Moscow, Russia!

An overnight train brought us to Moscow, where we joined another 110 international students from a few Universities in Finland. We walked out of the train station and it was surreal; Russians buzzing about not afraid to grab the wallet in your pocket, the distinct Russian architecture tantalizing your eyes and the Russian alphabet screaming, "You're not in Finland any longer." We jumped on buses and began a day of city tours. First, the RED SQUARE, with the Kremlin walls beckoning one side of the square, the dazzling and colorful St. Basil's Cathedral at one end, Lenin's tomb and the sassy and upscale mall occupying the Gosudarstvenny Universalny Magazin (GUM) on the northeast side of the square. It was a fusion of incongruous values, yet stunning architecture right in one big square. You could see the wax like-figurine of Lenin's body rolling in his grave as wealthy Russian's throw down big roubles to purchase the latest fashion at Paul Smith & Dior and satiate their voracity with the golden arches of capitalism, McDonald's.



We spent a good amount of time in the Red Square (see pics) and then we wondered safely to the Ulitsa Arbat street, a pedestrian mall lined with cafes, souvenir stands and buskers. We were lucky enough to see the April Fool's Day Parade where heaps of Russian's blow bubbles and parade through the streets (see video).

Another highlight, the Moscow Circus full orchestra. Honestly, the acts with the lions, bears and horses were cruel but the acrobats and orchestra were quite entertaining. Outside the circus ring, the exhibition hallway is home to doped and sedated animals where sleazy Russian's charge a load of roubles to take a picture with the animal (see video).

2 days in Moscow and now the overnight train to St. Petersburg...

The LOVE of my Life...

One of my favorite books, "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert has a passage that describes my greatest love and everytime I read this passage, it just simply resignates. So, I will share my greatest love with you through the words of Elizabeth Gilbert,

"...Traveling is the great true love of my life. I have always felt, ever since I was sixteen years old and first went to Russia with my saved-up babysitting money, that to travel is worth any cost or sacrifice. I am loyal and constant in my love for travel, as I have not always been loyal and constant in my other loves. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless newborn baby--I just don't care what it puts me through. Because I adore it. Because it's mine. Because is looks exactly like me. It can barf all over me if it wants to--I just don't care."

And how fitting...because I am traveling to Russia TODAY and wanted to bid you all good-bye. I will return on April 5. Stay tuned for my Russia post. Cheers...

Cottage Trip in the Finnish Forest!

About 30 of us international students hiked (flatland hiking) to a cottage 6km into the forest. The cottage was fairly rustic, complete with a smelly outhouse, no running water, a kitchen (with a microwave?#%!), and a bunkroom/living area all in one. The long wooden table got a great deal of play throughout the weekend, hosting pasta meals, muesli & yogurt breakfasts, baked bananas with chocolate and a superfluous amount of international drinking games. Oh, I think the table even got danced on a few times by my favorite Belgium roommate. The cottage sits right on a lake and the sun was beaming as the weather was a perfect 50 degrees (15C)...made for a beautiful weekend in the forest! It reminded me of the many hut trips in Colorado, without 8 feet of snow and a topo map.

Smorgasboard of FOOD!

St. Patty's Day in Tampere calls for another HEEM international potluck! So, 14 of my classmates and a few other friends gathered for a convival evening of green curry (Thailand), lemon rice (India), fried rice (Vietnam & Taiwan), vegetable soup (USA), ginger chicken (Thailand) and many other satiating dishes...oh and I can't forget the VEGEMITE toast (from our local Australian who rides kangaroos back home!) There was not just excellent food but also entertainment, our local Brazilian and Pakistani danced the Irish jig for us while others started a free hug campaign and apparently the paparazzi was present because the camera flashes just kept lighting up the room.

We also took this opportunity to thank our Finnish tutors who have been instrumental in welcoming us to this benevolent country. When we arrived, they helped us register for classes, find our way around campus/Tampere, track down lost luggage, grab our keys from the housing department, and shared their culture with us and they continue to be resourceful. The best part...they are Finnish students! You can read more about this "international office best practice" on the hedda blog.

Tampere Happenings!

So, you might be wondering what the heck is going on in Tampere, Finland? Well, I'll tell you!

1.) Elections were TODAY...March 18 and all of the Finnish flags were flying high, regardless of the snowy and wet spring-like conditions. The biggest question in this election: which party will emerge as the biggest, the Centre Party or the Social Democrats? The winning party will take the prime minister seat. (See photo...this was election headquarters, right in the center square!)
2.) 100 years! Yep, 100 years ago women gained the right to vote in Finland, the first country in Europe to grant women suffrage. But not only did women get the vote, men did too. This is a socialist country, equal rights for everyone, baby!
3.) The sun is rising! We now have about 12 hours of daylight...6:30 a.m. sunrise & 6:30 p.m. sunset. In one month, we will have 15 hours of daylight 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
4.) BYE-BYE Old man winter! All of the snow has melted and the mud (and dog poo) is becoming quite friendly with the bottom of my shoes.
5.) Did you know that tobacco advertising has been banned since 1978 in Finland? But, it doesn't stop Finns from smoking in public places.
6.) The tallest peak in Finland is still Halti at 1328 meters (4,350 feet). Other than that, Finland is pretty much a flatlanders paradise!
7.) Did you know that the current prime minister is SINGLE?! Yes, and he is one of the most eligible bachelors. His most redeeming quality: he built himself a detached house (which most Finn's only dream about.)
8.) To board a bus you must physically flag it down by jumping up and down and waving your bus pass (ok, maybe a little bit of an exaggeration.) Then, follow one simple rule: board at the front of the bus and depart at the back of the bus, otherwise execution will follow.
9.) Even though the snow has melted you still see people walking fast with ski pole daggers. Don't be alarmed! It's NORDIC WALKING! It's a form of exercise.

Winter Sports Day!

Monday was winter sports day for us HEEM folks (who, by the way, instantaneously turned into children as soon as we arrived at the winter playground.) Our administrative coordinator, Tea, organized a day trip to Saarikylat, a community just 30 km outside of Tampere known for its maze of rivers, lakes and islands. For the Finns, this is an outdoor haven during any season of the year. Definitely a special place!

You can check out the video on winter sports here! A compilation of our Skiing-Sauna-Ice-Skating adventures!

Thank goodness it was still cold enough to ice-skate, because that was unequivocally the highlight. It's a unique experience because you don't wear traditional ice-skates. You wear nordic boots and snap on ice blades to the front of the boot. Very cool! And then, it's smooth sailing on the ice, but not for everyone...as there was so serious carnage...Thai, Indian, and Australian road kill.

Dude, Don't YOU Study???

Yes, I go to school and I study...I just don't want to bore you with the details. However, since so many of you write e-mails with subject lines such as:
"Dude, don't you study?"
"A free ride in Europe!"
"Leasa's master degree of travel."
I will update you on the main reason for being here...SCHOOL!
Thesis!
Yes, it's time to start thinking about my thesis topic. I have a list about 15 potential topics and will need to choose one to write a 5-page proposal on, due April 5, then off to Russia. We are taking a methods course right now...so, we are learning all about research, yippee! Another 5-page methods paper is due April 19, then off to Greece. See how I have balanced my studies with travels, I am learning just as much out of the classroom as I am in the classroom.
Blog!
I am the blog administrator/writer for the Hedda (Higher Education Development Association) blog. Honestly, this takes a good deal of my time, I am clocking 5 hours/week, but in reality it's more like 10 hours/week with the research and writing. However, this (and yoga) has really grounded me. I feel like I have a job and responsibility, which is important to keep me feeling like a contributing member of society, not just a drunk graduate student.
The Truth!
Honestly, I'm not going to lie, they give us ample time for reading and studying. It is interesting because one year ago I was sitting in an office, working way too many hours, trying to keep up my social life, I got sick often and work politics sucked the life out of me. Now, the most stressful thing I must deal with is reading material I find interesting and writing papers that are equally enjoyable. It's a rough life...

The Cat's Meow...

So, back home in Boulder, CO, I have left a few things that often tug at my heartstrings. My cat, Kilimanjaro, "Kili" for short, has been adopted by/loaned to/loved by my dear friends, Megan and Chris. Yesterday, they sent a photo of her with her new sister, Hermione, and apparently they love each other despite the typical taunting that occurs in sibling relationships. Kili is the black and white kitty and the human looking creature is Megan. Thank you Megan & Chris...

Beauty-School Drop-out!

Is that natural? Yes, well, ur, uh, you mean the curls or the color? The curls, yes, they grow straight out of my brain like this...but the color, well, that was a cultural art project (gone bad?) Since everyone (men and women) like to color their hair here in Finland, we decided to do like the Finns and color our hair. However, the selection of hair color was something to be desired (jet black, oranges, firey red)...hmmm, this will be an adventure! So, we opened up for business, a hair salon right in the bowels of my corridor, the bathroom. I ended up with a nice brownish-slightly reddish tint and bad (supposed to be copperish) orange highlights. Good thing those locks, that come straight from the brain, are damn smart and fuse together to form a dreadlock sort of look, as it takes away from the amateur beauty-school trial run at highlights. Also, glad I'm done with that cultural art project.

Next question...is that nose-piercing real or fake?

My Weekend in a Nutshell...

A few random thoughts that reflect my weekend activities:
1.) I was jonezin (this is slang for 'craving') for a lip-smackin, delicious new york deli sandwich from salvaggio's (the best deli in boulder, colorado) on saturday after yoga. Guess what I had to result to...SUBWAY! Now, for those of you at home you can confirm this; Subway is like McDonalds and I can't believe I stooped that low...but let me tell you that sandwich melted in my mouth, it was like heaven to my belly. I know, I know...pathetic, but that is one thing you just can't find in Finland-a good NY deli sandwich.

2.) I hosted a dinner party on Saturday p.m. and somewhere between the game of SPOONS and 6 bottles of red wine, we had a conversation about the scariest thing we had ever endured in our life. There were heroing stories of rock-climbing, 7.2 earthquakes, crossing avalanche slopes and being caught in storms on hiking trails (notice mother nature, that diva, had her hand in all of those stories). Then, my dear friend from Ethiopia put real perspective into our conversation and said..."I have been in war and I have watched people die." He continued to tell us that there was a civil war in his town and he and his father had to protect the family.

3.) After Subway, yoga, and waking up with a bit of a red-wine headache...it was time for another COLD-water dip with my friends from Pakistan, Brazil, Turkey, Korea, Belgium, China, France and the U.S. See pics...woohoo! I'm addicted... Oh, and this is Mary, my fabulous flatmate from Belgium (photo on right.)

Who Let the Dog's OUT??

Dog-sledding safari & overnight lappish hut adventure...like nothing I have ever experienced!

Ashley (my friend from Colorado) & I continued our adventure up north in a doggy-dog world. The 2-day trip for 1,300 SEK ($185US) was much cheaper than staying at the ice hotel and much more adventurous than sipping vodka from an ice cup.

Top 10 things to do on an overnight dog-sled trip with Ash & Leasa:
1.) Learn how to dog-sled and set up dogs on sled.
2.) Drive a snow-mobile!
3.) Chop wood to keep the huts warm (or at least try-see video)

4.) Sled (or sledge if you're euro) like mad-divas...

5.) Eat rudolph the reindeer (even if you don't eat red meat, come on...it's only 10% fat.)

6.) Sit in sauna (fully clothed) for 3 hours and slowly strip down as it heats up.

7.) Sleep in a (heated) lappish hut (see video).

8.) Ice-fish with a local who wears funky rabbit fur shoes (see video).

9.) Cross country ski...ah!

10.) Drive the dog-sled into a brilliant sunset.

Ice, ice baby!

In the far north of Sweden, you will find a hotel made of ice...pure ice, baby!
CLICK HERE TO SEE ICE-BAR VIDEO (filmed by Ash)

Just the icy facts, dude:
Internationally acclaimed ice-sculptors! Not only is this a novelty but it is an artistic novelty. Famous ice sculptors from around the world travel to this small arctic town and design the guest rooms with water on loan from the Torne river. Every room is unique!

Absolut ice bar! They serve you absolut vodka drinks in cups made of ice from the Torne river water.

Slumber party! The hotel is a cool -5/-8C (17-23F ) and guests prance around in these HOT one piecers that LA designers would die for. You stay in special arctic sleeping bags...but I just can't imagine when your bladder wakes you up at 4 a.m. and you must get out of your warm cocoon to walk to the bathroom (that is located through a set of reindeer fur doors). No thank you! Did we stay? No, we decided to go dog-sledding instead!

Show me the money! This is a total tourist trap (it sure trapped me), so they can charge an arm & a leg. To stay a night in one of the artistically sculpted rooms it will cost you 3,300SEK per person/night ($473US)... For an ice-cold absolut drink in the bar, plan to throw down 120SEK ($17US ) and to refill your nearly-melted ice cup is only 80SEK($11.50US). Did we throw down some vodka, yes!

Off to kiss the reindeers!

I am heading north, 145 km north of the arctic circle to Lapland! I will take a bus, boat, taxi & train (click here to see a map of my trip) to journey to a quaint little Swedish village called Kiruna, where I will meet my dear friend Ashley (from Colorado). We are going on a dog-sled safari & hangin' out at the ice-hotel where they serve really COLD vodka. More later...be back Tuesday, Feb. 27. Cheers...

Ice-skating & Pig...

Sunday was filled with culture, cold and lots of ice. My friend, Laura & I went ice-skating on the biggest lake in Tampere, Nasijärvi . So, check this out...they take a zamboni (ok, a mini-zamboni) & clear a track that forms a 4.2 km circle on the lake. It's was pretty cool (literally) until you look down and see your death in the big cracks. Are those supposed to be there? Luckily, we didn't fall in...because it was frozen!

Click here to see the ice-skating movie and hear some Finnish tunes...(filmed by: Laura).

Then, we journeyed to the Chinese New Year Celebration to ring in the year of the pig. A troop of Chinese kids (who flew in from China) performed the traditional dragon-dance in the ice-cold environs. No gloves. No wool knickers. No wool in their costumes. No hats.

Click here to see the Chinese New Year celebration (again, filmed by: Laura).

Anti-American Sentiment!

Did you know Wikipedia has a page on Anti-Americanism? There are some people around the world that demean & degrade Americans because they don't agree with the U.S. politics, power and/or culture. The U.S. culture in the eyes of some Europeans is a depiction of what they watch on TV & movies. Imagine if we lived our life like Sex in the City, Gilmore Girls, The Bold & the Beautiful (soap opera), Sopranos, Prisonbreak or Desperate Housewives? But this is what they see, this is how they view our day-to-day life. I don't know how many of my friends here have said, "Oh yeah, I love Sex in the City," and I reply..., "Do you think that is how we live?" Perplexed, they answer..."well, that is what we see." So, basically some think American's are wealthy, gun-totin', spouse-cheatin', prom queen's who wear stilettos, sleep with the gardener and love war. Since I am American, I am lucky enough to be a target for this type of anti-American sentiment. Last night I was asked, "Does every American own a gun?" "Do you think tobacco or guns are worse?" "If 51% of the American people didn't vote for Bush, why aren't the American people protesting?" One guy said, "Holland is turning into the U.S. because high-schools now have metal-detectors." "Americans are stupid, haven't you seen those shows where they ask people on the street to point to China on a map?" "Why do you call yourself American...because there are other Americans...latin, central, south, and this is just further proof of the U.S. arrogance. You should call yourself North American."

So, how do I respond? Well, I'm still trying to figure that one out...but I have learned that I am super-sensitive to these types of degrading conversations, because I know how stereotypes, prejudices and assumptions can be dangerous. This is all very confusing to me, as I am caught in a crossfire...I am proud to be an American because of the quality of life we live but on the other side I am ashamed of our foreign policies and our global greed. I have never wanted to strip myself of my American identity...until now! Should I be defending my country?