Fast Times at Tikkokoski High

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

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?

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)...

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

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!

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...

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!

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

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

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...

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?