Swimmers, Beggars, and Dogs

Todays topics are a few of the things I have been meaning to mention for some time now.  First are the swimmers.  Th flat that we live in over looks a marina.  This time of year all of the smaller boats are gone of course, but the docks and larger vessels remain.  Well, I was looking out the window about a month ago and saw what I thought was a man in a speedo bathing suit heading out to the docks.  I looked more intently, and sure enough, it was a man in a speedo...in the beginning of  November.  I followed his actions, and he did in fact go swimming, or should I say he got wet.  He climbed down a wooden ladder I had never noticed before, and in he went.  He moved his arms about for about 30seconds, and then he got out of the water and went into the marina locker room facility/coffee house.  The coffee house is only open during the good weather months, which sucks because I could use a convenient fancy coffee source during this cold weather, but I digress.  Anyway, a lady soon followed suit, "swimming" for about 30 seconds and getting out.  Crazy? yes, but it gets better.  They're still doing it!  A good number of what are probably otherwise sane people are still going swimming....it's December for heavens sakes...and we are not in the Bahamas people!

I figure this need to go in the water now is probably some kind of conditioning for the ice swimming that the Finns love so much; they cut a hole in the ice, attach a ladder to get out of the hole, and jump in.  Then, of course, they go to the sauna.  The Finns love the Sauna...but that's another blog story for another day if I ever get invited to go to one.  By the way, it seems that the bathing suit of choice for men, regardless of body shape, is the speedo.

Now to the beggars.  Every big city has them.  They frequent the same corners and other locations, and rattle their cup with change in it hoping that people passing by will give them money.  I don't know their story...who ever does?  But I can tell you this: a number of them are wearing winter coats that cost at least 200 euros (I know from my own personal shopping for a coat since we arrived) which seems contridictory to their cause.  I figure if I were begging in an area that gets as cold as Helsinki, Finland it would make sense to spend the money I made on good outter wear, so there is some logic in it, but it also occurs to me that appearing to have such nice things is not working to their favor in looking needy.  But what do I know.  It does make me feel fortunate that I am not in their position, though.  My life is really rather good.

Now to the dogs.  I love dogs.  I mean I really love dogs. And so to, it appears, do the Finns.  Dogs are everywhere here.  They ride the public transportation, they go into stores, and they have dog parks in most communities.  We have a dog park one block from our flat.  You see all sizes and breeds, and they are all well behaved.  My other ex-pat friends with dogs have said how they are embarrased by their own dogs that bark a lot more than Finnish dogs and like to go up and greet people without being invited to do so.  The impressive behavior of the Finnish dogs is also, however, a bit off putting.  People walking their dogs, and the dogs they are walking, seem mto be on a mission and I dare not interrupt such concentration.  If I were back home in the States I would approach every dog I see to get my puppy fix.  I always ask if it is ok to pet a dog first, but then I am all about petting the doggy.  I'm not sure how a Finn would take my enthusiasm.  It may seem an intrusion into personal space, I don't know.  Still, it is great to see the dogs, if not to touch them.

Cling Wrap

I just finished cooking dinner and had to wrap some leftover cheese in cling wrap..I hate the cling wrap here in Finland!  First of all, the serraded edge on the box is made of...wait for it...carboard!  Yes, I said cardboard.  I know, it is probably more environmentally sound or something, but it doesn't cut.  Then, the wrap is so thin that it sticks to itself in bunches before you can even finish cutting it off the roll, and you know the rest.

So buy a different brand you say.  Yeah, right.  Like that's an option.  Here in Finland, choice is not something you can expect in a grocery store (clothing store, yes, but not a grocery store).  At first, I found this refreshing...who needs an entire aisle of cereal?  But now with the cling wrap thing, well, I'm starting to rethink the convenience factor.  OK, enough of the cling wrap...but you'll be pleased to know that I brought my own plastic wrap over from the States, so when this roll is gone I can stop pulling my hair out (and, yes, it has an environmentally un-sound metal cutting edge).

On another note, there is one really cool thing at the grocery here: lettuce.  Yes, lettuce.  When you buy leaf lettuce here it is still in a pot of dirt...talk about fresh!  It is very cool.  And the cheese counter is also very convenient.  The cheeses are in a counter completely separate from the lunch meats, and it is packed with every cheese imaginable...except "normal" cheeses like cheddar, mozzeralla, provelone; those you can find (if you look hard) in self serve cases.  The staff is very adept at helping you to pick the cheese you need for any occasion too.

The meat section is another story.  Although the staff is very helpful, I feel funny asking what things are because I'm not sure how I'll react.  I know that there are things like reindeer and elk in the case, and other things I don't even want to know about.  As I've said, I'm not an adventurous eater, and the idea of getting elk instead of beef, say, is quite frightening to me.  And the beef is quite lean...the Finns are a very health conscious people...which I find annoying.  I like to use fatty beef for taco meat and drain off the fat afterward, thus keeping the flavor that the fat provides but losing the unhealthy excess of fat.  Healthy may be good for me, but it sure doesn't taste as good sometimes!

The other thing that the Finns do well is baked goods.  The bakery is just wonderful.  This is one place where there is loads of choice...you can't even imagine the breads!  And pastries and cakes, etc..  it is fabulous!

So much for the grocery.  Did I mention it is in the basement of the department store?  and it has free lockers to put your other purchases in while you shop.  Cool, huh?  One stop shopping.  Not too bad.
I'm sure I'll discover more new things as I go, but for now, that's the scoop on grocery shopping here in Finland.

Doctors

Let me tell you about my first encounter with the medical system here in Finland.  It was last Monday, and it was quite an experince.  First, I had to call for appointments.  That was pretty painless at first as there is a line to call in English.  Problem is that I was transferred to another line that could better help me, but that line had an automated system that was not in English.  Flusstered, I contacted Sanna who is very helpful about all things Finnish, and long story short, I made two appointments for Monday.

First I had to find the offices, then I made my husband go with me on the weekend to do a dry run since it was going to require unfamiliar tram and metro use.  He was good about doing it, and I felt much more confident about my new adventure.

Next came my appointment day.  The first was with a neurologist at 12:00.  I went to the building, an not able to read the directory, I picked the first of two floors labled with the name of the Hospital system.  Big mistake!  I walked up to the outter glass door, and looked in.  The building was round, and all I could see were doors.  Door after door after door, close together and with no end.  As I stood there contemplating whether I should enter, the outter door clicked open as if I were being buzzed in.  I took it as a sign and entered.  I went up and down the hallway and found only closed doors...lots of doors, but no reception area and no people.  I went to leave as this was clearly not where I wanted to be, and the door was locked!  Now what?  After a few minutes I decided to push a button next to the door, hoping it would call someone or something, and it released to door.  Relieved, I went to the next floor.

On that floor I was confronted with the familiar glass outter door, but this time I could see a reception-like desk with people...hallelujah!  I went in, took a number (a system you see pretty much everywhere here) and waited to ask if I was in the right place.  I was asked which doctor I was there to see, and knowing I could never pronounce it on my best day, I showed her the doctor's name as it had been spelled for me.  I was told to go down the hall and wait at door number 134.  I did so and watched the door for my name to be called.  As I watched the door, a man came  and entered, then left a note on the door and went away.  The note was in Finnish.  Fortuneately, a woman came up to me, asked who I was and told me the room had been moved to number 4...so off I went to wait at number 4.

When I was finally called, on time I might add, I went in to this small room and spoke with the doctor.  My records were of little use to him as they were in English, and his English was not very strong.  We finally reached the conclusion that he couldn't help me and I should see another type of doctor.  Upon checking out, I discovered that despite the fifteen minutes he had spent with me, there was no charge since he could not help me.  That would never happen in the USA, and although I was dissappointed by the result, I was impressed by the fact that I was not charged.

My next apointment was at 17:00 (5:00pm).  This was with a Rheumotologist, and having figured out the system, there was little trouble in finding where I should be.  I was sent to the apropriate door to wait, and called, on time, to speak with the doctor.  His English was quite good, and he looked over my records, did his thing, and all was well with the world.

I'm still a bit mystafied by how all this works.  There was no follow-up appointment made, and it seems that one does not see a specialist without a specific complaint.  I am puzzled by who will receive my bloodwork when I get it, and how I will be notifed if it is not all right, but I will find all this out in time.  I have three more doctors to see, and will make those appointments this week probably.  All in all, it was a good experience, though all those doors made me feel like I was in a "Twilight Zone"  episode.  I think however that I will like the system once I fully understand it.

As a final note, my new Finnish doctor says that it is all right for me to drink alchohol (in strong moderation) on the drug that my American doctor told me that I should never drink while taking.  I choose to believe my new Finnish doctor...after all, when in Rome....

darkness

I wanted to say a few words to you about the darkness in Finland, that is, the fact that the days in Finland are pretty overcast and dark this time of year.  I do this so you'll understand my lack of writting on most days lately.  For those who know me, I am pretty open about the fact that I suffer from moderate to severe depression.  I am medicated for it, and am balanced most of the time.  There was some concern coming to Finland that the darkness might play a role in affecting my depression as my doctor's have felt that I am also affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)....which is to say that a lack of sunlight can cause depression.  That being said, hav have noticed a marked increase in depression the last few weeks, which I attribute to the darker days.  Thus, I do little else than the bare minimum, and my blog suffers...my apologies to you all.

Now, let me explain what I mean by darkness, because coming here I expected it to be like night most of the day.  It is not.  Rather, it is like an overcast dusk sort of darkness....there is little to no sun visable,and it does get night time-dark much earlier.

The bonus to this darkness is the fact that at this time of year the merchants have all their Christmas lights up and the city has lights strung accross the streets so that you can enjoy the festive atmosphere for the better portion of the day.  It's kind of neat, actually.  We don't have snow yet (unusual, but a good thing I think) but the atmosphere is decidedly Christmas/Holiday, and that is a bonus that I am really enjoying.

The moral of this blog entry, in case you were wondering, is that I am doing my best to keep up the entries, so please be patient.  I will make it worth your while in the long run.

Eating out

I wanted to touch on the subject of eating out.  First, let me say a few words about the resturants in the area.  There are a billion of them!  If you look at the Helsinki area, it is very much like any other metropolitan area: there are retail stores (mostly high end), coffee houses and resturants, and little else.  It's quite wonderful, actually.

Anyway, the resturants often have menues on their windows or a board out front, and I'd say a good 50% of them are in both Finnish and English.  The ones that are not in English we pretty much pass up at this point because goodness knows that I don't want to accidentally consume reindeer or elk!

As an aside, my husband Brian could care less what he eats as long as it tastes good.  I, on the other hand, have food issues.  I'm what you would call a fussy eater.  I don't like sauces, spices or seafood (which puts me in poor stead in Finland).  I need to know exactly what I'm eating, and I'm a bit of a food separatist (I like things separate, not together like in soups, stews, and casseroles).   I am also sensitive of gluten and onions.

All that said, we have been to a number of different resturants in the area, and the food is pretty good.  It is easier to find gluten free food here than  it is in the states, and the food is generally served fresh and hot.  There is a much greater selection of potatoes on the menues, and water is generally kept in a pitcher at each table.  The cost of eating out is much higher here than in the states, but it is not expected that you will leave a tip.

No tip?  sounds good, doesn't it?  Yeah, but it does affect the service, or so I believe.  We have been seated and waited a good ten to twenty minutes before our server appeared.  Then, waited another ten to twenty minutes before our order was taken, a normal amount of time for our food and then nothing.  No checking on our table to see if we need anything, no contact whatever.  And this seems to be typical.  It isn't so bad once you expect it, in fact it is kind of humorous.  We are so used to banter and interaction with our wait staff, that this is completely foreign to us. I can get used to it though, the time to yourself is nice, actually.  Still, I think I miss the interaction.

Now for fast food resturants.  Yes, Virginia, there is a McDonalds.  In fact there are many, many McDonalds (just like in the USA).  They are somewhat the same, though the menu is limited, and the service is slower.  BUT, they are generally two story, the food tends to be hotter and fresher, and they bring your food to your table if it is not ready right away.  Other fast food places include a southern fried chicken place, a Finnish burgers place, pizza hut and many different deli type places, including SubWay.

So those are my thoughts for now.  I'm sure there is more to come, as I have been enjoying exploring the different food establishments in the area, and I am trying to be more adventureous in my eating.  I will let you know. 

Furniture!

Well, we finally got our furniture, and I have to say I am happily suprised by the fact that the movers were able to get the furniture into the apartment.  I had my doubts about the couch and the headboard as they are quite big, realitively speaking.  I knew they would make it up the stairs and through the door because the stairways in the older buildings of Finland are wide and the doors tend to be split and open up on both sides.  Our apartment building is no exception.  The challenge that I saw was the front door, which is not too wide, and the scaffolding on the front of the building that is in place for ongoing rennovations.  Happily they managed somehow, and they were respectful and hard working.  The experience was a good one, though I felt bad for them because we live on the fourth floor, six flights of stairs up, and the elevator is still being built!

That being said, we had a few surprises in the mix as things were delivered.  First, one of the legs on a dining room table chair was broken off and my husband's desk was bent (it's a metal frame with glass top).  Then, a file cabinet we had no intention of bringing was delivered, and a table we wanted delivered was not.  Have you ever noticed just how ugly four-drawer metal file cabinets are?!  They really are ugly, and big, and hard to hide.  We have no space to put the thing, and had to put it in the front hallway...U-G-L-Y, ugly!  Anyway, it is handy to have and we are stuck with it, so we're managing to see the humor in it.  As for the desk, we have bent it back enough that it works, so life is pretty good.  We don't miss the floor living that we were doing.  Oh, and the bed...it fit in the bedroom and I can still open the closet doors...it's a miracle!  I had doubted Brian's measurements when looking at the room size (something I should know better than to do...he is annoyingly accurate all he time) but it turns out it was an optical illusion and there was plenty of room.

The echo in the living room is less noticable, and it is so nice to not be on the floor all the time.  It seems that we are not as young as we once were, a shock to us I can tell you, and getting up from the floor was getting harder to do.  Funny how getting down is little of a problem, while getting up is quite the challenge.  Probably something to do with gravity or some physics nonsense like that, but I'm thinking that it is more likely that I have gotten old and fat.  Either way, I am in love with chairs and a bed that doesn't leak air.

So that is it about the furniture.  We are feeling even more at home now, and Tesla is enjoying reclaiming the furniture that she knows, and scent marking the new furniture we bought for the apartment.  Until later...

Random thoughts

So I've been somewhat distracted by life lately, and have been remiss with my postings.  My apologies to all.  Brian and I spent the weekend walking up and down the streets of Helsinki's shopping areas in order to get a feel for what's out there.  What's out there are many, many clothing and jewelry shops, about what you'd expect for a big city. 

We needed to find printer paper and finally asked a clerk where he buys his, as we were having no luck.  He suggested book stores.  Really? OK, so we tried a bookstore and sure enough, that is where one gets office supplies. This is a bit unusual to me, but it sort of makes sense.

The thing I am noticing a lot is the manner of dress here in Finland.  As a woman, you would expect this.  Anyway, people in Helsinki tend to dress up whenever they go out.  Even casual dress looks put together.  Never really having lived in a cosmopolitan city before, I don't know if this is a city thing or a Finnish thing.

By the way, I am told that the use of the word "Finn" is perfectly acceptable when referring to a Finnish person.

Now let's talk elevators and escalators.  Escalator are really cool here.  They are the same as in the USA, but they are set to slow down and then stop when not in use.  I am still fooled by this when coming to a stopped escalator;  the first thing I think is "just my luck, I'll have to climb it", but when I go to step onto it, it starts up!  Really cool. 

The elevators are another matter.  In bigger, newer buildings like department stores the elevators are pretty standard, but in older buildings they are small, like two people, if you like the other person small.  I exaggerate, you can usually cram a third person in, but it is cramped.  Still, personal space here is a lot different than I'm used to.  Which is to say that I'm not sure that it exists at all, it surely is not respected as far as I can tell. I experience this mostly in public transportation and elevators.

So that's it for now, just a few random thoughts.  I have to get ready for dinner tonight, as we are going out with one of Brian's co-workers.  I don't know where we will take him, but it should give me more to talk about in my next posting.  Until later.

The people

So here is what I have learned so far about the Finnish people (I don't know if they like to be called Finns).  My experience has been that the Finns are very nice and happy to help when asked, with the notable exception of service in resturants.  They tend to be quiet and keep to themselves in general when in public.  I have not been in a social setting with any Finnish people yet, so I don't know if they let loose when in private.

Most Finns in Helsinki speak English quite well and seem happy to do so once they realize you don't speak Finnish.  All you have to do is reply "hello", or "excuse me?" and they switch right over without any difficulty.  I am told that most Finns speak Swedish as well which I find very impressive, as many Americans have difficulty with the one language they speak!

I have also noticed that there is no word for "please" (I looked it up in my Finnish/English dictionary) and that there seems to be no use of the words "excuse me" if they do exist in their lexicon.  I mean this to say that in the USA if you want to pass by or through where someone is standing you say "excuse me".  Not so here in Finland;  people just go through without a word.  Granted, this does not seem to be taken as rude, but rather as a given, so it is only my perspective that makes it a bad thing.

My experience with  service workers (electrician and delivery people) has been that they are friendly but not talkitive and get straight to work. This is a change from the USA where there is always small talk. 

And people tend to be on time here for appointments.  I don't just mean that they are within a reasonable timeframe of the given appointment..I mean that they are on time (not late, not early).  It's kind of freaky, actually.  It's as though they wait in their cars to time it just right....weird.  I can't wait to see if the doctor's offices are the same.

So those are my thoughts so far.  I will update you as I learn more.

Fruit Loops Update

Hi all.  Just a quick update to let you know that my sister has informed me that Fruit Loops are indeed bland the world around.  It's some sort of nutrtion conspiracy meant to rid the world of yummy things or something.  Seriously, would I be buying Fruit Loops if I wanted to be healthy?  Anyway, thanks to Annie for the sad, but critical news.

Grocery shopping

So today I went to the grocery store with Sanna, a very nice Finnish lady who has been helping me with the adjustment to the Finnish culture.  She speaks English well and has a good sense of humor so we get along just fine.  Anyway, today we went to the market so that I could ask her what things were and where to get them if they were not there.

So here's the scoop: you can get peanut butter here in Finland fairly easily, contrary to what I had heard;  if you want Jiff however, you have to go to a store specializing in American and Brittish foods (that trip will be Friday).  Eggs are kept on the shelf, not in refrigeration as you might think.  I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around that one...mine are now safely in the refrigerator, thank you very much.  Their meats and fish all look very fresh, though the freshest can be found at the equivalent of an indoor farmer's market that we visited first.  The cereal aisle is about one tenth the size of an American cereal aisle, so you can imagine the selection.  They have a fabulous bakery section, and the produce is wonderful.  Cat food and litter is scarce in a market, so I will have to go to the department store...yes, I said department store, much like Macy's but with a pet section.

Now back to the eggs.  There are many kinds of eggs here in Finland.  You can get them free-range, caged, free-range with special diet and so on...but my favorite (the one I bought) is healthy chicken eggs.  I'm so glad that they had eggs from healthy chickens, as I surely don't want any sick chicken eggs (sick chicken eggs were not a choice, by the way).

Finally, a note on cereal, or Froot Loops to be exact.  Yesterday I bought Kellogg's Froot Loops and had a bowl.  They were bland!  Ok, I assume that they have made them healthier to satisfy the nutrition police, but they were bland, not at all sweet, and there were no red rings.  I'm certain there were red rings the last time I had Fruit Loops, admittedly a long time ago, but seriously, what's the deal?  So here's the challenge:  somebody out there in the USA buy some Fruit Loops, try them and let me know if this is a world-wide conspiracy or if it is just a Finland thing.  And let me know if there are red rings because I'm sure there were.  To my Curves ladies back in the States: this could be your next get together, you could have a Fruit Loops party!...just a thought.

So that's it for now.  More adventures tomorrow.

Pictures

Here are a few photos...

Our "Dinning Room Table"

Tesla on her new reindeer skin rug

Our View

Intro

The purpose of this blog is to keep my friends up to date with my life in Finland, and for those who don't know me, to tell about my experiences as I find my way around Helsinki as a new American ex-pat to the country.

Two weeks ago my husband and I moved here to Helsinki , Finland due to my husband's job transfer; I'm just along for the ride, and right now we are living in our apartment without any furniture.  It's really rather boring.  We have an inflatable bed, and are using boxes as tables, though we have to sit on the hard wood floors to use them. 

We have ventured out to purchase things we'll need, like curtains.  Thank God the Finns speak english and my husband is able to convert inches into metric.  Of course, our curtains wern't standard length and had to be custom made.  This was an easier process than I have experienced in the States, and seems to be a common occurance based on the large section in the department store, and the ease with which the clerk wrote up the order.

I won't mention the cost, as everything is more expensive here in Finland.  Today we plan to go shopping for some winter gear in anticipation of the cold weather that's coming.  I have my eye on a fabulous leopard print hat that I saw in a window the other day.  Won't that be stunning?

So that's about it for now.  With any luck I will update this blog on a regular basis and let you know about the things that I experience and encounter along the way.  With better luck, I will learn how to add pictures!