Marimekko Welcomes Spring

To mark the first day of spring, a famous Finnish design house, Marimekko, designed the google homepage logo. If you know Marimekko design, you will especially be familiar with the iconic blue flower representing "G". Happy spring!

"Marimekko design is all about understanding the beauty of life just as we encounter it every day – celebrating everyday moments and the special characteristics and nuances of the different seasons. Thus, with the First Day of Spring and Fall doodles, we want to inspire people to free their own creativity and have fun with it – every day and each season."

A Relentless Virus Comes our Way...

Our meds and Charlie breathing in steam.

I returned home late Friday p.m. and all I wanted to do was cuddle up with Charlie and die. But, I was not the only one zapped by the brutal bug, Charlie was illin' too. The next morning I was supposed to teach my FIRST yoga class, but overnight the sickness consumed my entire immune system. At 4 a.m. during a bout of sneezing all over Charlie (sorry, babe!) and blowing my nose, I decided to use all of my energy to get up and write the dreaded email to the nice Finnish lady who invited me to teach a class in her yoga studio. Ugh! Luckily her response in the morning was very nice and we rescheduled the class for March 25. On Sunday we were supposed to go skiing with the professor we work with and had to cancel that too. You know that if I am canceling yoga and skiing, I must be sick as a dog. Together, we were one big pathetic HOT-mess! But, the nice thing about being sick with your partner is that you can moan, groan, whine, sneeze, blow noses, take medicine, and laugh at the situation together. Plus, you can really take care of each other because you know how crappy the other person feels. So, despite how much being sick for 48 hours SUCKS...being sick with Charlie made it not-so-bad.

Another Fulbright Seminar: America in Living Color

Another Fulbright seminar, this time in Tampere, Finland (1.45 hours by train from Jyväskylä). We (8 scholars, 7 graduate students, and 3 PhD students) all gathered for two days where each of us presented our project in 30 minutes to a mixed audience of Fulbright supporters and a few University of Tampere undergraduate students. It was interesting to hear how the projects have progressed over the course of our time in Finland. Topics ranged from insect tolerance in climate change to sibling aggression to funkadelic music. I began to feel a little under the weather on day two, uh-oh!

Gettin' Married in Finland!

Charlie and I are gettin' edified in the Finnish marriage process.

The piece of paper we received with the wedding details.

1.) U.S. Blessing: In late January we scheduled a meeting with the American consulate in Helsinki to receive a marriage blessing (affidavit) from the U.S. After going through airport-like security, we were asked by a Finnish woman (sitting behind a bullet proof window) to fill out paperwork and sit in the waiting room which had patriotic American videos playing. Fifteen minutes rolled by and an Asian-American young man, about our age, called our names. Again, behind bullet proof windows he asked us a few questions and signed and stamped an affidavit stating that we can legally get married in Finland according to U.S. regulations. We paid $100 ($50 for each affidavit) and we were ready for the next blessing by the Finnish government.

2.) Finnish blessing: Next, we went to the maistraatti (local register) with all of our marriage paperwork (U.S. affidavit and more paperwork) to receive a marriage blessing by Finland (how many Popes are in this process?) Our understanding was that we needed to turn in the paperwork and then they would take some time to investigate our case for marriage impediments. But, this was not the case, after signing 2 pieces of paper and showing them our passport we were cleared!

3.) Date of Wedding: We did not know that we would also be asked to choose a date for our ceremony. Well, we did not really have a choice; the woman said (more than asked) how is April 20, at 14:30? I let out a little chuckle, because back in Boulder, CO this is a BIG day--cannabis (marijuana) day (bongo drums, people smoking up, etc.) a day when every university administrator at the University of Colorado frets the implications of over 11,000 people gathering on campus to smoke up. We looked at each other and then at our calendar and saw it was a Friday and said sure that works. In Boulder they choose marijuana, in Finland we choose love!

Charlie's ring, a German designer: Carl Dau.

4.) Wedding Details: The woman asked a few additional questions, (to me) what is your last name after the marriage? (To us) How many rings? Do you have witnesses? Yes, to get married in Finland you need at least two witnesses present at the ceremony.

My ring, an Austrian designer: Humphrey!

5.) Tour of the Ceremony Hall: She showed us the small, but elegant, room where the ceremony will take place...very nice. On the website it states, "The registrars of the local register offices carry out civil marriage ceremonies. The marriage ceremony can be short and no-frills, but can also include live music and poetry readings. At least two witnesses must be present at any marriage ceremony." Charlie asked how much it cost and she said no charge. FREE! In the U.S. this would cost money, so now we feel justified for paying taxes in Finland--we are beginning to reap the benefits of the social welfare system. I asked what language the ceremony would be in...and the women chuckled and said English, I did not ask because you are American. (Ouch...that just inspired me to learn more Finnish!)

Snowmen, Snow Soccer, and Sunshine

Today was the annual "Snowday!" event at the University of Jyväskylä. Which basically means: students hanging out on the lake participating in winter sports. I met Charlie at his lake-front office and we ventured out onto the lake where loud music pumped through speakers and sunshine warmed the rosy cheeked students. Some students were busy drinking olut (beer) and ice fishing while others snowshoed, cross country skied or played snow football (soccer). In tandem with "Snowday!", another (more political) event took place on the snowy beach of Lake Jyväsjärvi , the "Snowmen Against Global Warming" event. The university community was encouraged to build a snowman on the icy lake: "Ranks of snowmen are taking a stand against global warming at Lake Jyväsjärvi." Too bad the snow was a little too crusty to make proper snowmen, but that did not stop the students...they made snowmen out of blocks of snow--very innovative!

Gone Ice Fishing...

The sign says, "Danger! Thin Ice!

Ilkka, our Finnish friend, asked us if we wanted to go net fishing on the lake with his friend Mikko. Of course, we both jumped at the chance to experience ice fishing (insert clips of Grumpy Old Men movie here). Mikko drove us to the lake and (neophyte) Charlie was handed the blue sled full of augers and one big hook of which he pulled behind him as we walked through the forest to get to the shores of the lake. We walked on the lake until we came to a branch sticking out of the ice. Mikko made a hole in the ice with the auger and dipped his bare hands into the ice-cold water to find the fishing line. He pulled it up and no fish, except for the bait that was hanging on the line. Boo! We did this for about five more holes until finally we came to the BIG hole in the lake where he had strung three long fishing nets under the ice. We pulled out each net one at a time (actually the dudes pulled out the nets with bare hands...brrrrrr) and no fish. Shucks! After two hours and no fish we were all pretty frozen (and so were the fish apparently). So, we packed up and headed back to the car. Time for hot tea!