The Neighborhood Near Our First Apartment (mostly)

Aura River near the harbor

Yard in the Port Arthur neighborhood

Port Arthur neighborhood "Portsa"

Portsa

Hops on a fence

View from the balcony of our first apartment

Living room with view to kitchen - first apartment

Portsa

Flea market across from the apartment

Corner grocery

Greenery along the river

Strolling along the river

Turku Castle

Near the Castle

Billboard on campus

Turku Castle

WE WENT SAILING!!!

 There are many stories to share, but the pictures tell a lot.   We spent three days sailing on the archipelago this past weekend with the principal of the school where I am working.  He has been sailing since he was a boy and knows so much about the history, nature, landscape and peoples of the archipelago that it was much much more than a boat ride.  It was an immersion into an aspect of Finnish life and culture that we never would have had otherwise.  It was a special treat - and the first time sailing for both Ken and I.  And for those of you who know me well - also the first time I didn't get seasick on a boat.  Though I have to admit that the room is still rocking a bit. 

These first two pictures are from the marina where Vesa's boat is docked about 30 kilometres from Turku.

We stopped at this small island on the first day to buy smoked whitefish that we had for lunch.  There was just a small fisherman's shack and the Swedish speaking fisherman who had caught the fish that morning.

Leaving the "yacht club" where we spent the first night.  The small island has room for about 20 boats, some outhouses and of course a sauna.  It is part of the sailing life (and Finnish life) to partake in sauna as often as possible.  It was the real deal - wood burning stove, tank for boiling hot water for "showers" using pails, and dips into the Baltic Sea to cool off. The woman waving on the dock had gone mushroom gathering the day before, so we had chanterelles with dinner.  Mmmmm!

Managed not to fall in the water even once! 

View of the archipelago - there are literally 10s of 1000s of these islands, some quite big, others tiny, all beautiful.  As Vesa pointed out the vegetation and shape of the islands changes from the inner to the outer archipelago.  He organized the route so that we would experience both.

 A view from the stern.  This formation of the sails is call "the bible" an open book. 

 Typical of the scenery in and around the inhabited islands.  Note that nearly every building in the county side is painted red or yellow. Both paints are made from clay in the soil and are gaining renewed interest as an ecologically friendly alternative to modern paints.

 Part of the adventure of sailing is the hiking and exploring on the islands when you dock.

 This was an amazingly lovely and delicious restaurant tucked away on one of the islands.  Crowded on a splendid fall day - fish soup, salad and yummy berry cake for lunch and the coolest outhouse I have ever seen - two stories tall.  Again the archipelago is a large part of Swedish speaking Finland - thus the cafe's name. (Father's mother)

 Docked at the "yacht club"  soon off to sauna.

Amazingly, Vesa let us steer! All you sailors already know the incredible sense of exhilaration and calm that comes from silently making your way through the waters.  We experienced high winds and no winds through the course of the trip.

 

And I made a friend.  There were sheep grazing on both of the inhabited islands that we visited.

Passing by an inhabited island

Departure from the guest harbor on the island Helsinghom where we stayed the second night and then back home on a glorious sunny Sunday afternoon.  Vesa took down the sails as the sailing season is at an end, so we'll have to wait til next year to try once more (if he is so generous to invite us again).  Spring sailing is slightly different because of the temperature of the water and the look of the islands not yet fully vegetated - but there are wildflowers.

Some Photos of Lapland

More on our trip to Lapland later, for now here are a few choice pictures from our whirlwind trip last weekend.

Becoming Part of the Faculty

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!

End of the last weekend of summer

TRIP TO RUISSALO
The Tall Ships left the Turku Harbor starting around 2:00 on Sunday.  Ken and I opted to take the bus to Ruissalo - an island not far from our house where the ships would pass by on their way to the start of the race to Gdansk on Monday.  We were hoping that the masts would be unfurled by then, but apparently they needed to be farther out in the archipelago to do so - or they were waiting to do all that work for the race to actually begin.  Still it was so beautiful to watch and so much fun to be part of the excitement and joy of the Finns along the shores.  We also discovered new parts of Ruissalo, an island we had visited twice before.  Below are a few shots of the ships as they passed us by.

 Polish crew - they did "the wave" to the delight of the crowd.

WORK BEGINS

I begin work officially with this trip to Helsinki for a 4 day Fulbright scholar orientation including a reception at the US Embassy.  We are also planning to stay a few extra days with Thea, another Fulbright recipient from Boulder and we may try to take the ferry to Tallin in Estonia on Sunday.  

I start teaching the third week in September and I have already been twice to the International School / Teacher Training School (The two share a campus).  I was shown my work space - a real office with a conference room just next to it on one side. The sauna is right next door on the other - really, the next door down from my office is the sauna - and it works!

I will be doing very similar work to what I do in the states: teaching a graduate class to international students (in English) working in schools with small groups of teachers, observing instruction, assisting with action research, conducting seminars and helping with family and community outreach.   We may begin a bilingual books project in connection with the mother tongue tutors who are assigned to all the immigrant and international students.  And I said I'd help with the after school Spanish club...

I will continue my Finnish studies by trying to make sense of the guide for 7 - 9 graders for the new "entrepreneurship" program that is being instituted throughout the country.  The designer from London will speak at the school when I get back from Helsinki. The principal with whom I am working most closely is hoping that intercultural competence and innovation for multicultural education will be considered as valid initiatives - not just linking with the business community.  Me, too.

That's all for now.  Moi, moi.  

NIGHT OF THE BONFIRES - TRIP TO VEPSA

On the advice of my colleague at the International School we decided to take a boat ride out into the archipelago to an island called Vepsa owned by the city of Turku about an hour away for the end of summer bonfires.  We were hoping to see bonfires dotting the edges of all the inhabited islands starting about 9:30 PM - Now dark by then.
The Turku web site provides the following explanation of the bonfires set on Saturday August 27.

       Traditionally, people living in the archipelago have lit bonfires on the last Saturday of August to bid the summer farewell. Now, with the Capital of Culture year, the cities of Turku and Tallinn want to extend the tradition by challenging all the people, families, towns and cities by the Baltic Sea to give a promise of a better future for the endangered sea.
 
The Night of the Ancient Bonfires
       In ancient times, fires were lit along the coast to notify and warn of imminent danger. During the last twenty years, the Night of the Ancient Bonfires has been celebrated along the southern and south-western coast of Finland on the last Saturday of August. Fire has been lit to say farewell to the summer that has passed. Since many years, Estonia has also participated.
Along the west coast of Finland, in Ostrobothnia, the tradition has been upheld from as early as the 1800’s and is called the Veneziad.
 
This year, Turku is Europe’s cultural capital, along with Tallinn. The Turku 2011 Foundation, which is coordinating the year in Turku, has given a pledge: to encourage people to contribute to the community by lighting the Ancient Bonfires and promising to do something specific to save and protect the Baltic Sea.
 
This year, the ancient fires will be introduced to Turku city centre for the first time. The bonfire floating in the River Aura will be lit on 27 August at 9:30 pm from the Theatre Bridge. After this, the bonfire will be transported along the river toward the sea. The same time, an old-fashioned beacon near the Swan of Finland will be lit, along with the twelve other small beacons stemming from the Crimean War out in the Turku archipelago.
 

There were to be fireworks and a midnight cruise back to Turku.  He warned us, however, about the "drunken Finns" on the return ride.   No need for the warning - it is quite apparent that many people drink ALOT and public drunkeness is common. But the antics on Vespa were something to see.

We were clearly the only non-Finns there.  We were expecting that there were going to be hundreds of people, with a fancy restaurant for dinner.  Hmmm,  it was more like a KOA campground - albeit in a stunning location with the sea visible on both sides of us and a lush forest to walk through. And the total population of campers on the island couldn't have been more than 60 max including kids and dogs.

  There was a combination camping registration site, corner store and mini restaurant that in the end actually made decent pizza and a good salad.  The seating was on a leveled terrace.  We got there about 6 and walked the entire length of the island in about 10 minutes. We went back and had dinner on the terrace and then sat and read and watched the campers.  The karaoke started about 7 and went on until the fireworks started at 11:00. People were given a list of songs to choose from in multiple languages and they would put in requests and be called up as their turn came.  As they got drunker, the singing in some cases improved, but in most.. not so much

We were expecting there to be an announcement and ceremony for the bonfire lighting, but at some point a worker from the city came and poured what smelled like turpentine onto the pile and lit it.   Around 9 pm. Hardly anyone left the terrace to watch the fire except for Ken and I and a few 8 year old boys.  After 9:30 it was possible to see several fires burning on other islands as well, a really special feeling to be part of something bigger than us - even if the people around us didn't seem to care or notice.

Everyone was happy and laughing, and the only concern for me came from the three 20 something young men who were slamming their glasses on the table and their chairs and table on the deck.  Of course, they eventually shattered a glass and then miraculously disappeared. The fireworks began at 11 as scheduled and they were spectacular.  Like being at a private viewing and the air was clear and the wind was blowing so no smoke problems.  It went on for about 10 minutes - no music just the explosions and the lights.  I loved it.

The boat ride back to Turku was quiet (we stayed on the lower deck and all the smokers mercifully went to the upper open air deck to continue partying.  We got our bikes from the park near the landing spot on the river and rode home carefully - getting stopped for no lights is a 25 euro fine we were just told.  And the weekend wasn't over.  There was still the viewing of the Tall Ships leaving Turku to observe.

We met a very nice woman the other night in the summer restaurant near our house that has free live music. She told us that there were summer Finns and winter Finns and that the winter ones were much more subdued. We shall see..

Our first view of Vepsa

Walking through the forest was like being in a fairy tale...

Table decorations - all freshly picked from the surrounding forest.

Karaoke just getting started....

The bonfire to be ...

The bonfire in action