Swim in a FROZEN lake? Yes, totally normal!

After much anticipation, I finally experienced the rite of passage for international peeps living in Finland during the winter months, COLD-water swimming (a.k.a. "*&%$ that's cold!") Not only was I a glutton for punishment once, but I enjoyed the pain and suffering so much I went for a cold-water dip 3 times (plus, I did it Friday night & Saturday night). For those that are mathematically challenged, that means 3x2= 6 dips in the frozen lake in 24 hours. Yes, some call it crazy...I call it frozen brain (too many dips makes you cold & stupified.)

No, really it was a BLAST! You walk into the HOT sauna and immediately want to burst into laughter as you see 30 sweaty sardines packed into a small wooden room with a fire and coals. As you squeeze in, you swap sweat with your neighbor without a care in the world. You sit there until you feel that you can no longer breathe, that your inner soul may go up in flames. Then, oh so gracefully, you walk outside into the snowy environs, throw off your flip flops, and make your way down the stairs and walk directly into the freezing-cold hole in the lake. At first, you think you might die because the cold just takes your breathe away...you try to scream but nothing comes out. A little swim around to the other side of the stairs and you walk up the stairs, out of the water. Then miracously, your body recovers ...your skin is cold, but your core is still hot and you're not cold or shivering. WHAT IS GOING ON? It is truly the strangest sensation. Then, you go into the common area, where people chill, drink beer or cider, before hitting the sauna again. And another round of sauna/cold water swimming. Wanna come to Finland???

Shrinkage?!

Look at the second dude coming up from the lake. (You can click on the photo...to REALLY see his facial expression.) It was pretty comical because he came screaming out of the water and holding on for dear life. I just so happened to have the camera there at the right time, beautiful!

This is Kaupinojan sauna, the oldest public sauna in Tampere. You have to walk about 10 minutes through the forest and another 10 minutes on the frozen lake to get there. I think it is my favorite (out of the 2 saunas I have experienced.) It feels like you are in the forest and it's easier to submerge yourself into the water.

Ice Hockey- Finnish Style!

You would have thought we were at the final round of Wimbledon, as the crowds heads moved from side to side watching the action, and it was so quiet you could hear a pen drop. But, they weren't following a tennis ball they were following a hockey puck *WHAT*? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I just experienced the most mellow hockey game in the history of all hockey games, right here in the coldest, most ice-laden place on earth, Finland. About 60 of us international students watched the local team, Ilves, get swallowed and spit out. Perhaps the loss was based on the lack of crowd participation, lack of penalities and the Finnish rendition of cheerleaders. None the less, it was unequivocally a taste of Finnish culture.

I discovered why Finn's LOVE the SAUNA!

After haggling with the second-hand shop owner, I managed to purchase used ice-skates for 2 euros ($2.50 US), which is a spankin' deal! I think the woman was trying to take me for all she could get, because there was a sign right above the skates that said "2e", but she kept saying 4 euros, I finally showed her the sign and she
acquiesced, all in Finnish without a lick of english.

Today, I went to the outdoor rink with my Italian friend, Andrea from Genova, and we skated until I was a frozen Dorothy Hamill. I now know why the Finns NEED so many saunas. Damn, ice skating is COLD with the cold reverberating from the ice and the cold wind punching you in stomach (as you skate so fast, trying to warm yourself up.)

Food brings us together!

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
-James Beard

Our social life here is similar to life back in the U.S. Most social gatherings are coordinated around food from around the globe! Here are a few photos from some small gatherings here in Tampere...Ali baked Brazilian bread, which just melted in your mouth.

Then, Preet hosted a French crepe party (even though she is Indian, her boyfriend is French and he wouldn't date her until she learned to make crepes...just kidding!), with all of the fixin's: Grand Marnier, nutella, bananas, jam, fruit, whip creme. Preet even lit a crepe on fire, it was delicious!

Flambéed Crêpes...yummy!

Some artsy shots of Brussels!

I love the camera!

The real reason I came to Brussels...

Brussels, the European cafe of a city, quenched my thirst and left me wandering...maybe I could write my thesis here. Brussels is known as the capital of Europe, home of the EU and a community of beautiful internationals, euro-crats and diplomats; what a better place to live for 6 months...

The underlying reason I traveled to Brussels was to attend the 20th celebration of the Erasmus exchange programme, sponsored by the European Commission (EC). Erasmus is a programme where EU students study and live in another EU member state for 3-6 months and immerse themselves in the culture, language, food, etc. while taking coursework. It was clear that the EC highly values this programme because it promotes solidarity, tolerance and respect of all European cultures and it serves as a vehicle to instill these values in the future of Europe, the students! The conference was educational; as I met Erasmus students from around europe, I learned about the challenges, the statistics and heard from alumni who shared their inspirational stories of life after Erasmus. In addition, a panel of euro-crats discussed the future of the programme and I was enamoured by the female Vice President of the EC, Margot Wallström. I always love to see a strong and articulate female leader who isn't afraid to answer questions straight up without dodging them. All of this was great material to get the thesis topic juices flowing...what thesis topic will bring me back to Brussels?
PHOTOS: Erasmus house & garden...this is where Rotterdam Erasmus, a philosopher in the 14th century studied during his stay in Belgium (top), EU Committee of Regions building, where the conference was hosted (left), chambers where the conference was held (bottom left), conference registration (bottom right).

Brussels, the capital of Europe!

What is so great about Brussels? Cobblestone streets lined with Belgium chocolate shops and cool euro-style shops, cathedrals that take your breath away, hot and tasty belgium waffles sold in food kiosks around the city, beautiful international people everywhere, over 2,000 local Belgium beers to choose from and a grand square that surrounds you in an historically comfortable yet awe-inspiring manner. In my eyes, Brussels is the epitome of a typical Euro city, except for the large number of euro-crats.
So, my first night in Brussels was quite an epic journey that will go into my travel memoirs. Luckily, I had some cool roommates in the hip & happening hostel and dinner & beers turned into a serious pub-crawl. Dan, the American dude from Chicago, is currently serving in the navy reserves in Naples. Then there was this crazy Aussie who rides kangaroos and says, "crikey mate" (ok, maybe the kangaroo-riding & "crikey" is just a fantasy of mine). After trying a load of nationally-treasured brews, the Aussie and I toured the city in the wee-hours of the morning. We took plenty of action shots and finally arrived at our hostel at 7 a.m., ready for some shut-eye.

Brussels or BUST!

To all the Americans reading this...happy Martin Luther King Day.

I'm globetrotting to Brussels, Belgium Tuesday-Saturday. Watch for a post of my wanderlust next week. I just checked the weather and I'm happy to report it will be 40-50 degrees (Colorado peeps...read & weep!)

But before I go, another topic...I'm quite alarmed how fast the snow-gods reacted to my thirst for pow (read letter written on Saturday). It is snowing here again and it's pulchritudinous! The bus ride home was amusing; I was surfing the center aisle as the bus slipped and slided all over the road. Woohoo...
PHOTO: This is a picture from my kitchen balcony. The building across the way is another housing unit in the student village. Many of my classmates live in that building.

My first week in Finland!

So far, I can say...Finland is very diverse from Oslo. I thought it would be analogous because it's Scandinavia, but it's wonderfully divergent. I appreciate both places but could definitely see myself living here rather than Oslo, strange but true! But then again I am in the honeymoon stages where everything is new and particularly excellent.

But here are a few things I LOVE...the central area is just quaint, my room is superfluous, quiet and I only share the kitchen with 2 others, there are many trails throughout Tampere (great for biking, trail running), the city has a "University town" feel to it, it's cheaper than Oslo, there is an organic fill-your-bag-from-the-bin store that has various nuts, trail mix, oats, rice, etc., there is a real adherence of international students, the bus system rocks (when it is on-time), there is a cute local ski hill (for skiing, if winter ever arrives) and the best redeeming quality of Tampere is Wayne's coffee...a comfy coffee shop right off the main drag with wireless and the best chai in town.
Adjusting to a new European city is becoming easier and I'm sure in another year I will be a pro at it. I have discovered that the more expeditious I am in "setting up house" (see pics), the more grounded I feel. This first week, I have become the shopping fool! I have hit about every store in Tampere comparing the prices and purchasing the bargains. You know me...I'm the bargain shopper! I found a heat lamp (that rocks) for 10 euro (originally 45 euro)=$13US. I have also discovered all of the second-hand stores which makes stocking the kitchen cheap. Luxury items I have purchased: Esprit shirt (o.k. this doesn't constitute "setting up house" but it put a big smile on my face), toaster, a lamp in the shape of a star (it was on super-sale as it was a Christmas item.)

Dear snow-gods...

Dear snow-gods, I know you were impressed with how us Colorado girls' can shake our booty but it's time to move the snow east. Yesterday I was in such snow dispair that I logged onto e-bay and found a REAL Colorado snow-ball going for $200 US. It took all of my will-power not to press the *purchase* key and have it shipped on dry ice straight to Finland. All I crave for is a big blizzard, a snow-storm to rock my world, phat pow-pow and a huge dump. Am I asking too much? That local ski hill 5 minutes away is calling my name and I'm not sure what to tell it...no, I refuse to ski on dirt?! Will winter come to Finland? Yours, Leasa

Welcome to Tampere!

Tonight, we had a welcoming party (see photos), hosted by our faculty, and they had a lovely spread of typical Finnish food: mouth-watering Salmon, reindeer (yes, like Rudolph) rolls, fruit/veggies, karelian pasteries (rice/pastry), green salad, and these bread-like cold balls (hard to describe but tasty!) in addition to some tasty wine from the great Australian region.

Classes started yesterday and all 17 of us Erasmus Mundus scholars have reunited. It's nice to come back together, reconnect after the holidays and compare lost luggage war stories. We are a smaller class than in Oslo and I would expect that this will make for a more intimate class setting as well as a more close-knit experience (with a few dysfunctions...like any close family). We have the next 2 weeks off because our professors are traveling to China to consult...no classes...that is how they roll in Finland. So, I'm headed to Brussels, Belgium for the 20th year celebration of the Erasmus scholarship program.

Finland, land of the sunshine, er...I mean snow?!

Ok, I finally got my internet up and running after 6 days of paperwork and running around. Seriously, you begin to enjoy the joys of mobility after realizing you have no control over the process. Here are a few of my first impressions and travel war stories...here ya go!

1.) As you are studying the map in the central district, the Finns will actually stop and help you. The Finns are smiley little creatures, eager to help out. They may even do a back flip for you!

2.) The international student culture here is much more organized than Oslo. They have an e-mail list that highlights all of the happenings. Last night we went to our first "social" event and there were over 500 students there international and Finnish.

3.) The central area is bustling with people, stores, cafes and renovated industrial buildings. It has a uniqueness to it that I can't really describe...kind of like the Dickensian quaint industrial vibe.

4.) Ahhhh, the joys of a city that is actually affordable! Oslo is more expensive than Tampere and the proof is the alcohol. I ordered a vodka/OJ last night and it only cost $4 US. What a bargain!

5.) The Finns really LOVE their snow and there is NO snow. Normally at this time of year there is enough snow to nordic ski and it's just not happening yet. So, today the Finns were out with their walking sticks and training for the fast walk world championships, not to be confused with the cell phone throwing contest here in Finland.

6.) Sending 8 boxes from Oslo to Tampere is a red flag for customs, they searched our boxes (see photo) and all they found were drugs for Martha Stewart, enough domestic items to get her high.

7.) As I was waiting to talk with a lost luggage customer representative (yep, lost my luggage), I saw that a store was selling reindeer fur (totally normal for Finland!)

Happy NEW YEAR!

Wow, what a year it was...resigned my job, sold my x-terra, loaned my tempermental cat to a friend (she has since gone through behavior modification and is no longer hissing...my cat, not my friend), rented my townhome, packed my bags and headed to Europe. Discovered that I don't like fish pudding but I do like Dijionaisse. Discovered that I LOVE run-on sentences. Discovered that my little toe that was broken last year will always be my little limp toe. Discovered that there is a sport called, "Extreme Ironing" (check it out!) Discovered that it snows more in Colorado than it does in Scandanavia. Isn't Finland & Norway closer to Santa (North Pole)? Discovered that my sister is also a "lifelong learner". (Woot, Woot JULES!!) Discovered that 3 weeks just isn't enough time to see all of my friends and eat all of my mom's Christmas cookies.

New Year's Eve was spent skiing with the normal suspects... in the evening we snowshoed up to a little hut near Breckenridge in the grand Colorado Rocky Mountains to pop a bottle of champagne. See photo!