The Number Disconnect

Thought I would make a few comments about numbers and their meanings and adjustment problems. This applies to making the change from living in the U.S. to living anywhere in the European continent. Numbers acquire meaning for us through our experience. For example, 90 degrees Farenheit means it's hot outside or too cool to cook anything or sterilize anything. A score of 750 on the SATs or a score of 34 on the ACT means you did great. But we only know this through familiarity with the scale. Well here in Finland 1,29-1,99 euros will buy you a kilo of bananas. Is that expensive? We have to multiply by 2.2 to get the pounds and then convert the euros to dollars to make a comparison with what we are used to in the U.S. I'm trying to adapt to the current metrics but old habits die hard. Gas is 1,22 euros per liter. You can do the math if you like.

The Europeans were smarter with their money design than we are. The smallest bill they print is a 5 euro. Coins come in .05, .10, .20, .50, 1 and 2 euros. Items are priced with pennies. For example like 2,99 for the 2,5 liters of ice cream we bought today,we actually paid 3 euros because they can't give you a cent in change. I'm not sure what the rounding formula is. Anyway, coins last longer than bills, so their approach is less costly in terms of creating the money. They also have dual color coins for the 1 and 2 euros and different markings on the rims of the coins to make them more easily distinguishable from each other. Remember the Susan B Anthony quarter-look-alike fiasco?

Speed limits are 30, 40, 50, 80, 100 kilometers an hour. How fast is that? And how far away is a city when the sign says 220 kilometers. It looks like a really long trip if you're used to dealing in miles. And my brain hasn't adjusted. The Citymarket is open from 9-21. That's probably been the easiest to work through because the military clock gets some play in the U.S.A. If we have an emergency we have to dial 122 if we could find the phone, that is. It seems we never put it in the same place when we're not using it.

Our apartment is 50 square meters which is pretty good sized. Houses are advertised according to square meters so it's hard to compare prices for houses between here and at home. I remember in the 8th grade our teachers announced that the U.S. would switch entirely to the metric system within 10 years. We had to measure and memorize and calculate. What happened?

Baking is an adventure also. I stopped trying to convert my recipes to metric measurements. There were just too many chances for error. My daughter in law sent me a U.S. measuring cup which has been wonderful. Most cookies and cakes are baked at 175 degrees.

My height is now 165 and I weigh a little under, well never mind. I wear a size 39 shoe and a size 40 skirt. I am still 60 years old and we've been here 2 months.

Almost missionary experiences

We have had four what I would call almost missionary experiences this week. One sister invited us to her friend's house for lunch but because of our language deficiencies, we didn't understand why. We thought that her purpose was to provide lunch for us. The women had been friends for 50-60 years and were happy to be together. We were never completely sure what they were talking about. There we were with 3 non-members being as courteous as we could. As everyone started to leave, the sister said we need to talk about the Mormon church. We had no idea we were supposed to do something missionary like. We will try to invite them all to our apartment for lunch soon and teach them something about the church.

We went to hometeach another sister and there was a neighbor there. We weren't introduced to her. At one point she asked us what we did as missionaries and just as we were going to tell her the phone rang. The sister's daughter had called to invite her mother to come have some leftover birthday cake. The mother invited us all and wewalked over to the daughters house immediately. Amazingly enough by the time we got there the daughter had set a beautiful table for all of us and had an assortment of cakes, rolls, pizza bites, and herbal teas ready. But the missionary moment had passed.

At the house on the lake there was a non-member who was very friendly and gracious. We never gave a message. We did say a prayer.

The last one was pretty hilarious. We visited the house of a woman who had met with the missionaries in the past, but not recently. We walked into her yard and she and her husband were there with two of their three children. Before we got out of the car David had rehearsed what he was going to say. So speaking Finnish he introduced us and talked about her being a friend of the church. He finished his little speech and she responded in English. David said, in Finnish, do you speak English? She said "I am English!" We visited with her for as much as an hour. She said we were welcome to return any time. She was excited to hear we would be here for a long time and said we could meet her mother in July. She also said she had been wondering when someone would come by again. We were able to say a prayer before we left.

Sometimes I think we are so focused on learning and negotiating the language that we forget we are missionaries. But we are going to do better.

Things we've seen while travelling around Suomi

Last week while taking an evening walk we came across a small area of garden plots called Siirtolapuutarha (allotment garden). It was an area of miniature houses constructed without foundations and garden plots. Apparently, the plots are owned, not rented. And people cultivate their gardens and sometimes spend the night in these small houses. All of the paths going through the area were posted to keep people from walking through. Close by we discovered an area of tall evergreen trees with multiple bike, walking, and cross-country ski paths. It is a very beautiful place and I expect we will return often. There are various exercise spots along the routes. The Finns are very active people. We often see 75-80 year old people riding bikes. No one saunters, they move quickly, take long strides, and have great posture. Finns have a keeping fit discipline calleed sauvakavely (walking with sticks). The discipline was developed from training methods used by professional skiers. The Finns walk briskly with two sticks to exercise legs and arms/upper body. By the way, I read that Finns watch TV 2.5 hours a week on average.

While walking through the university the other day there was a large crowd watching two teams play a game that appeared on first glance to be baseball. But........the ball is tossed in the air by someone playing what would ordinarily be the catcher's position and the batter hits the ball into the field. We don't know how many chances the batter gets or why he starts running, or what determines what direction he runs or how anyone is put out. A man stands in the area with 5 wooden markers spread out like a peacock's tail. We don't know who he was or what he was doing. A couple of referee types blew whistles from time to time. The person who hit the ball sometimes ran toward what would be the area of third base or sometimes toward where first base would be. Sometimes the runner ran back and forth between the two areas. It was all a mystery. Points were scored, apparently at random. We think it was called pesapallo. Near the stadium were two areas marked pyoraparki to indicate where bicycles were to be parked. There were at least 200 bikes there.

And more about bikes: While in Tampere I saw a girls with nylons, high heels, short professional skirt riding her bike. We often see riders with opened umbrellas and talking on cell phones. Yesterday I saw a bike with a trestle bench attached to the back rack. Looked like they were moving it to another home. Also saw a woman in long black skirt with violin riding her bike, I assume to a performance of some sort.

Last night we rode home from our home teaching appointment at a very late hour. The sun never sets completely anymore. It is always light toward the north. David took a picture of the lake outside our home teaching person's house around 10:30 and there was plenty of light to do it with. We lost complete track of time because of the light. Also it was a really fun and interesting visit. The sister we visited speaks Finnish, Dutch, and English. Her neighbor came who speaks Finnish, Russian, and English. We brought a Russian with us who speaks Dutch and English also. The conversation was hilarious as people would forget who spoke what and mix the languages together into sentences to express their thoughts.

This bottle of
Vanilja aromi cost 4,40 euros

Our First Trip to the Tulli

We made our first trip to the Tulli Toimisto (Customs Office) yesterday. We received a notice through our mail slot notifying us that we had a postal package that was being held in customs. The package was sent to us by Darcia and Jon at my request and included two bottles of vanilla, one American measuring cup with the insert that slides up and down like from Pampered Chef, and 5 or 6 of our own DVDs. The package had been insured for $100. And the clerk said something about bottles being in the package. We had a slight communication problem. Anyway she opened the package in front of us. Then we had a discussion about the value of the items. Well, in America the vanilla would have cost under $3 each bottle. The DVDs were previously viewed as they say at Blockbuster. If you look at the picture of my hand, you can get an idea why we wanted to import the vanilla. The little bottle you see cost 4,40 euros. We eventually got her to understand that the bottles contained mauste (flavoring) and not alkoholi. We discussed the purpose of the measuring cup. She saw that the DVDs had already been opened. So...what did we learn. If the contents of the package are over $45 for one person or $90 if addressed to 2 people you pay 22% tax on everything. If you are planning on sending a package here always list the contents accurately and keep the value in line. It was interesting. We are trying to read the tulli rules from the internet, but they're written in multi-syllabic Finnish words so it might take awhile.

Walking, biking, and skiing trails 4 or 5 blocks from our apartment 

Orthodox Church at the opposite end of Kirkkokatu from the Lutheran church 

Valtionkirkko - Lutheran Church Joensuu, notice 3 towers--unusual 

Joensuu Chapel - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

Thursday Evening, May 12, 2005

We had a couple to the apartment for dinner at 5PM. After we finished eating we watched hockey. We were probably the only people in Joensuu who didn't know that World Championship hockey was on television. It may well be that when we extended the invitation the husband was conflicted. In any event, we get great reception here and were happy to watch hockey with them. Cooking is a challenge on several levels. The oven is small. We have limited utensils and dishes. And converting recipes from US to metric is an ongoing challenge, but since everything turned out well I guess the mathematics was correct. Also, have to get the oven temperature right. I just cook everything at between 150 and 175. Seems to work. The last issue is locating ingredients for the American recipes. My serving dishes are the plastic cartons from various foods we have purchased since arriving. I did buy some matching plates and bowls at CityMarket. The only glasses we have are 1997 Finland Hockey glasses. So we used paper cups. David made swiss cheese macaroni. I made applesauce cake in the only baking pan we have.

After our guests left, we went walking by the lake and have posted a couple of pictures to show you how gorgeous it is. The sun is setting now around 10PM but the light remains until almost 11PM. In the mornings the sun rises after 4PM but it starts getting light an hour before. All this light is very energizing. Wonder what the reverse of this will be like in the winter.

Across the Lake 

Taken while walking near our apartment 8PM Pyha Selki. 

A trip to the dentist or you're not in Kansas anymore

Three weeks ago one of my crowns came out. Happily, it was in good condition so it just needed to be re-cemented. I put it back on and it clicked into place, but it kept coming off at inconvenient times so I took some temporary filling material that I carry in my travel bag, rinsed everything with salt water and pushed the crown into place. The crown was a little high but it didn't come out again. In fact the dentist had a difficult time removing it as she was being very careful so as to not damage anything. At one point she said we would just leave it in and wait until it came out again. But when I told her that my jaw and bite were being affected she tried harder and got it off.

Now, for the not in Kansas part: When we arrived at the dentist office door, it was locked and we were admitted by electronic lock release. There was a small waiting room but no receptionist. Everyone removes their shoes and puts on hospital type booties. The dentist eventually came out and greeted us and gave me the universal form to fill out. They did not require any identification. (I heard somewhere that lawsuits against medical personnel are not an issue.) The dentist and her assistant worked together in the treatment room. The assistant also answers the phone and records appointments. At the end of the visit the dentist entered the info into the computer and took the money. They accept cash and bank card only. The charge was 55 euros. There was a book in the waiting room with their fee schedule. A crown costs 239. Implants were the same. I might get some extra dental work done while I am here just because the prices are so good.

The price of things

Thought I would comment on the cost of living here in Joensuu. Banaanit are 1,99 euros kilo, peanut butter 2,49/350grams, milk , 59-1,29litre, eggs 1,19/10 (everything is metric), granulated sugar 1,19 /1 kilo, all bran flakes 3,61 /500gr, br sugar 1,20/500gr, ground meat 5,70/2k. Gas is 1,21/liter. The Finnish/English/Finnish dictionary that we paid $35 in the MTC costs 12,90 at the local PRISMA (K-Mart type store with groceries). Car washes are 8,90 and every gas station has one. Grapes are unaffordable. Just purchased two beds 200cmx90cm; the total was 332euros including 16 for delivery. The beds look like they're from IKEA. Farkut (blue jeans) are triple the American price.

As we were walking this evening there was a mannekin in the window dressed in a rose colored sporty pants suit: jacket, cropped pants, blouse, and purse came to 312euros. This is at a mid-range department store--like Mervyn's.

People must be very good money managers here. They live simply in small spaces and choose wisely where they will spend their money. I asked one man if he and his wife ever ate at the university cafeteria. He said that, for him, going out to eat meant taking a sandwich outside.

Vappu parade in Joensuu 

Branch Vappu party 

Sunset over a partially frozen lake on the way home from Tampere. About 9PM, April 19. 

Our apartment building on the corner of Merimiehenkatu and Malmikatu. Merimiehenkatu means seaman. Our parveke is third floor on the left.

Last Day at the MTC--Happy to be going to Finland 

Eating out in Finland

Yesterday we ate out for the first time. We went to one of the cafeterias at the university in Joensuu. Anyone is welcome to eat there. Students receive a subsidy on the meal by showing their student ID. They serve 5-6 hours daily and offer four choices. The meal includes main dish, drinks, bread and butter (This is Finland remember!), and salad bar. The breads, of course, are amazing. The salads are, of course, european style. The drinks are milk, juice, water, etc. Yesterday, the choices were (1) beetroot soup and something else that I didn't try to read because the soup didn't interest me, (2) tomato meat sauce that was served over potatoes, (3)curried vegetable couscous wrap, and (4) beefsteak and vegetables. The prices ranged from 4-6,15 euros. I can't imagine a better food value for travelers unless you carry bread, cheese, and fruit in your bags. I assume it is possible for travelers to eat at any university in the country. There seems to be a university in virtually every medium to large city. The only other European country I've been to is Germany. So maybe university food service is available all over and I just didn't know it, but this is great for us. We can walk over there in about 10 minutes and the price is great--less than a meal for two at McDonald's in USA. Well, wait, it's less than the cost of a meal at McDonald's or Hesburger's here in Joensuu too. Next week is Indian food week at the university. We'll be there. David ate the beef. I had the couscous and am feeling slightly morally superior in the food department. I'd give the food three stars out of five and five stars for the food value. Oh yes--and the tables had tablecloths on them and fresh flowers as well.

Sisu

Sisu is what makes it possible for Finns to survive their winters and withstand the Russian assault of the Winter War. Today I saw the greatest visual. There was a woman at least 80 years old with a contraption something like a walker but that had two sets of wheels front and back connected by what could be described as small running boards. She was using her walker like a scooter. It was hilarious. Sisu!

Vappu Päivä

Sunday, May 1, was Vappu Päivä, a celebration of spring and workers's day. People wear their graduation hats, there are parades and union and political workers give speeches. May Day celebrations begin on May Day eve. The celebrations take on a carnival like atmosphere which is unusual for the normally quiet and reserved Finns . May Day markets are full of knick-knacks, serpentines, flowers, whistles, May Day whisks, balloons and masks for children and childlike adults. Judging from the shopping carts and packages people were carryingon the street, sparkling wines and beer are an essential element to the celebration. The next day people head for parks to have picnics together with friends and family and brunches served in restaurants are also popular meeting points. Traditional May Day delicacies are fritters called "tippaleipä" and they are served together with homemade mead, "sima", and doughnuts, or munkkia. The entire televised news last night showed Vappu celebrations, parades, and speeches by various union and political leaders mentioned above. In the west the skies were blue and the celebrations grand. Here in the east, the weather was cloudy, rainy, windy, and snowy. There was about an inch on the ground Sunday morning. The law is that you have to remove your studded tires by May 1. We had a nice celebration in our church. Everyone wore silly hats. Of course, ours were bigger and more flamboyant than the others. It is, after all, the American way. I baked chocolate chip blond brownies for the party. For some reason we call them congo squares. I didn't expect the people to like them because they don't seem to eat a lot of chocolate or gooey things. But they were very popular. We passed by a small parade of what appeared to be students, perhaps 75 of them. No one was on the street to watch the parade as the weather was dreadful. But they all mugged for our camera and seemed eager to have their pictures taken. The tori had a stage set up and there were a few kiosks but it was pretty low key here in Joensuu. We didn't go out to the tori during late hours so perhaps it was livelier for the young.

An additional note--it is a flag flying day in Finland. The Finnish flag is a blue cross on a white background. It is really quite beautiful and perfect for the land of mega-blue skies. Sunday morning when I looked out our window there were two flags flying on poles across the street. And they were unfurled in different directions. Amazing. Think it has something to do with us being so far north?