Summary time

This year was good. I travelled quite a few times (Germany, Czech Republic, France, Turkey, Great Britain, Poland), seen some "long time no see" friends, met great people (special thanks to guys from Istanbul).

This year in Finland was also special weather-wise. We had long winter, hot summer and the snow came already in November, which is extremely good if you know what it means to live at this latitude. Extreme temperatures also define this year: from +34,8 to -27,2 Celsius degrees.

I also managed to pursue some of my hobbies despite knee contusion, and managed to do my work and not being fired. I got an Open Water Diver card (made in Finland, yey!) plus I did some work for my doctoral studies.

Some of my ideas didn't come true, but honestly it is more because of my laziness, than lack of time. If I was Finnish I would have probably reach my goals as Finns seem to me very hard working folks.

Overall I still have some things to look forward to, some things to improve, and dreams that wait to come true (related to travelling naturally).

For this New Year I wish you loads of happiness, reasons to smile, and friendly people around. Don't be too hard on yourself with your New Year's resolutions. Take one in small steps and you will succeed! Keeping my fingers crossed for you (and myself as well :) )!

Birthday gifts

Usually Finns celebrate their birthdays with the closest friends. It seems like during that special day they only want to have those dearest to their hearts around. When it comes to presents they shouldn't be too expensive. It is more important to find something special for this particular person, or even make the gift yourself.

Few days ago I participated in a birthday party, a friend turned 30. One of the gifts he received were so called "Reinot" - very common in Finland slippers:

It was also a form of joke, as these are usually used by elderly people.

Anyway the point is that birthdays in Finland are a good occasion to get together, I especially recommend not to miss such an occasion during dark autumn / winter time. Secondly you should not ruin your savings to get something as a gift for your Finnish friend. I have the impression that Finns do not like to get expensive gifts, especially if you are a friend or just an acquaintance.

More expensive gifts might be accepted from a spouse, wife of husband though, but this is a very personal arrangement and I wouldn't like to generalise.
Personally I wouldn't mind getting a summer cabin as a birthday gift, but I'm not Finnish :)

Gender equality

This is hard stuff. And a long bit to read. So be prepared.

Why I wanted to live in Finland? Gender equality is one of the reasons. I could feel it on my own skin soon after arrival. And I like it.

I don't need guys open doors for me, I can well do it myself. Unless I have both of my hands full of stuff from the grocery store. Then it doesn't really matter is it a girl opening the door for me or a guy or I have to deal with the door myself in case I am alone. No problem there. I'd rather open the door myself and earn same wage as men do. And I don't need guys pay my dinner, kiss my hand and then tell me that I should do home stuff 'cause I am a girl. I rather have women in the parliament to represent important social issues, like domestic violence (unfortunately common problem in Finland) or paternity leave. And I don't want to misunderstood. I am not saying that now half of women should be miners, lumberjacks and boxers. I do understand that men are (on average) stronger than women. And I didn't burn my bras.

This is quite an important topic for me because of my private experiences (raised with two brothers who were not forced to peel potatoes, do the dishes or clean despite having two hands as well). Therefore I am happy to see every sign of gender equality policies, decisions et.c. One of those decisions was an inspiration for this topic - about a male pastor who refused to work with a female pastor and was punished for discriminative practices. You can read more here.

The situation of women is still not perfect in Finland. We still do earn less then men, we still make more work related to household running or rising children but the gap is smaller in comparison to many other continental Europe countries. And I hope the gap will be eliminated one day.

At this occasion I wanted to bring up the issue of gender equality as a worldwide problem. There are many charity projects going on in the world and it is sometimes difficult to decide which should be supported. Already a while ago I came across "Because I'm a girl" report, picturing the situation of girls and women in the world. I was moved. And we can do something about it. I would like to encourage you to visit http://www.plan-uk.org/becauseiamagirl/theissues/ so you can see that the gender inequality is by no means a product of female imagination. It's a fact, it's about the numbers.

I warned you that it will be serious.

Some music from melancholic country

Picture: from Hurriganes' official website

One thing I wanted to share with those interested in the country of Santa Claus and reindeer is some music. A while ago I got some music recommendations from my workmate. I just copy and paste, so it is not about my music preferences. He wanted me to learn about some new and old Finnish bands. Here we go:

Hurriganes - I will stay
Lauri Tähkä - Maailma on renki
Lauri Tähkä - Pauhaava sydän
Leningrad Cowboys - Leningrad
HIM - Right here in my arms
Hanoi Rocks - Million miles away
Hanoi Rocks - People like me
The 69 Eyes - Lost boys
Apulanta - Koneeseen kadonnut
Yö - Joutsenlaulu
Yö - Rakkaus on lumivalkoinen
Uniklubi - Kaikki mitä mä annoin

Of course there is also Nightwish, Apocalyptica, probably slightly forgotten nowadays The Rasmus... Fans of heavy sounds know Children of Bodom. The name of this band is by the way associated with murders of some young people staying overnight by the lake of Bodom. A bit scary story.

Some of us know Lordi, some of us remember them from Eurovision :)

There is surely a lot more to recommend but this is not a musical blog so I'll just mention two more singers. Recently I came across Chisu (Sama nainen, Baden baden) and Jenni Vartiainen. Jenni's song "En Haluu Kuolla Tänä Yönä" is more positive and less melancholic than most of Finnish songs and with this positive accent I will end my today's post. For those who want to listen: Jenni's song :) Enjoy!

Guys' turn - Miesten vouro

A movie "Miesten vuoro" is a Finnish candidate to Oscar. Since the weather is nowadays quite rainy it was not a bad idea to go to cinema. My Finnish still isn't perfect but I was hoping that maybe they don't talk too much and I can get the point. They did talk quite a lot, however. I really had to focus to understand something. I think I have partially succeeded.

Spoiler warning! If you want to watch the movie and discover it for yourself do not read any further!

The movie was a documentary. In short sections different men told about their lives, what kind of painful experiences they have been through. The environment is always sauna or some facilities/fresh air before/after sauna. Men are moved when they tell their stories, they cry. If there are male witnesses they are also moved by stories they hear, but they seem to feel awkward, don't know how to react, what to say. It is indeed difficult to say anything to a person who lost his/her child, for example, as one of the man did.

I saw this movie as a voice in a discussion of "maleness" stereotype. It is quite natural point of view in Finland that men should never show any signs of fragility, weakness nor exhibit emotions. Those who are in the documentary say themselves that they should be strong, shouldn't be so emotional. They are helpless in the face of cruel experiences they had to go through, they don't know how to cope. Nobody has ever thought them how to deal with a loss of somebody they love, they "only" should be strong and supportive.

I read this movie also as a male turn to talk. Usually - according to stereotype - it is women who are more open to talk and share their experiences and emotions. It was good to hear men talking.

And the last but not least remark - the lonliness of men suffering seemed to be highlighted by pictures of nature: uninhabited vast lands, forests covered with snow, mists over a river, the one and only tree on the horizon... Typical Finnish landscapes and mind/soul landscapes of Finns at the same time - full of life but harsh at the same time.

Anyway I did enjoy this movie a lot and I can recommend it. Not a holywood style movie at all :) I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

Diving and sporty elderly Finns

As I mentioned previously Finns are quite a sporty nation. Possibilities to join various sport clubs, hobby clubs are numerous when one just wants to do something. A while ago I had a chance to try diving, I liked it, therefore I thought that maybe I should make an Open Water Diver course. Especially that water in lakes was so warm. I thought that a chance that water will be so warm again during the summer is so small that I have to act now.
So one Tuesday in the end of July I decided to do this course. I got a book to prepare for the theory around 10 pm, read until 1 am, went to work next day and had a theoretical exam next day after work. Luckily I passed.

On Thursday I had first exercises in the swimming pool. Even though the water was 27 centigrades I had blue lips after two hours while other course participants were OK. All together I spent over 3 hours in the swimming pool and to be honest I was quite happy to get out of water and run to sauna.

In the changing room one lady, probably in her 70' asked me if I could help her out with applying moisturising lotion and we had a short chat. She was such a lovely, positive person that I felt like I wanted her to be my foster-granny. The point is though that despite her age she was still physically active, going to the swimming pool with her friend. And she was not the only older person in the pool and this is how I want to age - being physically and intellectually active.

I did all required open water dives and managed to finish my OWD course. I need to say that in comparison to most popular diving locations conditions for diving in Finnish lakes are relatively difficult: not such a great visibility, cold water and no colourful fish around. But then it is only easier to dive elsewhere :)

What do Finns do during a weekend?

Of course they go to their summer cottages. So last weekend I did the same with a bunch of friends. We have visited a friends cottage located on an island. We grilled, we lied on a pier, we enjoyed the beams of the sun through the shades of the tree leaves... We went to sauna, cooled down in the lake, we sat on the porch listening how wind plays with the leaves and grass, we enjoyed a warm rain... And when we felt tired we went to rest and sleep.

In the morning I was awaken by screams: "Selo, Apua!", meaning "Selo (name), help!". It turned out that guys took the nets from the water (they set them the day we have arrived) and there were over 20 fish to detangle from the net, grill, fry and eat for dinner: perch pikes, perches, and breams and even one mule.

The whole trip was very relaxing. But I will especially cherish the sauna night during long autumn evenings or when the freezing winter will arrive. This memory will remind me that there is something to look forward to.

Surprise

As I mentioned in the description Finland is a country full of surprises. One of them was summer this year, which was actually a proper, warm summer. Who could have guessed - warm summer? In Finland??

I know that it was hot all over Europe and people have been craving for some cooler weather, but usually the heat waves don't reach us here, in the far north. Even water in big lakes was exceptionally warm (actually it still is). For 2 weeks in my apartment there was 26-30 Celsius degrees and I have never complained, just enjoyed the weather, went to the beach, spent evenings outside, enjoying warm nights. I was lucky to have my holidays at that time :)
I didn't take any pics while being on the beach, but all beaches have been really crowded. But best proof ever that it was hot is this: a fan in the office where I work. Usually it is one of the most chilly places in the whole building and I'm freezing most of the year. It is now so warm that my workmates tried to cool down a bit by using the fan. It doesn't really do the trick, but my workmate said: flying papers at least give me an impression that the fan helps.

I am enjoying last warm moments, today most likely was the last hot day of summer. Next summer like this maybe in 20 years. Yey...

Kuopio wine festival

Summer is a good time to be in Kuopio - many events taking place. Just few days ago Kuopio wine festival has ended - more information here.

It was taking place 2-10th of July. I was hesitating long if I should go, because the entry ticket is ridiculously expensive - 24€ just to enter! The explanation might be concerts taking place in the area of the festival, but I haven't found any band that would catch my attention. Well, maybe apart from Samantha Fox ;) whose songs have been played from the playback anyway.
The last day I decided to go just to get an idea how does it look like. The star of the evening was Paula Koivuniemi - a star for those who are in their fifties :) I just didn't pay attention, chatted with a friend and enjoyed my wine.

I think that this was my first and last time buying the ticket for the festival unless:
- organisers will provide bigger selection of wines or
- organisers will provide extremely famous and delicious wine or
- organisers will find some music which suits more my preferences

Oh, and a tip for those who will in the future happen to be around July in Kuopio when the wine festival is going on: I've noticed that after the concerts bouncers would let people inside without tickets. So maybe that is the way - just to wait until the concerts are over and go to try some wines :)

Kuopio dance festival - been there, seen some

As I promised myself I have finally managed to go to Kuopio Tanssii ja Soi festival. I have seen three performances:
- Lost blanket - free entrance, for kids
- Skånes Dansteater - contemporary dance performance
- Ballet Argentino

I went to see the first performance because an acquaintance was performing there. I also thought that because it is meant for children I might be able to understand it :D The show was lovely. Main plot: a girl loses her favourite blanket and travels around the world with her "friend" - button to search for the blanket. So she visited snowy part of the world (picture), she travelled seas on a chest (picture), went to Africa to finally find her blanket and return home. There was live music - band and some vocalists making various sounds that created the atmosphere of different places visited.

Second show (by Skånes Dansteater) was quite a different one. Contemporary dance, at least as I have seen it in this show, is about creating a message to the audience with the bodies and music. So I couldn't make out any plot and focused on impressions. There were two parts. The first part of the performance was very dark and even frightening at some points. Dancers weren't like humans, there was something mechanical about them. Music was dark and gloomy. Second part was more lively, more dancers at the stage at the same time, but still it was not the most cheerful show I have seen.Maybe the reason for the dark, gloomy atmosphere was the fact, that one of the choreographers was Finn :)

The third show was my favourite: it was lively, with great music, at some points it was even funny. Smaller parts of the show were combined by a lady singing with a strong voice in Spanish. Unfortunately I was not able to understand her singing, but her voice conceived passion, love, tragedy on a different than linguistic level. If somebody has seen Mulholland Drive by Lynch there is also a lady singing in Spanish - the lady during the show was singing in a similar manner. Also in Almodovar's High Hills this motive has been used. It spices the show with emotions.

So apart from the entertaining part with some ladies-gentlemen plot there was a room for a bit of thinking, consideration. Therefore I think this was the best show I have seen. Taking pictures was forbidden so I didn't take any, therefore unfortunately I have no visual material to share with you. All in all it was worth to go and see different dance styles and different ways of creating atmosphere with music and dancing people. Hopefully next year there is also an interesting programme to choose from.

I hope you liked my report! Until next post!

Sporty Finns, part 3: Kuopio dance festival

Finns are sporty all year round, although the sportiness in the summer time is often concentrated around grill :) Some, though, cannot afford this kind of sport as they are getting ready for one of the most important events organised in Kuopio, namely "Kuopio dance festival" (Kuopio tanssii ja soi in Finnish).

This event attracts many visitors and performers from around the world. Among performers this year there will be a ballet group from China, performers from Sweden, Iceland, Argentina, Denmark, and Norway not to mention numerous groups from Finland. Some shows have an entry fee, some are free of charge. For more information in English visit: http://www.kuopiodancefestival.fi/eindex.html.

Despite being here already 4 summers I have never succeeded in getting myself to go to see even one performance so I hope I will see some of the performances this year.

The festival is near so the dancers are in shape practising, and we - those sporty ones in a different manner - are marinating food for the activities around a grill awaiting great performances during the festival.

Sporty Finns, part 2: Show on ice

As I mentioned before Finns seem to be a very sporty nation. There are numerous fitness clubs, sports associations, hobby clubs etc. The most popular sport is ice-hockey - no doubt. But because ice-hockey is so popular there are many ice-rinks and ice-halls to train other forms of ice-skating related sports.

Today's post will be about something related to my hobby - figure ice-skating. There are two big clubs in Kuopio where you can learn figure ice-skating: KuTa and KuLs. Additionally KuLs offers a possibility of joining speed-skating team or synchronized skating. Both of those clubs organise various types of events throughout the year. In the spring it is time for the show on ice. Last year Cinderella was enacted, this year's topic was Circus. The show took place last Sunday, 18th of April.

Anyone who wanted to act in the show was welcome, all of the groups could have their part: amateurs and professionals, children and adults, synchronised and figure ice-skaters, no matter what the skill level or intensity of trainings are. The point was to get together, do something nice and have fun. And maybe also show parents that their kids are doing great :)

On the Circus show you could see almost anything that circus has to offer. There must be the circus director naturally, clowns, and various animals (a bear is a must). Respect for all "animals" who had to perform in furs :) Being on ice in skates is already a challenge, but being in skates, wearing special animal "overall" and still make the jumps and spins is amazing. I hope I can upload some pics soon when I finally get them.

The show itself was nice, but my absolute favourites were bunnies. 5 little girls in white bunnies' outfits with pointy ears and round scuts were adorable. Watching them jumping, spinning and playing around with their carrots just made me grin all the time.

The second best part in my opinion was the part with precision skaters, all dressed in black, with white masks on. The music choice was perfect, the movements and choreography were full of drama, tension and kept me staring and wanting more. The whole performance was brilliant, like on a stage of a good theatre. Really well done!

This kind of ice-show is an annual event therefore I can't wait to see what kind of show will the next year bring!

Until next post!

Plane crash in Smolensk, Russia

This note is a bit off-topic, but being Polish I just could not leave it without any comment.

The air-plane crash in Smolensk, Russia with top Polish politicians, army representatives and many other respected people is a big tragedy. The reaction of the political leaders from all over the world sending words of sympathy is consolatory - Poles are not alone during those sad days.

I also think that the reaction of Russia and Belarus when it comes to visa policy for relatives and other people to investigate the reasons of the crash means more than political discussions on the top level. Visa's for relatives and investigators will be given without much formalities, queuing and fees. I think that for those families this gesture means more than million words and contributes significantly to improvement of Polish-Russian relations. I hope that this unfortunate event will be a lesson for both sides and a big step forward to improve relations between Russia and Poland.

Words of sympathy are coming from so many countries, so many newspapers are describing people who died yesterday. Political divisions disappear. It is good to see that in the face of such a tragic event people, nations, and countries are supportive towards each others. This makes me believe that we still didn't fail as a human race. The sad part is - why can we sympathise and cooperate flawlessly only when such a tragedy takes place? Why can't we be the best of our human being nature in normal circumstances as well?

About saving money

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Olympic games Vancouver 2010

Today shortly about pros and cons of the olympic games.

Pros:
1. Each time Finland wins medal there is pulla (typical Finnish sweet roll) in the kitchen at work to enjoy during coffee break. (Yeees, they made it! Finnish ice hockey team won bronze medal!!! Pulla will be served again on Monday!)
2. Whenever Finnish ice - hockey team won my workmates seemed to be happier, more cheerful and friendlier.

Cons (one found only):
1. I will not be waken up by my neighbours shouting from excitation at 6 a.m. Yes - afternoon matches in Vancouver mean early morning hours in Finland...

Big congratulations for all Finnish medal winners!

Tough morning, iced water and hot discussion

Being an eager worker I wanted to join professional training. My boss agreed and this way once a month I participate in a training session.

For today's training I needed a lift so the day before I asked my boss to pick me up in the morning. I arrived at agreed place just in time. Looked around - boss not here yet. Checked my mobile - he tried to call. So I called back: he was late, would be there in 3 minutes. OK. It is -20 Celsius degrees, 3 min probably means 5-10 min. OK, maybe I can take it even if I am not dressed properly. 5min gone, 10min gone... boss arrived 20 min after the call. I have almost frozen my bottom off. Maybe I should have it frozen off totally since the bottom seems to be bigger during this winter.

Anyway - we have finally reached the destination. First break - possible only in Finland: we were served iced water when it is -20 outside...

It turned out that cold water was of use, since a bit later we have had a great, lively discussion and something to cool down was needed. I actually couldn't believe my ears - Finns discussing lively and interrupting each others. Amazing... On the other hand that was exactly what the instructor has asked :)

After the training I had my figure skating lesson so I could relax my brain and this time I managed not to fall.

Fun at work: about English in use and sex equality

I have to admit that since my company stopped using outsourced switchboard we are receiving curious phone calls. Some of them are just irritating but some of them provide a good laugh. My favourite ones recently:

Scene number one
The guy who called: Hyvää päivää, soitan... (A guy introducing himself in Finnish)
me: Aneeksi, en puhuu suomea (Sorry I don't speak Finnish)
the guy with an effort in English: Do... you ... speak English?
me: Yes
the guy: My name is X Y and I call from company Z. (quite smoothly until this point). Do you... er...umm... yyyy.... (thinking intensively)... Who is... er.... mmm... yyyyy.... er..... umm...... (thinking even more intensively).... umm... err... GOOD BUY!

Scene number two (my colleague answered)
Colleague: Good morning
Caller: Can I talk to the sales manager?
Colleague: Yes, it is Mss Magda X.
Caller: No, I want to talk with male manager.
Colleague: What's wrong with female manager?
Caller: beep... beep... (hung up)

Google street view

Today my friend reminded me about the Google street view. I know it is not very new invention. What surprised me is that actually quite a big part of Finland has been pictured by Google guys. If you would like to see a bit of Finland I really recommend this tool :)
On the other hand, the pictures are so close to the areas where people live that it makes a little red light starts to glow in my head - how much further technology will start to enter our private sphere? The street view reminds me a bit of Big Brother - scary!
Anyway I am not paranoid or anything, not yet at least. And that is why I can share with you this view for example. Not a big deal but I hope you enjoy it! And you can travel to very distant corners of Finland this way without moving away from your computer. How tempting!

Dental care in Finland

Once you get your Kela card you are entitled to some of the social security benefits. One of those is right to use health care services. I happen to be the card holder therefore I decided to see the dentist finally. It turned out that waiting time is half a year! Horribly long queue. I signed up since the only other choice I had was private dental care which even if partly subsided by state is still really expensive. In case your tooth hurts there is a solution for that in form of dental emergency system that you can usually get an appointment the same day.

Back to my experiences. I finally managed to wait that half a year and got everything fixed in two visits. I was pleased that this is over - it wasn't very pleasurable experience. Not for long I could enjoy having all teeth fixed - after one month one of the fillings fell out. Luckily I managed get to the dentist the same day, but it turned out that I had to pay once more for fixing the same tooth! Outrageous.

When complaining to my friend about that she started to doubt if the public health care is really less expensive and isn't it reasonable to use private dental care. I calculated all of the expenses (you pay separately for coming to the dentist, material, anaesthetics etc.) and it turned out that actually private cost could be very similar. So despite I pay taxes I think I will use private dental care only. I hope they don't charge their clients for fixing the same tooth twice...

Driving in Finland

Sometimes traffic in Finland drives me crazy. Especially when I am driving to work in the morning and happen to be in a hurry (doesn't happen very often but does from time to time). Why? Let me give you some background information.

Traffic in Finland outside bigger cities is close to none. Finns usually drive according to all speed limitations. That is great that they obey. But if the speed limitation is 40km/h why are they driving 30km/h? Or while driving on the highway with the speed limit of 100km/h why do they drive 80km/h? I am no Mss Perfect Driver nor any road pirate but I do realise that too low speed can hamper the traffic. During "normal" hours it is not such a big deal, but when the "rush 20min" starts in the morning or in the afternoon this becomes an issue for those who are sort of in a hurry.

Of course not all of the Finns drive too slow but this is something you may come across. I think it is also related to the fact that they are so punctual - most likely they leave for meeting/work/event with some extra safety time "in case". And because they have time they are not in a hurry and drive carefully, safely and slowly... So you have been warned in case you plan to drive in Finland ;)
The picture above shows "rush hour" according to standards of eastern and northern Finland. Picture from summer 2008.