Almost through with Tammikuu (January)

Here we are with one week left in January, and yesterday was the first blustery snowfall that gave us much accumulation, and now it's mostly gone from some rain as the temperature rose just afterward. It's been a most unusual winter in Helsinki. And a busy beginning to the year. I feel fortunate to have started this ESL teaching here (though it has kept me from blogging as much - I'll do my best). It is going well. I'm less stressed about everything since I know my way around better now, and I know the students a bit better. I think I'm helping them so there's that satisfaction too. Gerald had to go to Lisbon this week - and we can feel a little sorry for him because he was so busy with meetings he didn't get to sightsee at all, so he doesn't feel he even knows the town despite spending 3.5 days there. He did call me from the hotel patio a few times when he was absorbing the 64F degree sunshine on breaks.

We got this rug last weekend and it really pulled the living room together - it's a Persian Tabriz Mahi that is based of the design of a fish, appropriate with the canal right outside.
The craftsmanship is amazing. The saleswoman called it 'food for the eyes', translating a Finnish saying, and it is that. She also said not to get it cleaned, and the best thing to do for cleaning is to put it upside down in a fresh snowfall, then shake it off. We have years before that's necessary though.

Another local custom I find interesting is that Finns believe in putting their babies outside for naps every day, even in winter, well swaddled of course. If it's well below freezing they wouldn't, but otherwise the kids are sleeping on patios and balconies all over town. I thought this was so unusual until I told my mother about it and she said she put us all on the porch to sleep too, all bundled up, in Michigan winters. I was happily surprised to learn that, since it does seem to be a very healthful habit. I couldn't have managed it with Claire on our NYC 5th floor fire escape - that would have been cruel, but we did walk out and about in the cold and she slept well in her snuggli.

I should also share the latest sunset news: we had sunset at 4:12 this evening and we will gain 4.41 minutes of day tomorrow, so we've already gained an hour since the solstice. It's a very noticeable change, particularly on clear days.

Onnellista uutta vuotta!

Happy New Year! We couldn't decide if we should head to Senate Square for New Year's Eve, as that is where the official fireworks display takes place. We wimped out, contemplating standing for hours in the cold, and are we glad we did!
We ended up comfortably sipping our champagne and having fondue while watching almost all our neighbors provide an amazing display right out our living room windows. As we are on the canal, many come here to set their fireworks off over the water. We even turned the couch around to face the windows, so we wouldn't crimp our necks - total wimps - it was fantastic. People were all gathered along the walkways below drinking their champagne and were generally well-behaved, and luckily we didn't witness any mishaps.

On New Year's Eve, we ventured out of town on a train to the village of Fiskars, formerly the tool & scissors foundry town, and now home to craftspeople and artists. It was mostly closed up, but we did visit the small house/turned-museum, and Claire took this beautiful and classic Finnish picture that day. We'll drive the Z back there in the spring.



And here are a few more pictures from the holiday: at the Ice Bar, about the size of a walk-in fridge but fun anyway and such chic attire; and I'm happy to report, I was finally able to vanquish Gerald in Scrabble. It's been a while since we've been able to outdo him. And no we did not play in Finnish.

The girls are back in the US safely and ready for busy years, with Kaliecia graduating in the spring, and Claire beginning to teach in a theater program in New York public schools. It was a nice, long visit but felt too short at the same time.

Finn Family Christmas

Our first Finnish Christmas was a success. We managed to fulfill most of the requirements of the holiday: plum tarts and rice porridge and later ham on Christmas eve, gifts exchanged that night, but none of the typical casseroles yet. And then Christmas day is a quiet stay-at-home day here and we had glögi and gingerbread. On the 26th, we walked to a wonderful circus right in the neighborhood.

We also made it to an outdoor Christmas market where Kaliecia got herself a bear (karhu) bonnet, which came in handy as it was windy and rainy many of the days the girls were here. I read today that this was one of the darkest Decembers in Helsinki with only 20 hours of sunlight the whole month! The worst was 6 hours - imagine that. It compounded the girls' jet lag to have such dark afternoons, and they never fully adjusted. But the days are growing a few minutes longer each day this far north, and we had brilliant sunshine today and more on tap for tomorrow.


Here are the girls in Senate Square and Kaliecia took an interesting shot of some balconey supports on our way to the Design Museum in Helsinki. We also visited the National Gallery to see some compelling Finnish art. Claire and I went to a Moliere play in Finnish at the National Theatre, which is a spectacular venue. She filled me in on the story line.