Ken and I were invited to attend the annual retirement party / opening of school dinner held by the faculty/staff of the Turku International School and Norssi -- the teacher training school. The faculties of the two schools work very closely together and are considered a single group. This annual event, was a fairly formal affair – suits and ties, and dresses or dressy pants, held at a large restaurant right by the River Aura just a block from the Turku Cathedral.
We arrived just before six and the entire group assembled outside the restaurant (about 75 people). Everyone was given a flute of champagne, but no one took a sip until the three retirees were escorted through the (friendly) gauntlet by the principals and formal toasts were made. An additional toast was made for the “guests from America,” an unexpected but very gratifying moment.
We went inside and found seats at one of the long tables near a window overlooking the river. We sat with one of the women, I will be working closely with and shared a bottle of wine with her over the course of the evening. Also seated at our table was a long-retired teacher in whose classroom our friend had done her teacher training quite a number of years ago. Contrary to the now seeming to be a myth of the ‘silent Finn’, the room was lively and noisy with conversation and laughter.
The dinner was an elaborate buffet, which, as is typical, occurs in two courses. I have now realized this after a couple of blunders in the past since the “salad” course (including green salad, potato salad, cole slaw, four kinds of herring, lox, bread, olives and more) is enough really for an entire dinner. You have to be very careful how much you take, because it is rude (or wasteful) to decline the second course. The dinner itself was a choice of grilled salmon, pork loin and something else along with curried vegetables (delicious) and two kind of potatoes. Dessert was Fazer chocolates served with the obligatory coffee at the end.
It was a delightful evening full of surprises. It began when one of the teachers sang a beautiful song she had written for the occasion when she was hiking in Norway during the summer. Accompanied by an accordion, she sang with relish. Of course we could only understand a few of the words, but it was a lovely melody with words about nature and how lucky to be retired to enjoy it.
The very formal looking retired teacher, probably in his late seventies, seemed unapproachable at first. But he asked us where we were from in the States. From then on, throughout the evening, a sporadic but warm and friendly conversation ensued. It turns out he had been an elementary school / English teacher for his career. He had gone to the states in the early 50s to work on some farms in some kind of exchange. His children and grandchildren had all also gone at some time or another as exchange students to the US/.
One of the most interesting stories he told was about a trip he had taken to central Europe about 10 years ago. He went with a friend he had made in Virginia in the 50s – the two of them have remained close ever since. His friend had found his grandfather’s diary from World War I in an attic and the two men and their wives followed the journey the soldier had taken throughout his tour of duty. Apparently they requested information from the Pentagon regarding maps for that particular battalion. Though many of the names of the towns had changed they found every single place ending up in Paris.
After dinner there were the expected testimonials, which must have been quite humorous given the amount of laughter. And then suddenly a loud whistle blew. We were shocked to see four of the male teachers come marching into the room dressed only in old fashioned swim suits (the kind for men that look like tank top onesies). They proceeded to do a hilarious, musclemen routine coupled with words about the retirees. We definitely didn’t need to understand the words to get the point and enjoy the moment. So much again for the reticent Finn.
Ken and I were made to feel so welcome by so many people who came by the table to talk. I was especially happy when a former teacher from Norssi, now a principal at another school, stopped by to introduce himself and indicate he would like me to also come work with his staff while I am here. Just what I wanted to hear! It is hard to describe what the evening meant to us. We were so aware of being part of something that would never happen if we were tourists. It allowed us to see the culture and the people in their own right and also to feel like we are a part of something, not just over here on our own. It was a very satisfying feeling. Now to live up to all the expectations!
