Colours All Around Us

October 9, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 8 Comments

Finland has four very definite seasons and syksy (autumn) has surprised and stunned me with its vibrant colour displays.

We are very lucky in New Zealand to have a native bush reserve behind our house, but I realise now that it is made up of evergreens, that while beautiful, hardly change colour.

My walk home from Finnish class today was punctuated by trees sporting shades that match all the new words we have recently learnt – punainen (red), vihreä (green), keltainen (yellow), oranssi (orange) and ruskea (brown).

The walk around Töölönlahti is different each day as the trees start to drop the leaves we watched them grow only six months ago.

I find the beauty of the city right now is definitely helping me adapt to the cooler weather.

Today was a warm 12 degrees and so Miko and I stayed on after daycare to play with some friends in the leaves.

We used to always try to imagine how things will look once they are covered in snow. For now I’m just enjoying how they look painted for autumn.

Syksy in the Sauna

October 6, 2014October 6, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 9 Comments

With syksy (autumn) in full swing, the temperatures in Helsinki are dropping and the wind coming in off the Baltic Sea is more effective at waking you up than any cup of coffee you’ll ever have. Today’s temperature is forecast to be a ‘high’ of 8 degrees, but reportedly feels like 5.

It has become evident that with autumn days here being as chilly as the coldest days in Auckland, my ‘winter jacket’ is now my ‘autumn jacket’, as the mercury has a long way to drop yet. With no hot springs around and bath tubs very rare, I’ve had to find a new way to really warm up.

Luckily we have moved to a country where sauna culture reigns supreme. Pronounced sow-na, sauna is one of the very few Finnish words to be incorporated unchanged into the English language. Finland is home to 5.3 million people and 3.3 million saunas and we are lucky enough to have one in our apartment. You could safely say that every home and summer cottage has one and if our apartment didn’t have its own, it is highly likely there would be a communal one downstairs that we could book or use during the allocated times for men and women.

Our sauna measures just over 2m x 1.6m and is so well insulated that even when switched off the temperature sits at just below 30 degrees. It has three levels of seating and can fit 2 or 3 people quite comfortably. It is heated by an electric heater, or kiuas, that takes about 20-30 minutes to reach 80 degrees. On top of the heater sit sauna rocks and amongst them is a little Saunatonttu – or sauna elf we were given as a gift. In Finnish lore he is to be respected and will not tolerate behaviour such as eating, arguing or sleeping in the sauna. There is an old Finnish saying, “saunassa ollaan kuin kirkossa,” – one should behave in the sauna as in church.

Contrary to everything we were taught as children in New Zealand, not only is it okay to throw water on the heater, it is encouraged. The steam that comes off the rocks is called loyly – a word that can be traced back to having a similar meaning to spirit, life or soul. Each sauna’s loyly is unique and it really gets the sauna experience started by instantly raising the temperature in the room.

To enhance circulation we have a long-handled brush that we can scrub ourselves with, or we take turns hitting each other with the vasta – a purpose-made bunch of birch branches bound together and available at all good sauna supply stores. There are sauna specialty shops around the place and the big name stores like Stockmann and Antilla will always have a sauna supply section within the homewares department.

We were also given a range of sauna fragrances, which we add to the water that we throw on the stones. This range includes Eukalyptus (eucalyptus), Koivu (birch), Savusauna (smoke sauna) and Terva (tar). These oils do more than just fragrance the room though – they really add to the cleansing experience and are beneficial in the same way aromatherapy or steam inhalations are. In fact, the sauna used to be where women would give birth and the dead were washed before burial, as it is often the cleanest room in the house.

There is so much more to say about sauna and sauna cutlure here in Finland and with winter approaching I’ll be doing loads of research! The heaters in our building haven’t been turned on yet so if the temperatures keep dropping and the wifi’s good enough I might have to make my next post from there!

Health Benefits of Sauna Fragrances

Finnish Sauna

Why Finland Loves Sauna

Where’s the wine? Ask the Alko

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 6 Comments

Despite being at different ends of the globe, New Zealand and Finland have a few things in common – one of them being a strong drinking culture. There are subtle differences in the approach and underlying reasons for this love of drinking, but one that stands out is how people in Finland obtain their alcohol.

Like Finnish supermarkets, those in New Zealand sell beer – but they also sell wine. In fact, they often have tastings where you can sip on a (plastic) glass of wine while you shop. In Finland however, the supermarkets can’t sell anything that contains more than 4.7% alcohol.

So while Finnish supermarkets have vast selections of beer and cider, you won’t find anything stronger. Cans are also sold individually if you desire, which is a bit different to how it is generally sold in New Zealand.

Anything with a higher alcohol content is sold at Alko stores, which are owned wholly by the Finnish government. There are 350 stores around Finland and while their website says 90% of Finns live within 10km of a store, they can be surprisingly hard to find.

Being a monopoly, prices are standard across all Alko stores – and so is the selection, although some stores will stock a bigger range than others. If there’s a quantity or item you want for a special occasion you can order it in (although most Finns will go to Estonia or Russia for cheap booze and bring it back by the car load for a wedding).

In Alko stores, wines are sorted by country, in alphabetical order. There’s often a good range of organic wines and lots of spirits, including Finnish vodkas. Finns aren’t traditionally big wine drinkers, but the biggest selling items in the last quarter were white wines and red wines, followed by vodka and spirits.

The Alko website claims that 80% of Finns are happy with the current arrangements, however the Opposition Party in Finland has called for taxes on alcohol to be dropped, saying Finns live in a prohibition era. They claim the government’s involvement in alcohol sales leaves the main population punished for the drinking problems of a few, without the underlying reasons people drink being addressed.

In the meantime, I’m missing the great range of Australian and New Zealand wines back home, but am learning a bit about European ones – at more affordable prices. And while you can’t just pick up a bottle of red with your groceries, perhaps the time it has taken for me to find the nearest Alko will save me from becoming one.

Come wash with me

September 19, 2014September 19, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 8 Comments

We brought one big rug amongst our household things to Finland and apart from the occasional vacuum it doesn’t get a whole lot of attention. If we are going to have an authentic Finnish experience however, it seems we will have to beat it.

A communal rug beater in an apartment block in Lappeenranta

Most Finnish homes are not carpeted and instead are furnished with a few rugs of various sizes. Effective heating removes the need for carpet and there seems to be a commonly held belief that carpets are unhygienic.

So outside most apartment buildings and homes you will find a structure for hanging rugs while you beat them. This seems to be something of a summer ritual, however I have read accounts of people laying rugs out in the snow to harden them up before beating them.

Traditionally, washing rugs has been something of an event down by the lakes and waterways of Finland. Many places still have large areas set up solely for this purpose.

As people have started introducing chemical detergents into their washing routines the effect on waterways has been considered and water is now often diverted away from the main outlets. People are also encouraged to use natural products.

Although there was only one man out the day we walked past this area, the laundering of rugs can be quite a social event, with many tubs set up for washing and soaking. There is also a large wringer used to help speed up drying.

And what better way to relax and enjoy the summer sun than to take a dip yourself while your rug dries? (In the lake that is, not the tubs).

A Day in the Life

September 10, 2014September 10, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 6 Comments

Miko is now at his second Finnish daycare (not expelled, just moved house) and based on our short time here there are a few things I’ve noticed that are quite different to New Zealand daycare.

Daycares are in high-rise buildings
Miko’s first daycare was on the fourth floor of a large modern building and his new one is five floors up in a building that is probably 100 years old. Each daycare has a playground nearby they head out to each day, where they store outdoor toys in large, lockable boxes.

They go out in all weather
Rain or shine, Finnish children play outdoor every day. I believe the cut-off point is when the temperature drops below -20. Miko’s daycare recently headed out to the zoo on a drizzly day with a high of 10 degrees celcius. The only times they won’t go out is if there is thunder and lightening. If it’s raining, the kids just put rubber pants and jackets on over their clothes and jump about in all the puddles.

Carts like this are used to transport smaller children to the playground

More outfit changes than Beyonce
Because of the all-weather outdoor play, I have had to buy Miko quite a few new clothes. He heads out in regular clothes plus over-pants for the dusty playground. In his backpack he has: sunhat, warm hat, gumboots, rubber overalls, rubber jacket, gloves, and a change of clothes for inside. And we’ve yet to hit winter!

Opposite of NZ
In NZ it’s not unusual to play outside in bare feet. And at daycare we would always wear shoes inside. Here, shoes are always worn outside and removed indoors. This goes for all visitors to daycare too. So once inside, Miko changes into his slippers. Even Jonathan wears slippers at work and it’s not unusual to see a rack of slippers in many Helsinki offices.

Meals are provided
Lunch is provided in daycare and every day, right up to the last year at school. It might be made in-house or delivered by a company. Regular menu items include: soup and rye bread, lasagne, fish bake and peas, sausages and rice. For kids like Miko, vegetarian options are also provided. Miko is not yet three and expected to serve himself, scrape his plate and stack his dirty dishes. He also pours himself a glass of milk or water from the drinks stand.

Amazingly, lunch is still provided for children through-out the holidays in city parks. You just turn up at the city playgrounds on the right days, bring your plate and spoon and line up for your meal. There’s no stigma attached, the lunches are part of life and for all children. It’s like a modern day Oliver Twist – we went to a playground one day and there must have been 100 kids and parents lining up for lunch.

And for dessert…
After lunch at daycare, all the children help themselves to a piece of chewing gum from a large dispenser. Finland is very proud of xylitol you know! Not only did they discover its benefits for dental health, but also that chewing can reduce middle-ear infections in young children. I love all the self-reliance Miko is being taught but honestly, if he’s being cheeky, there’s nothing more annoying than being spoken back to by a three-year old chewing gum!

What is your Finnish name?

August 16, 2014February 7, 2015 / Mel_inHelsinki / 6 Comments

Miko. So exotic in New Zealand. So common in Finland. Well, Mika and Mikko are common boys names, so people are often surprised and ask why he has a Finnish name.

As for our surname…D’s and W are not common so when asked, it sounds like we are saying ‘wah-wah’ and we get some momentary blank looks. I’ve been asked a couple of times to write my name down and circle which is the first name and which is the last.

The Finnish Alphabet

Surnames only became compulsory in Finland in 1921. Prior to that people would often take a name associated with the area or farm in which they lived. Because the farm might be home to workers who were unrelated, the surname didn’t necessarily mean people were family.

Later, some families took Swedish surnames to reflect the status held by those of the upper and middle classes. Those in the armed forces were given names, whether they wanted them or not. Having a Swedish surname then does not necessarily mean a family speaks Swedish.

Lappeenranta, Finland – a great place for name inspiration

As the political climate changed, people began to drop Swedish names, or translate them back into Finnish. Surnames to do with nature became common, especially those ending in merio (sea) and niemi (peninsula). Other common names include Laine (wave), Vainio (field), Nurmi (grassland), and Salo (grove).

Common endings are -nen (small), and -la / lä (place of). By 1985, 38% of Finns had a -nen name and 13% had a compound word name, eg/ Kivimäki (stone hill) or Rautakoski (iron rapids).

The Finnish Ice Hockey Team 2014 Olympics - 11 / 25 have a name ending in -nen

The Finnish Ice Hockey Team 2014 Olympics – 11 out of 25 have a name ending in -nen

So there’s a Finnish name generator where you can enter your given name and magically be given a Finnish one. I’d LOVE to know what yours is (if you don’t already have one!) , so give it a go and let me know. I’ve tried it a few times and get the same answer every time.

And if you do have a Finnish name, I’d love to know what it translates to in english!

So, this is Virva Lehtinen (my new Finnish name) signing off.

Finnish Name Generator

Is homesickness a disease?

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 8 Comments

I’m no stranger to moving. By the age of 11 I had lived in four different towns around New Zealand. But a week after moving to Helsinki I started to feel pretty low and it got me thinking: Is homesickness a dis-ease?

View from our lounge at our temporary accommodation in Helsinki

Things didn’t feel difficult, they just didn’t feel very easy. And it’s not that I felt un-easy here – but I missed the sense of ease that comes with being in a familiar place and knowing all the social norms and expectations. I felt temporarily in a state of dis-ease.

View from our lounge in New Zealand

Everyone speaks English here but often the signs are all in Finnish or Swedish, so until I could ask someone I was looking around for social cues as to what was expected of me. Where do I queue? Do I take a ticket? What does that very important-looking sign with the picture of the stroller say? Park here? Don’t park here? Is everyone wondering why I’m doing the opposite?

I used to watch people to see if we were expected to park our strollers under here or was it just an option?

These structures are common at playgrounds & I used to watch people to see if we were expected to park our strollers here or was it just an option?

But don’t feel sorry for me! I feel much better now and am genuinely enjoying the experience and am grateful to be here. Those challenges now feel character building, rather than overwhelming. Of course I still miss family and friends but that’s different than really pining to be back home again.

Helsinki skyline

One thing that makes a big difference when you are new somewhere is the kindness of strangers. The chance to have a conversation or some banter in the street takes on a whole new meaning when it may be the only interaction you have that day. I’m so grateful for the support I have received from home and also that of people I hardly know here.

My sister-in-law checking in on me (I do know her), her sister-in-law checking in on me, people I’ve never met who have agreed to meet up because a mutual friend has asked them to, even when they haven’t seen that mutual friend for a very long time! The woman I met in a playground who gave me her number and invited us to her daughter’s birthday party.

Auckland skyline Photo credit: Stephen Murphy, 2007

These interactions and acts of kindness mean so much when you’re new in a city. Sometimes they turn into lifelong friendships and sometimes they don’t. And that’s okay, but they give me the courage to keep going and talk to the next person I meet and feel better about how life is going here.

I’d really like to ask you: is there someone you know who is new to your town that you’ve been meaning to have a coffee with, may have even suggested it to them, but have not followed up on? It might only be an hour out of your time, or just ten minutes to ask ‘How are things going?’ but don’t underestimate the difference you can make in someone’s life as they begin to find their place in their new home.

Moving tips for my former self

July 11, 2014July 11, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 5 Comments

The Fourth of July – Independence Day for some, moving day for us! Like a 1950’s traveller our belongings had survived the six-week voyage by sea and were ready to be delivered to our new address in central Helsinki.

Anchors aweigh! Our things ready for sailing

Only three months have passed since we packed but it was funny to see what I had anticipated we would need. It was soon evident how sentimental I am as I unpacked boxes of photos and gifts from family and friends. This includes a small rock I was given for my 21st birthday that I have taken with me to Australia, back to New Zealand and now Finland. (Sentimental or just semi-mental?)

You know you're in Finland when the former tenants forget to take their reindeer fillets and escargot from the freezer

You know you’re in Finland when the last tenants forget to empty the freezer of reindeer fillets and escargot

If I could go back in time, here’s a few packing tips I would give myself:

– don’t worry about all the small appliances like the toaster, jug, lamps and fairy lights. The power adaptors you’ll need to run them may cost more than the item did.

– unlike Sydney, where built-in wardrobes are very rare, storage won’t be a problem in Finland. So leave the large chest of drawers behind.

– also unlike Sydney and Auckland, moths and cockroaches don’t seem to be compulsory flatmates. You can leave half your airtight storage jars behind.

– a Japanese phrasebook and an absinthe spoon – what were you thinking?

– it’s good you packed the books you’ve been meaning to read and haven’t yet. If you haven’t read them by the end of winter, stop carting them around!

– same goes for cookbooks.

– there are shops in Helsinki.

View from our lounge in Auckland (moving in 2012)

View from our lounge in Auckland (moving in day, 2012)

The fourth of July was also the due-date given to us last year for the arrival of our twins; two baby boys we lost at 16 weeks pregnancy. If I could talk to my former self from that time too I’d say, time doesn’t change things, but it does keep moving forward and you really never know where you might find yourself just one year on.

View from our lounge in Finland

The positive side-effects of moving overseas

May 8, 2014May 10, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 3 Comments

I was laughing with my friend Adam about why we felt we needed to move somewhere else before we made a start on our ‘A Better Me’ to do list. For example, I just ‘knew’ that once we moved to Finland I would cook my way through Ottolenghi’s Plenty cookbook, despite only using it twice in NZ. I also ‘know’ that in winter I will read all the novels I have on my bedside table and use my time wisely, doing craft and baking rather than lying around eating cheese toasties like I do at home. And Adam ‘knew’ that once he moved into his new house he was going to do yoga on the balcony each and every morning. I must check in with how that’s going….

Artist’s impression of me baking this winter

…because I’m making some headway on my list! Although its all by circumstance, rather than self-discipline. Which makes me think perhaps I wasn’t really identifying enough with why I thought I should do some of these things in the first place and therefore never did them. Here’s what I’ve managed so far:

I’m walking everyday

Original reason: I love to exercise and make it a part of my daily life

Real reason: We don’t own a car here

I no longer watch TV

Original reason: My time is valuable and I use it wisely

Real reason: Everything I’ve seen so far is in Finnish or Swedish except for McCleod’s Daughters or Emmerdale. Having said that I did watch a bit of Miss Finland and a doco on Abba but am not tuning in to tune out every night.

I’m not reading the news

Original reason: I don’t need to fill my head with the bad things that happen in the world

Real reason: I don’t really feel too attached to the world of news here or overseas at the moment

I don’t drink wine every night (despite it being good for your heart)

Original reason: My body is a temple and not one that takes communion every day in large glasses*

Real reason: They don’t sell wine at the supermarket and the Alko store is a fair walk away (more on that later)

We eat simple meals each night together at the table

Original reason: We eat mindfully and value our together time

Real reason: We don’t have a fridge full of food accumulated over time and we are also trying to buy conservatively as we are still spending NZ dollars. Jonny now finishes work at 6pm at the latest and not Miko’s bedtime like he did in NZ. (Also see item above about not watching TV).

We live minimally and are not tied to our possessions

Original reason: Something about not needing ‘stuff’ to feel good

Real reason: It’s all in shipping containers and isn’t here yet!

* I realise this is a mixed religious metaphor but nobody says ‘my body is a Catholic church’

Upside-down world

April 28, 2014August 2, 2014 / Mel_inHelsinki / 3 Comments

I'm doing a load of valko kirjopyykki - who wants in?

I’m washing a load of valko kirjopyykki – who wants in?

Setting foot in a new country can be disorientating after a long flight (or two). Finding where to put your feet is another task altogether.

New Zealand, with Australia, is known as the Antipodes by those in the Northern Hemisphere. From the Greek anti (opposite) and podus (foot) we are the people living with our feet on the opposite side of the globe. In fact Plato used the term to refer to an upside-down world on the other side of the planet.

Any New Zealander heading to Europe has to quickly relearn the ‘right’ way of doing things. We’re used to the embarrassment of realising we’ve hopped into the driver’s seat of the taxi or stopped the flow of traffic on the escalator by standing on the left, not the right.

But I was horrified to see a bus coming towards us on our first day in Helsinki with the driver totally distracted. Until Jonny pointed out it wasn’t the driver I was looking at but a passenger, standing in the front of the bus searching for their wallet.

Although everyone speaks English here, all the signs are in Finnish or Swedish. To my untrained eye they look like all the leftover letters from a game of hang-man. No amount of squinting will tell me if vetää means push or pull as I fumble with the door while people wait behind me.

Instructions in the rubbish room clearly laid out in Suomi

This disorientation is a good feeling though as it reminds me we are in a different place; that things that seem so strange now one day become second nature.

We’ll just know to weigh and price our fruit before getting to the supermarket counter and not to wander onto a cycle path without looking.

We may have come from the other side of the planet but it won’t be long before we have our feet the right way up in our new home.

Hey Helsinki

A New Zealand girl in Finland

Adjusting to a new life

Colours All Around Us

Syksy in the Sauna

Where’s the wine? Ask the Alko

Come wash with me

A Day in the Life

What is your Finnish name?

Is homesickness a disease?

Moving tips for my former self

The positive side-effects of moving overseas

Upside-down world

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