Leasa's BIG adventure!

What's up with the Ladders?

2012-01-17T10:26:00.000+02:00

It is common to see big ladders permanently affixed to buildings in Jyväskylä. But, why?

Many of the campus buildings (seen here) have ladders. But, why?

Answer: They receive so much snow that sometimes they need to climb the ladders to clear the snow from the roof.

The Snow Dump

2012-01-15T09:22:00.000+02:00

Parking garage on campus.

Ever wonder what happens to all of the snow on the top level of a parking garage?Answer: they dump it below...

Now, we must investigate the follow-up question...where do they take the snow?

A Happy Hour Dedicated to Skiing!

2012-01-13T08:55:00.000+02:00

The local ski hill, Laajavuori, about 3 miles from our apartment hosts a happy hour on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. This is a four-hour time period when you can buy a lift-pass (for the tow rope) for 8€ and rent (good Volkl) skis for 7€. You know we are all over this screamin' deal! So, the opening week we decided to check it out with our friends from Greece (see photo to left). When we arrived the line was long for the one tow rope at the bottom of the ski hill (yes, this is a very small ski hill). Once arriving at the top of the tow rope the journey down the hill was a quick, but very enjoyable, 5-second experience.

I will be the first to admit...I am a ski snob. I like champagne powder snow, I hate ice, and I love big mountain skiing! I realize that I was very spoiled growing up in Colorado where the skiing is excellent. With that being said, I have become more realistic with skiing expectations and experiences out of Colorado and this (pseudo) ski experience was great! Sometimes simply being in the elements with skis strapped to my feet is enough to put a perma-grin on my face.

2012 Intentions

2012-01-11T00:33:00.000+02:00

1.) More yoga...at least 3 hours/week.

2.) Sit up straight (lengthened spine) especially when on my computer.

3.) Finish my dissertation! Just do it, those three letters are so close I can taste them.

4.) Continue to live life with a positive attitude, levity, and the Nikon camera strapped around my neck.

5.) Make time for creativity: blogging, videos, photos, dancing, and being silly.

Lake Jyväsjärvi covered in snow.

6.) Shorter blog posts: maybe a photo with caption (dissertation needs more attention).

7.) Melt into vulnerabilities, love, and compassion and then find peace.

8.) Positive vibes for what's next: after the Finnish gig ends in June.

The children's park right across the street from our apartment.

9.) Dance party once a week with Charlie (he does not know this yet, but he will after reading this blog post.)

10.) Be more intentional about UNPLUGGING and enjoying life.

Reflections: Top 10 of 2011

2012-01-07T18:50:00.000+02:00

Senatesquare in Helsinki all snowed in.

The cool thing about having a blog is that it becomes a life chronicle of sorts and when you want to reflect on something you simply look up the date and waaaaa laaa photos, thoughts, etc. (Confession: sorry, not every experience is on my blog, duh!) For me, life reflection is something I enjoy. Past experiences (both good and bad) shape who you are at this present moment. Some prefer to let go of the past, which I understand--especially the bad memories--but, I like to cherish and learn from them. Here we go:

Top 10 Highlights of 2011:

1.) Love: Did I tell you that I have a superboyfriend? He is amazing and he never ceases to amaze me with his love and commitment. In 2011, he resigned his job, sold many of his worldly belongings, and moved to Europe, so that we could both experience a life together in a foreign country. Certainly, it has not been without it's challenges, but it has all been worth the moving hell we went through to get here.

House of the Estates, Helsinki.

2.) PhD "Candidacy": In January I defended my comprehensive exams and officially became "ABD" (all but dissertation). This is very hard to believe, as my first year was so challenging I thought I would be a PhD drop-out, but here I am a 4th year PhD Candidate collecting data for my dissertation in Finland. Awesome!

3.) Fulbright, fulbright, fulbright! Ah, the fabulous letter that came in early April notifying me that I was selected for a Fulbright grant--a dream come true. And, here we are in Finland...living the Fulbright dream. (Pinch me!)

Winter time in Helsinki.

4.) Death: one of my dear professors fought a long and hard battle with cancer and finally found peace in May. He taught me so much, but mostly he reinforced my love for experiencing life through travel and positive attitude.

5.) Health: this year has not been my healthiest. Some pesky little parasites from Costa Rica hitched a ride into the U.S. by way of my colon, which resulted in about two months of hell. In addition, since September I have been battling discomfort in my esophagus and I still do not have resolution with the Finnish doctors diagnosis. It has all made me realize that health is a precious thing not to be taken for granted. (No blog post on this latest health impairment, but let me just tell you there has been a stool sample and BIG female Baltic Doctor involved...more on this later.)

More Helsinki.

6.) Travels: a year would not be complete without planes, trains, and automobiles. This year I visited 12 countries including Costa Rica (again), South Africa (again), Canada, Hungary, and Norway.

7.) Friends: the biggest joy in traveling is the shared experience that you have with others. Costa Rica was with Charlie and a group of amazing UGA students, South Africa with a group of amazing UGA colleagues, in Norway I met up with all of my favorites still living in Oslo (Kristi, Jason, Shane...), and in Brussels, I spent four days living with my former and favorite Brazilian roommate.

Little kids with sleds...YEAH!

8.) Family: in April my parents, sister, and brother visited us in Athens, Georgia. It was so nice to show them where I have been living the past three years. Then, in August I spent almost a month in Colorado--lots of family quality time! Charlie and I also visited his parents in Ohio and spent July 4 in Chicago with his brother and nephews.

9.) Finland (again): I have rediscovered my love for this country, the culture, the Finnish sauna, the forest, and YES, cold-water lake swimming. I feel like we are much more immersed into the local culture, than when I lived here in 2007. Our Finnish friends and colleagues Ilkka, Terhi, David, Jussi and our adopted Finnish family have all shown us the true Finnish spirit and we are so appreciative of the intercultural experiences.

10.) Positive vibes...what more do you need in life?

New Year's Eve--Ricky Martin Style!

2012-01-02T18:48:00.000+02:00

WDC Helsinki 2012: New Year's Eve of Design from WDC Helsinki 2012 on Vimeo.

The Finnish Ricky Martin on stage!

Ringin' in 2012 was better than expected! We are staying in Helsinki for a week before heading home, so we decided to check out the annual new years celebration in SenateSquare (about a 10 minute walk from where we are staying). Little did we know that we were part of a GRAND celebration this year because of two special events: 1.) Helsinki celebrates it's 200th year of being the Capital of Finland (1812-2012), and 2.) Helsinki is the designated Design Capital of the World in 2012.

Yep, that is a giant rubix cube.

The Helsinki Cathedral all lit up!

Happy New Year!

We arrived in Senatesquare just in time for the kick off of the live TV version of the celebration. Now this is the kind of new years celebration I can get down with (long are the days that I want to fight drunk crowds of people), this crowd was (in typical Finn style) chilled out, well-mannered, and for the most part sober. I guess it helped that the demographics included families and many middle-aged people and a HUGE group of crazy Canadians waving their flags (gotta love the Canadians when you travel--they are not shy about showing off their flag.) Plus, the roped off area was strictly "no alcohol" until the fireworks went off, of course, and everyone pulled out their champagne bottles and plastic cups. Why didn't we get that memo to pack champagne?...oh well, next time. . Not only was the crowd impressive, but the live music selection was, well, classic! Jari Sillanpää is his name and singing like Ricky Martin is his game. Seriously, this dude was a crack-up and the Finns absolutely loved him! Imagine a Ricky Martin look-a-like with frumpy back-up singers and dancers in the background singing (with a Finnish accent) "She bangs, she bangs...", how can you not giggle at that? Suffice it to say, it was entertaining, but I kept asking Charlie...do you think another band will take the stage? Answer: NO...they were the headliner! While all of this was great, the best part was the light show and the fireworks. There were beams of light radiating on all of the surrounding buildings and the fireworks at midnight did not disappoint.

Happy 2012! Now we must remember to write "2" instead of "1"...good luck with that.

Tallinn, Estonia & the Drunk Ferry to Helsinki

2011-12-29T12:38:00.000+02:00

Tallinn Christmas Markets.

Wool sweaters & socks for sale.

Whenever I travel outside of Finland I like to check out the happycow, a website that lists and reviews all local restaurants serving up vegan and vegetarian offerings. There was actually a good list of recommended eateries in Riga and Tallinn. In Riga, we checked out the Raw Garden and grabbed some takeaway items for our bus ride. With tubs of wheat-grass growing in the windows, we entered the little restaurant and asked if we could order takeaway. The lady behind the counter spoke very good English and told us, in detail, all about the menu. We ordered two veggie sandwiches on dried pumpkin bread and grabbed a few munchies that were beautifully displayed on the counter, a cashew-coconut ball and two pieces of dried bread (one zucchini and the other carrot). At 12:40, the Lux Express 4-hour bus to Tallinn rolled up and off we went into the countryside. While the ride through the countryside was beautiful, the wireless kept us busy, and the food from Raw Garden was amazingly delicious. (Good review posted on happy.cow!)

Charlie waiting to board "drunk" ferry.

You see a lot of this on the ferry.

Our cozy spot on the ferry...until the drunks sat below us.

Vomit bags on the ferry, just in case.

It was a short adventure in Tallinn, as we had tickets for the 9 p.m. drunk ferry to Helsinki. But, that did not stop us from exploring the Christmas markets and eating at the BEST rated restaurant in Tallinn--no joke. We found Aed, the restaurant, on happycow too and then after further investigation found that it was rated as the BEST restaurant in Tallinn by Tripadvisor. (Yes, I am an investigator of sorts, as I like to read people's reviews of restaurants, hotels, etc.--blame it on dreamy rational choice theory.) After eating the delicious pumpkin soup, linguine pasta, and chocolate cake, we walked to the drunk ferry and by first glance of the queue we knew we were in for an entertaining 2 hour ferry across the Gulf of Finland. People, not only the young people, people of all ages had *stacks of* cases of beers ready to bring back home to expensive Finland. The alcohol is obviously less expensive in Tallinn and so Finns make the mad dash across the pond to buy their goods. Luckily, we were upwind from the loud, obnoxious (and yes, drunk) teenagers who decided to party in our cozy location on the ferry.

Ah, it's nice to be back in Finland!

Riga: the "Little Paris" with a Coupon!

2011-12-28T22:50:00.000+02:00

Riga Christmas Markets.

It was like a ghost town, except for inside the shopping malls, on Boxing Day (December 26) in London. We discovered that the Tube was closed because the employees wanted more pay on the national holiday--makes sense. What a better way to send this message than to strike on the BIGGEST shopping day in London? Way to stick it to the man and stick it to capitalism! Boxing day was also the day we were slated to fly to Riga, Latvia. After visiting the Tube station by our hotel and seeing all of the "closed" signs, we managed to find a bus that would take us to central London. We got off the bus at Shepard's Bush and discovered that ONE Tube line had just opened up at the very stop we got off...talk about good timing!

Ryanair to Riga...a flight where all of the passengers clapped after we landed...why do people do that? Anyway, we walked out of the airport and waaaaah-laaaaa there was a Baltic Air hotel shuttle waiting for passengers. Good timing, again. We were dropped off at our hotel, Hotel Albert, where we checked in and explored the city by night.

Gingerbread cookies.

The House of Blackheads...what a name!

Let me tell you the best part of this trip...we got a SCREAMIN' deal! So, anyone who knows me, knows that I love a bargain and I love coupons. Yes, I am one of those crazy coupon clippers. But, in the past few years I have discovered the bliss of on-line groupon coupons. In Athens, Georgia I first stumbled on the groupon concept and since then I have been addicted! The good thing is that the groupon coupon concept has gone international, just in time for us to move to Europe. So, I signed up for CityDealiä (same as groupon--different name) in Helsinki, Tampere, and Jyväskylä and began receiving coupon deals by email. In addition to boob jobs, restaurants, and beauty treatments, there are even travel coupons...this is where it gets good! The coupon we used for our trip to Riga was 90€ and included 2 nights at the 4-star Hotel Albert, free wireless internet, breakfast buffet, and a 30€ dinner coupon and 2 welcome drinks. Cool!

Overall, Riga is a sweet and quaint little, or shall I say not so little, town. It is the largest city in the Baltic States and 1/3 of Latvia's population lives in Riga. We were lucky because most of Europe has an extensive Christmas holiday season, thus the Christmas markets in Old Riga were still open and selling gingerbread cookies, wool socks, warm hats and gloves, and handicrafts. Our exploration of the city took us to the bustling city market located in five converted zeppelin hangars where we bought fresh walnuts and tigerbalm, an 'authentic' medieval basement restaurant (only lit by candles) called Rozengrals, and Charlie experienced a Latvian beer tasting at Queens Public House.

Go to Riga, you will not be disappointed!

"Happy Christmas" as the Brits Say...from London.

2011-12-27T22:45:00.000+02:00

Many of you were asking, 'why London for Christmas'? Good question! London is certainly not known for good sunny weather during the Christmas holiday season, so why the heck would we choose London?

Top 10 Reasons to Go to London for Christmas:
1.) The flight was much more affordable than a trip from Finland to Colorado or Ohio; plus Charlie experienced his first (and probably his last) Ryanair flight (truly a cultural experience with the queue, fight for seats, and capitalism on board).
2.) London all dressed, and lit, up for the holidays (even without snow) is a very festive place during Christmas time.
3.) There are multiple Whole Foods stores in London, one of our favorite places to eat a plants-based dream meal and buy good food.
4.) London is famous for the West End theater shows and it just so happened that we both bought each other the same Christmas gift: a ticket to see Les Misérables. (The tickets were located right next to each other...maybe not such a coincidence.)
5.) The Tube (London subway) and all public transportation was closed on Christmas day, thus facilitating a beautiful Christmas walk into Central London (12.7 miles of a beautiful walk).

6.) Where else can you enjoy a Christmas day evensong in an UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to 960? In London, of course, at the Westminster Abbey. Okay, I am not a religious person, but I have developed a real love for evensong (ever since living in Oxford)--the sounds of the choir are spiritual and beautiful. It makes me want to break out my yoga mat right there in the middle of praying people and have my own spiritual experience. Namaste.
7.) Eye & Mouth Candy: red payphone booths, fish n chips,Big Ben, red double-decker buses, GOOD Indian food, mince pies, Christmas pudding, affordable cider and beer, Tower bridge, warm scones, and afternoon tea.
8.) The British accent is like 80% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top--it is music to the ears! I want everyone to speak with that beautiful accent. Seriously, I love it!
9.) Where else you walk out of the subway and be fully immersed in a live music sensation? Paddington train station, of course, on Friday nights! The Great Western Paddington Railway Band played Christmas favorites as we sipped on our tea, enjoyed the music and the ambiance of the train station Christmas hustle and bustle. Some travelers would stop for a little blissful sounds to the ears--sometimes just enough to warm their heart and compliment the bad with a smile.
10.) Sunshine...for at least one day!

The Joy of a Sunbath...Before London!

2011-12-21T12:09:00.000+02:00

We are heading to London for Christmas and would you believe that after 16 days of NO sunshine the sun came out as we were waiting for our flight in the Tampere airport? Life is funny that way. We were sitting in two seats that were perfectly located in direct line of the sunshine. Ahhhhhh, now we understand why you sometimes see Finns sunning themselves (standing peacefully outside with their heads tilted upwards towards the sunshine with their eyes closed) in a sun bath of vitamin D goodness! Off to London...

Pikkujoulu

2011-12-16T16:39:00.000+02:00

The research team that I work with at the University of Jyväskylä, Higher Education and Social Change, invited Charlie and I to attend the annual pikkujoulu (little Christmas party) Thursday night. At 1:30 p.m. we started off at a pub in the city center, Vihreä Haltiata, where GOOD (and expensive) beer is served. Imagine paying 7 euro for a Belgium Kwak--yep, I am a sucker, but so is everyone else. The going rate for a GOOD beer in Finland is around 7 euro...get used to it! The mood was festive and in true Leasa style I brought along a few Christmas hats to add to the festivities. I do love cheesy themed hats and often times a simple hat brings out the HAM (and alter egos) in people--which was the case, especially as the night progressed. After a few beers the party moved to one of the best restaurants in Jyväskylä, Figaro. The food was good, but the presentation was what would bring me back. We ended the night at a local pub where the beer was flowing and the Christmas hats were passed from one person to the next. I have to say I am really grateful for being a part of this research group. There are some brilliant people involved and all of whom are very supportive and interested in my research.

Darkness Settles In...Only 5 Hours of Daylight

2011-12-15T12:21:00.000+02:00

Livin' 62 degrees north of the equator means that November and December brings with it the darkness of winter. Everyday we lose a few more minutes of daylight and this nifty little table (from Gaisma) updates everyday with the exact sunrise/sunset times. I like to check this chart everyday and then give myself a pat on the back for surviving another day of darkness. Not only is the majority of our days dark, they are grey without sunlight. We are going on 10 days without sunlight (But, who is counting? I am!) On the bright (and sunny) side, I think we are still reveling in the novelty of dark days. Yes, the lack of daylight darkens the mood a little, but it is also a little exciting. Darkness at 2:30 p.m.??? Really? That is just crazy and different. You begin to feel like you need to eat dinner at 4 p.m. and sleep well past the 9 a.m. hour. So, we are popping vitamin D, Omega-3, and B-12 pills like candy and the sun lamp is getting a lot of action these days.

Charlie seems to be coping with the darkness a little better than I am; I feel like I need to be moving all of the time because if I stop and become sedentary the darkness may suck me into winter bear mode: hibernation. Plus, I get these waves of tiredness throughout the day, especially at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Yes...winter solstice! The solstice is December 22 which marks the shortest day of daylight...9:44 a.m. sunrise and 2:47 p.m. sunset. It also means that after the 22nd we begin gaining minutes of daylight. YES! You have to remember that the last time I lived in Finland, I only experienced the latter of what I just described because I lived here from January to June. Of course I did experience November 2006 in Oslo, but Oslo is just below the 60th Parallel North which means they have a little more light than where we live now.

Christmas Comes Early...

2011-12-14T16:36:00.000+02:00

A few days ago we received two notices in our mailbox that indicated we had parcels. Now, where are they??? Time for some investigative work. First, Google translate the notice (because it obviously is written in Finnish). Confirmed! We have two packages. Now what? Call the phone number written on the notice and of course there is a recorded message in Finnish of which I only recognize "yksi", "kaksi", "kolme", "neljä" (one, two, three, four). I assume they are telling me what number to press for my inquiry...if only I understood Finnish then I would have pressed the correct number. Oops, instead I press some number that gets me passed to three different departments and then a dead line. Hmmm, now what? We look up the "posti" on-line and find the post office for our postal code on Google maps. With any luck, we will walk there (about 15 minutes away), the packages will be waiting for our arrival. After an adventurous walk through ice, snow, and slush...we make it and YES, the packages from Ohio come home with us.

We decide to have a Christmas dinner, complete with big salads and dinner entertainment: opening of the packages! Woohoo. Christmas comes early. We tear open the boxes like an excited bunch of five-year olds and find many items we have been dreaming about lately: almond butter, refried black beans (YUM!), margarita mix (Oh, yeah...I sense a Mexican fiesta in the the near future), UNO (finally, I can make Charlie draw four), lemon cookies (mmm!), green chilies (great for my mother's enchiladas recipe), salsa, dryer sheets, pretzels, deodorant (the dry kind), shaving creme, and dental floss, and so much more. It is funny how certain items at home bring such comfort, especially when you cannot find them where you live. We are very appreciative of all of the thoughtful gifts from the Mathies family! And, we are especially thankful that the gifts are all perishable (for the most part) and not material...these days we are being very intentional about decreasing the amount of material items in our life. I guess that moving out of the country and purging a lot of material items makes you realize that simplifying your life is liberating and good for the earth! Woohoo.

An EPIC Day in Tampere

2011-12-13T23:26:00.000+02:00

I convinced Charlie to come along with me to Tampere, Finland-- to experience the city where I lived in 2007. I was asked to present my research at a PhD Seminar for the University of Tampere Higher Education Group and we decided to make it an entire day trip. Woohoo, back to my old stomping grounds!

Our alarm clock woke us up dark and early at 6 a.m. to catch the 7:22 a.m. train. We were about to experience an EPIC day in Finland:
Arrive Tampere at 8:50 a.m. and drop the computer bags in train station lockers (only 3 euro to lock your bags for 24 hours.)
Walk through city center (which was still dark at 9 a.m.).
Hike up through the forest and blowing wet snow to the Pynniki observation tower.
Eat the delicious (and famous) munkki (Finnish doughnut)...and then climb the tower for a fantastic panoramic view of Tampere all dressed up in white (snow, baby!)
Walk back to town center and visit the Kauppahalli, the Market Hall.
Enjoy the cutest Christmas market, Joulutori, with glögi wine and Finnish handicrafts (hand-knit socks, gloves, and roasted chestnuts.
Eat lunch at my favorite restaurant in Tampere...Go Pal--vegetarian Indian buffet!
2 p.m. present, present, present...my research.
5 p.m. yoga with the fabulous Paula at Om Yoga.
Get hot and sweaty at the Rauhaniemen sauna.
Swim in the COLD water lake (woohoo! Charlie's first time), drink coconut water, and eat granola bars.
Eat Italian food at Napoli's.
Chill out...and catch 10:09 p.m. train back to Jyvaskyla.

Wow, what a day of adventure, excellent food, intellectual stimulation, and great company!

Dinner Parties Make the Days (and Nights) Brighter

2011-12-11T22:37:00.000+02:00

Charlie has met a few international friends in his Finnish class, one of which is a Professor from Greece. She lives here with her 15-year old teenage daughter. They invited us and Joan, another Fulbright grantee, for an authentic Greek dinner...delicious! These days we only have about five hours of daylight, so dinner parties become especially important to ensure social interaction, joy, and laughter. Seriously, a Finn told us that the only way to survive the dark months is to exercise and meet with friends often. After a scrumptious dinner, we drank wine, ate roasted chestnuts and plum tarts as we shared stories about living in Finland.

The Joy of Visitors...

2011-12-10T00:11:00.000+02:00

The (delicious) gifts that our Flemish visitor left behind. Lucky us!!! Speculoos cookies and paste, Belgium chocolate, and the very special (and tasty) Jenever liquor. Thank you, Marijke, we will think of you every bite and sip we take...and every kilo (lb.) we gain (ha ha...)!

More Belgium!

2011-12-09T00:12:00.001+02:00

Enjoying a kitsch viking dinner.

I left Belgium for Finland, only to get more Belgium! My dear Flemish friend, Marijke, was waiting for me in Helsinki when I arrived. She had planned a week-long vacation in Finland...the place where we first met. Back in 2007, while living in Tampere, we were randomly selected as flatmates in student housing. At that time she was on an Erasmus exchange program for 4 months and I was doing a semester of my Masters degree at the University of Tampere. Every since then we have kept in touch and have seen each other every year. Sometimes we would meet for a few hours in Brussels and other times for week-long holidays together. Here are the blog entries highlighting our trips together:
July 2011- Brussels, Belgium
June 2010- Paris, France & Alicante, Spain
December 2009- Brussels, Belgium
May 2008- Gent, Belgium

It is just so nice to connect with someone so easily. You know what I mean? I love when special people step into your life so naturally and without effort. Every time we meet it is as if no time has passed, which was again the case this week.

On our way, through the forest, to the sauna.

We will soon be swimming in this lake!

We met in Helsinki and took the train to Tampere to revisit our old stomping grounds. While living in Tampere we frequented a favorite Finnish sauna and decided we should visit it again this trip. So, we caught the #3 bus headed to IKEA, got off at the Kaupinkatu stop, walked through the forest, asked a few people along the way if we were going in the right direction, and finally arrived at the big lake with the sauna resting peacefully on the shore. Ah yeah! Before jumping on the bus we had prepared appropriately: sandwiches and water. We paid 6 euro as we entered the familiar sauna, undressed in the women's dressing room, showered quickly, grabbed a wooden seat and washed it off, and entered the steamy sauna reading 76 degrees Celsius. Once we were dripping with sweat and heated to the core, we walked outside, continued to walk down the stairs to the lake and before you knew it the stairs disappeared in the water (AHHHHHHH!). YES, cold-water swimming!!! It never gets easier, really it doesn't.

Ahhhhhh, cold water lake swimming!

But, the Finns swear that you do not reap the FULL benefits of sauna unless you experience the absolute shock to your situation (the cold, hot, cold, hot combo increases blood circulation=health benefits).

Visions at the sauna...

Charlie & Marijke in the winter wonderland of Jyväskylä.

Okay, so we did it and I continue to go back for more (I have to admit that the adrenalin rush keeps me going back for more!) After four dips in the cold water lake, we were peaced out and ready to walk through the forest and catch the bus to the train station.

The rest of the week we spent in Jyväskylä and enjoyed a nice little snow storm, a Finnish Christmas carol show, card games, and Harald's viking restaurant.

Christmas Carols in Finnish

2011-12-07T14:32:00.000+02:00

We attended the annual Christmas carol sing-along at the Jyväskylän Kaupunginkirkko (City Church) today. I never knew Silent Night (the song) was translated into Finnish. We tried our best to sing along in Finnish (which was actually really good pronunciation practice.) There was even one song sung in English, Do you Hear What I Hear, it gave me chills to hear a familiar song that carries with it such warm Christmas feelings. At one point during the program an instrumental group was playing a song (without singing) and they all of a sudden stopped the music. The harpist dug in his pocket, held up his ringing cell phone, fiddled with it a bit, stuck it back in his pocket, and the group played on. It was a funny moment, no one really seemed to be put off by it--not even the harpist came off as embarrassed. Finns have a way of easily suppressing their emotions and just playing cool.

Workin' & Playin' in Brussels (Again!)

2011-12-06T09:46:00.000+02:00

EMA Regional Chapter Representatives...action photo!

Leasa & Ali enjoying Brussels.

Another trip to Brussels--this time to represent the North American chapter of the Erasmus Mundus Student and Alumni Association (EMA). I was recently voted in as the President, so it is my duty to represent (rough gig, right?!) One of my dear friends, Ali from Brazil, was also in attendance and we had a ball hanging out, catching up, and engaging in EMA business. We talked about WHY we feel compelled to be apart of EMA and we discovered our answers were similar...our Masters degree experience gave us so much (an education, an international experience, and lifelong friends), that we feel it is important to "give back".

Yum, Belgium waffle!

So, there we were in Brussels giving back as we participated in three days of marathon meetings in the European Commission Madou building. At the end of each day we went back to the Thon hotel and treated ourselves to cold Belgium beers chilling in our mini-refrigerator, good cheese, Speculoos cookies, and Belgium chocolate (all of which was purchased at the local Carrefour supermarket one block away). Yep, sweet life--workin' hard and playin' hard!

Grand Place at night!

Grand Place Christmas light-music show.

The famous KWAK beer--LOVE IT!

Play hard! These EMA meetings are like the mini-UN during the day (serious discussions with an infusion of politics and intercultural communication dynamics). At night, however, everyone leaves the seriousness in the meeting room and an international festival comes to life as we all enjoy the Brussels nightlife together! This year we had the help of the Brussels Christmas market and incredible Christmas sound and light show at Grand Place. I visited the Christmas market with my Flemish friend, Marijke, in December 2009. But, this year the Christmas sound and light show was much more elaborate with beams of light shooting up from the center of the square and lights dancing to the sounds of classical music. Incredible!!! Now, this is a place you want to visit during the Christmas season. They even had real sheep in the nativity scene...okay, that was a little over-the-top for my likings, but they did really go all out. So, as we hopped from pub to dance club to waffle kiosk, always ending up back in the magnificent Grand Place to marvel at the lights, the architecture, and yes, the sheep too.

A late night waffle experience...with lots of laughter!

Atomium

The trip ended with a visit to the weird structure called the Atomium. This UFO-looking structure was designed in 1958 to symbolize the peaceful use of atomic energy. We rode the elevator to the top sphere and discovered that this is maybe the (only) reason to visit the Atomium--the views overlooking Brussels.

Fast Times at Tikkokoski High

2011-11-28T23:26:00.000+02:00

Waiting for the bus at 8:15 a.m.

Charlie and I visited another classroom, this time we presented U.S. history and culture to a group of Finnish high school students. A month earlier, their teacher had sent an email to the international student listserve at the university requesting people from the U.S. and Middle East cultures to visit her history class.

The class of Finnish students we visited.

A warm home-cooked lunch awaits all students regardless of socioeconomic status.

Yes, that is a pool table in the high school.

Being the curious individual that I am, I responded. The last school visit was such an eye-opening experience for both of us, another school visit would only continue to serve as a symbiotic cultural experience. So, we woke up to the snowy darkness and boarded a bus headed to Tikkakoski high school. When we arrived the teacher greeted us at the front doors and we followed her to the classroom where we gave a 45 minute presentation highlighting U.S. history and culture (including photos of peanut, butter, and jelly sandwiches, college football, bbq grills, and the superhighways). During the Q&A session the teacher asked what was the biggest difference between the U.S. and Finland, Charlie and I looked at each other and knew exactly what we were both thinking: the social welfare system (healthcare, education, childcare, and pensions--public goods in Finland and private goods in the U.S.) After the presentation a few students toured us around the school and then we ate a warm cafeteria lunch (spaghetti with salad and bread) at 10 a.m.

The suggested meal in Finland: equivalent to the U.S. food pyramid.

The vibe in the high school was pretty relaxed, there were 15 minute breaks in between classes and there was a lot of lounge space (complete with a foosball table and pool table), and the library did not have many books, but had plenty of comfortable chairs. Another great cultural experience, especially hanging out with our "tour guides" after the presentation and learning that "cutting class" meant being sick or traveling to Helsinki with their parents. Life is different in Finland!

This is a very typical candle set seen in many Finnish homes (and high schools) this holiday season.

A very sweet email from the teacher:

Our bus ticket...the high school was a 45 minute bus ride from town center.

"Students were really satisfied with your presentation and I think they felt some kind of familiarity with your country. The girl who had lunch with you was really happy that she was able to understand your presentation and have a conversation with you. She has quite a lot of problems with her English studies. I think you encouraged also other students to study languages. Your presentation was so clear."

Waiting for the bus in the snow after our presentation.

Mexican Fiesta

2011-11-27T23:17:00.001+02:00

We invited our Finnish family for a Mexican fiesta complete with (terrible) tequila, delicious Mama Weimer's famous chicken enchiladas, vegan lentil tacos, hot and spicy guacamole, fresh homemade salsa, and Mexican and American beer (yes, both Budweiser and Corona). Charlie and I prepped much of the food Friday night and then worked to finish up everything on Saturday. It was a feast! We both really enjoy hosting dinners, so it was all very fun. But, shopping for the ingredients was an adventure. We managed to find a can of green chilies (for enchiladas) for 4.80 euro on the one shelf dedicated to processed and canned food from the U.S. in CityMarket (the name of the BIG hypermark in town). We went to Alko (the State-owned liquor store) to purchase tequila and we bought the "best" on the shelf for 39 euro...a bottle of El Jimador (cheap tasting tequila that gives you a hangover after the first shot). But, we needed tequila, a Mexican fiesta is not complete without tequila. Oh, and we scored a big can of Rosarita's refried beans from our Fulbright friend, Elizabeth. Her husband visited from the U.S. and brought over two big cans and we were the lucky recipient of one can. Woohoo!

The night was filled with games (for those who know me you are not shocked to see games at a dinner party), the Finns quizzing Charlie on his Finnish language skills, lots of food, cigar smoking (only the men participated in this activity), and laughter. It is always fun hanging with our Finnish family. We will see them again at the university Finnish family friendship Christmas party on December 12. Yeah!

What's in the package?

2011-11-25T23:03:00.000+02:00

Charlie bearing gifts...after visiting the supermarket.

For me? How nice!

Something red...

My favorite...poinsettia!

It is typical to see people walking in the town center or walking home with packages like this...flowers all wrapped up to protect them from the cold.

Thanksgiving (again)...

2011-11-24T12:21:00.000+02:00

Despite all of the American influences in Finland (McDonalds, Subway, Snickers, Coke, etc.) Thanksgiving has not made it's way across the Atlantic Ocean (I know, I know a shocker for all of those ethnocentric Americans.) So, Thanksgiving day we both went to work and then came home to cook up a dinner with roasted veggies. After dinner we had ourselves a mini Thanksgiving celebration. Time to break open the can of Libby's pumpkin goodness for a little vegan pumpkin pie! Yes, I searched high and low for canned pumpkin and did a little dance when I found it for 4.80 euro ($6.40) in K-Market in Helsinki. Woohoo! So, I found a vegan recipe for pumpkin pie on Alicia Silverstone's blog and she was right it was delicious. As I made the pie Charlie visited with his family on Skype while they all enjoyed Thanksgiving day in Ohio. I would pop into the conversation every so often with a play-by-play of the pumpkin pie adventure. To conclude our Thanksgiving day we enjoyed hot pumpkin pie topped with a soy-based vanilla sauce. YUM!

Embracin' the Finnish Sauna Culture

2011-11-23T22:20:00.000+02:00

Swim trunks worn to protect the innocent.

Wednesday night=sauna! In the basement of our three story apartment building, next to the laundry room, is a traditional Finnish sauna. For an additional 10 euro a month (added to our monthly rent), we have the opportunity to sign up for one hour a week to enjoy the relaxing effects of the Finnish sauna. Of course we signed up...when in Finland do like the Finns, right?! So every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. (or 21:00 as the Finns would say) we grab our sauna towels, water bottles, and slippers and head down to what looks like a renovated basement bunker-bomb shelter turned into a sauna. The first few times, in true American modest fashion, we wore our swim suits, but since then we have decided to fully embrace the Finnish sauna culture like true Finns (I am not referring to the political party here.) Naked! Now, this may seem a little crazy for the Americans reading this post, but it is totally normal in Finland. Now, if you go to a public sauna, normally there is a separate sauna for men and women and no one wears swim suits.

Steps to a good sauna experience:

1.) Fill up water bowl and splash water on coals (add some drops of aromatherapy oil to the water if you want a little extra relaxation and smelly deliciousness).

2.) Stay in the sauna as long as you can take it and if you really like it HOT sit on the highest bench (remember heat rises).

3.) Slowly walk out of sauna (when you feel like your inner organs may be close to melting).

4.) Turn on the shower to COLD water.

5.) Slip your body under the cold water (everything but your head) and enjoy every minute of the adrenalin surge through your HOT body.

6.) Repeat steps one through five as many times as you can take it.

7.) Squeegee the shower floor, pour water out of container, and place the container face down on the birch-wood sauna bench.

8.) CHILL out...(cause you are gonna feel like mush--in a good way)!

Our First Snow!

2011-11-22T12:11:00.000+02:00

On the train ride from Helsinki to Jyväskylä the rain suddenly turned to snow about 30 minutes before arriving at home sweet home. There is nothing better than traveling by train when the Finnish forest is all dressed up in white. Although it was only a light dusting of snow, the beauty was still captivating. Our first snow in Finland...woohoo! I stepped off the train and all I wanted to do was twirl around like a little kid and catch snowflakes in my mouth. Instead, I walked into the train station and ordered some takeaway food from the BEST Indian restaurant in Jyväskylä, Shalimar, (yes, located in the main train station). I jumped in a taxi and headed home for a cozy dinner with Charlie. After dinner we walked down to the lake...it was so beautiful, peaceful, and quiet. That is what I love about snow--the absolute feeling of tranquility that is gives me. Rain is wet and when you walk in it your face looks all smooshy as you try to dodge the raindrops, but snow is light like a feather and it brightens up the gloomiest of nights. I am sure we have many more snowy nights in our future in Finland. Looking forward to them...

Santa Comes to Helsinki...

2011-11-20T15:06:00.000+02:00

We just so happened to be in Helsinki the same weekend that Santa paid a visit to the big city...lucky us! It was the coldest day so far (-5C) (I was missin' my wool tights) but we managed to keep ourselves warm in the busy Senate Square area as we watched the two minute (no joke) parade with Santa and the Christmas lights be switched on. Woohoo, Christmas is in the air!

Happy (early) Thanksgiving...Helsinki, Finland Style!

2011-11-19T13:57:00.000+02:00

In the past five years, I have spent many turkey days without my family, Norway in 2006, Atlanta in 2010, and now this year in Helsinki. Guess what happens when you gather a group of American Fulbrighters for a traditional Thanksgiving meal in Finland? You have a feast!! Since many of us were in Helsinki for the Parliament and museum visit, a Thanksgiving dinner evolved as part of the weekend of events. The potluck included, of course, one plump and golden turkey (that, by the way, was carved by the vegetarian--Charlie!) We also had beet salad, lingonberry sauce (a Finnish twist to the American cranberry sauce), homemade zucchini bread, green salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, steamed brussel sprouts, baked yams, green peas, and apple cobbler. No pumpkin pie simply because it is impossible to find canned pumpkin in this country. Although early, it was a really nice way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Creative Juices with Art

2011-11-18T23:20:00.000+02:00

After our visit to the Parliament we hopped on a bus and headed to Espoo, a suburb north of Helsinki, for a visit to the Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA). We spent most of our time in the "World in a Box" exhibit by Juhani Harri where Mr. Harri constructed life stories and travelogues in New Realist fashion with natural materials glued, burnt, and otherwise assembled artistically in boxes. We were asked to walk around and choose our favorite piece Charlie chose the "twitter machine"--a machine looking thing in a box with stuffed bird pieces sticking out of the machine. As you can tell, Mr. Harri injected wild levity into his artwork. I chose "moonlight" made of mattress springs which resembled a dark night with a full moon overlooking the city.

Tapio Wirkkala Ultima Thule glass.

We then had the opportunity to get in touch with our inner artist, inspired of course by Juhani Harri's work, as we created our own story in a box with various materials provided. While our creative juices were unleashed we were provided a bubbly juice in the famous Iittala Ultima Thule glassware. Tapio Wirkkala was the Finnish artist who designed these glasses that are quite special because of the dripping icicle effect on the bottom of the glasses. (Note to readers: I fell in love with these glasses, so more than likely you will also experience this glassware if you pay us a visit when we return to the states.) Our creative boxes of love were displayed proudly and it just so happened that Charlie's box color coordinated with my box although I used lace, feathers, and sheets of music while he used the King of Hearts and gold shiny paper...great minds think alike. Our evening concluded with an amazing salmon dinner, an endless glass of wine, and more fun photos. Ah, life is sweet when you are treated like Fulbright royalty.

A Visit to the Finnish Parliament

2011-11-18T18:43:00.000+02:00

The Grand Committee Chair spoke to us at lunch.

Being a Fulbrighter has it's benefits. The Fulbright Center staff coordinated a visit to the Finnish Parliament for all of us grantees. Friday morning at 11 a.m. we all reunited outside the Parliament columns. The last time we saw each other was during orientation in August. First things first--security! As if we were getting ready to board an airplane we stripped down and went through the security checks. We then headed to the cafe for an early lunch with the Chair of the Grand Committee, Ms. Miapetra Kumpula-Natri. Now, this woman was inspirational--she is about my age and obviously very successful in politics. She spoke eloquently about the relationship between Finland and EU. After a fishy lunch, bubbly water served throughout, and fancy chocolates for dessert the Deputy Director of the International Department, Mr. Guy Lindström, hosted the rest of our visit. We visited a lively plenary session in the Parliament chambers where legislation was being debated and voted on (after the vote many of the Parliamentary members went back to their office where they watched the chamber proceedings live on TV.) We continued the tour to the perpetually moving elevator.

The moving elevator.

Unbelievable...imagine an elevator with no door that is continuously moving up and down that you jump on-off. Timing is important if you plan to use this elevator! Many of us discussed how this type of elevator would never be legal in the U.S, although it is a fun way to travel from floor to floor it has lawsuit written all over it. When I see these types of things, I think about how the U.S. has become such a risk-management-obsessed country (which sometimes takes the "fun" out of everyday life experiences). I prefer the way the Europeans roll (or ride).

Next: to the Modern Art Museum!

Research, Research, Research...

2011-11-17T16:49:00.001+02:00

Ah, I just finished five interviews in Helsinki in four days which doesn't sound like a lot, but it is. Many of you have asked what the heck I am doing in Finland...here is an example of how I spend my time these days with the qualitative research process...

1.) I send an email, introducing myself and my research project, to the individual I want to interview. I have found that name-dropping in this small country opens doors, so now every email I send has a line, "so and so has recommended I meet with you...blah, blah."
2.) Hopefully, the interviewee responds with a time and date that works for them (sometimes as long as one month away).
3.) Then, I try to find the location of their office and accompanying public transportation (metro, tram, or bus) on-line via the Helsinki journey planner. This on-line planner ROCKS, as it includes travel times, kilometers traveled, and even Co2 emissions (see screen shot of results).
4.) The day of the interview I prepare the consent form, my notepad and background notes on the individual, and my business card. I also check the battery in the audio-recorder (dead batteries make for an angry researcher). Okay, ready to interview!

My best friend: the voice-recorder.

5.) I have found arriving 30 minutes early is the best practice, as it allows me enough time to actually find the interviewees office after taking the metro, bus, or tram. Once I have located the office I find a quiet place to sit and gather my thoughts (a little research meditation...OM!)
6.) The interview, itself, takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how responsive the interviewee is to the questions. There is an art to qualitative interviews...you really must LISTEN (hard!) in order to follow-up with the right questions. I would not recommend interviewing after a night out on the town, this takes serious focus, especially when you are not following a formal list of questions (my interviews are semi-structured).

But, I have to say I LOVE this part of the research process. I have always been the curious individual with 20 questions in my pocket and the PhD student that loathes the amount of time I must spend with literature and my computer, rather than with people, so this aspect truly embodies my character. Plus, the interviews have been insightful. Even though I am super excited about the interviews, I am tired. This process can be very draining and my head is spinning with the BIG question...what do I do with all of this information?

Another Week in Helsinki

2011-11-16T15:19:00.000+02:00

Helsinki Stockmann's department store all dressed up for the holidays.

Once again my research has brought me down South to Helsinki for one week. This will be the third research trip where I actually stay overnight in Helsinki. It is much easier (and less expensive) to schedule a block of interviews over a few days and stay overnight, then to travel back and forth from Helsinki to Jyväskylä (remember a round-trip ticket is €100). Helsinki itself does not offer many low-cost lodging options...believe me, I have looked. In fact, the most economical accommodation is either a hostel (which I now exceed the age limit for most hostels) or Omena hotel. This hotel is the most affordable because there is no check-in desk and no personnel overhead except for the cleaning crew and customer service representatives (available only by phone or email). You book on-line (at a reasonable price of €49-€69/night...yes, that is "reasonable" in Helsinki) and receive a door code to access your room. The bad news...Omena is allegedly becoming a haven for prostitutes which is not too surprising since it is the cheapest option in Helsinki and clients can easily access the rooms without having to walk past a check-in desk, etc. When we returned from Oslo, it was late and no trains were going north, so we booked a room at Omena. The room was nice, not 5-star nice, but nice enough (big flat screen TV, comfy bed, coffee maker, free wifi, private bathroom, etc.). I gotta confess...whenever I heard a door close I ran to the little peep-hole to see if the people resembled anything like my stereotypical vision of a prostitute and her client--no luck, just normal looking travelers. So, I cannot confirm or deny these allegations.

Roasted chestnuts and Gloggi wine for sale...'tis the season!

Anyway, no Omena this time! Somehow I have a way of surrounding myself with amazing and giving individuals. A few people who I met through Fulbright (ah, the joys of the Fulbright network), out of the kindness of their heart, offered me to stay at their place while they are traveling. It has been a true life-saver, not to mention a money saver, and I have so much gratitude for these individuals. All I have to say is (GOOD) karma will come back to them in one way or another and I will pay their kindness forward to some poor student in the future (guaranteed!)

To Helsinki for Interviews...

2011-11-14T19:15:00.000+02:00

Senate Square in Helsinki.

The alarm at 5 a.m. came too early this morning, but it was for a good reason. In the darkness of 6:22 a.m. I boarded a train for Helsinki. I will spend the next week in Helsinki and conduct interviews. Woohoo, my research is moving along...more later.

Weekend Bicycle Adventure with Coupons!

2011-11-13T12:49:00.001+02:00

The humble manor house.

Having a bike in a bike-friendly country--with bike trails everywhere--makes life so much fun. (Not sure I will be saying that in the dead of a snowy winter, but let's wait and see.) This weekend we took another day-long adventure with our down coats, a backpack, two bikes, and a map. Our first destination, five kilometers from our house, was the Kuokkalan Kartono a manor house built in 1904 and later transformed to a coffee house (cafe Wivissä) and event venue. The house has been renovated into

One of the window views from the manor house.

separate coffee rooms, each room sporting its own character with different color schemes, furniture pieces, and amazing paintings embodying the national spirit and culture of Finland. We toured the house and then relaxed and enjoyed coffee/tea and the delicious home-baked cakes. We would have never found this place if it was not for GROUPON! Yes, Finland has groupon coupons (which they call CityDeal) and I bought two coupons for a tour of the house and tea/coffee and a cake for 5€/each (value of 11€/each). More on the groupon coupons in a later post.

One of the many dining rooms in the Kuokkalan manor house.

Our second destination: City Market! Yes, it is a market and so much more. It is one of the superstores or hypermarts where you can find almost anything (food, clothes, housewares, etc.) We had never been to this particular City Market before and discovered it was actually closer to our house than the other one we had been frequenting. A good find! We exchanged a faulty bike light that we had bought there (which, by the way, bike lights are becoming increasingly important with the darkness settling in). I bought some wool socks for the impending cold winter days ahead of us and we picked up a few other food items (Finnish style "faux" tortilla chips). Then, we biked home around 4 p.m., as the sun was setting.

A Weekend in Oslo

2011-11-07T12:17:00.000+02:00

Charlie and I took a long weekend trip to Oslo, Norway to attend the 10th anniversary celebration of the hedda consortium (the consortium that developed the Euro Masters program that I participated in). It was a reunion with good friends still living in Oslo, colleagues in the higher education world, and my Norwegian professor who sits on my PhD dissertation committee. We arrived Thursday to a delicious home-cooked vegan meal prepared by my dear friend Kristi (and also our host for the next three days). She still lives in Oslo and is now working as the program coordinator for the Masters program I mentioned earlier. Kristi is from the U.S., California and Arizona, and now speaks fluent Norwegian after living in Oslo for five years. We crashed on her mack-daddy blow-up mattress. There are so many things that I love about Oslo and so, it was fun to play tour guide for Charlie. We walked through the famous Vigelands Park (naked statues) that I used to walk through everyday on my way to the campus. We took the t-bane (tram) up to the highest point in Oslo, and we walked, walked, walked the city. Such a walkable city! This will be my third trip back to Oslo after living there for almost a year. Despite the 7 euro beers, I love this city and look forward to the next trip back to Oslo.

On the Road with my Recorder in Hand...

2011-10-30T20:26:00.000+02:00

When traveling by train in Finland you often see train cars full of timber sitting on the tracks. Wood has a strong cultural base in Finland, as the saunas are made of birch wood, many buildings are made of wood, and Finland has a history of timber trade.

For my dissertation I am collecting data on the introduction of tuition fees in Finland. Which means I have to interview many people in different parts of the country, thus I must travel. "Oh, darn!" she says facetiously. So, this week I am heading to Turku and then to Helsinki, before Charlie and I fly to Oslo for the weekend. Train travel is becoming my main mode of transportation, second only to my bicycle. The only problem with train travel in Finland is that it is expensive! Since I am no longer a young whipper-snapper of 28 years old, I have to pay the FULL fare. For example, a round-trip ticket to Helsinki from Jyväskylä is 100€ ($137). OUCH! But, that is why I have two research grants...to pay for food, rent, and travel. Not a bad gig. Okay, off to go research!

I am Dating an Expert!

2011-10-27T19:40:00.000+03:00

Yep, it's true...Charlie is an expert. After all, he has been working and continually honing his knowledge and skills for nearly 20 years, so why do we find so much humor in this title and business card? I suppose we think it is comical because 1.) you don't really know what he is an expert in (maybe basket-weaving, hand painting, beer tasting--Charlie would love this!-- or university planning and development?) and 2.) in our culture it is rather vainglorious to call oneself an expert, but when someone else gives you the title you take it and find levity in it and 3.) what does it really mean to be an expert and when do you receive that badge of honor...it is all very vague? All joking aside, I am very proud of my (humble) expert!

Through our American Eyes...a Finnish Classroom

2011-10-24T23:31:00.003+03:00


The school is in temporary buildings (complete with a circus tent) during a renovation.

Anne, our Finnish mama, invited us to attend the Telakkakadun Koulu comprehensive school (equivalent to a U.S. middle school) where she teaches English, Swedish, and German. (Yes, our Finnish mama is good at languages!) The night before the early morning pick-up, we put together a short power-point presentation with some photos and maps highlighting our life in the U.S.--holidays (Christmas and Halloween), our houses, hobbies, family, and life in Colorado and Ohio and Georgia, and food! Of course you can never completely cover American life in a short 45 minute presentation,

Sweet Anne!

especially considering the many regional and ethnic cultures in the U.S., but we did our best to show them what life was like for us with photos of American football and downhill skiing. At 7 a.m. Anne picked us up just as the sun began to rise and we drove about 45 minutes up north to a small little town called Suolahti. When we arrived we were warmly welcomed by the other teachers and our day quickly began with both of us presenting to one class. The demeanor of the first class was a glimpse into life in a Finnish classroom. Through our American eyes, we would describe the students as shy and reserved...most of the students did not make eye contact (yet they were intently listening) and when we asked for questions only a few brave students took the challenge. (It was very different from your stereotypical American classroom.) Our first question of the day was from a young man who was well spoken in the English language (and a smart cookie), he asked a question about the U.S. debt. After Charlie answered the question, I asked him, "Are you worried about the U.S. debt?"

They even have an arts & crafts class.

He said, very matter-of-fact, "No, that is your problem." We laughed. Yes, it is but, Charlie explained that in this global society Finnish teenagers may even feel the impact (video games and movies will increase in price.)

Everyone takes off their shoes before eating lunch.

After our second classroom presentation, we split up and each of us presented in four other classes, separately. We even ate lunch in the cafeteria with the students (after taking off our shoes...yes, everyone takes off their shoes before entering the cafeteria.) Imagine a freshly cooked lunch (no processed foods) for all students, free of charge. Yep, this is life in a social welfare country. When we got home we both fell asleep...being a teacher is hard work (we owe hardy props to both of our parents and Anne!) Reflecting on this experience, both of us agree that this was one of the best cultural experiences yet. We really got to see, feel, and experience what happens in the classroom where students score the highest on the international OECD PISA exam.

A 7-Hour Dinner Party with our Surrogate (Finnish) Family

2011-10-21T23:29:00.000+03:00

We signed up for a family friendship program through the University where international students (that's us) are matched with local families. I do not want to be biased, but I really think we were matched with the BEST family.

Meet "Mama" Anne: a lovely and high-energy Finnish mother and middle school teacher who teaches English, Swedish, and German. In her spare time she enjoys Nordic walking and Zumba dancing.

Meet"Daddy" Timo: a history buff who loves the sauna and everything Russian. He is the father to three adult children and works as a building technician. Timo has spent a few years working in Russia.

Meet "Daughter" Julia: a sweetheart of a teenager who speaks and enjoys six languages: English, Finnish, Swedish, Russian, French, and Spanish (yes, Americans eat your heart out...I said SIX languages). In her spare time she dances hip-hop style and keeps herself current on U.S. politics and pop culture by watching Conan O'Brian and Jersey Shore. She will graduate from high school in the spring.

Meet "Son" Juhani: he recently moved to a small town to begin his studies at a polytechnic (similar to a U.S. community college). Juhani was in Eagle Scouts and loves to share stories of fishing, camping, etc. (him and Charlie bonded over this).

They invited us to their apartment for dinner and we did not realize it would be a 7-hour eating, drinking, smoking (GOOD cigars), cultural-sharing marathon. Wow, a Russian/Finnish food extravaganza! The food was amazing and Anne said that Timo had been in the kitchen since the day before preparing the meal. Wow, is all I have to say...we arrived to a table full of food: the capital salad (from the capital of Russia), deviled eggs with caviar, smoked salmon on toast, and a big beautiful piece of salmon with fruits and veggies. I do not think either of us realized there was a second course and maybe we should have paced ourselves accordingly, but instead when the second course came out, a beautiful tomato based chicken casserole, of course we found room for more food. In the meantime, our glasses were continuously topped off. In fact, at one point I counted four glasses in front of Charlie's dinner plate: red wine, white wine, beer, and champagne with cloud-berry liquor. And, finally the amazing dessert that had been sitting on the table calling my name met my palette. Ah, yeah! Our whole grains, plants-based diet took a rapid detour this evening, but all for a worthy cause. Throughout the evening we shared different aspects of the American, Russian, and Finnish culture and got to know each other rather well.
Two things happened that are worth sharing...

1.) Timo invited Charlie for a "smoke"--which means Timo really liked him and it also meant that Charlie would wake up with icky smelly cotton cigar mouth in the a.m.

2.) Anne was so excited to share the U.S. map with Charlie that some limbs got in the way and the glass of white wine spilled all over Charlie's jeans. Hil-ar-ious! Seriously, the funniest part of the evening. At this point in the evening, Charlie was feeling so good I do not even think he felt the coldness of the liquid on his thigh. This was a good time to be a bystander.

The Medieval City of Turku, Finland

2011-10-17T17:30:00.000+03:00

My superboyfriend accompanied me to Turku, which always makes traveling so much more fun and entertaining. (Insert image of Charlie doing the robot dance in the center square on the Occupy Movement stage...ha, ha...that did not really happen, but it is funny to imagine.) We attended the seminar for two days, hung out with fellow Fulbrighters, and stayed an extra day to check out the oldest city in Finland. Founded in the late 13th century, Turku served as the capital until 1812 when Helsinki became the new capital under the Russian Empire. Turku is home to an amazing castle, gorgeous river-walk, delicious Brazilian restaurant (where we ate Saturday night), and a funky-cool cafe that serves a vegan Sunday brunch (we tried it out and yum!) For all of my higher education readers, the first university in Finland was established in Turku in 1640, when the Academy of Åbo (Academia Aboensis) opened its doors to elite intellects and students. On this trip, I fell in love with the old world charm of Turku, a charm that you cannot find in most Finnish cities.

American Voices

2011-10-16T22:57:00.000+03:00

Dr. Earl Fry, FB Bicentennial

Chair in American Studies

speaking on the "Challenges

& Opportunities for U.S.".

Hanging with fellow FBer: Joan!

A beautiful fall day in Turku, Finland.

Every year the Finnish Fulbright Center and the University of Turku North American Studies Program hosts a seminar, "American Voices". All Fulbright grantees are invited to make a 20 minute presentation on some aspect of the American culture. It took me about one month to decide on a topic to present; my brainstorm list included: back-country Colorado adventures, eat your heart out--American Sunday brunch, Colorado vs. Georgia culture, American political pundits, the U.S. commercialized food industry and the extreme political polarization of U.S. (these last two topics I quickly threw out). I ended up with a topic near and dear to me: Shopping for an American Higher Education. You see the Finns have such a different paradigm on higher education, they truly believe in the depths of their consciousness that higher education should be free for all (okay, not every Finn believes this way, but most do). There view on this stems from a strong belief in the social welfare system, ya know equality for all and universalism of rights and benefits. It is a beautiful thing and counter to many ideals in the U.S.: independence, market-orientation, private control and rights. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting for Finnish college kids to get an inside look of the *complex* American college-choice process (including the financial decision--how to pay for tuition?) In the end, the audience left the seminar a little more knowledgeable about U.S. higher education, the culture in California, Louisiana, and Boston, American food, American brass bands, and many other topics.

The American Fulbrighters in Finland.

Quite a Motley Crew!

This is NOT a Commercial...

2011-10-12T15:55:00.000+03:00

If you are an avid international traveler from the U.S. and enjoy parsimonious travel deals continue reading this entry. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards card is the best to travel with IF you plan to pay it off monthly. This lovely credit card gives you rewards ($1.25 for every dollar you spend), NO annual fee, NO foreign transaction fees (you know those pesky 1-3% fees that credit card companies charge on top of the purchase price). I did some math on my travels to South Africa and Europe this past summer and I paid close to $100 in foreign transaction fees. Ouch! Give the big credit card companies your middle finger and switch to Capital One...and don't forget to pay off your bill monthly (otherwise, this really is not the best credit card for you). Oh, and I almost forgot to mention another cool aspect of this card...you can choose the photo that appears on the card. The card above is actually a mock-up of my credit card, I took the photo during a trip with my parents to the stunning Maroon Bells mountains near Aspen, Colorado.

Third Time is a Charm in Haarlem!

2011-10-11T23:34:00.000+03:00

Since June 2011, I will have visited Haarlem, Netherlands three different times (June, July, and now October). This time a stopover via KLM airlines gave us a 21 hour layover in Amsterdam. Instead of going to the big city of sin, we chose to go to the sweet village of Haarlem of which both of us were familiar with (Charlie visited Haarlem during his teenage European soccer tour). A 35 minute bus ride from Schiphol airport and we found ourselves in this magical little town.

Despite the rainy day and the shops being closed because it was Sunday, we managed to explore the narrow cobblestone streets and we even got in (a little) trouble. Yes, we were those Ugly Americans (not proud of this) who saw an open door and an "open" sign and simply made our way up the stairs that took us to the top of the windmill until a man greeted us with a questioning look and asked, "Did you just walk in?" Yes, we said and explained that the door was open and the door to the cashier had a "closed" sign on it (an honest mistake). He said, "go on up", with a sour look on his face. Oops, not one of our proudest traveling moments, but the view was nice. The next stop was the supermarket where we loaded up on Dutch treats: sprinkles for Charlie's bread, more chocolate, and the delicious stroopwafel cookies. After an amazing Indian dinner, we snuggled into our dreams. Back to Jyväskylä!

A Long Weekend in Brussels

2011-10-10T22:38:00.000+03:00

Here is a sweet little video highlighting the "extended" portion of our trip to Brussels. Even though it was rainy, Charlie managed to drink some beer and the Nikon snapped some fun "jumping" photos in Grand Place.

As much as I do NOT enjoy beer (yes, you did read that correctly), I do enjoy drinking beer in Brussels. Perhaps it is the beer culture that seeps into my palette or maybe Belgium beer simply tastes good. Whatever it is...the Kwak beer is one of my favorites and the most fun to drink. But, beer is hard to pack in your suitcase, so you must find something else as a souvenir to bring back to expensive Finland...chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!

Workin' (and Playin') in Brussels...

2011-10-09T23:03:00.000+03:00

A two-day meeting with fellow Erasmus Mundus students and alumni took me to the fabulous European city of Brussels. Yeah, I am still involved with the Erasmus Mundus Association (the association representing the students and alumni of the EU scholarship program that I participated in for my European Masters degree). This time the travel was much easier as I did not have a big ocean to cross and my super partner-in-crime, Charlie, accompanied me. While I was in meetings I have a sneaking suspicion that he was out enjoying the gluttonous nature of Brussels: good beer, great chocolate, and melt-in-your-mouth waffles. Oh well, the meetings were fun and highly productive, so no time wasted there. Plus, we did extend the trip by a few days to enjoy all that Brussels has to offer.

The Colors are Changing: Fall has Arrived in Jyväskylä

2011-10-06T11:25:00.000+03:00

Fall has arrived, officially. The temperatures are dropping and so are the leaves. Here are a few photos capturing the changing of colors on campus. I do love the Fall season: the smell in the air, the brisk cool breeze, and the feeling of something special to come...S-N-O-W!

Food in Finland!

2011-10-05T22:45:00.000+03:00

As we find our way in the grocery store, we have discovered a few food items we LOVE and a few items that we simply cannot find. Here is a sampling:

What we LOVE:

-Tomato paste in a tube! Who doesn't love to squeeze food out of a tube? Seriously, this is a brilliant idea. Yet, on our first trip to the grocery store, that we did not think to buy tomato paste in a tube, because we are so used to buying it in a can. Shortly after arriving home we discovered we had no can-opener. Uh-oh, time for Charlie to strong-arm the tomato paste can (see photo to right). In the future, we will be buying the tube.

-Alpen Muesli...delicious. There is nothing better than European muesli.

-Cafe Deli biscuits taste like Thin Mints. Yum!

-Karhu beer...or at least Charlie "likes not loves" this beer and thinks it is the best Finnish domestic brew. He says it tastes like MGD (a.k.a. Miller Genuine Draft...or nasty ass beer)...which isn't saying much for the Finnish beers. By the way, this is not the same beer in the photo.

-Buckwheat flour (Tattari jauho)--perfect for the buckwheat pancakes we love to make.

Food items we CANNOT find:

-Ground cumin. There are plenty of sweet little bags of cumin seeds and we even went so far as to attempt to grind the cumin seeds with the utensils in our kitchen...HA, that was comical! We, did, however, find some ground cumin in the ethnic markets in Helsinki (Win!)

-Coffee grinder. Really?! We have been to every possible store in Jyväskylä that would likely sell a grinder and no luck. I guess the Finns prefer ground coffee, but not ground cumin.
-GOOD tortilla chips. Okay, we know we are far away from Mexico, but we still LOVE to eat (American-vegan style) Mexican food which calls for tortilla chips. But, all of the tortilla chips here contain nasty oil--either palm, vegetable, or sunflower--which leaves a gross film on the roof of your mouth. Ick!
-Almond butter or peanut butter. Unless you want to spend 6 € on a small container of organic almond butter, you will not be able to indulge in a PBJ (that is short for the all-American peanut butter and jelly sandwich...a staple in the U.S.)
-Refried beans...nope they just do not have them here. Instead we use lentils and black beans for our Mexican cravings.
-Chocolate chips...another item they just do not sell here. I guess this calls for chunky chocolate chip cookies (insert visual of me with BIG knife and BIG chocolate bar).

Helsinki

2011-10-03T10:01:00.000+03:00

Here is a quick video of our time in Helsinki. Charlie came down for a quick visit and we had a fabulous autumn day full of sunshine in Helsinki and at the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Sea Fortress was built in 1748 when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden and has since been used to defend it's sovereignty or lack thereof.

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

2011-09-27T09:49:00.000+03:00

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.

2011-09-26T22:20:00.000+03:00

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...

2011-09-21T12:12:00.000+03:00

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

2011-09-17T18:57:00.000+03:00

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!

2011-09-15T12:38:00.000+03:00

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!

2011-09-14T11:42:00.000+03:00

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!

2011-09-12T13:02:00.000+03:00

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!

2011-09-11T11:34:00.000+03:00

Yesterday, our Finnish friend, Ilkka, hooked us upwith tickets to the women's Pesäpallochampionship 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 thesenses: loud circus music and frequent advertisements in Finnish play over thePA system, your eyes attempt to track all of the wacky action on the field, yousmell the aroma of sausage cooking, and you feel the cool fall breeze in theair.

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 fastmoving game with lots action. The game has some similar elements to Americanbaseball/softball in terms of batter, pitcher, bases, and gloves, but also hassome very complicated (to a newcomer) rules. Some basics: the game startswith the pitcher who stands next home plate and tosses the ball (vertically) inthe air to the batter. The batter swings and puts the ball into play and triesto reach first base (which is located roughly where 3^rd base wouldbe in American baseball/softball). Once on base, the runner tries to advance to2^nd and then 3^rd base before trying to come home. Thegame 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 nomore 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 andsoftball -- and scoring a run is extremely difficult. Teams play 2 sets of 4innings. If each team has one a set, than additional innings are played until oneteam scores. On top of all this action – there is loud music playing fromcircus music to 70s/80s rock music (Van Halen’s "Jump" and Queens’"Another one Bites the Dust"). All in all, it was an thoroughlyentertaining game and worth seeing played."

Farmer's Market with Kale

2011-09-11T00:12:00.000+03:00

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

2011-09-09T23:33:00.000+03:00

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!

2011-09-08T12:25:00.000+03:00

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...

2011-09-07T22:50:00.000+03:00

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!

2011-09-07T21:54:00.000+03:00

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...

2011-09-06T09:56:00.000+03:00

Our First Visitor in Finland

2011-09-05T20:46:00.000+03:00

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!

Fulbright Orientation in Helsinki

2011-09-04T00:47:00.000+03:00

The Finland Fulbright 2011-2011 Crew.


A nice welcome message on my hotel TV screen.

Woohoo...I have been looking forward to the Fulbright orientation for quite some time now. This has been a long time coming...

The view from my hotel room.

Temppeliaukio Kirkko (Rock Church).

Bright and early Tuesday a.m. I boarded the train to Helsinki, with a short stopover in Tampere (where I lived in 2007) to visit my colleagues and sponsors. I arrived in Helsinki at the Cumulus Hakaniemi hotel to discover I had my own room...nice! Our first meeting was in the hotel lobby, where we were to convene and walk together to our dinner location. The craziest thing happened! When I walked out of the elevator I immediately spotted a colleague from my past; we worked together at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His wife was awarded a Fulbright scholar award in Finland. Whoa...small world. So, we caught up quickly and then we were off to meet everyone at dinner.

All in all, the four-day orientation was incredibly planned out and orchestrated to the tee. The Finns know how to manage time and stick to a concise schedule or at least the Finnish Fulbright Center staff does. Here are some of the orientation sessions (just to give you an idea of what orientation included):

Incredible blue sky day in the capital of Finland, Senate Square.

-Working with the Media
-Greetings from the American Embassy
-Finnish Culture & History
-Local Regulations and Practical Advice
-Banking, Grant Payments, Grantee Financial Responsibilities
-Insurance
-Higher Education in Finland
-Finnish Economy
-Finnish & American Cultures in Communication

Boarding the bus for the Helsinki city tour.

The location of our last day.

And, of course there were special speakers, excursions, and Finnish lunches. We went on a bus tour of Helsinki, visited the Ateneum museum (the Finnish National Gallery), and had meetings at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. On the second night we attended "a reception in honor of the 2011-2012 American Fulbright Grantees hosted by Ambassador Bruce J. Oreck & Ms. Cody Douglas Oreck" at the swanky U.S. Embassy in Helsinki. Bruce is an interesting and striking dude (with his bald head, big muscles, and earring); he was appointed by his buddy Obama. He used to live in Boulder, CO--small world-- and his family used to own the Oreck vacuum company.

Office Space

2011-08-29T10:36:00.000+03:00

FIER, the building where I work.

Inside the building...that is copper!

Trying out my office chair.

I even have a nameplate! This is official.

My host institution for the Fulbright grant is the Finnish Institute of Educational Research (FIER) located in the University of Jyväskylä. I work specifically with the Change in Networks, Higher Education and Knowledge Societies (CINHEKS) project team. Monday I met with Jussi Välimaa (a.k.a. the "gentle giant") who will serve as my adviser during my time in Finland. The meeting went very well, we spoke about the specifics of my research and how I plan to operationalize it. He gave me some suggestions of literature, contact names, and he even picked up the phone to call Aalto University. You see in the U.S. we have a human subjects (IRB) approval process that we must go through when conducting qualitative research. So, before I even begin interviewing I need a letter from each Finnish university granting me permission to conduct research in their university. This is especially difficult because the Finnish research system does not have such protocol and they simply do not understand why I need a letter. I am confident I will eventually get the letters I need, especially because I have a few big higher education researchers on my side (such as Jussi). It is all bureaucracy, but I must adhere to the U.S. research policies....so here I sit waiting, waiting, waiting for letters before beginning my research.

The good news is that I have an office! Woohoo, this came as a surprise to me because I just assumed I would get typical PhD digs--an office share. Nope! They gave me me an entire office.

Discovering Jyväskylä: 62nd Parallel North

2011-08-27T23:53:00.000+03:00

Jump!

The last few days we have been settling into our apartment (finally!) and exploring the city. We took a big walk around the lake Saturday and discovered a little more about the city that we now call home.

The train station.

Where we live (Jyväskylä) in a nutshell:

Enjoying a sassy drink on a boat turned into a bar.

1.) The city was founded in 1837 (by a Russian Czar), thus Jyväskylä will be celebrating 175 years in 2012. Fun for us! By the way, can you believe how young this city is...when compared to other European cities?
2.) There are over 129,998 other people (including 15,000 university students) living in the Jyväskylä area, besides us.

This bridge connects campus buildings that are on both sides of the lake.

3.) We live in the 7th largest city in Finland.
4.) The city is 270 kilometers (170 miles) north of Helsinki, which means it takes about 3:30-4 hours on the train...depending on the train you take (the Pendulum is the fastest).
5.) Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland. Whatever that means?
6.) There are over 36 lakes in the city limits and the city nestles up to the beautiful lake Jyväsjärv. Get excited people (because I certainly am...), this lake will turn into an ice skating rink with a 3 kilometer track.

Lake Jyväsjärv.

7.) Here are our coordinates: 62° 14' 0" N / 25° 44' 0" E. Do you know yours? For us, this is crazy close to the arctic circle (66° 33′ 44″), so it is worth mentioning. We are 560 kilometers (348 miles) from the arctic circle--crazy cool or shall I say crazy COLD?!

Harald's with Horns

2011-08-26T18:50:00.000+03:00


Dinner with Horns!

We were invited to a dinner for vikings Thursday evening. Finns were never considered to be vikings, but according to any Finn you ask...Finns have always been tougher than vikings. Our Finnish friend, Ilkka (who was a Fulbrighter in Georgia in the Fall of 2010), coordinated this dinner with a few of his academic colleagues and the Americans (that's us!) We ate at the kitschy restaurant, Harald's, famous for its viking fare: bear meat, reindeer, lingonberry sauce, and yes, some incredible veggie dishes too. I had this beautiful veggie skewer on a sword (yes, a sword, how cool is that?) Charlie ate up a veggie pie, while the other carnivores at the table tasted Rudolph the reindeer.

Veggie Pie From Sawolax

Ylva's Vegetable Skewer

It was a fun evening getting to know other academic Finns. At one point in the evening the young PhD student studying Sociology spoke very candidly about American stereotypes. She agreed that some Americans can be "fake" and rather "superficial". Neither Charlie or I got defensive, as we know this is a common perspective about Americans because our communication culture breeds the niceties, small talk, and otherwise indirect communication. It is understandable to hear this sort of opinion coming from a Finn, as Finns tend to be direct, shy and reserved, and small talk is considered to be rude. But, then again all of this is based on generalizations and what purpose do generalizations serve?

People, Nature & Buildings

2011-08-23T19:44:00.000+03:00

Ah, Sunday brought back our health and wellness. Woohoo, time to unpack and explore!

Short-cut to campus...through the forest.

The good thing about higher education research is that it is a small field leading to quick connections with others working in the field. By attending academic conferences, we have both come to know an American living and conducting research in Jyväskylä, Finland. He was nice enough to take us on a walking tour of campus. Woohoo, time to get out of the illin' apartment and breathe in some of that fresh and cool Finnish air. Campus is located about 4 blocks away. (Have I told you how close we are to everything...city center, the lake, train station, and campus?) During the tour, we were both pleasantly surprised by the natural beauty of campus and the prevalent architecture of the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Aalto lived in Jyväskylä for a good portion of his life and much of his Nordic Modernistic style can be seen on campus, either designed by him or modeled after his style. He had a way of expressing the relationship between people, nature, and buildings in his architectural design. Part of campus is located on prime real estate, right on the lake! Lucky Charlie has an office in the building that is lakefront and he has amazing views from his office...photos will be posted later. My office is located in the Finnish Institute of Educational Research (FIER), home of the famous Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) joint project with OECD. From our initial assessment of the campus, our offices, and the people we have met...we are loving the University of Jyväskylä.

Karoke with the Finns: singing "Jammin'" by Bob Marley.

Monday and Tuesday we attended a seminar with all of the Finnish higher education researchers. Although most of the sessions were in Finnish, we made some great contacts, practiced our Finnish, and were honored with the opportunity to listen to the keynote speakers: Rajani Naidoo from the UK and Simon Marginson from Australia (who both presented in English). (For those not in the higher education field...those two are kinda a big deal!) The seminar dinner on Monday night led to some crazy karaoke. What do you get when 3 Finns and 2 Americans walk into an empty bar on a Monday night? A wildly entertaining night of karaoke.

Uh-oh, Our First Day in Finland: Illin' Like Villians!

2011-08-21T00:01:00.000+03:00

Our first day in Finland and we are as sick as dogs. We are pretty sure that the food we ate on the Iceland Air flight was filled with nasty bugs ready to rip apart our colon. Ick. When you move to a new home, let alone a different country, there is this overwhelming desire to "move in", settle in, unpack, and explore the city center. But, NO...all we feel like doing right now is laying in bed in order to muster up enough energy to run to the toilet (okay, maybe more information than you really want to know). And, as you can see by the photo of our living room our bags did not unpack themselves either, rather we rummaged through them looking for pajamas, toiletries, and left them to be. We did, however, rally for a quick walk to the nearest supermarket (about three blocks away) for some food and were happy to find some healthy alternatives (see photo).

Despite feeling ill, we are enjoying the FULLY furnished apartment (including all kitchen appliances, pots/pans, and plates, towels, sheets, and even candles). No need to shop for household items...

Welcome to our NEW home...in Finland!

2011-08-19T23:50:00.000+03:00

Our nice Finnish landlady, Anne, picked us up from the train station in Jyväskylä in a red Volvo. I wish I would have taken a photo of her poor car loaded down with over 320 pounds of luggage. I also wish I would have had a video camera for the serious workout that we experienced at the train station in Helsinki. We could not find the elevator, so instead we carried four 50 pound bags plus our carry on bags down the train station stairs (two flights of stairs) and then back up two flights of stairs to arrive at our train platform. Comical (and sweaty)! Then, we had to find space for all of this luggage in the train. No sense in attempting to blend in...we stood out like traveling Americans with all of our luggage (see photo).

Anyway, we have arrived! Ah, sweet...look at our front door (see photo). Oh, "Ei Mainoksia, Kittos!"= No advertising, thank you!

Iceland from the Air!

2011-08-19T12:32:00.001+03:00

I have never been to Iceland until this trip. And, I am not sure a one-hour layover in the Reykjavik airport is enough time to say I have really visited Iceland (but I did receive an Iceland stamp in my passport...that is kinda cool!) Nonetheless, I snapped a few great photos of Iceland from the air.

Finland or BUST...31 Hours of Travel!

2011-08-18T11:27:00.000+03:00

Yep, another long travel day: five airplanes, 1 bus, 1 train, and 1 red Volvo! But, we did it up in true Leasa and Charlie style...parsimoniously with a few special luxuries. As we shopped for flights in July, we soon realized that we were going to have to get creative with our routing, otherwise we would likely spend up to $2,500. Yikes! So, we spent a few days researching all of the possible alternatives. Iceland Air was definitely the most affordable way to get from the U.S. to Helsinki, but the problem was that Iceland Air only flew from four hubs in the U.S., none of them being Colorado. So, we had to price out domestic flights from Colorado to the four hubs. We continued checking prices for about a week when all of a sudden Delta's domestic flight from Denver to Boston hit a low $138. SCORE! We bought our domestic tickets and then bought the $538 ticket from Iceland Air.

In 31 hours, we managed to rack up a total of 6,230 miles in the friendly skies and over train tracks:
Denver to Minneapolis: 693 miles
Minneapolis to DC: 935 miles
DC to Boston: 500 miles
Boston to Reykjavik, Iceland: 2429 miles
Iceland to Helsinki, Finland: 1505 miles
Helsinki to Jyväskylä: 168 miles
Our travels were pretty much smooth sailing with the exception of Delta airlines (insert visual of me shaking my fist) adding an extra leg into our travel day. (We needed another flight like we needed a hole in the head.) We bought a direct flight (according to Delta.com and our itinerary) to Washington DC, but we got an extra stopover in Minneapolis. Fun times and more hate emails to Delta. But, as I have mentioned before in this blog I have a love/hate relationship with Delta and the more I travel with Delta the more complex my relationship becomes with Delta. On this trip, the love for Delta came when we were bumped up to first class for our leg from DC to Boston, a short flight, but a lovely ride. Then, we splurged (just a little) for our five hour layover in Boston...Delta Sky Lounge, baby! To our surprise we walked into the lounge just in time for tequila happy hour (see photo). Hell Yes! Finland or BUST...

Colorado Lovefest!

2011-08-16T22:56:00.001+03:00

I admit it...I am in love with Colorado. Every time I arrive in Colorado my heart sings, "Rocky Mountain High" and every time I leave Colorado my heart stings with sadness. In just a few days I will, once again, experience the latter emotions of leaving the place that I will always call home. This trip home has been sweet in so many ways, especially the time spent with family, friends, and dogs (see photo of my sister Julie and her hubby Dan with Stewie and the new addition Riley). It was also a very important trip because I may not come home for 10 months. While in Colorado, Charlie was doing the same, visiting family and friends, in Ohio. Now we reconvene in Colorado for a serious packing frenzy: two 50-pound bags for 10 months in a very cold place on this earth. Hmmmmmmm, should be interesting!

Quick Trip to Toronto

2011-08-15T23:40:00.000+03:00

Yep, sometimes I am rather crazy for travel and adventure. So crazy that I agreed to go on a 29-hour trip to Toronto. Over the past few years, I have become more involved with my European Masters program alumni association, the Erasmus Mundus Student (EMA) & Alumni Association. As one of the leaders representing the EMA North American regional chapter I went to Toronto for a networking event of fellow EMA alumni. After two flights, I arrived just in time for a dinner at the delicious Waterfalls Indian restaurant in the funky Kensington area and the following day I had until 3 p.m. to tour the city of Toronto. From what I experienced in Toronto, I really liked the city. It has a good feel to it and I especially liked the Kensington area where musicians were strumming guitars on the sidewalks and a car was transformed into a garden (see photos). All in all, it was a great event and a good trip despite the fact that I squeezed it into a narrow window of time. But, I do love wild adventures like this and now I am ready to go back to Colorado and pack up for Finland.

High School Reunion

2011-08-14T23:14:00.001+03:00

Yep, time for another high school reunion. Has it really been 20 years since we had the BIGGEST bangs in the west? Yes, it has and I have the white hairs to show for it! The last reunion, 10 years ago, I played a large role in planning the logistics, but this year I handed the baton to a few of my classmates because living in Georgia and doing a PhD does not facilitate reunion planning. While I was a little reluctant to hand it over, I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Friday night became a drunken debauchery at Fado's Irish Ba r, right across the street from Coors Field in downtown Denver. I stayed with my dear friends, Deb and Owen who now live in New York, in a hotel downtown. Thus, no need to stay sober and plenty of reason to do some "planking" on Denver's pedestrian mall (see photo). It was nice catching up with the group of women that I mostly hung out with during the four wild and crazy years at Rangeview high school; we called ourselves the Party Brat Pack (PBP's). The group of guys, the "Bushmen", that we hung out had not really changed either. Like the PBP's they all still hang out together and live close by each other in Denver. Most of my dear friends from high school have children, a bachelor's degree, have never traveled out of the country, and some are married while others are divorced. I am the over-educated, child-less, wayfaring outlier in the group and the questions asked were rather comical, "How do you fund your travels and your life?" "What is it like to still be a student in your 30's?" "What does a typical day look like for you?" "I hear you have a boyfriend, what does he look like?" And, then there were some individuals that did not even ask questions--I think it is because my life has taken such a different path I am not sure they knew what to ask. So, instead we rehashed high school memories (driving backwards, building the homecoming float, and epic house parties). The second night was hosted at the fancy Mountain Ranch Bar & Grille, overlooking Coors Field. This night was a little more mellow with dinner and dancing. We got back to the hotel at 1 a.m., which allowed for 2 hours of sleep before I had to catch the Super Shuttle to the airport...onto the next adventure in Canada!

Road Trip Day 3: ODD Roadside Attraction!

2011-08-09T01:57:00.000+03:00

As we planned our cross-country road trip I was interested in stopping at some of the odd roadside attractions. After many internet searches there was one attraction that we just had to stop for...the Wonder Tower in Genoa, Colorado. The Tower was built in 1926 by the eccentric Charles W. Gregory and served as a one-stop shop: a motel, restaurant, and gas station for the old highway 24. For almost twenty years, Gregory continued to add onto the gawdy structure by building rock rooms for him and his guests to enjoy, including a dance hall with stage. Gregory died in 1942 and the 60 foot tower fell into disrepair. To further the fall of the Tower's stardom, the highly traveled 1-70 highway was built transporting travelers to more convenient stopping points, such as Limon, CO 10 miles west of the Tower. But, never fear...the out-of-place Tower still stands, thanks to Jerry and Ester Chubbuck. They have kept the Tower alive by charging a meager $1 entrance fee and stuffing the place with weird animal monstrosities (see the two-headed calf), Indian artifacts, old bottles, rocks, fossils, and a huge dinosaur egg that has a handwritten sign on it, "Be careful, it may hatch!" Everything is for sale and the price tags are not cheap.

But, let's not forget to mention the real bonus of this roadside attraction, a view of the surrounding six states (or so they say...confirmed by Ripley's Believe it or not): Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Six stairways lead you through a maze of more rooms, these rooms are colorful and again stuffed with the wild, wacky, and whimsical clutter found on the ground floor. Along the way, they make it clear that the climb to the top is not for the faint at heart. The elevation is 5,752 and handwritten signs along the way say, "Climb at your own risk!" Supposedly, they will fine you $25 if you write on the wall. If you find yourself in the East of Colorado, do yourself a favor and stop at the Tower, it will entertain for hours.

Road Trip Day 3: More Kansas & Colorful Colorado

2011-08-08T19:25:00.001+03:00

Woohoo! Nothing better than driving through Kansas; lots of corn fields, beautiful fields of bright yellow sunflowers, and weather that quite possibly would make you think you are starring in the “Wizard of Oz”. My father loves watching the weather change, hence he quickly became our weather-vane as we drove into the darkest and ugliest looking clouds. It began raining so hard that we decided to pull off the highway. We were not alone; about 20 other cars decided to do the same and wait out the storm. My dad kept calling, “How is it? According to the radar map, it looks like you are in the middle of a red zone.” I kept asking…do you know if there are tornadoes in the area? I was in a tornado when I was a young diva and my photo appeared on the front page of the Denver Post—insert image of scared little girl sitting on a bench with pieces of roofing, trash cans, and other debris laying about. After a 30-minute downpour, it finally let up. We drove on and into a parking lot (on the highway)…oh fun! A semi truck had jack-knifed during the torrential downpour.

Since we had finished the audio-book, we changed to the radio. I must confess..during road trips I love to scan the radio stations and see what sorts of music/talk shows are playing in the American heartland. Hence, we listened to a lot of 80/90 hits and even a little bit of Rush Limbaugh (until Charlie nearly threw up in his mouth).

Ahhhhh, I know that sign! "Welcome to Colorful Colorado!" We made it (almost), now just 160 miles to the parents house...with one special stop (see next blog post)...

Road Trip Day 2: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas

2011-08-07T19:15:00.000+03:00

What a better way to begin another day in the car than by stopping at Cracker Barrel? Ha ha...let's try again. How about the breakfast buffet in St. Louis at Whole Foods (a favorite organic and natural food store)? Yeah, now that is more our style! Organic scrambled eggs, french toast, tofu scramble, fresh baked bread, fresh fruit, and home potatoes joyfully slid down our throats to join the digestive juices in our bellies. Some may think that road trips are all about gas station food (Snickers, Coke, and Doritos), but we prefer to be a little more selective with our road trip cuisine. In fact, Charlie even suggested we do a Google search for the best vegetarian restaurants and build a route around our findings (too bad the best veg eats are located in New York, San Francisco...a little out of our way). After a good and healthy Sunday brunch, we pushed through Missouri and then the long haul through Kansas (with a sweet picnic lunch in the late afternoon).

Road trips are fun because you have an ample amount of time to relax, converse, and listen. On day two, we finished listening to the audio-book, “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson, a great story of two men hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT). Very apropos since we lived in a place (Athens) that was only 40 miles away from the AT. Bill Bryson is a great writer with a nice balance of intellectual and factual information about the trail as well as a splattering of very funny moments on the trail. It was a good six hours of entertainment. The rest of the time, we talked...it's not hard for Charlie and I to stumble upon an intellectual (or not so intellectual) conversation and be entertained for hours on end.

Amidst all of the “Jesus loves you” billboards, Charlie spotted another winery, Les Bourgeois, in Missouri and that is where we met the pink pig. According to the wine pourer this pig is the most photographed pig in Missouri. Oh yeah and there is a special grape in Missouri, the Norton grape, and now we can say we have tasted it in all of its splendor (or not). Even though we did purchase a bottle of the semi-dry red wine, I am not sure I would recommend you stop only to taste the wine, the pig was much more interesting.

Finally, we arrived at our overnight destination, Manhattan, Kansas (another university town, home of the oldest institution of higher learning in the State, Kansas State University). Do you see a pattern here? We ate at Coco Bolo's, drank some margaritas, and drove through campus to gawk at the beautiful castle-like architecture.

Road Trip Day 1: Athens, GA to Carbondale, IL (499 miles)

2011-08-06T06:29:00.000+03:00

Wake up at 6 a.m. Pack up the last few items and attempt to squeeze them into any little space that we might find, in between boxes, bags, and furniture. Nope…two items do not fit (two large picture frames). Argh…I begin to wallow in a growing monster of anguish (Come on Leasa, Keep Calm & Carry On!) I am simply drained, tired of organizing, packing, and moving stuff, and I am simply ready to be home in Colorado. The heat and humidity has tested my nerves the last few weeks and I am ready to move onto the next life adventure. We stop at Ike and Jane’s for our last red velvet cake doughnut, stop for gas (the most expensive gas purchased the entire road trip--U.S. $3.74/gallon), oil, and air for the tires. Ah, this day has been a LONG time coming. Once we leave the city limits of Athens, a wave of solace rolls over me. Ah!

We drive approximately 500 miles on day one (of three days) with an overnight stopover in Carbondale, Illinois—home of Southern Illinois University. The drive goes very well with several stops to change drivers, stretch, and fill up with gas. As we drive through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois, the pesky little “check engine” light on the car dash remains bright yellow. Yes, we have been dealing with some car issues for the past few weeks, but the auto mechanic swears that little “Lexi” (the hard core 1999 silver Lexus 300RX approaching 200,000 miles) will be okay and will not implode during our 1,500 mile road trip.

In Tennessee, Charlie spots a billboard for wine tastings at the highly acclaimed (snicker) Beachhaven Winery. We decide that forgoing this wine experience would be a sin, so we stop and sip on some surprisingly good Syrah, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. With a bottle of Cab in hand, we pushed on. We arrived at our hotel and immediately got back into the car for dinner. Charlie did some internet searching before our trip and he stumbled on a veggie café in Carbondale, Longbranch Coffeehouse, and when our friend (who used to live in Carbondale) confirmed the delicious fare, it became a destination. Charlie had veggie Thai curry and I devoured the veggie harvest with ginger sauce. Thumbs up for Longbranch! After a night swim we were ready for some shut eye.

Athens Favorites...Goodbye!

2011-07-29T06:41:00.028+03:00

I will admit that living in Athens has been challenging, but there is always a silver lining to adverse situations. As I bid farewell to life in Athens here are a few of my favorite things:

1.) My man! I met Charlie in Athens and the best part of leaving Athens is that he is coming with me. He certainly made my time in Georgia sweeter and more bearable.

2.) Earth Fare--the organic food market that I frequented often. I may be parsimonious when it comes to materialistic items, but when it comes to good food I do not skimp. Earth Fare proudly advertises a list of banned food items: any food item containing high-fructose corn syrup, added trans fats, and artificial colors or sweeteners (just to name a few) never makes it on the shelf. In addition to offering healthy food options, it is a great place to grab a fresh cooked meal and free internet.

3.) Rubbersoul Yoga studio--this was the location where the negative energy was beautifully transformed into positive and compassionate energy. I taught many yoga classes here, developed and challenged my yogic philosophy through the adventur e club, and enjoyed yogic bliss in shavasana.

4.) Coffee shops--Athens has a solid cafe culture and I watched it grow and change throughout my time in Athens. There is something about being around other studious people that motivates me to do work (osmosis?!), hence a lot of my time was spent at cafes. There were three in particular where I was a "regular" (especially as I studied and prepared for comprehensive exams): Walker's Coffee & Pub, (see photo at the top of this entry), Jittery Joe's, and Espresso Royale (see photo to right).

5.) Eats--Athens has a great restaurant scene, even for us veggie heads. We LOVE the GRIT, a locally owned vegetarian restaurant with the best cup of dal. We LOVE Ike n Jane's Cafe & Bakery where you can buy a super sweet Southern treat...red velvet donuts (see photo to right). But, Ike & Jane's is probably most known for their "Elvis Presley" donuts: peanut butter glaze topped with banana slices and crispy strips of bacon. Our favorite take-away spot was Dondero's Kitchen, a locally owned eatery serving up international dishes and delicious sesame noodles. The White Tiger Gourmet, "food without a 'tude", was our favorite lunch spot where the portabella mushroom sandwich and the grilled broccoli and asparagus never disappointed.

6.) UGA international offerings--I never would have imagined that my time in Georgia would have opened the door to so many international experiences. Travel to Costa Rica, South Africa, and Oxford, England was coupled with professional growth and opportunities in the field of international education as I chaperoned and taught students how to travel with a good conscious. My time at UGA ended on a high note as I conducted research on the international dimension of higher education while working for the coolest boss ever. (See photo of Jane, my boss--to right--cutting my going away carrot cake, yum, from one of my favorites, the Grit).

Some Like it HOT!

2011-07-29T05:06:00.000+03:00

One month in Athens, GA in the heat of the summer...never again will I sign up for this again. (Wow, that feels so good to say!) I have learned that heat index indicates what the temperature outside (with humidity) really feels like. These days it is a rarity for the heat index to be less than three numbers long; it normally hovers around 100-108. As soon as I walk outside, no matter the time of day, I immediately break into a sweat and then I freeze in the air-conditioned buildings! The heat is just too much, so most of our time is spent inside (me wrapped up in scarfs and sweaters) hibernating from the intense and oppressive heat. It is a strange way to live; I have always known summertime as a season to be outside playing in the sunshine. Living in Athens, GA has been an experience all around...