From top to bottom:
1. The Fordham crew at Mary and Danny's wedding. We do clean up nice don't we?
2. My pop and I at Thanksgiving.
3. Rockin the side poneytail at Mary's bachlorette.

Went ice skating tonight in Bryant Park...with our own skates!! woot! Though I have to say, the breaking in process is going to hurt. A lot. Luckily skating at Bryant Park is free if you have your own skates and its open until Jan. 15th So Rick and I can go a couple of times a week if we wanted to. Rick is really enjoying getting better at the basic tricks and whatnot. I am trying to show how but I am not a very good explainer of stuff;) On my side, I am having so much fun just being on the ice and sliding around. It brings me back to my childhood...when I was like twelve I got a pair of rollarblades for my birthday and I hardly ever took them off for the next three years. Every afternoon after school I would strap on my skates and head off for the basketball court-which was ideal for perfecting my little tricks. Hours would go by and I would just get lost in the wonderful feeling of gliding around in the fresh air. *sigh* good times!

Three months later and the skins are in a "rebuilding year." *sigh* Oh well...at least the Bears are good (well their defense is anyways).

Rick and I moved into the apartment I mentioned the last time I wrote. The move was surprisingly easy, thanks to the help of a couple of friends. The neighborhood is really nice and cheerful and two of my good friends from Fordham live within a two minute walk of our apartment. I get to hang out with them at least once a week (when we all watch The Amazing Race), which is so great. I was beginning to feel as though I only saw them when it was someone's birthday. Tomorrow night we are going to go see the new James Bond at our neighborhood movie theater (super tuesdays are $4!).

Thanksgiving was really nice. I went home to DC and hung out with my brother and sister and parents. I would have to say that the highlight of the whole day was when Caty and I beat everyone else at Trivial Pursuit (Jimmy Buffet! Richard III!). The Saturday after Thanksgiving I was back in NYC attending my friend Mary's wedding. Honestly the best wedding ever:) I will be posting pictures....at some point. Best not to committ too much at this point!

My boss is going to Finland tomorrow and I am completely beside myself with jealousy. He gets to go and see my friends in Jyvaskyla (hi friends!) who I miss so dearly. I just managed to get all of my pics from those two months (all 2,000 of them) uploaded onto my kodakgallery website. I look at them and think about how I am going to get back there someday. When is the big question...now might be the time to mention that I take monetary donations;)

Well folks, just 10 days and counting till football season. Woot! Oh no! I have to get my Moss jersey out of storage!! And the skins are 0-4 in the preseason....could this mean disaster?? I don't think so folks. Read this and (if your a skins fan) you'll get all tingly with excitment!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090100033.html

P.S. The apartment search appears to be over. Lets hope so. Rick and I found a really nice one bedroom in Sunnyside with carpeting (for Rick) and a pub underneath (for me;). Everyone wins!! Anyone want to help us move? (lol)

Hope yall have a pleasant Labor Day weekend (the US verison of Vappu)! *mwah*

Man! I suck at this!! I couldn't even finish telling you all about my vacation...and as it happens, I just got back from another vacation! The things to write about keep piling up. I'm like the little boy trying to plug up the holes in the dike. Boo!

My life has been a whirlwind since coming back from Finland (hi guys!). So much has happened and I can't wait to tell you all about it. Unfortunately, I do not have a reliable internet connection outside of work at the moment. But hopefully in the next two weeks I will be living in a new apartment (queens!) with my honey (yay!) and have reliable internet. And then yall will be sick of me and my stupid adventures! HA!!

Just a technical note about my blog. I am going to change my format a little, more specifically the description. I hope that doesn't freak you all out too much;)

Much Love!

And now some pictures from the start of our vacation in Copenhagen...*sigh*
(as usual, listed from top to bottom)
1. Rick and I posing in Nyhavn (the Old Harbor).
2. Hans Christian Anderson takes us on a walking tour of the Old City of Copenhagen. The building behind him is part of the old prison and judiciary complex. Back in the day, people who were convicted of a crime were walked over the archway from the courtroom to the prison.
3. Rick posing with the free bike we fixed.
4. Amalienborg Palace square with a view of a cathedral in the background. The royal family of Denmark spends most of the year at Amalienborg.
5. Rick takes a moment to pose with Hans.
6. The royal guard at Amalienborg Palace. Like their counterparts at Buckingham Palace, these guys don't talk.

Sorry its taken so long (again) for me to update my blog. I am almost a month behind now, and these past weeks were filled to the brim. I am going to hit the high points so if you want more details, you will have to get them from me in person. So here goes (again)!

Sunday morning dawned in Jyvaskyla and I was finally (yay!) on my way to meet Rick. After some complications, I finally reached Helsinki and had enough time to hang out more time in this beautiful city. And it was an absolutely gorgrous day. The highlight was watching a woman, her poddle and two cats preforming a street show. Before I knew I had to to get on the bus to the airport. I was a bit anxious about getting to my flight on time but check in and security were a breeze. I did a little tax free shopping and then got on the plane to Copenhagen.

I arrived in Copenhagen Airport about 20 minutes before Rick's flight from London was due to arrive. I had some difficulty figuring out where he was going to be and the terminal was incredibly crowded. After some deduction, I finally figured out. I got to Rick's gate just as the plane was pulling in. I cannot even tell you how happy I was to see him! We finally made to the baggage claim area and have to ask four different people where I could find my luggage. We were both wiped and decided to take a taxi to the hostel. Once there, we settled in and began discussing what to do for dinner. We eventually asked the receptionist at our hostel and she recommended a chinese restaurant in the main part of town. The food was good but I think it helped that we were both starving. We were so exhausted that we were dead asleep before 9.30pm.

The next morning we were up and walking into town about 10am. After a visit to the Useit office (a young person's tourist office), we took the Rick Steve's sef guided walking tour of the old city of Copenhagen. Copenhagen is such a beautiful city. The central vein of the Old Town is the Stroget, which is the largest (and oldest I think) pedestrianized street in the world. In our five days there, we walked down this street at least two dozen times. The cobble stoned streets that run off this main thourghfare are really charming, with houses painted in bright pastels and people lunching in cute cafes. In the following days, we got to know the Old Town very well. We took several walking tours (led by an American man who dressed up as Hans Christan Anderson). Needless to say we did a lot of walking!

Did I mention the bikes? There are a ton of people who own bikes instead of cars. And no wonder! The Danish government charges 180% tax on all new cars. So essentially, when you are paying for the car three times. And the gas is incredibly expensive. We think we have it bad at $3/gallon. Yicks... Anyways!! There are bikes everywhere in Copenhagen. The tourist board has even developed a rather successful free bike program for visitors. There are 200 free bikes scattered around the main city which you can take by depositing a 20 kroner piece in a coin holder. This releases the chain keeping the bike from just being obscounded with and away you go! When you are done using the bike, you just find a designated free bike rack, connect the chain to the bike, and out comes your 20 kroner piece. Its fabulous. Except that there never seemed to be a functional bike anywhere Rick and I were. It was really hilarous because we would see all these OTHER people riding around on these bikes. Finally, after about three days we come upon one bike that is in complete working order. We walk past, lamenting the fact that there were not two that we could use. And then we found another one!! Its chain had come off however, but with another functional bike so close, we decided it was time to get our hands a little dirty. Ten minutes later we had another functional bike:) After washing the grease off our fingers, we went to get the bikes. I went to the bike we had seen earlier, hoping that it was still there. Indeed it was, however we had not noticed that someone had tried to jimmy the coin mechanism and now there was a melted and twisted coin that would not come out! Rick, meanwhile was riding toward me triumphantly on his now functional bike. We both thought it was hilarious that after all the work we did on the one bike, the other was found completely useless. We each took turns on the repaired bike and then locked it back up next to the defunct one. We didn't find two bikes that both worked until the last night of our stay in Copenhagen. We rode them around for an hour or so and then went home!

to be continued...

Two weeks later, and some 9000 miles travelled, my journey is over. Since my last post, I have gone from Jyvaskyla to Copenhagen to London to Ireland and finally back to NYC. I am exhausted but so glad to be home and among all my friends and family. Alas, there is much to tell and I know all of you are eager to hear all about it. Because there is so much, I am going to break it up into several posts. So let me begin with my last few days in Finland....

My last week at Suvimaki went much too fast. On Tuesday, I went with some friends from the clubhouse on a lake tour. We couldnt have picked a better day. Hopefully you all will be able to tell from my pictures just how beautiful the scenery was. The boat that tooks us around is 100 years old, though you wouldnt know it to look at it. I spent much of the three hour tour (ha) sitting on the back deck and watching the world go by. I dreamed about someday owning a house by the lake and sailing everyday in the summer. I love boats!

On Wednesday afternoon I sat in on my last English Only table. We talked about American cculture and what I had liked best about Finland (the scenery, the people, and SAUNA!). We had no trouble filling the hour, which is a testment of how comfortable everyone had become speaking conversational English. Practice makes perfect! Well done guys:)

On Thursday, I went out with a bunch of folks to the Harbour Festival, where we listened to the worst cover band ever (no really). Despite the atrocious band, I had a lot of fun. I was bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning though for my last day at the clubhouse. The morning was spent working and people were suspiciously absent from my presence. By lunchtime, it was clear something was going on that I hadn't been told about. In fact, the folks at the clubhouse had organized a going away party for me! Very nice things were said all around and it was probably the first time in my life that I really enjoyed being complimented and the center of attention. Shocking I know! I would like to take this opportunity to say hello to my friends at Suvimaki. Thank you so much for welcoming me like you did. I can't wait to hear from you all! Expect a note from me soon.

On Saturday, I went sailing with a few folks. It was another beautiful day. We took the boat out from the harbour and headed for an island in the middle of the lake. We would have gone farther but there was not enough wind and the engine seemed to be having some problems. But we managed to make the best of it still. The island we came to is one of many in this particular lake, and the type not uncommon in Finland. On the island are bathroom facilities, as well as a sauna, a reception hall, and a cookout pit-where we spent most of our time roasting sausages and drinking cider. The best thing about this island is that it is for public use and therefore FREE. I don't know if there are places like this in the States but if there aren't, there should be! It was absolutely wonderful.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning my apartment and packing. I went to sleep in my bed in Jyvaskyla for the last time. Although, to be truthful, there wasn't much sleeping going on as the sun did not really go down that night. Yeah...not really going to miss that!

Now here are some pictures:)

*to be continued*

Part Duex....(these pictures are older)








1. I am working in the kitchen! (everybody run!!)
2-4. Various views of the lovely SUVIMÄEN KLUBITALO (Suvimaki).
5. The typical Finnish dancehall.
6. The lake by the dancehall at "twilight."
7. People dancing in FINLAND! (notice how I am not in these pictures. Some humiliations are not for mass consumption yall)
8. This picture was taken at 11:30pm. 'Nuff said...

I was looking at all the pictures I have taken since I came to Finland and realized that I have not posted any on this blog in a couple of weeks. So here is a whole slew of them...










1. The Harju in bloom.
2. The center of Jyväskylä town from the viewing tower on top of the Harju.
3. Purrdeee clouds.
4. Some chick sitting in the sun on the Harju.
5. This picture was taken just hours before I would discover that the water was actually colder then it looked.
6. The beautiful setting for the jazz concert.
7. Anyone else think its funny that I am wearing a Amsterdam shirt when I am in Finland?
8. Boats going through the locke between two of Finland's largest lakes.
9. A sign in Finnish!! (rough translation: Fishing is forbidden beyond this point). Now try pronouncing it...
10. A lakeside beach (I don't even want to think about how cold that water must be).

This weekend was more social than usual. When I got back to my apartment on Friday afternoon, the sun was shining and I was eager to get outside. When I walked in the door, my cell phone started ringing. It was a friend of Kati’s who I had met before Kati had left for NYC. We made plans to meet later in the evening at a bar in the city center. Her boyfriend (was here in Finland visiting) is American and she speaks English fluently. We had a fabulous time…but sadly, that night had an ill affect on me all the rest of the weekend and into Monday. I feel so old! Saturday morning and afternoon was spent recuperating from the previous evening and gearing up for going out again that evening. I was going dancing!! As I wrote in my last post, I was going to a Finnish style dancehall with some folks from Suvimaki. The place we went to dance was typical of a traditional Finnish dancehall in that it was out in the country among plenty of birch and fir trees and situated next to a beautiful lake. There was even a dock for people with boats who wanted to come and dance in the evening. It had been raining off and on all day, but by the time we arrived at the hall, it had cleared up considerably. It turned out to be a beautiful night.

The live band was playing many traditional Finnish songs which sounded very Russian in tempo and style. As is the problem with many dancing establishments in the United States, there were too many women and not enough men to have as partners! What made it more difficult was the tradition that only men could ask women to dance. Women asking men to dance was generally frowned upon, unless directed by the band to do so. However, despite these obstacles, I was able to dance a few! I danced a humpa (Finnish polka) which was really fun, though I wasn’t very good at it. I also danced a tango, which I have never danced with any seriousness before. Most of the evening was spent watching the other couples dance. Most of the folks at this dancehall looked like they could have been professional ballroom dancers. It was really fun to watch. Around midnight, we all piled into a cab and headed back to Jyväskylä. I was finally asleep at about 2am.

Sunday dawned and it turned out to be a gorgeous day. I spent it reading (I finished rereading The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe and started The Mother Tongue, an unfunny but very interesting history of the English language by the usually hysterical Bill Bryson) and walking through the harju (meaning hill park in English) across the street from my apartment. At the top of the harju is an observation tower from which (on a clear day) you can see all of Jyväskylä and its surrounding lakes and countryside. The view was worth every step to the top, and there were may.

I can honestly (and a little reluctantly as well) say that my father was right. Digital is the way to go! I am completely addicted to my digital camera and have gotten used to taking all the pictures I want instead of just some. I have taken almost 1,000 pictures since arriving in Finland. You all have seen some of these and given me positive feedback. This has really encouraged me to continue developing my photography skills-something which I didn’t think I had the time or money to do. I hope to keep using this blog once I get back to the States to share with people my experiences living and working in the city. Certainly my pictures would play a big roll in this.

What do you all think? Would you keep tuning in when I am just writing about my dull, drab life in NYC? (Of course I am only kidding. My life isn’t dull…just drab!)

Hope you all are doing very well. Before long I will be back on American soil :(/:) But first, there is my last week in Jyväskylä and then 2 weeks traveling with some dude named Rick;) Love you and miss you all!

Until next time!


P.S. A word (or two) on Saunailta (or Sauna Night). Last night after work, a group of about 10 members and staff went to enjoy Finnish sauna, roast sausages, and play games in a cabin by a lake. It was Ladies First and we ladies really enjoyed ourselves. We sat in sauna and talked for about 25 minutes before leaving to “rinse off.” Since the cabin was right next to one of Jyväskylä’s major lakes, there were several women who planned to take a dip in the lake in lieu of the shower. Well, I just had to join them. We all giggled down the path, anticipating the shock of the freezing water. And the lake did not disappoint. While the Finns I was with commented almost mildly (relative to me anyways) about the chilly water, I started screaming as soon as one foot was in the water. “Oh God! Oh God! Damn it! Its cold!” Something to that affect anyways. The others later joked that I sounded like a bird caught in the clutches of a predator. Soon, my old swim team mentality kicked in and I fully submerged myself and immediately started treading water. I was numb all over and then I started feeling pins and nettles all over my body. When we finally got out of the water (we weren’t in for longer than 3 minutes), every inch of my skin was beginning to tingle. I could feel the blood rushing through my veins. It felt truly exhilarating! Sweating my guts out and then submerging my self in frigid waters meant nothing to me after this feeling. I would do it all again in a heartbeat!

The rest of the evening was spent playing games and roasting sausages over a fire. It was a very Finnish evening. It was incredibly fun!

Ok, I am done now…again:)

The week is over (2 more weeks left!!) and I think I have spent it well. On the nice days I have sat and read in the park that is a few blocks from my apartment. The grass is very lush and together with the sun, often induces sleepiness. I love falling asleep outside...its a really fabulous feeling to wake up from a doze in the warm sun and hear everyone around you laughing and talking. Must do this more when I get back to NYC. Aside from sleeping, I have also written a lot of letters and postcards to you folks back home. I have even managed to finish reading several books (including Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which is hilarious...although youall would know this because I am apparently the only person in the world who hasn't read it yet). Anyways...

More news of the day...
*Apparently I know something about international hockey. In celebration of the Hockey World Championships this past month, some members and staff at Suvimaki put together a sort of hockey pool (like we do for the NCAA basketball tournement). You had to decide who would win each game and then in the end which teams would be the top three. I know hockey teams even less than I know basketball teams, and thats saying a lot. Therefore, I guessed my way through the pool. I guessed based on countries I would like to visit most, for instance, I would like to visit the Czech Republic more than I would like to visit Belarus. Sorry Belarus:(And it turns out that guessing works! I, along with two other members, took first place in the pool. Needless to say, I was astonished. Yesterday, the folks who had put together the pool gave the winners each a certificate saying they had gotten first in the pool and a bag of Finnish chocolates (yum!). Everyone is convinced that I was understating my knowledge of international hockey. Sadly, nobody has asked me to be a part of the World Cup pool yet. Now soccer I know!
*Also yesterday, I also finally got up the nerve to help lead the afternoon meeting. Everyone was so pleased that they all clapped everytime I wrote someone's name down correctly. And after the end of the meeting, they all stood up and cheered. Gah! I was really embarrassed. Fortunately for you all, there is once again documentation of my humiliation in the form of a photograph. Thank you Suvimaki!
*Tomorrow night I am going with a group from the Clubhouse to a Finnish dance hall. I will be tangoing and waltzing all night! More news (and most likely pictures) of that next week.

Hope you all are well! I love you and miss you all...

P.S. My friend is getting married tomorrow! Woot!! Congratulations to Shannon and John!! I am so happy for youall:)

P.P.S. Tomorrow is also the anniversary of the first day of the best year of my life. I love you...

Hello! And now for something completely different...

So, having read all about my weekend adventures, I thought it high time for me to tell youall about my weekday life. Essentially, it centers around the workday at Suvimaki (8.30am to 16.00, or 4pm for those non-military folks out there). Until last week I was working mainly in the Employment and Education office. I helped to gather information about member work placements and to coordinate weekly trainings on various employment and education topics. Twice I presented to the group how each of these programs (transitional employment and supportive education) worked at Fountain House. People were very interested at how much we can do at FH and are hoping to expand their programs so that more members have the opportunity to achieve their goals in these areas. Occassionally, as I might have already mentioned, I help members and staff translate important Clubhouse documents from Finnish to English and from English to Finnish. Because of this translation work and the language barrier (which is actually more like white picket fence than a barrier), I have had to become more precise in my word choice and expression. I can think of at least two people (maybe more if former English teachers are also reading this) who are excited about this development. Aside from this, I have really enjoyed talking with people about how best to capture the true meanings of the words they are translating. I have stressed a need to be careful about how something is translated. If not careful, meaning could be changed or even lost.

Since last week, I have been working in the Kitchen unit. I am loving it!I love cutting things (imagine that! Folks who knew me when I was four years old know from experience the importance of me loving to cut things...ha!) and helping to create the daily lunch. Today we are making spaghetti and meat sauce. Yum! In the kitchen, there is a work deadline every afternoon at 12pm. We get a lot of help from the members and time just flies! Meghan (hi!): you would be interested to know that the first thing I do every morning is to make the salad (haha). Anyways, cutting things is a nice change of pace. I will work in the kitchen till the end of this week and then I will spend my last two weeks at Suvimaki (yikes!) working in the Reception unit. I am not sure what I will be doing there but I have been told that its very similar to my unit (Research!) back at home. I really like being able to work in different units. It allows me the opportunity to get to know more people. There is no such thing as boredom in Clubhouse.

Last Thursday was a day off for everyone in Finland (Holy Thursday) and so I spent the day with a friend from work. She just moved with her husband and two girls to a new house and it is really nice. Most of the day was spent driving to pick up some furniture from a friend. I was happy to tag along especially because it gave me an opportunity to see more of what lies outside of Jyväskylä. It was a cold clear day...perfect for taking a drive. The Finnish countryside reminds me a lot of Washington State (without Mt. Reiner sadly). When we got back to the house, we had dinner and watched some TV. My friend's youngest daughter and I have become great friends. She is really adorable!

This weekend was very relaxing. I spent a lot of time reading and listening to music. On Saturday, it was nice enough to read outside. In the evening, I went to see The DaVinci Code. I haven't read the book so I don't know if I should feel disappointed. I liked it well enough and thought it presented some very interesting ideas (if only they weren't fiction!). On Sunday, I went to have dinner with the director of Suvimaki and her family. It was really great to sit back and relax and to talk to these friendly folks. After dinner, we went for a walk to the big lake nearby and then "got lost" walking in the woods on the way back to the house. I cannot tell you all enough, it is really lovely here, everything is so green and fresh looking. I have been relishing the cool spring here, knowing that pretty soon I will be going home to sit in a boiling pot of water until September (and thats if I am lucky). Boooo! for NYC summers.

It is hard to believe that I only have three weeks left in Findland. This experience is almost over and I am at once happy to be góing home and sad to be leaving these wonderful people. The one thing I am certain of however, if I had to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat. Until next time...

I love you and miss you all!

Whew...ok here we go
1) In case youall are forgetting (have forgot?) what I look like, here's me with the beautiful city of Tallin behind me.
2) An artisy shot of one of the old look out towers that is part of the city's defensive wall.
3) Another artisy shot of the city wall.
4) What you might find when turning a corner in Tallin.
5) The walkway between the two city walls.
6) A view of the Town Hall and its Square from one of the narrow side streets of Tallin's Old City.
7. A lovely little park tucked away between the narrow side streets.
8. A narrow side street (ha).

Well it was still raining when we got to Tallin, and actually it was getting worse by the moment. After some searching (aka following everyone else into town), I finally found my hostel. Most hostels I have had the pleasure of staying in are these big, dorm filled places that if you are lucky will also be filled with friendly fellow travelers. I really like hostels, even the crappy ones, for this very reason. I never have felt so comfortable having impromptu discussions with perfect strangers about politics and religion and traveling. If you have never stayed in a hostel, I suggest you try it. Anyways. This hostel I stayed in Tallin was in the Old City and felt more like a guesthouse than a hostel. It was ridiculously small…seriously there was one room with two bunk beds, and that’s it. I felt a little weird but then I figured that I wasn’t going to be spending much time there.

The man who was running the hostel when I came in was very friendly. He even offered me to use one of the hostel umbrellas when I went back out in the rain to explore the rest of the town. I accepted, figuring that this wasn‘t NYC and I wasn‘t libel to get my eyes gouged out and so my whole principle thing about umbrellas was unnecessary. It was pouring when I came back outside. But despite the rain, there were quite a few people out and about doing just what I was doing.

Tallin is the capital of Estonia and because it is so easy to get to from Finland, many Finns travel here for the weekend. Though their motivation is a tad different from the average tourist. Everything in Estonia, including alcohol and tobacco, is cheaper. Essentially, folks come for the weekend to stock up as it were. Those interested in doing the touristy things stick to the Old City. Which is what I was planning on doing.

The Old City is very old indeed. It dates way back to Medieval times (again no history lesson this time) and is separated from the other parts of Tallin by two huge, protective walls. Inside the walls, you feel as though you have stepped back in time. The streets are all cobbled and narrow. There is a big town center which also contains the town hall where concerts and town meetings are held. When I walked by the town hall, I could hear a choir warming up for practice. Standing outside in the rain and listening to those voices was a really beautiful moment. I walked on through the square and climbed the hills to the top of the city. The view of the old city from the top was just amazing. The Old City also has several fantastic churches, each following a different style of architecture.

Even though it was still raining, I felt encouraged and fortunate to be able to see this city. Unfortunately it was at this time that I discovered my camera battery was running low. I was going to have to come back in the morning to take pictures of the city. And hopefully, it would be nicer out in the morning.

For dinner I decided to go to one of the two Medieval-style restaurants in town. I met two other Americans while eating (the food was good by the way) and we got to talking about our travels. They were very nice people and after dinner we decided to go in search of a good bar. After some searching we finally found a place. I spent the next couple hours talking to them and it was really nice. This kind of thing is exactly what I like about traveling.

I went back to the hostel and with the rest of the group (of four) staying there, watched the final night of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was really hilarious. The commentator was British and he kept making all these pithy, very English comments about the show and the scoring. To make it even funnier, there was an American woman and a Greek man running the show-they had no chemistry whatsoever and managed very well to come off as being horribly awkward. In the end, Finland was victorious!! I have noticed in the last few days the contest that news of Finland’s win made the news in the States. So maybe you all have read about this already?

I woke up early the next morning, camera batteries charged and ready to go. It did turn out to be a really lovely day and all told, I took about 200 pictures. Here’s a note to my day (hi, dad!): I took these pictures in both black and white and color. I think they all turned out very well. Also, I am going to have a hell of a time deciding which pictures to post…there might be more than usual folks.

I miss you all and can’t wait to see you! *mwah*

Well! My weekend was jam packed with new experiences and new places. This is the way I would life to be always. Brace yourselves folks, this is going to be a very long entry. In fact, it is so long, that I have decided to break it up into two parts (and even those parts are enormous). The first part will be about my trip to Tampere and Helsinki and the second trip will be about my time in Tallin, Estonia. So here goes…

On Thursday morning, about 25 members and staff from Suvimaki (including me) go on a bus bound for the city of Tampere, which is about 200 km south west of Jyvasklya. Many folks were going to spend the day at a local amusement park while another handful of people were going to attend a Finnish Clubhouse Coalition gathering. I was asked to come along with the director of Suvimaki and some other members to the coalition gathering. I really enjoyed the gathering, as it gave me a chance to meet more people working in the other 17 clubhouses in Finland. Everyone was so excited to meet me and to ask me about my Finland experiences. I had the chance to tour the clubhouse in Tampere where the meeting was taking place. I also was asked by some folks to help with a major translation project. I felt so honoured to be asked to come to Finland and now people were asking me to help with this very important project. I was overwhelmed. Each clubhouse in the coalition had the chance during the gathering to get up and talk about what their clubhouse was up to. When it came time for Suvimaki to speak, our director asked to say something to the group of about a 150 people (more people than attend the Wednesday afternoon FH meeting). I was really nervous and was hoping that I would be able to speak clearly. I avoided embarrassment thankfully and articulated well enough!

After the gathering, I met a few members and staff from the Helsinki clubhouse, which is the largest clubhouse in Finland (though still smaller than FH). I was going to be travelling with them back to Helsinki and the next morning would visit their clubhouse. On the trip back, many people came up to me and asked me to talk about what I thought about Finnish clubhouses and to explain the differences and similarities they had from Fountain House. I talked about all the wonderful things each clubhouse is able to do and what I can do to help Fountain House become better. I really like the attitude of the people here. The Finns I've met seem to very pragmatic and while they are proud of what they've accomplished, they are always thinking of what they could do to be better.

We got to Helsinki and it was than that I realized that I had forgotten to write down the address of the place I was going to be staying. Fortunately, one of the members knew the hotel and offered to take me there himself. Unfortunately, for me, the members and staff at the Helsinki Clubhouse already had some experience with this establishment and it was not positive. A couple of years ago, they had some of their colleagues who had come for the three week training stay in this hotel. The colleagues did not have nice things to stay about the place. I was very nervous and a little pissed off that I was going to be spending so much money to stay in such a place that rented by the hour (if you get my drift and I think you do). Here's my impression of the place after staying there for two nights: Not the worst place I had ever stayed (that honour goes to Prince Street Backpackers in Edinburgh...yuck!) but I think I would have hated it with a passion too if I was to stay there three weeks. On the positive side, the hotel offered free breakfast and free morning sauna in the price of the room. I was definitely going to be taking advantage of these things while I was in Helsinki.

Helsinki is a really wonderful and charming city, even in the rain and the wind and the fog. Its very European but has a Russian twist. Its brightly colored buildings and many churches make the city feeling cheerful and inviting. I hope my pictures will do it justice better than my words. But the best part of the city: the trams! I loved riding around on the trams and did it as much as possible, even if I was only going to go a few blocks. And it was cheap too! For six euros, I got a 24 hour pass.

When I got to my hotel I decided to go back out and explore the city. After all, I still had at least 4 1/2 hrs of daylight left before it got "dark." I went to Senate Square and took in the beauty of the cathedral and the surrounding buildings. I walked around some more and when my feet could take me no more, I went to a supermarket to get my dinner! Just like when I was in Ireland, my dinner here has often consisted of a baguette and some yummy cheese spread. I also treated myself to a can of Murphys-what a delight to find it here in Finland! I took my goods back to the hotel and ended up eating my dinner while watching a hockey game with another hotel guest. We talked about American sports and he told me about a friend of his who is obsessed with American baseball. In fact, to my dismay, his favourite team is the Yankees (booo!). When the game was over, we watched the first part of the Eurovision Song Contest. Youall should look it up if you don't know about it. Its kinda like American Idol only bigger and more outrageous (if you thought that was possible). This year happened to belong to Finland and their selection, a heavy metal band named Lordi. The song is pretty catchy (if still a bit cheesy) but the members of the band are very scary looking! I am not kidding. Look them up yall!

The next morning, I went to the clubhouse and worked in the kitchen unit until lunch. The size of this clubhouse is larger than Suvimaki, but I think the members and staff have struck a really good balance between the resources they offer their members and the type and quality of the relationships that exist in the clubhouse. I really enjoyed working in the cafe -and I can happily say my Finnish is improving with use. I now can count to 100! Woot!!

After helping with the pre-lunch duties I had the chance to talk to the director of the Helsinki, which was very helpful to me. It is becoming more and more clear why I have been sent here to Finland on this exchange. When I come back to work at Fountain House I will help to formulate an action plan of sorts that will help us all become better members and generalists. The prospect of my experiences being the catalyst for change in such an institution is a little daunting to me. It will involve a great deal of thought while I am still here and then consultation and the actual planning when I get back to NYC. Talking to other clubhouses is incredibly helpful and will help me articulate my ideas to the folks back home.

The rest of the afternoon was spent riding around on the trams and seeing various Helsinki sights. There are a lot of churches and markets in Helsinki and I tried to see as many as possible. I was planning on leaving for Estonia the next afternoon and because I wanted to see as much as possible while I was here, I gave myself a schedule. I stopped at this nice little cafe after a couple of hours and had a cup of coffee while I planned my next moves.

I should just take the opportunity now to point out to you all that once again, I might be addicted to coffee...and no wonder with all the imposed (ok they aren't imposed) coffee breaks here in the clubhouse. I think Finns might drink more coffee than Americans, which is saying a lot! It doesn't help that coffee (or kahvia in Finnish) is cheaper than soda (no surprise there really) and even water. I found myself in this situation in Ireland and ended up having tea stains that my dentist thought were caused by a decade long coffee habit. So yeah, I have been drinking more coffee lately. I am sure I will be able to break the habit once I get back to NYC. Although....ice coffee from Amy's sounds really, really good right now.

Because of my limited time and the amount of space I had to cover to see the sights, I was not able to go to any museums. Therefore (and I am sure you all will breath a sigh of relief) there will be no history lesson on Helsinki. The only thing I really know historically is that the Russians, when they took over Finland from the Swedes, moved the capital from Turku to Helsinki. I think I might have pointed this out to you all already. Yay! for redundancy! I understand that the museums in Helsinki are all very nice and informative, so count yourselves lucky that I ran out of time.

That evening I went to a Karelin (Finnish country style) restaurant called Mamma's Place and ate to my hearts content! Two things about this dinner: 1) I finally tried reindeer, which is the national dish of Finland (I wonder what the US's national dish is? apple pie?) and it did not taste just like chicken...needless to say, I don't think I will ever be eating it again; 2) Despite the reindeer, the rest of the food, especially the homemade bread, was delicious! The atmosphere was great too! I definitely went back to my hotel happy and full.

And now folks, a short (ha) evaluation of my first Finnish sauna experience. It was fabulous!! At first, when all I was doing was sweating and having a hard time breathing, I thought sauna was very much my worst nightmare. Thankfully, there was another woman with me who not only showed me the ropes but who struck up a conversation with me while we were perspiring. That definitely helped pass the time away. After about 15 minutes in the sauna, we got out and stood under freezing cold showers (this in lieu of a frozen lake to jump into). Now I know why the Finns love to sauna! I felt so refreshed and invigorated and relaxed and happy! I jumped right back into the sauna to do it again...

I spent my last hours in Helsinki checking my email at the Tourist Office and then sitting in a cafe by the harbour drinking kahvia and eating pulla (yummy bread with different fillings). I was excited about going to Tallin and only hoped that it would not be raining when I got there.

to be continued (lol)....

Tampere and Helsinki
1. Its strawberry season in Finland (this one's for you Shyam!)
2. The Union Workers Memorial (they say that if a virgin walks by these guys, they will strike the anvil...)
3. A view of Senate Square (with its famous cathedral in the background).
4. Another view of Senate Square from the top of the steps of the cathedral. You notice the tram in the background?
More pictures next week...stay tuned;)

More pictures...these are all shots I took when I was out this Sunday biking and getting lost. I hope you enjoy them!

Hope all is well with everyone! I have loved all the comments people are making on the blog and hope you guys keep it up. If you haven't posted a comment yet, go to it!

I am going to be seeing a lot of Finland in the next couple of days. Tonight I am going to a Finnish Women's Baseball game (the Jyväskylä team is apparently really good) with some folks from Suvimaki. Tomorrow morning we are all off on a spring trip to Tampere. Most people are going to be hanging out in the local amusement park, but (sadly) I will be participating in the Finnish Clubhouse Coalition meeting that is to be held at the Tampere clubhouse. From there, I am leaving my Suvimaki friends for the big city (in this case, Helsinki). I will be there until Saturday morning when I depart for (I still can't believe this one) ESTONIA! lol...seriously though, it is not even a hop, skip, and jump from Helsinki (its a much shorter distant then you would think) and I have been told that I must go there at least for one day. Sunday I return to Helsinki and then Jyväskylä. I am tired just thinking bout it;)

Love you and miss you all!! *mwah*