In Helsinki: Time to Get My Research Groove On...

Senate Square...straight ahead.

I am staying in Helsinki this week to get myself prepared for the upcoming wave of research interviews (that will come through at any moment...hopefully!) By the way, I think I chose some of the busiest people in Finnish higher education (Ministry staff and high-level university administration) to interview...or at least that is the rationale I am using for them NOT responding to my email request for interviews. Ah, this is all part of the process...patience! Right now I have ZERO interviews scheduled, but I am confident this will change with time. 

The sunset view from the living room in Helsinki.

My plan for Helsinki:
a.) orient myself to university campuses in the city,
b.) meet up with my Fulbright friends,
c.) finish writing & preparing another grant application,
d.) read, read, read more literature, and
e.) meet with my sponsors at the University of Helsinki. 

A weekend of total yoga bliss...in Tampere, Finland.

When I lived in Tampere in 2007, I discovered a fabulous yoga teacher, Paula, and her studio, Om Yoga. I had not seen Paula since 2007, but she knew I was back in Finland and so she invited me to a yoga workshop (in English) led by Rowan Cobelli, a yogi from the U.K. (see photo to right). I have to admit, since moving to Finland my yoga has waned. I have not found a studio or a teacher in Jyvaskyla, which honestly makes me feel a little unsettled. I know this sort of thing takes time and with my schedule, traveling to/from Helsinki so often, it would be hard to teach a consistent class. So, Rowan's workshop --Taking an Asana Deeper--was a juicy gift that made me feel reconnected to Finland and back at home on my mat and in the beautiful Om Yoga studio. The evening session, Dynamic Connection, was an infusion of dance, body movement, emotions, connection and affection with others, and just good fun. On Sunday a group of us yogis, including Rowan and Paula, enjoyed the Finnish tradition of sauna and cold-water swimming at the favorite wood-burning sauna in Tampere, Kaupinojan. We finished off the evening with a dinner and movie at Paula's apartment. Ah, now that I have my yoga groove back, off to Helsinki for the week...

Many Bureaucratic Steps...

Steps to Harju Ridge, a big hill that lies between our apartment and city center.

When you move to a different country it normally takes a few weeks (maybe even a month) to feel completely "settled" because there are so many bureaucratic logistics that simply take time (and patience). You may be unpacked and your cupboards full of food, but there are bank accounts to open and Finnish resident numbers to apply for...so hold on and practice what your mom told you, "patience is a virtue!"

Here is a list of bureaucratic things I/we have had the great fortune of coordinating:
 -Open bank account and wait 1 week to receive the visa electron (debit card)
 -Register for Finnish personal residence number and wait up to two weeks for the number (this is needed for tax card & bank account)
-Fill out form for University email access and wait one week for the username/password to come in the mail
-Pick up student registration form at international office (this is good for student discounts on meals, etc.)
-Order student card on-line and wait three weeks for card
-Fill out form to order business cards and wait who knows how long (and translate "PhD Candidate" to Finnish=tohtorikoulutettava)
-Send bank details to Fulbright for transfer of grant money and wait two weeks to get first payment
-Sign up for international student events listserv...ah, no wait time
-Figure out how to use the on-line student registration system and register for a Finnish language course
-Change signature line for all of your email addresses

The great thing about blogging about all of these details is that I can now look back and give a BIG sigh of relief, as most of these items have been checked off the "to do" list. Ahhh...the only thing I am waiting on is my student card. 

Mushroom Hunting with a Finn

Our Finnish friend, Ilkka, offered to take us "mushrooming". Here are a few excerpts from our email exchange:

"I suggest before noon....10? couple of hours in forest and if you want, after-wards I would be happy to show different ways of processing/handling mushrooms depending on the type of mushroom etc. Lets go to Laajavuori....area close to ski jumping place. I will learn some mushroom terminology in English before Sat...i mean there are certain basic rules how to distinguish different types of mushrooms. Rubber boots (or something similar) will be needed because it might be wet there even if it does not rain on Saturday."

WOW! Who knew that this email would be the impetus to such an EPIC day of mushroom hunting. Four hours of hunting in the forest resulted in about 10 pounds of different varieties of mushrooms. Ilkka is a master mushroomer because he grew up on a farm and his parents bestowed their mad mushroom-hunting skills to him and his brothers. He knows which mushrooms are edible, "icky" (I taught him to say that), and which ones will kill you. At one point in the day, he pointed to a beautiful white mushroom and was like, "Whoa! These are the most lethal mushrooms in Finland!" Thank goodness he knew that because they looked beautiful, kind of like the white button mushrooms we eat all the time, albeit a little larger.

We spent about 3.5 hours cleaning mushrooms and did not even get through all of them. Ilkka taught us how to clean, cut, and cook the different varieties. Some needed to par-boiled (the milk caps) which means they needed to be boiled twice before eating.

I have to say, it was amazing to be in the forest with a purpose. Mushrooming is one of the most peaceful and rewarding activities.

Charlie's Posh Digs!

Charlie's office has the best view of lake Jyväsjärv! It is located on the third floor of the Agora building, a newer building that sits right next to the bike path that circles around the lake. Pretty posh digs! I guess his "expert consultant" job title comes with benefits. But, we will wait and see if that is indeed true...because just the other day a woman came into his office with measuring tape and simply said, "we are moving in here." Hmmmm! While we do know that the entire administrative staff is moving to Agora, Charlie was under the assumption he would not be moving (since he is a part of university administration). More on this later. In the meantime, check out his nice view!

The view from his window.

Do you want to know the (short) history of Agora? This may bore some of you, but for those of us that study higher education, this is pretty interesting. In 1997, two ideas were proposed at the University of  Jyväskylä, a "psycho-center" and "info-tech-center". Now the psycho-center is not what it sounds like, it "was to integrate research in to human behavior and life span". Whereas, the "info-tech center" would encourage multidisciplinary research in information technology by unifying such disciplines as mathematics, natural sciences, economics, and social sciences. These two research centers were quickly realized as the Agora Human Technology opened in September 2000. "Agora creates a bridge for research applications by providing working office space for private enterprises working in the sector of information technology." Hmmmm, I smell academic capitalism and Charlie is working right in the center of it all.

Flea Market Treasures!

The Finns are all about recycling and reusing material items. In Jyväskylä there are 27 indoor flea markets, which is a lot consideri

Charlie's (hockey) ice skates...with no toe-pick.

ng there are only about 130,000 people living here. Indoor flea markets are a lot like second hand stores (i.e. Goodwill in the U.S.) but many of them are based on a consignment philosophy where the individual brings in old clothes, shoes, housewares, books, movies, etc., prices each item, pays the store a flat fee of €6-12 to sell the items, and then after one week collects the money made and the remaining items that did not sell. It is a pretty good system if you ask me. It is like an automatic garage sale, without all of the labor. You know it is a flea market (or second hand store) when you see the word, "KIRPPI" or "KIRPPUTORI", which literally translates to "flea market". Now, all it takes is a little patience, a lot of digging, and many visits to find the good stuff! I love second hand shopping, it makes me feel like I am not being wasteful by buying new things, I am saving a load of money, and it is fun to find a screamin' deal! As they say, "One man's trash is another man's treasures." 

Here is a sampling of some of the screamin' deals we scored at the indoor flea markets since arriving mid-August:
Esprit khaki pants (that fit perfectly, by the way)- €2.50

Ice skates for Charlie- €3.00
Ice skates for me-€2.60
H&M black corduroy jacket for Charlie - €5.00
Alarm clock- €3.50
Coffee mug for work- €.80
White H&M button down dress shirt (for me)- €2.00
Fun turquoise scarf- €1.50

Our Landlady ROCKS!

Meet Anne, a witty Finnish young lady, who just so happens to be our landlady! Our fabulous landlady sets out on an international adventure to Argentina in October until the summer. She has been so nice to us (picked us up from train station, helped us with a sticky front door, and bought us more sheets) that we wanted to repay her kindness, so we invited her for dinner before her sojourn. She arrived with a bottle of what some Finns declare as the BEST vodka: Koskenkorva. Oh yeah, we poured some shots and enjoyed the very SMOOTH vodka with our Mexican dinner fiesta. For dessert we served up the Dutch Stroopwafels ( gift from our Dutch visitors) which Anne was most pleased by, because she studied in Holland and LOVED the stroopwafels. She loved them so much, we sent her home with one.

Pesäpallo: U.S. Baseball on Crack with Circus Music!

Yesterday, our Finnish friend, Ilkka, hooked us up with tickets to the women's Pesäpallo championship game. This game is the national game of Finland and quite a hoot, if you ask me. It was difficult to follow, but extremely stimulating to the senses: loud circus music and frequent advertisements in Finnish play over the PA system, your eyes attempt to track all of the wacky action on the field, you smell the aroma of sausage cooking, and you feel the cool fall breeze in the air.

My sports-nut of a superboyfriend, Charlie agreed to be a guest blogger and tell you all about the game of  Pesäpallo, from his U.S. perspective: 

Intermission with sausages & munki (Finnish pastry).

"Pesäpallo is a fast moving game with lots action. The game has some similar elements to American baseball/softball in terms of batter, pitcher, bases, and gloves, but also has some very complicated (to a newcomer) rules.  Some basics: the game starts with the pitcher who stands next home plate and tosses the ball (vertically) in the air to the batter. The batter swings and puts the ball into play and tries to reach first base (which is located roughly where 3^rd base would be in American baseball/softball). Once on base, the runner tries to advance to 2^nd and then 3^rd base before trying to come home. The game is fast moving because on average 8-12 batters come to bat each inning, the batters keep coming up one after another in quick succession (there was no more than 15-20 seconds between batters), and the ball is constantly in play. The game is built on speed -- more than power like in American baseball and softball -- and scoring a run is extremely difficult. Teams play 2 sets of 4 innings. If each team has one a set, than additional innings are played until one team scores. On top of all this action – there is loud music playing from circus music to 70s/80s rock music (Van Halen’s "Jump" and Queens’ "Another one Bites the Dust"). All in all, it was an thoroughly entertaining game and worth seeing played."

Farmer's Market with Kale

We have found a sweet little farmer's market, "the marketplace" (Yliopistonkatu 15), with local produce about four blocks from our house that opens on the weekends. The first few times we went we were so happy to find KALE, because we have been looking for it in all of the grocery stores with no luck. But, damn the kale is expensive (or maybe we just received royal "foreigner" treatment) as the vendor sold us one leaf for 1 euro ($1.40 U.S.). The first week we bought kale we did not think much about how expensive it was because we were simply too excited to find KALE to care. (By the way, kale is Charlie's favorite leafy green and he even owns a "Kale" t-shirt to prove it!) So, we handed over our 5 euro note and pranced away with big KALE smiles. Today we bought about 6 leaves of kale, broccoli, and green beans ALL for 4.60 euro. Yep, I think we might have been "taken" that first time around. Oh well...that is the reality of living in a foreign country.

The farmer's market is growing smaller every week we visit...the season is about over. But, the last few weeks at the market has been candy for the eyeballs: colorful berries, fancy mushrooms, bright orange carrots, sunflowers, broccoli, cabbage, and fellow market goers going crazy for their weekly stash of Finnish potatoes (a staple for most Finns). A little stop at the Saturday farmer's market would not be complete without a visit to the little tent selling hot tea, coffee, and munkis (the Finnish pastry).

Our Humble Home in Central Finland

Our furnished living room...actually the entire apartment came FULLY furnished.

Welcome to our humble abode in Finland. We found the apartment through another Fulbright grantee who was living here last year. Lucky us, because we have heard that finding apartments on the private market is not so easy, especially if you do not speak Finnish. The apartment on Löylykatu (name of the street) is fully furnished (including towels, linens, and candles) and rent covers electricity, trash, water, and wireless. We have settled in nicely to the cozy apartment that is 48 meters squared (516 squared feet). In the basement we have access to a sauna and laundry facilities (photos posted soon). Our landlady is great! She is a young Finnish woman and she was nice enough to pick us up at the train station when we arrived. But, she will soon be moving to Argentina to experience an Eat, Pray, Love adventure. Good luck, Anne!

 The living room from another view (with lots of Ikea furniture...functional, but not the most comfortable!)

Sweet little bedroom and the bed is a GOOD size (two single mattresses pushed together).

The view from our deck. To the left of our apartment building is the Harju Ridge, a forested area with an observation tower, walking trails, wild mushrooms, and a big football  (soccer) stadium.

Ah, we actually got to enjoy the last few summery days in Finland on our deck.

Small, but practical kitchen.

We were a little surprised by the color and stucco of the apartment building.

Our Second Visitors: the Dutch!

 Our friends from Sneek, Holland came to visit us (and Finland) with their five month year old, Anna. This was Anna's first international trip. I have to boast about Corien and Nanko because they are so well traveled and the most laid back parents that baby Anna behaved like a master traveler. We had a conversation about how important "chill" parenting is when traveling. If the parents are freaking out when traveling then most likely the baby\child will also be freaking out, simply because an osmosis of energy transfers from the parents to the offspring. Makes sense.

Despite the rainy weather it was nice to have more visitors.Corein, Nanko, and Anna came over for a salmon dinner and then we met up for the coffee and a walk around the lake the next morning. They came to Jyväskylä bearing gifts...DeRuijter Hagelslag (you must say this with a Dutch spitting sound that comes deep from the depth of your chest). DeRuijter is a sweet treat for your morning toast, you simply sprinkle some on your toast and enjoy.  In the U.S. we call them "sprinkles" and normally you would find them sprinkled on cakes and ice cream, but when in Holland (or Finland) you sprinkle them on your toast. They also gave us Dutch stroopwafel, two thin waffel cookies filled with caramel. Delicious! We loved the gifts and the visit.

Fields of Shrooms...

This is just such a beautiful photo, I have to share it. These shrooms were found down by the lake and right outside the building where Charlie works.

Mushrooming!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am fascinated by nature. We are very fortunate to live steps away from the forest and we often walk through the forest to go to the city center (five minutes away). At this time of year that means...wild mushrooms. The mushrooms catch my eye from across the forest floor and I have to take the time to further inspect the mushrooms (sometimes even with the lens of my camera).

There are many varieties of wild mushrooms that grow in Finland and after taking a few photos of them I even attempted to match my photos with those on the internet. Ha ha...after looking through 100 internet photos I soon realized that many mushrooms look a lot alike. All I know is that there are edible mushrooms and inedible (poisonous) mushrooms (mushrooms that will likely kill you!) and since I have no idea the difference between edible and "I will kill you" mushrooms I enjoy them with the lens of my camera and not with the digestive juices in my belly. That red one up top is poisonous...I know that for sure.

And, we Canoed...

Our First Visitor in Finland

Finnish nightlife ROCKERS!

Looking out over the city...in the observatory tower.

  In 2009, James and I lived in Oxford, Engla

Viking's dinner (again) at Haralds.

nd where we served as Graduate Residents for about 40 undergraduate UGA students. When he found out we were moving to the Nordic region, he decided to include Finland in his (pre-OMG-I am-about-to-have-no-life-because-of-my-dissertation) whirlwind European holiday. So, we played! We made good dinners, jumped!, canoed the lake, walked up the observatory for a 360 degree view of the city, visited second-hand stores, ate like Vikings (again...), and Charlie and James experienced a true night out on the town--Finnish style.

Robot is the new plank!