Saturday, May 12, 2012
You know you've lived in Finland for too long when...
You bike home at 2:30 in the morning for 30 minutes when it's -2 degrees wearing a tank top and shorts.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mission Impossible
I might regret this post if my current roommates ever read it, but I hope that if they do they are not offended and realize that I write it out of endearment (and mild exaggeration for comedic value...of course).
I know that I have been terrible about writing this year and I apologize, oh one person who reads this (read: mom). I think the problem I have with writing my blog is that I have too many ideas for posts. So many that I get overwhelmed with all the "work" I have to do and end up not writing anything. So, I am going to not write any of the ideas I have had up til now. If I have not written them yet, they are not important enough. And I will start with a blank slate.
However, you do require a bit of background. I have just moved to Rovaniemi (Northern Finland though not quite Lapland I am told) for my summer internship at the Arctic Center. The move was filled with insane coincidences that I would love to tell you about, but they fell before my decision to give up on my former ideas...so too bad! No, if there is demand (ie. if I have not already told you in person), I can maybe find the time to write about it.
No niin, I am now living with two Finnish girls. Although I had a Finnish roommate in Joensuu, as my lovely Finnish friend put it, she was "special". This means that she enjoyed socializing with me and my Japanese roommate and did not think twice about letting us use her stuff or coming to talk to us when we were in our rooms. All seemingly normal things to a Canadian. And, while I knew that this behaviour was not normal by Finnish standards, I did not have to confront that reality head on.
By Canadian standards, Finnish people can seem rude. They are very direct. This can be seen in the language where there is no word for please and you say "what?" when you didn't hear someone. Their attempts at small talk are awkwardly adorable at best or altogether non-existent. And in their mannerisms, such as pushing past someone who is in your way because you don't to bother them and/or don't think it is necessary to say excuse me. Coming from a world where everyday I have extended conversations with my bus driver or cashier and absolutely nothing is actually said, this can be quite shocking. Though it does make learning the language easier, as you can get by just saying moi (hi), joo (yes), hyvää (good/cool) and kiitos (thank you). They are also very private and it is common to live with someone for extended periods of time and never say more than hello as you pass each other in the hallway.
Usually, when I go to a country, I like to try to blend in. But I have always been to countries where I do kinda blend in or at least countries that suit my personality. So, I have decided that trying to be Finnish does not make me happy because it is not who I am, so I will just be myself and Finnish people and I will just have to work something out. Hence, Mission Impossible: befriend my roommates, so they act less like Finnish roommates and more like Finnish friends (who are absolutely fantastic by the way).
Here is my game plan. It's actually quite simple really. I will just force myself upon them. I will hang out in the kitchen (like I am doing now). They have to eat or go to the bathroom eventually and will be forced to say hi enroute. I will bake them delicious baked things and they will feel like they have to socialize with me in return. Finally, I will ask them how they are every time I see them and when they finally ask it back in response, I will talk about my day in great detail. I shall keep you updated, but so far so good and the cookies haven't yet come out of the oven.
I know that I have been terrible about writing this year and I apologize, oh one person who reads this (read: mom). I think the problem I have with writing my blog is that I have too many ideas for posts. So many that I get overwhelmed with all the "work" I have to do and end up not writing anything. So, I am going to not write any of the ideas I have had up til now. If I have not written them yet, they are not important enough. And I will start with a blank slate.
However, you do require a bit of background. I have just moved to Rovaniemi (Northern Finland though not quite Lapland I am told) for my summer internship at the Arctic Center. The move was filled with insane coincidences that I would love to tell you about, but they fell before my decision to give up on my former ideas...so too bad! No, if there is demand (ie. if I have not already told you in person), I can maybe find the time to write about it.
No niin, I am now living with two Finnish girls. Although I had a Finnish roommate in Joensuu, as my lovely Finnish friend put it, she was "special". This means that she enjoyed socializing with me and my Japanese roommate and did not think twice about letting us use her stuff or coming to talk to us when we were in our rooms. All seemingly normal things to a Canadian. And, while I knew that this behaviour was not normal by Finnish standards, I did not have to confront that reality head on.
By Canadian standards, Finnish people can seem rude. They are very direct. This can be seen in the language where there is no word for please and you say "what?" when you didn't hear someone. Their attempts at small talk are awkwardly adorable at best or altogether non-existent. And in their mannerisms, such as pushing past someone who is in your way because you don't to bother them and/or don't think it is necessary to say excuse me. Coming from a world where everyday I have extended conversations with my bus driver or cashier and absolutely nothing is actually said, this can be quite shocking. Though it does make learning the language easier, as you can get by just saying moi (hi), joo (yes), hyvää (good/cool) and kiitos (thank you). They are also very private and it is common to live with someone for extended periods of time and never say more than hello as you pass each other in the hallway.
Usually, when I go to a country, I like to try to blend in. But I have always been to countries where I do kinda blend in or at least countries that suit my personality. So, I have decided that trying to be Finnish does not make me happy because it is not who I am, so I will just be myself and Finnish people and I will just have to work something out. Hence, Mission Impossible: befriend my roommates, so they act less like Finnish roommates and more like Finnish friends (who are absolutely fantastic by the way).
Here is my game plan. It's actually quite simple really. I will just force myself upon them. I will hang out in the kitchen (like I am doing now). They have to eat or go to the bathroom eventually and will be forced to say hi enroute. I will bake them delicious baked things and they will feel like they have to socialize with me in return. Finally, I will ask them how they are every time I see them and when they finally ask it back in response, I will talk about my day in great detail. I shall keep you updated, but so far so good and the cookies haven't yet come out of the oven.
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