meet during the months of February and March.  Despite the curious schedule, I am still pumped about my upcoming courses. Here is a rundown of what I have to look forward to:

• Introduction to Finnish School Life: This course allows me to observe Finnish schools in action.  I started the course last semester, spending most of my time in primary school math and science classes.  This spring, I plan to move up to the secondary school and observe more chemistry.
• Introduction to Special Education: One of the most impressive features of Finnish education is their exceptionally small achievement gap.  Indeed, the difference in performance between low- and high-achieving students is the smallest in the world.  I am hoping this course provides some insight into how they do it.
• Information and Communication Technology in Teacher's Work: As the title suggests, I will learn how the Finns integrate technology into the classroom.  Based on the endless supply of SmartBoards, document cameras, and laboratory equipment I have seen so far, I am excited to learn more about the theories behind their use.
• Finnish Art: This course promises to teach us how to use various media and techniques for visual art.  As science (particularly chemistry) is a very visual subject, I am hoping that I can incorporate some of what I learn into future lessons I teach.
• Finnish 3 and 4: Minä olen opiskellut suomea viisi kuukautta.  I have studied Finnish for five months...and love every second of it.  As we dig deeper into the intricacies of Finnish grammar, I am not only developing an appreciation for this language, but also of language in general.  It is mind-blowing to think about all that goes into communication—and to think, many of us can do it so effortlessly!
• Chinese 2: There is a twofold purpose for my taking this class.  First, I am interested in the language, and think it might be useful to know.  But second, this is one of my few courses that has mostly Finnish students in it.  I am taking Chinese to learn more about Finnish culture—logical, right?

So, as you can see, I have quite the smörgåsbord of studies this semester.  Or, perhaps I should use the Finnish translation of smörgåsbord—seisova pöytä.  Either way, it should be a delicious sampler of educational theory and classroom observation, generously seasoned with grammar rules and new vocabulary.