How To Help And Offend...AT THE SAME TIME!

A couple weeks ago (I know - total slacker with my blogging...), Jyv�skyl� was a sheet of ice.  I'm not just referring to the lakes either!
The sidewalks were horrendous to walk on but as the sun peeked out more and more  - most of the side walk ice began to melt - yay!
But there were still a lot of rough and icy patches I assure you!  I have the busted up bruised knees to prove it.

Anyways, I decided to get my hair cut after my Finnish lessons one day and then grab the bus to head to a knitting group.
While waiting for the bus, I dug out the latest Sookie Stackhouse ("True Blood") novel and was enjoying trying to figure out who killed so and so...and what will happen with Eric and Sookie...or Bill..or Tara's pregnancy!
Sorry, did I get side-tracked?
This little old lady came walking over and there was a huge patch of ice in front of the bus stop and I noticed she had a cane with a rubber bottom - she didn't use the metal pick attachment.  Brave lady.
I kept an eye on her to make sure she got to the bench safely and she did.
After a couple minutes she asked me a series of questions in Finnish - I don't dare to try to write them down IN Finnish but my guesses in English instead, along with my responses in Finnglish.
*Please note:  When I hear Finnish now, I pick out the words I DO know and try to string them into a sentence to figure out what is being said/asked!  Also, please excuse any poor spelling in Finnish or Finnglish.*

• What book are you reading?
  "Englangtia!" - me so proud of myself...
• Oh English.  I have 2 boys and one lives in America and married an American (amerikkalainen) and they have children.
  "Joo.  (Me being super brave and thinking "maybe I'll use some of the Finnish I learned today!")
  M� olen kanadalainen."  (My inner Finnish-learning goddess does a happy dance since I repeatedly said this at least 20 times that day in class).
• "MIN�!" she screeches at me.
  *BANG*  There goes all my confidence...a quickly deflated balloon floating to the patch of ice on the ground...
  "Oh.  Min� olen..." I whisper meekly...but I double checked with other Finns later and they think it depends where she's from and perhaps "Min� olen" is the old-fashioned way...and my schoolwork still says "M� OLEN"...so there.  (Perhaps it's an issue of written versus spoken..anyway - clearly I'm still learning!)
• "Is your husband Finnish?"
  "Ei, kanadalainen." (Confidence slowly building...)
• "Does he live in Finland?"
  "Joo, asun Laajuavuoressa!" ("Yes, I live in Laajuavuori!" WAHOO - I'm getting there!)

Insert some quiet Finnish silence...then I dip my toes in the water again...
"Mulla on kaksi lastaa." (I have two children.)
She then continued to converse with me and all was fine in the world.

THEN the bus came.  

I flagged down the bus and she dug out her bus pass in her right hand and held onto her cane with her left.  I shuffled on the ice then turned back to help grab her RIGHT elbow to help her across the ice.

Well, she clearly thought I was going to rob her of her bus pass...because she had a look of fear on her face.

SERIOUSLY.

So I pointed to the ice and the bus and showed that I was trying to help her - not steal her freaking bus pass.
She then snootily told me that she did not need my help.

Fine - I got on the bus and that was it.

After sharing this experience on Facebook, some Finnish friends advised me to not take it too seriously or to heart that I was rejected to help her NOT break her bones because older Finns tend to be pretty darn un-grateful at times of need.
One friend mentioned that she helped this elderly lady carry her groceries X flights of stairs and made sure she got into her apartment safely and the lady didn't even thank her.  Just slammed the door in her face and that was it.
Not that my friend expected anything more than a "Kiitos!" (Thanks!) which takes all of 2 seconds to muster the courage and say it...and is free.

Thankfully, I do not use that bus stop very often - if at all.

How To Survive Winter and Things To Do!

I try and blog about this every year for those that are new to my blog and I hope this provides some useful information!
If you've never seen snow before - well, people in Helsinki are (supposedly) expecting 50 centimeters of the white stuff relatively soon...
This year (similar to last year too) the snow has been slow getting here and staying on the ground.
So I am enjoying it as much as possible - although snow helps to brighten up the darkness and it's fun!
(Also it makes it a lot easier to spot and avoid dog mess when playing in the snow...)

SO!

How to survive winter and the darkness of Finland...

• Wear safety reflective vests, reflective bands, clothing and dangling reflectors ALL over!  Well, you don't have to blind anyone but definitely at least 1 on each side of your body!  Especially if you are walking a lot and crossing the road - it's not easy to see the other side of you from a driver's point of view!!  Many roads are poorly lit and many pedestrians like wearing black for some reason here (yes it goes with everything and blends into the darkness and is a slimming "colour" or shade...but you won't be thinking that if you end up in the hospital!).   And it's not just cars you have to worry about but cyclists as well that ride on designated bike paths or on the side walk.
• If you have a vehicle - it would be smart to pack a couple safety reflective vests in the trunk - should you need to pull over and check something under the hood.
• And you should probably pack a shovel in the trunk too - in case your car gets plowed in with snow!
• If you're walking a dog - please put some sort of light on them or reflective coat too...
• Wear a head lamp or have a good lamp on your bike! It's hard for YOU as a cyclist to see where you are going on a dark road - let alone for pedestrians and other cyclists to see you too.  A non-blinking lamp is probably best so you don't give someone a migraine or a seizure...
• Wear LAYERS!!!  Layers are necessary once the temperature begins to drop and depending where in Finland you live - the more Northern you live - or near the coasts - the more necessary layers become!  Aim for relatively light-weight layers so you are not instantly sweating by the time you are tying your boots!  This also helps you to move comfortably too.
• Here's some information about frost bites and hypothermia!
• Take your VITAMIN D!  Without a lot of sunlight - you'll be feeling extra sleepy and this can help perk you up a bit!  Or you can get one of those special lamps that radiate vitamin D and fake sunshine to get you going in the morning.
• Get MOVING! No, don't pack up your belongings...but just get outside and enjoy the weather as much as possible and the fresh air too!  It can be sad and lonely indoors - so definitely invite your friends over or meet up for coffee somewhere - just for the sake of having a social life outside of the internet or cell phone world.  
• Sign up for some courses like Zumba, yoga or Tai-chi!  Or perhaps go rock-climbing (indoors), play sports or join a craft group or reading circle!
• Pick up a new hobby or new project involving a hobby you're already familiar and interested in!  (I.e. Ravelry is fantastic for knitting and crocheting patterns...)
• Volunteer!
• Keep warm!  Yes that was hinted with the "Wear LAYERS!!!" above - but even indoors - keep warm.  Some flats and old homes can be quite drafty so definitely wear some layers at home if necessary, drink lots of hot beverages (i.e. coffee, tea, hot chocolate - or do you call it cocoa?) and become BFs with your sauna.  
• Remember, some Finns are hardcore sauna fans and they'll not only roll in the snow once they're hot enough but they might even take a dip in the freezing nearby lake.
• "BF" means best friend not 'boy friend' in this case.
• Wear sunscreen on sunny days! Many people have been fooled by the idea that they cannot get a sun burn on any exposed skin during a cloudy day but that is not true.  If you plan on going out for a long period of time - you may want to dig in your summer bag for a blob of sunscreen just to be safe.  The sun does peek out a bit in the winter and it is possible to get a burn...combined with dry air (if you live in a dry area of Finland) - the results are not pretty!
• MOISTURIZE!!  I live in Central Finland which is nice and dry - if you do too - you'll definitely want to moisturize your skin - body lotions, lip balm and so on - so your skin doesn't crack.  Trust me - it hurts like a you know what!

Things to do during a Finnish Winter...

• Ski - down hills or cross-country!
• Skate - or play ice-hockey!
• Craft - knit, sew, crochet, make cards, scrapbook, pottery, carpentry, weave...
• Travel - you'd probably want to go somewhere warmer for a bit - or travel to Lapland for the Northern Lights...or perhaps to Santa's Village?
• Study!  Sorry I reminded you...
• Work...sorry I reminded you about that too.
• Do a polar dip after sauna (then run like crazy back into the sauna!)...
• Bake and cook popular holiday goodies!
• Read or write....
• Take photos or write a blog about your life in Finland!
• Join Postcrossing!  (I am not an employee or volunteer - just a member and love it thoroughly).
• Have movie marathons with friends...
• Learn Finnish!
• Thaw out and clean your freezer and fridge!  Your food can go on the balcony which should be cold enough!!
• Stock up on ice-cream - this is a prime time if you don't have a car and have to walk quite a bit to get home!
• Drink gl�gi...sorry egg nog is not sold here.
• Make snow angels, build snow people, have a snow ball fight...
• Shovel snow or pump up the snow blower!
• Sleep?

SNOW SNOW SNOW!

You would think that because Finland gets a lot of snow - that everybody hates it.
But that's not true!
Because it's dark by 4pm...if not earlier...and the sun doesn't come peeking out until about 9-10am...it's pretty dark out!  The snow acts as a reflector of the street lights and it brightens up the area A LOT.

But at the same time, it has it's down sides too....like having to bundle yourself and your kids up in at least 3 layers....pushing a stroller with hard plastic wheels can be a complete pain when there's clumps of snow in the way (or the sidewalk has yet to be plowed)....oh and then half the side walk is usually gone too.

And a word of caution:

For some reason - Finnish drivers do not (doesn't apply to all) sweep the snow off the roof of their vehicles.
Can we say: DANGEROUS?!

• Scenario #1: Think of it this way...you're the driver behind the jerk who didn't sweep off their roof...a bit of warm air, a breeze or a sharp turn or brake - and POW!  You have tonnes of snow and possibly ice on your windshield...you can't see...it's a green light and you can't see.
  You're swerving...the people behind you are swerving...and the jerk up ahead is trucking along totally oblivious to the hazard they just caused you.
  
• Scenario #2: You're a cyclist (yes Finns ride their bikes in the winter) and you get a face full of snow....and then you fall and possibly get hit by someone else from behind or on the side.

• Scenario #3: Scenario 1 happens and your windshield cracks...it's totally possible with the weight of ice and snow and speed and other physics-related things...and 1 little tiny crack can cause you a huge-assed problem.  It'll spread and it costs a TONNE of money to replace your whole windshield!

So please, PLEASE, PLEASE...wipe the snow off the roof of your car.

Onto other Dangerous Snow-Related Accidents in Finland:

• Be cautious of walking under trees....they are heavy with snow and probably some ice because it's been raining....it hurts quite a bit when a chunk falls and smacks you in the face, head or neck.
• Be VERY cautious of walking near tall buildings...sometimes people are on the roof shovelling the ice and snow off and it hurts a lot if you get hit.  Normally there's someone below telling the shoveller when pedestrians are walking by....not always.
• Sometimes ice and snow just falls off the roof of buildings - the taller the building, the faster the fall, the harder it'll hit you.  So try to not walk glued to the sides/fronts of a building....

Many pine trees are so old that the weight of the snow is weighing down their branches and they are SNAPPING off...so be careful!

I have 10 - how about you?

What do most people have 10 of?
FINGERS &TOES.

Now, why in the world would I blog about 10 fingers and toes?
During one of my knitting nights at a friend's home, the husband (not mine but the hostess's) was mowing the lawn outside.  All was well, we were chatting, knitting, going over the latest magazines and books and all of a sudden we heard: "CLANG CLANG, CLANKETY CLANG...MMMMMMMMM" from the lawn mower.
The hostess jumped up quickly and ran out the door.  Needless to say - I was confused.
But all was well.

Why did she jump up and run outside?
Well, it turns out that several years ago, her husband was outside mowing the lawn and cut off some of his toes (I forget how many - but a good chunk of them).  Because their yard has some bumps and small hills - the lawn mower was angled so that it got caught on a bump and he had kept walking and snip snip snip.  Bye-bye toes.
I've never seen his feet before - so I was impressed that he was managing without some (if not all) of his toes. But my friend advised me that they found them, put them on ice - rushed to the hospital and the doctor smiled and said, "Well! You're the first one this year!"
Thankfully because they were quick and the toes were on ice - they were able to re-attach them properly.

I guess it's common here in Finland to lose some pedi-digits!
(And yes, he was wearing sneakers and socks - the lawn mower cut right through the layers!)

And I thought Canadians were TOUGH...

At dinner last night at Tim's professor's home - we met a lovely couple named Erika and Elijah. They were the ones who told us about the homes having names and that sometimes when you mailed an envelope you wouldn't even put the person's name on it!
Anyways I had mentioned to them that in NS - there is something called the "Polar Bear Swim/Dip" every New Year's Day....in which people are brave and jump into the ocean to celebrate a "New Year" and everything else that comes along with this. It's televised and many people of all ages do this. I suppose to "cleanse yourself" of all the old memories from the previous year.
Well didn't I look silly. The Fins apparently do this ALL winter long! They swim in lakes in the winter and go to their Saunas to heat up. Apparently the saunas are usually 20-50 meters from the hole in the lake so to get to the hole - one should wear wool socks. Because the air is so cold and the water as well - if you were crazy enough to go bare foot - your feet would stick to the ice. (Think tongue to metal pole or lips around a frozen Popsicle!!!)
And the "really crazy Fins" go for a dip, go in the sauna and roll in the snow after they're too hot in the sauna. I think that's a little much.

Most homes have saunas in their backyards - in a separate small house like a shed (but not quite as small). Some of the more modern or fancier apartment buildings also have saunas - either tiny ones per apartment or communal ones for all tenants to share. Then you would just sign up for whatever time you'd like to have the sauna for (say 1/2 hour) - and you could invite your friends. The sneaky way to get more sauna time was to have all of your friends plan and sign up for their saunas in their buildings - and just have a sauna party everyday of the week if you wanted.

I recently got back from the grocery store by myself (a very dangerous thing to do as a pregnant woman - I'm sure you females understand) - and picked up a package of Kaakao minidonitsi (Chocolate Mini donuts). I am not one for chocolate to be honest - white chocolate is fabulous - milk chocolate occasionally and any kind of chocolate with a fruit center or nuts is great! I didn't think that these mini donuts would be good - but whoa - they're amazing.
I am a Maritimer and that means we have a Tim Hortons on every busy street if not 2-5 of them. Tim Hortons needs to learn how to make these puppies! They're amazing! And light!
They are plain donuts and just lightly coated in milk chocolate. I figure a little treat for the husband since he was busy at school all day researching - but if he can do his research on Arabic Philosophy - then I am in my right to do my own!!
Thankfully I have been walking like mad everywheres and do not feel any guilt (not that I did before pregnancy anyways) about having one mini donitsi and a bowl of yoghurt.