The Finnish Soul is Unique

By: Tarja Hailikari

A native Finn living in Helsinki

Finland has a 1300 kilometers - that is 850 miles - long border with Russia. The cultural borderline between Finland and Russia is even longer, wider and higher - especially among the elite of these two nations.

Finland is a small democratic Nordic country with only 5.5 million inhabitants. Our social, political and financial systems are stable and trustworthy. Finland has been named the happiest place in the world for a fifth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored report. The awful weather which we have for a long time of the year has encouraged all Finns to travel a lot and that has taught people to be broadminded and liberal.   

In Finland we honor people who are intelligent but modest. A person whose primary goal is to become rich is considered unintelligent. If your ambition is to become a highly respected leader, a professional, entrepreneur or artist with a balanced life, there is nothing wrong with acquiring some wealth on the side. But even then, if you drive with an excessively expensive car, build yourself a showy house, or dress in luxury brands you are considered a little simple, or having a somewhat low self-esteem. That attitude goes so far that we can read in tabloid newspapers about some successful celebrity living in a ”pompous” house (in Finnish öky) which actually is quite mediocre even in accordance with Finnish standards.  

I am teaching Finnish to immigrants as a volunteer, and with a great pleasure I have made them read and learn about the most important ministers of the present Finnish Government, the President, and his predecessors. Compared with their international peers they are quite a unique group with high ethical standards.

The 35-year old female Prime Minister Sanna Marin writes on her website:  ”For me, human rights, equality or human equality have never been questions of opinion but the basis of my understanding of morality. I got involved in politics because I want to influence how society sees its citizens and their rights”.  And I honestly believe her motives to be just those, and the same applies to the other ministers and present and former presidents. Of course all these politicians are keen on power  - without it you cannot influence things, but in Finland no one goes to politics for money or a luxurious life. The salaries are much higher in business, and as there is no corruption, politicians have no side earnings. For us Finns this is so obvious that I was thinking of this for the first time in my life when I was preparing the above-mentioned learning materials. Also, we know that in elections our votes count, as the chairman of the largest party in the parliament forms the government, and as there are many popular parties, the largest party seldom is the same after the election.     

The Russian attack on Ukraine has been a shock to everyone. Finland fought against the Soviet Union during World War II, but thereafter we have felt safe having a neighbourly political and steady trade relationship with Russians (although due to sanctions the trade has diminished after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.) As it is only 200 miles from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, a lot of Russian tourists came to Finland for holidays before Covid-19. During the past 20 years many Russians have also moved to Finland because of study, love or work.  But now we are all really worried about the future. What happens after Ukraine? How can we avoid the escalation of the war? Finland has not (yet?) applied for membership of NATO, as our common understanding has been that it would irritate Russia, make them feel insecure, and give them a reason to consider us a threat. Finland has a strong army with weapons compatible with NATO systems and all our men have been trained during the 6-12 months long compulsory military service. But honestly, we have always thought that the army is there to guarantee that we never need to defend ourselves again.   

What Finns want for the future is to live in peace and to be able to join our efforts with other countries to fight against global warming and loss of biodiversity – two extremely important issues of our times.

Now our hearts cry for Ukrainians – and a little also for ordinary Russians who have no influence on the situation in their own deteriorating country.  

In the spotlight: Alex Markwith - New York artist who moved to Helsinki

By Meeri Koskialho

It was a cold winter day on Lauttasaari island of Helsinki when I sat down with American visual artist Alex Markwith to discuss creative living in the Northern hemisphere at the time of global pandemic. Last fall Alex sold all his furniture and donated most of his art studio supplies in order to leave New York City and relocate in Finland. Together with his partner (she’s Finnish) and a rescue dog (he’s Texan) they enjoy nature and a slower pace of life. His first solo exhibition in Finland just closed and a new one is on the way. 

What made you decide to move to Finland?

The idea of living in Europe had long been of interest to me. I spent six months in Rome while a student, and during my senior year of art school I applied for a Fulbright grant, hoping to move to Berlin. I was rejected, but a year later I had a solo show in Paris which scratched the itch. In the back of my mind I sometimes wondered how and when I would get back to Europe, though for years I was convinced that New York was the best place to be as a visual artist.

So, why move now and why Finland?  

Well, I had the option, and the pandemic was the real tipping point. My partner is Finnish and we had previously talked about moving to Europe together one day. However, prior to COVID it was just an idea.

How was it to arrange an international move during this uncertain time?

It took a few months to organize everything. I applied for a residence permit as soon as we had the idea that we might move. We did everything quickly, anticipating the constantly changing travel restrictions. It was difficult to get a flight, and had we waited, we would have lost that window.

 Other than my artwork, clothes were the biggest thing we had to transport. Both of us having worked in fashion, we had a lot of clothes. We shipped several boxes primarily of coats, denim and shoes. And books. Everything else we sold or donated. 

Falco, our small rescue dog, needed his travel papers. He rode with us in the cabin, with no complaints during a long layover in Frankfurt. We brought his toys and other belongings with us to help him adapt, which he did immediately.

Regarding the studio, I brought as many supplies as I could. Others had to be abandoned. I was able to pack dozens of smaller works in a suitcase, and I shipped a crate of larger works by boat, which arrived safely in November after nine weeks in transit.

ARTISTIC LIVING IN FINLAND

Now that you have lived in Finland for several months, could you tell what are some differences working as an artist in NYC compared to Helsinki?

I have felt more freedom and energy for creative thoughts here. I think it is because I left a lot behind in New York. 

Finland has several grant programs for artists. I received a grant from Taike for artists who have been economically impacted by COVID. That helped me to rent my studio and produce works for my solo exhibition in Helsinki month.

I was accepted to Taidemaalariliitto - I still have difficulty pronouncing that! - which is an active union for professional visual artists. It provides a huge amount of information and helps to navigate various available opportunities. Right now I have three works including in their annual event called Teosvälitys, which is essentially an art fair for members. Attendance is limited due to the pandemic, but the works are also available online.

Helsinki itself is obviously smaller than New York. But I am very impressed by the amount of art in Helsinki relative to its size. There are many galleries and several museums that show contemporary work - Kiasma, HAM, Amos Rex, EMMA.

What do you enjoy about Finnish culture?

I am impressed by the selection of smoked salmon!  

You are coming from the United States and you lived in NYC during the lockdown. What kind of observations did you make about the pandemic response in Finland?

What I first noticed off the plane was the relative lack of COVID-related restrictions, compared to NYC when I left. Businesses were open, including bars and restaurants. Wearing a mask is a “recommendation”; unlike NYC, you cannot get fined for choosing not to comply. This surprised me a lot, considering Finland’s reputation for having more restrictions in general. Still, remember the infection rate and deaths as a percentage of the population are much lower in Finland than in the States. Why that is, I don’t think anyone knows.

Is there anything you miss from NYC?

Ask me again in a few years. But for now, I miss the restaurants. In NYC, you do not have sushi buffets. Here it is hard to find a sushi restaurant that is not a buffet. In NYC, no matter what cuisine you want, some of the best in the world is available just a subway ride away. 

Does the world famous Finnish cold and dark season get to you?

Growing up in Pennsylvania and living in NYC, there were sometimes brutal winters. You might get a meter of snow every couple of years, but it was rare. In Helsinki, it is snowing every week, and the cold is on another level. A few weeks ago it hit negative 16 (Farenheit).

I really enjoy the sauna. I believe it helps to build tolerance for cold.

The dark season is over now, but I actually found it very good for art-making. I have always liked to work at night, and I rented a studio here with no windows. I prefer artificial light for painting because it is more consistent. Many times in December I went to the studio at 7 or 8pm (after it had been dark for 4 hours already), closed the door and forgot about the weather.

ELEMENTAL TRANSMISSIONS 

You just had your first solo exhibition in Finland. Congratulations! Could you tell me more about it?

Firstly, I was lucky to exhibit in a wonderful space, the cellar gallery at Laterna Magica in Helsinki. The gallery has a ton of character and is totally unlike anywhere else I’ve exhibited. I had three rooms. The walls are brick and the floor in one room is bedrock formed during the ice age. The concept for the show, which I titled “Elemental Transmissions”, emerged as a direct response to my first impression when I entered the space. I read a lot about the classical elements in Greek philosophy, and how alchemy developed in the Middle Ages as a forerunner to modern chemistry.

How did the work come together and apart from the space, what inspired you? You mentioned that most of your art supplies were left behind, so sounds like you had to start from a scratch. 

The change in environment was definitely influential, in several ways. For one, because many things were new to me here, and also because I had more access to nature. A lot of the wood was collected in the forest on Lauttasaari. I was very interested in the combination of natural and artificial materials, and how that fit in with my “alchemy” concept. These works were created during the dark season in Finland, between November and January. The transitioning year became a secondary focal point for my concept. In alchemy, the goal is a process of purification in which lead can be transformed into gold. To me that struck a chord with the idea of leaving 2020 behind, and longing for a better New Year.

I found many supplies through flea markets, recycling centers and, most importantly, donations. Several friends emerged who had a lot of “junk” they wanted to get rid of (fabric scraps, plywood, unused art supplies, car parts, tools) which helped me build a stockpile. I am very grateful to them. 

Could you share any words of encouragement to struggling artists in NYC and beyond?

You must always be actively looking for new opportunities. This past year we learned that the world is always changing and there will be difficult times. But even when it seems like things are slow, or nothing is going as planned, put in the studio time because in the end that is what will carry you to the next breakthrough. Commit to making exactly the work you want to make, and push yourself creatively a little further every time a new project comes up.

Talking about a new project, you are already working for the next one which is fashion related. That’s exciting, tell us more. 

In April, I will have another solo exhibition. This time it will be at the Max Mara store in Helsinki city center, and it will include large canvases created specifically for this location. There will be an installation in the window display facing Aleksanterinkatu. It is an exciting opportunity for me which will bring my work outside the traditional gallery context. I have shown my work in a retail fashion environment before, but this will be my largest such collaboration to date.

After the interview, Alex confirmed he has an upcoming exhibition at Makers’ Gallery in Vaasa May 24 - June 12, 2022. To stay updated, check out his website https://alexmarkwith.com/  and follow him on Instagram @alexmarkwith

New York ei ole menettänyt lumoaan

New York ei ole menettänyt lumoaan, vaikka se oli yksi koronatartuntojen keskittymistä

Matkustaminen New Yorkiin korona-aikana
Maaliskuussa 2020 pelko COVID-19:n leviämisestä sai presidentti Trumpin sulkemaan Yhdysvaltojen rajat eurooppalaisilta matkailijoilta. Maahantulokielto on edelleen voimassa, mutta se ei estä suomalaisia tekemästä matkasuunnitelmia New Yorkiin. Iso Omena on ollut vuodesta toiseen suomalaismatkailijoiden suosikki, ja kun lomamatkailu taas sallitaan, peräti puolet suomalaisista vastaajista haluaa matkustaa kaupunkiin vuoden kuluessa.

Mikä motivoi suomalaisia varaamaan matkan ja mitä huolenaiheita heillä on matkustamisesta tässä “uudessa normaalissa”? NewYorkCity.fi selvitti ihmisten asenteita.

Milloin suomalaiset uskovat USA:n rajojen avautuvan?
Odotukset eivät ole kovin optimistisia matkustuskiellon päättymisen suhteen. Vastaajista 41% uskoo, että rajat avautuvat vasta vähintään vuoden kuluttua. Yhteensä yli puolet vastaajista (67%) kokee, että matkustamista ei sallita vielä kesäkuussa 2021. Vain 5% ajattelee, että rajat avautuvat tammi-maaliskuun 2021 aikana.

Matkailutrendit rajojen avautumisen jälkeen
Vaikka ihmisillä on ristiriitaisia tunteita rajojen avautumisesta, 40% vastaajista kuitenkin ilmoittaa, että haluaa matkustaa New Yorkiin vuoden sisällä siitä, kun matkailu taas sallitaan. Tämän lisäksi 30% vastaajista kokee ajatuksen New Yorkiin matkustamisesta mieluisana, mutta heillä ei ole vielä konkreettisia matkasuunnitelmia. On hyvä huomata, että päinvastoin 8% ei halua vielä matkustaa tai suunnitella matkaa New Yorkiin. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta, että vaikka suomalaiset eivät ole kovin toiveikkaita rajojen avautumisen suhteen, he ovat yleensä ottaen halukkaita matkustamaan New Yorkiin, kun se on taas mahdollista.

Mikä New Yorkiin matkustamisessa huolettaa
Matkustaminen ei ole aina helppoa ja näinä aikoina lomamatka voi huolestuttaa vielä enemmän. Tämä ei kuitenkaan koske kaikkia. Kahdeksan prosenttia vastaa, ettei heillä ole erityisiä huolia New Yorkiin matkustamisesta.

Kyselyyn osallistujat voivat valita kymmenestä huolenaiheesta, jotka mahdollisesti vaikuttavat heidän päätökseensä varata matka New Yorkiin. Suurin suomalaisten huolenaihe on “jos sairastun New Yorkissa” ja sen jälkeen “mahdollinen karanteeni” ja “jos aktiviteetit tai nähtävyydet ovat suljettu”. Tämä osoittaa, että suomalaiset ovat enimmäkseen huolissaan koronavirukseen liittyvistä tekijöistä. “Jos sairastun New Yorkissa” edustaa 22:ta prosenttia vastauksista.

Jos sairastumisen pelkoa ei oteta huomioon, voi panna merkille, että iso osa huolenaiheista liittyy matkakokemukseen ja rahaan, esimerkiksi nähtävyyksien kiinnioloon (14%) tai matkustamisen kallistumiseen (13%).

Motivaatio matkustaa
Mikä motivoi suomalaisia suuntaamaan New Yorkiin, kun rajat ovat taas auki? On silmiinpistävää, että juuri taloudelliset tekijät näyttävät olevan tärkein motivaatio matkustusintoon. Vastaajista 30% koki työntäväksi tekijäksi “jos saan hyvän tarjouksen lennoista ja hotellista”. New York on kallis kaupunki ja suurin osa matkabudjetista menee lentolippuihin ja majoitukseen. Jos tähän lisätään vielä ihmiset, joille joustavat muutos- ja peruutusehdot ovat tärkein tekijä, prosenttiosuus nousee 43 prosenttiin. Sellaisia tekijöitä, kuten “riittävät COVID-19-suojatoimenpiteet” (10%) ja “kuulen positiivisia kokemuksia toisilta matkailijoilta New Yorkissa käynnin jälkeen” (7%), ei koeta niin tärkeiksi.

Vastaajat, joita motivoivat eniten taloudelliset tekijät, näyttävät olevan optimistisempia kuin ne, jotka ovat valmiita matkustamaan New Yorkiin, kun koronavirukseen on rokote tai hoitokeino. Nimittäin 13% niistä, joita motivoi hyvän tarjouksen saaminen, olisi valmis matkustamaan New Yorkiin ensimmäisen kuuden kuukauden kuluessa siitä, kun rajat ovat auki. Vain 5% vastaajista valitsi ratkaisevaksi tekijäksi rokotteen tai hoitokeinon.

Tulevaisuudennäkymät: New Yorkiin vuonna 2021?
Vaikka vuosi on ollut haastava, vielä on toivoa, että New Yorkiin voisi varata ehkä lomamatkan vuonna 2021. Kysymykseen "Mikä on ensimmäinen asia, jonka haluaisit kokea New Yorkissa?" iso osa vastasi, että he haluaisivat käydä ensimmäiseksi nähtävyyksillä (30%). Tämän jälkeen suosituimpia aktiviteetteja oli “nauttia New Yorkin museoista ja taiteesta” (18%), “syödä New Yorkin ruokia” (15%), “rentoutua puistossa” (12%) ja “mennä shoppailemaan” (11%).

New York on toipunut keväästä suhteellisen hyvin. Melkein kaikki nähtävyydet ovat auki ja turvallisen vierailun takaamiseksi niissä on käytössä monia suojatoimenpiteitä. Kasvomaskin kanssa on myös mahdollista shoppailla esimerkiksi Macy’s-tavaratalossa ja Woodbury Common Outletissa. Kaupunki elää pandemiatilanteen mukaan. Ravintolat joutuivat koronaviruksen takia sulkemaan sisätilansa, joten New Yorkissa koettiin poikkeuksellinen terassikesä. Ruokailu ulkotiloissa pyritään tällä hetkellä mahdollistamaan muun muassa katettujen terassien, lämmittimien ja "iglu"-telttojen avulla.

Kaiken kaikkiaan vastauksista voi päätellä, että ihmiset näkevät valoa tunnelin päässä. Suomalaismatkailijoilla on halua ja intoa matkustaa New Yorkiin, kunhan rajat ovat taas auki.

Kysely sai 12 400 vastaajaa. Se tehtiin New York -aiheisella Facebook-sivulla lokakuun 2020 kolmannella viikolla. Tavoitteena oli arvioida New Yorkiin matkustavien matkustusaikeita ja mahdollista aikataulua sekä matkustusasenteita rajojen aukeamisen jälkeen.


NewYorkCity.fi auttaa matkailijoita New Yorkin matkan suunnittelussa.

Yhteydenotot: Eric, NewYorkCity.fi
Email: eric@newyorkcity.fi
 

FB-sivua voi seurata tästä: https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkCity.fi 

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An American Tourist in Helsinki

By Thomas Riggs

My last trip to Finland was in autumn 2019 for a 9 day vacation. The area I would be exploring would be Helsinki and its suburbs - not totally new to me as I have been several times to Finland going back to 1986.

I anticipated this trip to be a real “eye opener”,  as I had been away for over 18 years and expected some significant changes . Happy to say nothing gave me the impression that Finland was changing for the worse; instead I was pleasantly surprised.

Upon arrival in the morning at Vantaa airport I immediately noted how much bigger it had become.  I did recognize from my long walk from the airplane to the baggage area the very nice wooden floors I had remembered in the past.  Also I noted the more international atmosphere during my long walk.  There were more foreign vendors as well as a larger mix of tourists from around the world , notably Japanese and Koreans. 

I met my friends and we were shortly off to Helsinki on the train heading to the main railway station.  Taking in every sight of the new airport and train was really rather exciting as I had been away for so long. The train ride was very smooth, and by the way, the overall reduction in noise and loud discussions was immediately appreciated.  If you’ve been to Finland before you understand what I’m talking about.  A complete 180 degree turn from, say, New York City.

One of my friends on this trip I have known for many years. We met at a well know New York City beer bar and we’ve kept in touch as we both follow the craft beer scene in Europe and America.  He’s a computer programmer. The other friend is also a beer enthusiast and micro brewer, previously a communications engineer and - guess what-  we have been in communication for years about the beer scene in Finland , Europe and the US.  Well, don’t get the impression that my trip was a “ boozing vacation” as it was not and we has interesting and very varied daily discussions about a multitude of topics: Finnish society, Finnish history, Finnish art, technology - around some beer , Ha Ha!

I stayed with my friend Ilkka and his family in downtown Helsinki not far from the Cathedral.  I had never stayed in this part of downtown and everything was just a few minutes’ walk away.  Previous trips had me staying outside of Helsinki ( Porvoo, Kerava) as well as almost always being in the countryside.   This was my first time to really get to know the capital a little more closely.

Things that struck me: for one, the honor system in Finland with respect to using public transportation.  My friend gave me a pass for city travel on trams and the Metro and they said “just keep it with you and NEVER lose it”.  I noted there were never any transit employees asking for your ticket.  It is assumed that you DID purchase your ticket.  I believe that if you do NOT have it you if asked then you pay a high penalty.  Thus, an example of the trust in Finnish society.

Would this work in New York City?   The Finnish way is in such a stark contrast to my daily commute to New York from Westchester.  Every morning, I am asked by the same conductor for me to show my ticket. I think New Yorkers may have to pick up their honesty and trust levels to equal the Finns.

My hosts, like myself prefer to cook most meals at home and we did not eat out except for one occasion.  If you want to look for a real bargain in Helsinki I suggest a visit to Ravintola Ani, on Telakkakatu 2.  I believe it is run by (correct me if I am wrong) Turkish immigrants and they have their version of a voileipäpöytä (smorgasbord) - which has some Turkish elements added.  Only 10 Euros for an all you can eat buffet at lunch time.  Can’t beat it. In the mornings I would go to the local small market store and buy food items for my hosts.  This was a good exercise for me as I wanted to force myself to speak a bit and the cashier got to know me after a few days and we extended our conversation as my ability allowed.

Wherever I travel there are some things I have to visit.  One is food shops and the other is libraries.  These two places give me a sense of the countries’ culture, no?

What surprised me was the variety of Finnish breads offered.  Through the years I have always looked for the rye bread, jälkiuunileipä in its large and small sizes but there are versions of this bread also.  I came across a sweeter, less chewy version and immediately thought the Finns were abandoning their world class rye bread!  Only to find out this is a newer version of the traditional style. Whew!  Also, I noted a bigger variety of cheeses and yogurts offered in Finnish food stores as compared to America.  Some members of the Finland Center know of my fondness for Finnish viili, which is not exported to the US (I have personally looked into this and it is a no go - the product is deemed “too delicate for transport”) and I was devouring it every morning with breakfast. Villi is something one must try when in Finland.  It’s a rather stringy yogurt -like dairy product which may be plain or flavored with fruit.  I’m addicted to it. If you want to make it here in America you can go online and buy a viili starter and add milk to get the final product. It’s really simple.  

I also had to get my hands on some kalakukko.  I think my friends referred to this as Finnish “slow food”. It’s a pie made of small fish, in this case one called muikku, rather like small sardines, wrapped in a rye dough.  Again, something I looked forward to and eating it again took me back years when I first had it in central Finland in the Saimaa region when camping with a group.

Aha, I found myself eating Finnish liquorice daily.  That too is a must for me, especially the extra salty stuff, salmiakki.  A must for any tourist.

I mentioned my interest in visiting libraries when in foreign lands - Finland did not let me down!  I was blown away by the beauty of the new Helsinki library, called Oodi. An architectural beauty in my view. It is located downtown just near a few other must-see sights such as the Musiikkitalo, the Finlandia Hall and the Finnish Parliament House. Visiting Oodi will leave you with such a great impression of what a modern, beautiful library can be.  Of note was how books were checked out.  There were no tellers to receive your book, scan it and give it back to you…you scan it yourself and walk out with it.  Another example of the Finnish honor system.  How many people would be stealing books from the New York library system ( I’m being so hard on New Yorkers aren’t I?).  As in Oodi, as in the airport, as in the shops, on the trains, etc,.  it was quite QUIET!  Loved it!

OK, let’s get to another very important aspect of the trip, as it should be with anyone’s trip to Finland…..sauna.

Having grown up with Finnish Americans in Gloucester, Massachusetts from a very young age, sauna is nothing new, and very natural for me.  My neighbor, Armas Tuomivirta, who was one of many Finns whose families  immigrated to Gloucester and Rockport, MA introduced me to sauna at about age 10.  On this last visit I was treated to a very special one.  My friend is a member of Suomen Saunaseura (the Finnish Sauna Society) and I was taken to visit their sauna which is located in Lauttasaari, a short walk from the Metro station ( by the way, an absolutely beautiful, modern station which is like all the new extensions of the system).  It was an absolutely fantastic experience as I tried all of their saunas, each a bit different in heat intensity but also the traditional “ savusauna” or smoke sauna.  The smoke sauna leaves black markings on your skin if you touch the wood anywhere but the smell is really lovely. We enjoyed about 5 rounds of sauna followed by dips into the water (’twas a bit cool that day, about 45 F) and finally a meal prepared there.  I had good conversations with others as they were interested in my interest in sauna and Finnish society.   An experience I will never forget.  Just to let you know that unfortunately, I believe the society’s sauna is not open to the public and you must be accommodated by a member.

Now, If you cannot get into Suomen Saunaseura, you can opt for a very good public one in downtown Helsinki, just near the city’s street markets and the presidential residence.  We also took sauna at Allas Sea Pool.  A new public sauna with swimming pools just outside of the steam rooms.  They offer one heated pool and another filled with sea water for the hardy ones.  It is open all year and it was a lot of fun. The number of public saunas in Helsinki are dwindling through the years I hear but this is another must do thing when visiting. Check out their webpage, allasseapool.fi. 

Too bad there are not enough proper Finnish saunas in America…sadly , often the sauna outside of Finland is not what one would consider a proper one.  

This trip also allowed me to renew my pilgrimages to two great Finnish art institutions. Firstly,  The AteneumArt Museum, just across from the Helsinki main railway station.  Again, I saw the great works of art from the Finnish masters and this is another must visit for anyone visiting the capital and has an interest in art. Secondly, my friend and myself made the trip to the museum of the great Finnish artist , Akseli Gallen-Kallela.  The museum is located in Tarvaspää, Espoo and again we took the Metro, exited and walked through the local neighborhood and forest to get there.  A beautiful walk I must say.  You cannot say you know anything about Finnish art if you have not visited this museum and become familiar with Gallen-Kallela’s work! Simple as that in my opinion.  I am very fond of his works. There is also a very good cafe right next to the museum and it is suggested you have a bite there.  It was reassuring that no significant changes took place at the museum or surrounding area while I’ve been gone for so long.

Now, as mentioned earlier in my entry, I am a fan of following craft beer production in America and Europe for decades. I have done home brewing and my two friends have the same interests.  We did visit several micro breweries and beer pubs which were all good.  The craft beer movement is alive and well over there and one can find a much larger variety of beers produced today than, say in the 1980’s.

I suggest a visit to the Stadin Panimo, stadinpanimo.fi which offers a wide selection of locally brewed beers. Also in downtown just a  stone’s throw from The Helsinki Cathedral, Bryggeri Helsinki, which has a brewery built into the premises and offers meals, www.bryggeri.fi  If you do drop in see if they have any sahti, a traditional Finnish brew.  Rather sweet but unique.

Another brewery worth checking out is Olarin Panimo which is at the Aalto University and the place has a very youthful atmosphere.  I had some very interesting conversations there with the head brewer…great people.  Olarinpanimo.fi

Finally, some good pubs to visit for variety are Olutravintola Pikkulintu, off the beaten path in the outer edge of Helsinki but worth the trip.  Very friendly people who took an interest in my fondness of Finland and the  Finnish beer scene.  The pub has a great selection and this is a place to meet the locals. Pikkulintu.fi.   Another pub which has a very good selection of cask beer was Gallows Bird in Tapiola.   Gallowsbird.fi   I had to get these suggestions out for those of you who seek good beer.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by what you can get.

Oh, a rather refreshing thing about bars/pubs in Finland is that you don’t have to tip…it’s included….makes things a bit easier. Hmmmm, again, would this go over in America?

So this has been a rather lengthy blog entry and I hope I was able to make some pointers as to what to look for. I was happy to see no loss in the very good character of the Finnish people and their honesty.  I marveled at the new architecture erected in Helsinki. The efficiency of getting around was excellent and one does not need an auto to live in the capital.  I could go on and on but I’ll have to stop here.

Upon getting off the plane in Kennedy Airport in New York, the contrasts between the cities were immediately noted. 

Now if you haven’t gotten to Finland make plans in 2021!

(For those of you who have not gone to Helsinki, I suggest you visit the Youtube produced by Finnwalker, to get a very good idea of what to expect, before you get there.)

Coronavirus ABC for returning citizens and visitors

10/16/20 

By Sanna Kyynäräinen

It’s no news that the COVID-19 pandemic is the hot topic of the day, every day. Many of you might agree that not seeing news about the virus for just one day would be a relief. However, as coronavirus continues to be a part of our daily lives, Finland Center Foundation has put together a handy list for anyone planning to return to, or visit Finland in the next few weeks. This post is primarily based on the recommendations by the official website of the Finnish Government, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) website. You may access the sites by using the links at the end of this post. 

As has been the case for months, cross-border travel to Finland continues to be restricted from many countries. The United States is also on the list of “banned” countries, based on the number of cases – nearly 8 million cases as of day of posting, and over 214,000 deaths in the U.S. However, this ruling might change come November. The Finnish government is planning a new approach, starting November 23rd. The official website of the Finnish government states that “with the new approach, passengers arriving from countries with a high incidence of COVID-19 must have a certificate of a negative COVID-19 test taken less than 72 hours prior to their arrival.” This could mean that travel from the United States to Finland could resume in a little over 4 weeks’ time. It should be noted, however, that unnecessary travel is not recommended at any time. 

Finnish nationals have had, and continue to have the ability to return to their home country unrestricted – although this has been complicated by the lack of flights for many. Everyone currently residing in Finland also has the right to leave the country, but it may not be guaranteed that the destination country will receive travelers – including the United States. When I attempted to board a flight that had a transfer in the United States in August, access on the plane was not permitted as transit through the United States was forbidden without a Permanent Resident Card. Similar measures may still be in effect, even for those who live in the U.S., but do not hold a Green Card. 

Similarly to other nations, some standard regulations are in effect in Finland; Using a face mask is mandatory on planes and airports, including Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, and highly recommended in all other public spaces – including public transportation, grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical facilities. The Cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Espoo recommend using a facemask in all municipal services (https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/coronavirus-en/information/face-mask). 

A 10-day voluntary self-quarantine is highly recommended after arriving to Finland from certain countries (see picture). Unnecessary visits to anywhere outside one’s home are advised against during the quarantine period. Social distancing is recommended at all times. No one should travel or visit public spaces if they are feeling ill. See your local providers’ instructions on obtaining a COVID-19 test. Test facilities are separate units in many cities, and have strict rules. Recommendations for getting tested may vary by provider – as a general rule of thumb, travelers who do not have symptoms after the 10-day quarantine, do not need to be tested. The Government recommendation to avoid visiting hospitals is no longer in effect. 

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommends that anyone arriving from a red or grey country self-quarantine for 10 days. The organization says that “quarantining is recommended even if you transit through a green country on your return trip to Finland.” However, visitors arriving directly from a green country do not need to self-quarantine. 

The Finnish Government states that travel within Finland is allowed as long as travelers “observe good hand and respiratory hygiene.” 

If you wish to visit restaurants or bars, bear in mind that many require the use of a face mask. Starting from the beginning of October, bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants must stop selling alcohol at 10pm, and must close by 11pm. Only half of the maximum number of customers may be present at a time. Staff in various establishments generally wear a mask and/or a visor to protect themselves, and the customers from spreading the disease. 

Having said all this – following the official guidelines of the Finnish government – one must note that the reality may look different. People still spend time in bars and restaurants, meet their friends and family without wearing a mask, and even visit the grocery store on their way to obtaining a COVID test (as my colleague witnessed a couple of days ago). As in the U.S., there is controversy in Finland over the necessity and effectiveness of wearing a face mask. I encourage anyone reading this to disregard this controversy. By wearing a mask and following adequate hygiene measures, you are protecting others as well as yourself from the virus. 

The fact that a widespread pandemic is still among us, does not mean that life should end. It is understandable that you want to keep in touch with your loved ones and do all the things you normally do in your spare time. With certain limitations, this is of course allowed, and even recommended. But do keep in mind that the longer we disregard the advice from medical experts, the longer the virus will rampage. So try to live your life as normally as possible, but do it responsibly. 

To sum up: 

1.     Make sure that you’re allowed to travel, and have the necessary paperwork with you when traveling. Do not travel if you have symptoms of the coronavirus, or are feeling ill. 

2.     Wear a face mask at all times, especially on planes, airports, and public transportation. Avoid public transportation if you can. 

3.     Abide by social distancing rules, and avoid visiting public places when possible. 

4.     Self-quarantine for 10 days after you have traveled. 

5.     Avoid visiting restaurants and bars. If you do go out, do it responsibly. 

6.     Do not be pressured by locals not wearing a mask. The use of a face mask is officially recommended, even if certain individuals refuse to wear one. 

Restrictions and regulations are bound to change, so please see the latest updates on the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare site: https://thl.fi/en/web/infectious-diseases-and-vaccinations/what-s-new/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-updates and the Finnish Government’s official website: https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/information-on-coronavirus/current-restrictions before making any travel plans. 

Last but not least, take care of yourself during these extraordinary times. Healthy habits like exercising and eating nutritious foods take you a long way. Do also remember to stay in touch with your loved ones in any way that suits your situation best, even if it's virtually. Stay healthy, and remember to wear a mask! 

P.S. FCF is organizing an outdoor Nordic walking event and a following picnic  this coming Sunday! Show up to restore both your body and mind! More information in our Events-section: https://www.finlandcenter.org/events  

Highlights of the Finnish Educational System

Last week we had the privilege of hearing William Doyle and Dr. Michael Hynes talk about Finnish schools. The conversation flowed freely, the audience was engaged and asked a lot of questions. The discussion could have lasted all night!

7 lessons for U.S from Finland by William Doyle that we learned:

1. Select, train and respect teachers as elite professionals.

2. Fund schools equitably, make public education “a right available to all on equal terms”.

3. Correct class sizes.

4. Have teachers assess learning, not standardized tests.

5. Invest fully in special ed and vocational/technical ed.

6. Mission: student well being: less stress, much more arts, recess and high-quality PE.

7. Let the Children Play!

As a Finn who has gone through the Finnish schooling system, I approve of their message. There is a lot of misinformation about the Finnish school system. One can see headlines like “there is no homework in Finland” or “ Finnish schools have no subjects” or talk about how we don’t have exams, all false. During Hynes’  and Doyle’s conversation I caught myself thinking “ ...yes, ..and?”. As they described the Finnish school system, it felt like they were describing my experience as a kid, which didn’t feel like anything special. But now I’ve learned just how special it was.

“What is the purpose of school? Is it taking exams and standardized tests or something else. The answer defines the narrative how your school experience will be.”

— Michael Hynes

I  wanted to add to the conversation with this blog post in hopes that the event wasn’t just a conversation but something bigger, a start of a new way of thinking. 

The event started with an informative presentation by William Doyle who summarized the Finnish schooling system well. Recess and play were really the biggest take-aways of the whole evening. In the U.S, prisoners get one hour of supervised time outside but schoolkids don’t. Doyle and Hynes emphasized the importance of play and recess that occur for 15 minutes after every 45 minute-class in Finnish schools. Usually kids are made to go outside during recess, they can’t stay indoors (yes, even if it is -18 degrees / 0 Fahrenheits outside). This might sound excessive, but the fresh air does wonders and keeps them moving. Playing is the key for better learning in school and for life. Kids have fun at school; as Doyle told, his child was sad to leave school in the afternoon because it felt like home to him.

The teachers in Finland are respected and they have studied teaching and learning as their degree. It is a job that kids dream about. As teachers are trusted by the public, parents and kids, it is not an easy job. The solution is that the teachers trust their students (even with possible hazardous objects like hammers and nails for carpentry class from the first grade forward). This mutual trust was highlighted in the discussion.

In Finland we don’t use standardized tests. Teachers follow their students’ learning and make their own tests and gradings. The test doesn’t determine the grade solely either, one’s class work is a big influencer. As a good student I didn’t have to get the highest score on a test to get a good grade in the class. This is made possible by small class sizes of 24. The teachers get to know the children’s learning habits personally and they follow the kids through their first few years. I can personally also say how important the class size is, as I was in an exceptional 32 student class (due to a school student issue) and I can say, it didn’t work as well. The peace and quiet wasn’t the same either.

Finnish school is a right available to all on equal terms. In Finland schools, books and meals are free until high school, after that books cost and higher education costs about 100 Euros a year -  yes, you read that right, 100 Euros. If one can’t afford this, it will be provided for them. Schools have no big differences and it doesn’t matter from which school you are from, because the quality is the same. It doesn't matter which university one got their degree from either. This all is a totally different discussion that was not addressed at the event.

If we have learned to love school, our early education works and it’s free, so it is no wonder we are a well educated country and were ranked as the most literate nation.  

The career and technical education path was raised in the conversation. In the U.S, young people have stress of fitting into the mold of being a good academic student and going to college after high school. There need to be other pathways too. In Finland we have a vocational school option alongside high school. Youngsters who are not that into school, don’t have academic future interests and don’t perform as well with the grading system usually choose this option. This was deemed to be a good way to lessen the stress and desperation of fitting in that one system because the students have more options.

Make no mistake, it ultimately still is the choice of the kid. As an example, my brother didn’t perform well before high school and had difficulties being motivated to study, so he was “a good candidate” for the CTE option. In the end he chose high school, had more difficulties keeping up, so he needed more work and effort than the average but he graduated with mediocre grades and now he is graduating as an engineer. (He could have ended up in the same place with the CTE too, it doesn’t rule out options in higher education but it might make it more difficult.)

The severe learning difficulties among children and how they were taken into account in the Finnish school system was a big question in the event but I am afraid I can’t help share light on the issue any better.

So, what can a parent do in New York ?

Don’t be a helicopter parent and bubble wrap your kid. Kids tend to get scraped knees that is part of growing up. Once my brother was picked up from school because he had hit his head in the jungle gym. (He still has a Harry Potter scar on his forehead to prove it) No one was to blame, as they say: stuff happens, kids test their limits and learn by playing. They won't learn if they are watched over all the time, take it from the “world’s worst mom”, who let her 9-year-old ride the New York subway by himself. (She was in the audience by the way.)

You can opt out of standardized testing too, it is within your rights. I learned this during the discussion.

See these organizations below who were represented in the audience who are part of a movement for changing the American school system. You can also join William Doyle on his trip to Finnish schools. 

You can watch a livestream of the event on our Facebook page: Finland Center NY.

Dr. Michael Hynes

William Doyle

The Thinkers 

www.thethinkersglobal.com  Founder, CEO - Rina G. Patel

Let Grow

www.letgrow.org

Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow Lenore@LetGrow.org

We have 2 free initiatives we recommend schools try: The Let Grow Project And The Let Grow Play Club

NYS Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE)

www.nysape.org   Lisa Rudley  nys.allies@gmail.com

Trip to Finland

Global Professional Learning Community - 2020 Lab School 1 week Immersion Professional Development program offered by UEF-Finland University

Contact William Doyle for details: william.doyle@fulbrightmail.org

By Nelli Karhu

Why did Helsinki beat New York in work-life balance?

Helsinki was recently listed as the best city for work-life balance. The study factors included work intensity, society and institutions, as well as city livability. The survey covered 40 cities globally, consisted of 20 variables and was conducted by Kisi.

New York reached 21st place. In another nationwide survey, New York was ranked 5th, just after San Diego, Portland, San Francisco and Minneapolis.

So, why did Helsinki rank as the 1st and New York as 21st? Let’s take a closer look at the results.

Work intensity

It seems like New Yorkers are more hard-working people, or at least they are under more pressure to be so. Full time employees work about 40 hours a week in Helsinki, where as New Yorkers work for 2 hours more. They are no strangers to overtime either. On average, 14% of New Yorkers work over 48 hour weeks, while the percentage is only 5 in Helsinki.

But the bigger difference can be seen in the time spent on vacations. The gap grows wider with the minimum number of compensated vacation days an employee is legally entitled to (excluding public holidays). The number of days is 30 in Helsinki while in New York it’s 10. On average, 28.7 and 10.8 of those days are used, respectively. To add to the contrast there has been a news story circulating on how Finland’s prime minister would like to see a 4 day work week in the future.

Surprisingly, the average commute is only 10 minutes longer (36 minutes) in New York even though New York has over 13 times more people living here, not to mention the urban area. However, New Yorkers still arrive at work only 20 minutes later at 9:25.

New York is far behind Helsinki in terms of compensated family leave by law, but let’s not judge too harshly. Here, paid family leave by law is rare, almost non-existent. In fact, the United States has remained as the last industrialized country without guaranteed paid family leave. Only a few states have mandatory paid parental leave and New York state has the most comprehensive family leave policies. But Luckily many companies have established their own parental leave policies. 

Society and institutions factor didn’t bring any shocking revelations. The accessibility to quality healthcare services reached 86.7 (out of 100) in Helsinki and 71.6 in New York. The access to Mental healthcare scored a much lower in both cities: 58.9 in Helsinki and 47.2 in New York. There were no big differences in gender and LGBT+ equality scores. 

City Livability

As one might have guessed, Helsinki was ranked safer (93.3 vs. 87), less polluted (6.7 vs. 7,5 µg/m3) and happier (Finland was ranked to be the happiest country in 2019).

New York is a famously hectic city, so much so that it is 2,5 times more stressful than Helsinki. Funnily enough, it was only ranked as 6th in the national US study, placed after cities like Milwaukee (3rd) and Columbus (5th). Even though this is good news for New York, I don’t see Milwaukee taking New York’s place as the busiest city anytime soon. 

Before we crown Helsinki as the ultimate winner, let’s scrutinize the leisure score. New York won that category by nearly twofold. In fact, New York ranked the best of all of the cities in the global survey. There is nothing like the city that never sleeps when it comes to the options for culture, entertainment, restaurants, etc. New York was also listed as the second best city (behind Los Angeles) for kid’s activities in a study by Movinga. Sadly for New York though, the overall best city for families out of the 150 studied metropolises was Helsinki. 

What can I say, maybe Helsinki really is that good? 

By Nelli Karhu

Life of an Intern

Hanna concentrating

I am going to tell you a bit about what is like to intern with Finland Center Foundation. This is for interested applicants and upcoming interns, who can get  a little insight into what to expect, and for whoever wants to know what we are actually doing here. So, if you are interested in knowing about the internship period with FCF, please keep on reading. In short, I can tell you - it is awesome!

Days at the office are varied for sure. To put it briefly, the job consists of managing social media and newsletters, event planning and organization, networking, website management, marketing, e-mail correspondence, membership administration and attending events. Social media plays a big role. You can be as creative and inventive as you want! Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin will become familiar if not already. Basically, the goal is to promote Finnish-related happenings and bring Finnish-minded people and topics together in New York City.

Organizing events is exciting! Before the event there is the planning part and promoting part. What are we actually doing? Where? When? Who to invite? What does the program look like? Maybe you need to design promotion material on the Canva platform or send invitations via Mailchimp. On the day of the event the intern might be taking care of the enrollment, catering, seating, photographing, and social media postings for example. Not to mention, the intern also has the opportunity to listen to very interesting speakers. This Fall, Finland Center Foundation co-organized events such as a music concert, a fashion collection launch and a technology related panel.

Starrett-Lehigh Building

Women’s Lab in the Centre for Social Innovation

It is easy to learn how to use the different platforms and programs we use. You learn by doing! As an intern you have responsibility but also your contribution is trusted and valued. This job definitely gives you a confidence boost! Help is always gladly offered by our founder and other staff. Working hours are quite flexible. Mainly regular office hours, but maybe you are needed some evenings or weekends -  but usually because of an interesting event!

Having initiative is expected but the work can be as independent or social as you want it to be. It is fun and insightful to discuss with fellow interns and staff. Comparing differences between Finland and The United States is always interesting. Interns improve their English language skills because we get to use it on a daily basis. At the moment FCF and The Kota-Alliance have two interns from Finland and one from the Netherlands! Meeting fascinating people is guaranteed.

Last but not least, the interns get to learn how the nonprofit sector in New York operates which is very interesting - and very different compared to Finland.

Where does all this work physically take place? Finland Center Foundation is located at the coworking office space called Centre for Social Innovation, CSI, in Chelsea. The building we are in is called Starrett-Lehigh, which is one of the largest buildings in Manhattan. Most of the people working here are working, volunteering or doing an internship for a non-profit organization. As the name indicates, the work community consists of very co-minded and social doers! Connections and ideas are easily shared. Besides the people, one of the best parts of being a member of CSI is that coffee and tea are available all the time! On Tuesday mornings we have parfait and every Wednesday a salad buffet. And everything is for free! For an intern, that is a great perk. The CSI staff also organizes workshops and events for members to attend. One this Fall that was about improving social media marketing skills was very useful.

Speaking about events, the city offers an awesome opportunity to take advantage of different kinds of panels, conferences, workshops and other events on all kinds of topics all around the city. You might find yourself attending a panel about women’s role in peacemaking at the UN or watching a Finnish comedy at the Scandinavia House. 

Internship is about working and learning but there is still the rest of the day and weekends! What to do? It is New York City! In your free time you can experience...The Empire State Building, The Madison Square Garden, Central Park, Guggenheim, Brooklyn, Coney Island, Madame Tussauds, Time Square, Chrysler Building, Moma, The Botanical Garden, Top of the Rock,  Grand Central Oyster Bar, Bryant Park, Queens, Bronx Zoo, The Rangers, Century 21, Barnes & Noble, The Met, Shake Schak, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, Whitney Museum, Soho, Public Library, Rockefeller Center, Staten Island Ferry, The Knicks, Radio City Music Hall, Barneys, Washington Square Park, Chinatown, The Vessel, The High Line, American Museum of Natural History, House of Yes, Grand Central Terminal, UN Headquarters, The Apollo Theater, Hudson River, Columbus Circle, Harlem, Roosevelt Island Tram, Lincoln Center, Battery Park, Broadway, Pier36... You name it!

Annimari and Jaana meeting the world’s funniest man Ismo!

Heikki Sarmanto's 80th Birthday Celebration!

Heikki Sarmanto's 80th birthday and music was celebrated in the St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery on September 8th 2019. Many of Heikki’s musician and lay friends, colleagues and family members gathered together to celebrate this remarkable composer and performer. His show was intimate and wonderful in the beautiful venue the church of St. Mark’s offered. Jeannine Otis and Maria Sarmanto’s singing was very delightful and warm. Special thanks to Jeannine Otis and St. Mark’s Church-in-Bowery for hosting the event.

Jeannine and Heikki

Maria Sarmanto singing

We would also like to thank Consul General of Finland Mika Koponen and his wife Cecilia for heartwarming speech and attendance.

Composer and pianist Heikki Sarmanto is a leading Finnish jazz scene figure who has been internationally praised for his symphonic, orchestral and jazz ensemble works.

Contributions benefit the cultural and community work of St. Mark's Church and Finland Center Foundation.

Thank you to our in-kind sponsors Long Drink and Finlandia Cheese.

Thank you everyone who attended!

Alku 1 and 2 on National Register of Historic Sites in the United States!

On May 20, 2019, the National Register of Historic Places in the United States, listed Alku 1 and Alku 2, located at 816 and 826 43 rd Street, Kings County Brooklyn New York, as the first two coop buildings in the USA, built by Finnish immigrants, on the National Registry of Historic Places. Previously, on March 21, 2019, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation designated both buildings as Historic Sites in New York State.

The Board of Alku 1 and Alku 2 worked very hard to prepare and submit the actual application to get the historical designation. Considerable input to that application came from Valerie Landriscina, a licensed architect, and Cecilia Feilla, both on the Board, and Robert Alan Saasto, Esq., who furnished extensive historical references himself, and directed the Board to other sources in the USA and Finland to secure historical proof to establish that in fact, (1) Alku 1 and Alku 2 were the first coop buildings in New York State and in the USA, which were built by Finnish immigrants; and (2) that the Finnish immigrants brought the concept of cooperative ownership to the United States.

On May 26, 2019, Robert Alan Saasto, Esq., led a tour of what was once Finntown in Sunset Park, Brooklyn New York. The ultimate purpose was to lay the groundwork to have some of the other 24 Finn coop buildings built around Sunset Park put plaques in their walls to commemorate the Finns who built those buildings in the early 1900s. Alku 1 and 2 already have plans to put the plaque on their building, and the Imatra Hall has a plaque ready to be installed! Those plaques, plus the Finlandia Street sign at 40 th Street and 7 th Avenue, would serve as permanent visual confirmation to anyone visiting the neighborhood as to the contribution of the Finnish immigrants to that neighborhood.

It is the ultimate goal of Robert Alan Saasto to secure recognition of the Finns for bringing to the USA the concept of cooperative ownership, whether it be buildings, food markets, banks, credit unions, etc. This is a major first step towards that recognition.

Those on the tour and shown in the picture in front of what was Imatra Hall, now the Resurrection Church, are from left to right: Johannes Kotkavirta a reporter for Ilta-Sanomat, the second largest newspaper in Finland; Valerie Landriscina who is on the Board of Alku 1 and 2 and was very instrumental in getting the approval (with Cecilia Feilla present but not shown in the photo); Jaana Rehnstrom President of Finland Center Foundation; Robert Alan Saasto, Esq.; and Eero Kilpi, President of Finlandia Foundation New York Chapter.

Robert Alan Saasto, Esq.

Valerie Landriscina and Robert Saasto

In the spotlight: Interview with dancer Harriet Rautio

Photo by SDF- Media and Nick Mango Photography

By Tuuli Mäkinen

Harriet Rautio arrived to New York four years ago to study dance. Now she dances in the dance company of the acclaimed choreographer Laurie De Vito.

“I moved from home when I was 16 to study in Kulturama High School of Arts, in Stockholm, Sweden. During my studies I started to dance Salsa and Latin American dances, which later took me teaching at “Stockholm Salsa Dance” and performing in Latin Dance Festivals in Europe.”

Harriet is dipping a toe into choreographing as her short duet was presented in March at Salvatore Capezio Theater. Her duet “Pace Of The City” will again be shown as a part of “Art Ex” event by European Cultural Center in the end of April.

Where are you from originally?

I am originally from Kerava, Finland.

What style of dance do you love at the moment?
I like all styles of dance. What I dance mostly at the moment is contemporary modern dance. I’ve had most of my training in jazz, ballet and modern dance but I’m also inspired by the groundedness and fluidity of Afro-Caribbean and African dances, and house dance.  What appeals to me is a sequential movement that flows in space.

 What are your thoughts of the dance scene in New York?

It’s very wide. You get exposed to many styles of dance and different ways of moving. It’s great as a point of reference for exploring your personal preferences and developing your sense of identity.

What new is it giving for you, comparing your dancing in Europe?

It has expanded my view of dance in general since the scene is bigger than in the Nordic Countries. Meeting Laurie was a turning point for me in many ways. I got very connected with her deep-rooted movement language that uses the torso with spirals and contractions. I also discovered an ease and a freedom in movement that I didn’t have before and that was a huge for me opening many doors. Dancing with her and the more seasoned dancers of the company has been an experience I have learned so much from and I know her influence will always carry in my dancing.

Photo by SDF- Media and Nick Mango Photography

 What does dance mean to you?

The meaning of it has been changing throughout the years. Dance is something I get to do and have with me every day and I’m very blessed.

What decision led you to end up in New York?

I came here initially to do training for two months. I noticed how much I was improving and learning just during that time and I wondered what if I could spend an entire year training intensively. I went back to Sweden, moved some of my belongings back to Finland and a month after I was back here.

What is your dream now?

To live a long life ha! Alongside with dancing, I want to study Kalevala bone-setting, which is a mobilization treatment based on old Finnish Traditional Healing. I’ve gotten a lot of help from it during my many overuse injuries in the past and I think it’s a brilliant method to use to help anyone, especially dancers dealing with pains or postural misalignment. Due to struggling with many overuse injuries during the years, I became interested in anatomy and the musculoskeletal system more profoundly, which took me to studying it alongside with dance. The treatment of Kalevala Bone Setting covers the whole body from the soles of the feet to skull and fingertips and I see it as a sort of a method “getting your instrument in tune”.

In the future I want to work together with musicians and bring live music and movement together. Also, one thing that jazz musicians have inspired me of is their free improvisation. Often dance that is seen on stage is something that has been rehearsed over a longer period of time and what I’d also like to explore is a concept where the performed movement is created in the moment. I have many ideas but funding is always something that can take some time to figure out.  

Photo Jayna Photography

Tell me your favorite things in New York City? What inspires you here?

Live music. It’s everywhere! On streets, subways, bars… I have three live music spots only few minutes of walk from home.

In general the arts and how accessible they are. There’s always ways to get affordable last minute tickets, and during summer time there’s summer stages where you can see dance, theater, music and film for free admission.

Also diversity. You meet so many people from all over the world and from different backgrounds. Everyone has a story. I would say that is also what is inspiring. Meeting people who are here to do what they believe in and creating the life they want.

What is the biggest cultural difference comparing Finnish and American mentality? What is your most Finnish quality?

There’s so many cultural differences, giving that the size of the countries, political systems and history are very different.  America is a big country but between New York and Finland one thing you can easily tell is that in general people are way more extroverted here. Here you often see people pick up casual conversations with strangers and that rarely happens in Finland.

Also what my aunt who was visiting last week noticed was: “In Finland people will help you when you ask for help but here if you stand in corner with a map someone will right away come offer their help.”

I have learned during the 10 years away that I have the Finnish culture pretty deep-rooted in me many ways.  One quality would be that I almost never leave food on my plate.

What do you miss in Finland the most? What are the best things in Finland that you like?

What I miss the most is my family, friends, nature and fresh air.

Best things in Finland would be the welfare system, nightless summers and sauna. And rye-bread!

Photo by Clara Monserrat Forssén

In the Spotlight: Meeri Koskialho – Finnish Entrepreneur in New York

By Tuuli Mäkinen

What’s your story of moving to New York? How long have you been living here?

 I’ve been in New York almost six years already. I have traveled a lot and, being from Europe, I knew that moving to another country often means having to learn another language. Speaking five languages already, I wanted to take it easy and speak English. Besides there being no language barrier, New York attracted me in part because of its reputation for non-profits. At first, I was determined to get a job in the United Nations. I had three interviews at the United Nations in my first week of living here! Instead I ended up working in fashion, dressing up women at a boutique which is coincidentally near the United Nations headquarters.

 How has it been for you to integrate here? Any difficulties getting used to the city?

 Integrating here was very easy, as I felt welcome from the beginning. Part of that is because I worked very hard prior to my arrival to form connections in the city, and the first year I was here I spent a huge amount of time networking. I met the right people, through luck as well as effort. My network grew to include friends, mentors, supporters.

Of course, there have been difficulties over the years. Many of these difficulties will be familiar to my fellow New Yorkers: a scam-ridden rental market with extraordinary prices being asked for some really awful apartments (file under: bed bugs, black mold); a profit-driven healthcare industry; hiring lawyers; and last but not least, the worst subway system I have experienced, in any city, of the roughly 40 countries I have visited.

 You are running Ekavi, a women’s clothing boutique in Manhattan. How did you get there from wanting to work in the United Nations?

One of the amazing people I met before moving to New York was Jaana Rehnstrom, who in addition to being president of Finland Center Foundation is founder of a non-profit, the Kota Alliance, which focuses on women’s rights and gender equality. I was one of the original Kota team members as Jaana was just getting the organization started. Jaana knew I was looking for new opportunities, and forwarded me a job post from Ekavi Boutique looking for a “Sales Assistant”. The job post specified they were looking for someone of Swedish nationality, but I thought “hey maybe Finnish would be even better!” I knew I was the right person for the position. I went in for the interview and was hired on the spot. by the owner. Soon after I was on track to become “Manager”, and eventually “Business Partner”.

Meeri’s boutique in Manhattan

 What inspires you about New York? What is your favorite thing here?

I’m inspired by the variety of people, possibilities and overall diversity of the city. There are so many good restaurants representing every nation in the world, a dynamic art and music scene, and of course New York is at the top of the world in terms of fashion. One could never get bored here. The question is always which event do I choose to attend?

New York City produced Patti Smith and the Ramones! Lady Gaga and Robert de Niro are here. Gloria Steinem lives here. This city also elected Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest women ever to serve in the US Congress!

Because it can be so hectic, so loud, so busy, some say the best part of New York is getting away. Luckily, New York is also great place to start from if you’re looking to travel. For a weekend trip you can always go upstate, and Canada is just a bit further north. If you want sunshine and blue seas, flights to Mexico and the Caribbean are inexpensive, and just a few hours long.

However, no matter how many places I visit, I’m always happy to return home, New York.

 What are some cultural differences between Americans and Finnish people? What is the most “Finnish” habit you still have in your everyday life?

The phenomenon known as “keeping up with the Joneses” does not exist in Finland. But it certainly exists here!

I had never heard of this concept until I moved to New York and began to notice everyone was constantly comparing themselves to their neighbors. The more I learn the more I realize that impulse must come from early childhood; from the time you are in school in the US, you are competing with one another. Then you have to get into the best college, get the best grades, and so forth and by the time you are an adult you are concerned about what type of car your coworkers are driving, how much your neighbor’s handbag cost. In Finland there is much less sense of competition among neighbors.

There is a bridge here to another subject that is divisive in the US: environmental awareness. In Finland, people do not deny that climate change is happening, and we do not question that consumerism plays a huge role in it. One of the things I do here that strikes people as strange, is to bring my own bag to the supermarket to avoid using unnecessary plastic bags. Finns love recycling; it goes hand in hand with conscious consumerism. I always try to do my part here!

 What do you miss about Finland?

Healthcare!

Living in Finland I did not realize how good I had it. In Finland you are guaranteed healthcare in Finland by right of citizenship, here be prepared to pay a fortune! Even still you have to watch out, seek second and third opinions, and be prepared for doctors to suggest unnecessary surgeries and drugs.

I also miss sauna, and walking in the forest. And of course, I miss my wonderful family and friends in Finland every day!

 What would you miss if you moved away from New York?

New York celebrates convenience. You can walk everywhere, and you can find food at any hour of the day. On top of that, New York’s notorious subway runs all night.

With the right mixture of working hard, working smart and being receptive to the endless opportunities that present themselves here, New York is still a place to make your dreams come true. I will always embrace the drive of this city, and its dynamic people with high hopes. Like Bruce Springsteen sings: “There's treasure for the taking, for any hard-working man, who will make his home in the American Land”. I will always respect those who make it. Because it is not easy.

 What are your plans for the future?

I’m going to continue building my own dream! At this moment I’m in a happy place, with a business to work on, and a five-year anniversary coming up with Alex, the amazing man in my life who is a visual artist. Stay tuned for some new art and fashion-related projects we’ll be working on together.

Reflections on Studying in the US as a Finn

By Jaana Rehnstrom

Going to university in the US is a different experience from Finland for sure! A group of students from Finland gathered around a table and discussed their experiences.  They had mostly come to the US to study because they saw opportunities here that do not exist in Finland (or did not exist at the time they were looking); for instance, Nadia just graduated from John Jay College of CUNY where she studied criminology – never taught in Finland until this year, apparently. The reality is of course that studying in the US is more expensive than in Finland - where there is no tuition, and students get a government stipend – although CUNY as a public university is much more affordable than most. How did they manage it? “I begged my mom” – laughed Nadia.

 Here are a few observations:

• Freshmen students in the US seem younger and more immature (they are in fact a year younger, on average). Perhaps that is why the system also involves more obligatory class attendance and graded homework, just like in high school! In Finland, class attendance is mostly not required, with the exception of some hands-on fields where you have small-group instruction (such as medicine).

• Apparently (perhaps for the same reason, or perhaps because they are paying for tuition) parents have been known to call the professors with complaints if their child is not doing well in college (yikes!)

• Grades are viewed completely differently. Grading does not happen on a bell-shaped curve, instead, effort seems to be rewarded more than the actual result. Students expect to get A’s , and often even a B+ is viewed as a failure and can result in complaints to the professor. An F is very unusual and rarely given, as there are plenty of strategies to get out of a class if it’s not going well.

• Students in the US are much more active in class, and class participation is also important for grades. In Finland, classes are often bigger, and students speaking up in class are sometimes considered by their classmates as self-promoting and “uppity” – always a big sin in Finnish culture J

• Students in the US also participate in social activities such as student clubs etc. and engage with their college friends after school – this in particular at campus universities outside of the big cities. In Finland, it seems everyone just goes to class and back and socialize with their other friends after classes, although they might find new ones to include from the university.

 A big topic of discussion was the visa situation and how to remain in the US after graduation. Employment is allowed for one year after, and longer only if the employer sponsors the visa going forward.  Consulting an immigration lawyer is probably a good idea if you have this in mind, as the rules are complicated.

Birch Bark Weaving

By Jaana Rehnström

In today’s world, when we all just sit at our computers and type away, it is refreshing to get to do something creative and three-dimensional with your hands.

Elaine Moe, whose four grandparents all came from Finland, came from Massachusetts on a Saturday in November to instruct a small group in birch bark weaving - an old folk tradition in many northern countries, including Finland.

Birch bark is harvested from trees 3-4 feet at a time. This allows for it to grow back (although apparently it’s slow, takes about 10 years) and thus does not harm the tree in the long run. Where logging is planned, you can go in the days before and harvest the entire tree. Birch bark is also sold commercially but in the raw state. That means you still have to do all the work to remove the outer layer and cut the bark into ½ - 1 inch wide, long strips.  

It actually took about three hours to make one Christmas ornament! But the results are beautiful. Elaine also showed us some beautiful small baskets which are even harder to make. If there is interest, we can arrange another course, let us know by emailing finlandcenternyc@gmail.com.

In the spotlight: interview with Maija Anttila

By Kalle Vikman

“I had the pleasure to meet up with and interview the Finnish trailblazer of the Broadway-producing world, Maija Anttila, who is a hard-core businesswoman with innovative views on the future of theater production and its funding.”

Where are you from originally?

I’m from Seinäjoki, born and raised.

How long have you been living in New York and what brought you here?

I came to New York 11 years ago when I was 19 to start my studies in AADA (The American Academy of Dramatic Arts). Ever since childhood I always wanted to move here, I had no intention to stay in Finland because what I dreamed of, what I really wanted to do, couldn’t be done in Finland. There was no “plan B”; I didn’t think I needed one. I wanted this and I knew I’d find a way to make it happen. Naturally they were looking for someone with potential, and a different kind of flair, I think. I showed them what I could do and that I’m eager to learn more. Basically I let them know that “I am a sponge: now let me learn.”

Can you tell us a little about your program in AADA?

It was a two-year actor associate program. I did my first year in NY and was accepted to continue my studies in the second year. However, I had to go back to Finland for a year to work at Anttila (a Finnish convenient store chain since bankrupted) to finance my studies. After that I came back to U.S. and decided to do my second year in Los Angeles since the academy has another campus there. It felt logical, since the NY campus concentrates more on classic theater, whereas LA is where the movie business is. That’s where all the contacts were. There I trained under Brian Danner (the person responsible for such well-known stunt choreos as “Pirates of the Caribbean”) to be a stuntwoman. The mentoring continued even after graduation and I was a part of his stunt team Sword Fights Inc.

“I didn’t have a Green Card so I couldn’t get paid. Every job and gig I had, I had to volunteer for them. I did get a lot of work experience out of it but I still had bills to pay.”

What did you do after you graduated? Were there any problems with actually working in the U.S.?

I started going to auditions. There certainly were problems. I didn’t have a Green Card so I couldn’t get paid. Every job and gig I had, I had to volunteer for them. I did get a lot of work experience out of it but I still had bills to pay. But then, as it happened, a friend took me to a restaurant in LA, owned by a Finnish-German chef, Stefan Richter. I got a job as a hostess but I had to spend all the money I was making to pay the travel expenses: gas is not cheap. So there were days when I had to eat cat food.

Fortunately, the restaurant served as a popular meeting spot for the staff from multiple studios, so I got to serve a lot of big names. After a couple of months, they got to know my face and I made some good contacts. I also came to the conclusion that I wanted to produce. In movie business there’s still a lot of sexism (we all probably remember that the #MeToo movement did indeed resurface from the midst of Hollywood actresses) and I wanted to be taken seriously and have my voice heard. When I was doing the acting gigs as a volunteer, I did have the chance to voice my opinions, but they weren’t taken seriously because of my age and my sex.

To get into producing, I had to get to the right people. They all went to the premiere after-parties, so on those days I fasted to save money for gas, got dressed to the nines, and waited outside the party venues, waiting for someone to leave so I could ask for their entry bracelet. Sometimes it paid off, sometimes it didn’t.

How did you feel about that, eating cat food or not eating at all? Did you have any doubts or desire to quit?

Not really, I never thought coming here and building my career would be easy. Sometimes you just got to make sacrifices and give up the comforts in life. Then again, now that I’ve reached this point in my career, I really love where I am. Of course even now, doing business decisions, basically being a pioneer in my field, it’s rough. The process has been quite hard and painful, but I was able to achieve what I wanted and it is totally worth it. And in the future I can share what I’ve learned and give advice on what gives a profitable outcome and what does not. I encourage people to think outside the box and keep trying until it works out.

You are currently working on crowd-funded theater production here in NYC, is that correct?

Yes, even though I returned to NY with a bunch of contacts, I was still a newbie. Fortunately an acquaintance tipped me about a vacancy for a producer. I got to read the script, written by Broadway multi-talent Dep Kirkland (who also happens to be an ex-lawyer himself) and we decided to make it into a movie, but only after we’d made it into a play first, since the script was originally meant for that purpose. The play is called MsTRIAL, it’s a law-themed drama that was supposed to come out in Los Angeles, but because of conflicting opinions it was scrapped. I started presenting this idea and it caught more wind under its wings than I could’ve imagined. We are cooperating with amazing partners such as Daryl Roth.

The budget for getting this production to Off-Broadway is 1.3 million USD. Over half of the current funds have been collected through commitments from the U.S., from Finnish angel investors and through the crowd-funding website. (The Finns reading this who are not familiar with the theater business in NYC: the term ‘Off-Broadway’ refers to the professional theaters in Manhattan, which can accommodate audiences from 100 to 500 people.)

MsTRIAL is about a top-of-the-notch lawyer named John Paris and his two employees, Dan Burks and Karen Lukoff, whose lives develop flair of luxury after celebrating their triumphs in court. These grand celebrations result in a lawsuit and John is accused of sexual offences. The play makes the audience to listen to the dialog that’s happening in the society and offers a glance to the world of he-said-she-said conflicts. It aims to open up the “gray area” because that’s where we have the opportunity to change things. It’s where the damage happens but also where it gets fixed!

“[MsTRIAL] aims to open up the “gray area” because that’s where we have the opportunity to change things. It’s where the damage happens but also where it gets fixed!”

Has the crowd funding been a popular channel of participation?

In Finland it’s mostly the government and different foundations that fund the production of cultural productions and events, where as here in the U.S. it’s a hard-core business. When it comes to “MsTRIAL”, I personally wanted everyone to have a chance to get a piece of this cake through funding. Broadway is a 1.4 billion dollar business annually. For Finns, excluding few exceptions, this still remains unmarked land, which holds great potential. We launched a radio campaign in Finland that turned out to be quite effective and enabled the Finnish everyman/woman to take part in this business. If you want to read more about the crowd-funding campaign in Finnish, you’ll find it here.

Where do you draw your inspiration in the city that never sleeps?

Hmm, that’s a good question… Where do I draw inspiration? I’d like to say that it comes from Finnish nature or love etc., but to be honest I’ve just always wanted to do this. I belong here. I’m having loads of fun and I’m enjoying myself, I’m in my comfort zone. That’s where the inspiration comes from: I don’t need to search for the meaning of life, because it is right here: making all of this possible and sharing it. I trust that the future has good things in store for me, since I’ve already gotten so much. Before this point in my life, I wasn’t comfortable. I was searching for this feeling right here.

What are the biggest differences in making theater and performing arts in NYC and, for example, in Helsinki?

The scale and the budget are totally different. In Finland the audience for theater productions is also extremely limited. I’ve studied this business and I know my field so well that I find it so much fun to see what works and what doesn’t. For example, now’s the most opportune time for MsTRIAL. You just have to know how to schedule your production and be able to maneuver. Nothing’s impossible; it’s just a question of how.

Do you aim to express any Finnish values or embody something traditionally Finnish in your work?

No, I don’t. But I do strive for opening the door for all that potential in Finland, so that we could bring that here and make it a part of this market. I want to enable the Finnish talent to make a breakthrough here.

What I got from Finland is that I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer nor take any bull***t. That is a quality I learned growing up in Finland and I’ve made sure to keep that. I think I also have that urge to ‘push it through’: sometimes you get a cut or two, but that’s life.

What is, in your opinion, the best thing about NYC?

I’m never bored in New York. Of course there are times when I need some space and privacy, but 90% of the time I love that there’s so much to do from finding a new café or a restaurant to trying out the new culinary innovations, such as grilled watermelon ham. There are loads of concerts, museums, and all kinds of cultural activities that I love. There’s no such thing as a ”regular night out”, simply because the possibilities are endless.

What are things you miss about Finland?

Forest, nature, and berry picking. It’s a very different vibe here in the U.S., everything’s so big: if you go to the wild, then you go the wild. It’s quite hard to compare, for example, the Grand Canyon and the birds singing in Finnish birch trees. Of course like any other Finn living abroad, things related to Finland are important to me, such as traditional Finnish dishes.

Speaking of food, in the U.S. there’s only powdered yeast, which is a bummer if you’re into baking. And there isn’t really proper rahka (quark) either. Then again, they have so many delicious things at Trader Joe’s. Their excellent Kim chi, for example. Oh, also, the traffic in Los Angeles was a bitch. You don’t get traffic like that in Finland.

Can you think of any cultural differences that still shock you a bit or do you see yourself as “fully integrated”?

The way Americans have their coffee is different, more bustling. They just grab it to-go from the corner place and sip it on the way, but in Finland you might have a wide selections of pulla and other baked goodies, and the best part is that you don’t even have to choose; you can have one of each! And you take your time enjoying the experience!

Which three words would you use to describe New York?

Home, lively, dream

And how’d you describe Finland?

Three words ain’t gonna be enough. These days Finland for me is a place that raised me well, gave a good starting point for my dreams, and a place that I love to visit. You can’t get the Finnish culture out of me, but my home is here, because I belong here.

A poem by Cheryl J. Fish

Can I use my miles to get more miles?
They never expire. Flea market to closet.
A calm naked swim in Simhall, then smoke sauna.
Have a Lapin Kulta Premium. Find out who’s where.
Angie’s singing. She sways and scat sings, the guitar rolls. She’s on stage in the crowded bar.
Past, present, future.
Go and hit the water. Swim naked in the Simhall then sit in the smoke sauna hot
on wood bench, top row. Out into cold pool.
Annika shows me where they wash rugs with a brush in the Gulf of Finland.
After a pounding, they hang from the rug dock. Long periods of light.
Lena tells me of churlish reindeer having their ears marked. Slaughter in autumn.
Viili is a dairy product that tastes like glue; piimä quiet buttermilk on tongue.
Angie’s married to a Finn who works nights.
She sings and sways in the pubs and halls of Tampere.
Like Väinämöinen in The Kalevala.
Hot molten blues in foam and beer
Oh Lake Näsijärvi.

©2018 Cheryl J. Fish
Previously published in Hanging Loose Issue 109. and Folded Word.

The best things about Finland from a Finnish perspective

By Kira Vikman

The results of our informal Facebook survey about what is the best thing about Finland are in. The overwhelming winner: Air Guitar Championships. Very funny! Shows that Finns have a quirky sense of humor. How come nobody mentioned the wife carrying contests, cell-phone throwing contests, swamp wrestling…

Among the more serious responses: Sibelius, pine trees and birch trees, Marimekko, granite, lakes, reindeer, cloudberries, and the good and honest people who live there (several people mentioned this last one).

Thank you to everyone who participated! 

It is clear we Finns are a rather special species. Some of us have a love/hate relationship with our country and our peers. Many love our wonderful country from a distance. Moreover, over 5 million people live in Finland regardless of the months of darkness and a short Summer (okay, let’s admit it, not everyone has to love Summer but still!) so there has to be a great number of pros!

Keep reading, and familiarize yourself with a few more perks and characteristics that Finland is known for from a perspective of a Finnish student…

Sometimes being a Finn is hard! Sayings like “to hide one’s light under a bushel” and “he who has happiness, should hide it” embedded in Finnish culture shape our attitudes. As probably most Finns know, desire to do somethings differently is not as positively looked upon in our country, and people often let it show instead of celebrating the success of others. Here are some idioms many Finns know by heart, just so you can understand us a little better. A silver lining here is that many of them reflect the Finnish sisu, right (check out Sisu by Business Insider)?

A midsummer night in Finland.

When Finns go abroad, they oftentimes notice how different the social interaction is. In general, Finns don’t do small talk (at least very well) which is why we are often seen as cold or unwelcoming. At first, it might be difficult to break the ice when trying to get to know a Finn but when this happens, you can go deep very fast. Often friendships are formed around the table or a couch with a glass containing an alcoholic beverage because Finns are known to get a little less inhibited when consuming some liquid courage.

Sometimes we also have difficulty understanding the nature of compliments and white lies. We don’t really give compliments. And if we do, you know we are for real. We also don’t really know how to take compliments. If you give us one, the first thing you hear might just be a complex explanation of irrelevant facts behind this success that you are complimenting us for. Regardless of our somewhat reserved demeanor, we are exceptionally honest. And usually you can count on the word of a Finn. And you know, we Finns get each others weird ways!

The Finnish education system, and the fact that getting even a university degree is free, always seem to amaze people. Even more so, when they hear that Finnish students actually get paid for studying! University students in Finland get around 250 euros per month (9 months out of 12) in exchange for completing at least 45 credits during these months. They also get a small amount of financial support to cover living costs, and student loans are mostly used for covering living expenses and enjoying life (the main goal of many Finnish students is to not eat macaroni and ketchup every day and if it’s important to prevent exhaustion in work life, why not among students as well?). Fortunately, our university cafeterias offer students a full meal usually for 2.60 euros which is a good effort to make sure the youth gets at least some of the healthy nutritions needed. And back to the money because that seems to run the world: students that have started their studies in 2014 or later actually don’t have to pay 40% of their loan back if they graduate on time, which means… free money does exist! By doing this, the Finnish government encourages students to graduate as soon as they can and also trying to eliminate the need to work while studying, which can essentially delay their graduation.

Some of the newest political decisions are based on the fact that Finnish students seem to graduate later than students in many other countries. Unfortunately, however, what is often overlooked is the fact that most Finnish students get their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a row: we apply for university after we decide our major, and usually when accepted, we are accepted for both programs. So, while Finnish students seem to graduate later in life, one must notice that the comparison is made between Finnish students that have finished their master’s degree and students from other countries that have only acquired their bachelor’s. Also, Finns graduate from high school a year later than for example, the American youth does. And because we have to decide our major, therefor, what we want to do with our lives and future, it is common to take gap years to work or travel. Being sure about your decision on “what you want to be when you grow up” is important, because applying still often requires to succeed in an entrance examination over other applicants, so it might take even a few years to eventually get in. In addition to that, there are tokens for first time students (thus, every year there is a token for applicants that have never studied anything before) which makes changing fields more difficult. A gap year is of course a great way to get some work experience and save some money for the upcoming studying years as well. You can read more about the success of Finnish education system from an article by BBC News.

Next on our list is the free health care. Of course we have to pay high taxes and even then, we pay small amounts for our health care and visits to the doctor (although often private health care covered by your work place). This often raises eyebrows; “I pay so much taxes, and my health care still isn’t free!”. But here’s the catch: my 24-year-old friend was diagnosed with MS-disease earlier this year. She has to be medicated twice a month to control the disease but gladly, her medication is covered in full. And, when you battle a serious illness that commands medication, you see the worth of the Finnish system and where it really makes a difference. Her medication for three months is 2 588.84 euros but because of the Finnish public health care system she only pays 4 euros. That’s amazing! And this is a life savisor. It is hard enough to be ill for the rest of your life but to think: who 24-year-old would have the resources to stay well with this kind of cost? So thank you for that, Finland and its tax payers!

Here is a beautiful picture of me a few years back when I had to be admitted to a hospital in Jyväskylä because we were suspecting that I got bitten by the only poisonouss snake species in Finland (okay we have like three different snakes), a (baby) viper. I had to stay there for about 5 hours and it cost me a few dozens of euros. Which was ultimately covered by my travel insurance. Pretty lucky, I’d say! And an interesting experience as such.

Here is a beautiful picture of me a few years back when I had to be admitted to a hospital in Jyväskylä because we were suspecting that I got bitten by the only poisonous snake species in Finland (okay we have like three different snakes), a (baby) viper. I had to stay there for about 5 hours and it cost me a few dozens of euros. Which was ultimately covered by my travel insurance. Pretty lucky, I’d say! And an interesting experience as such.

For many of us Finns, we realize we are privileged to live in this kind of a country – but this is also the only way things work in our society and we want to protect the systems that stand for equity and equal opportunities. Your background doesn’t fully determine if you can get top education or not. And in fact, Finnish women are not essentially dependent on men in their life. In fact, we are a top country to be a woman and in Finland, over 82% of the gender gap is closed.

According to State of the World’s Mothers report 2013 Finland is the best country to be a mother (read CNN’s summary). It is a great country to be a child as well: child care is basically free and good quality. Your parents have time to spend with you as well. They get maternity leave of 105 days which typically begins a little over a month before the expected date of birth, and then there’s also parental leave of a maximum of 158 after birth that can be devided between the parents. If a Finnish parent makes the decision to take care of their child at home until they’re three years old, they are provided an allowance. In addition, Finns usually get five weeks of paid annual holiday from their jobs. And if they or even their children get sick, they’re still entitled for pay during illness (see more: Employment and employee benefits in Finland: overview))!

So as a Finnish woman, I think I won the lottery…? And that’s why marrying an independent Finnish girl is a jackpot! … Wink.

Finns are also pretty good at speaking English! In fact, from 80 countries, Finland placed 6th on the proficiency of English skills (and 5th in Europe!). The reason? I myself started taking English classes at school when I was 9 years old, and today I believe English is mandatory even from earlier on. Another reason for our skills in English is that our television shows are usually subtitled so we are accustomed to hear English. Unfortunately, our urge to be perfect and not fail often prevents us from speaking and practicing out loud in the real world if we feel like we don’t quite master that skill yet. Also, the Finnish modesty might just be kicking in if someone ever dares to give us a compliment…

Briefly, a few other great things about Finland:
Nightless nights! … and the never ending darkness… Don’t believe us? See for yourself!
Finnish food was the cleanest in the world in 2015 according to European Food Safety Authority’s resport on pesticide residues in food.
In 2012, Finland shared the first place with New Zealand and Denmark as the least corrupt country (measured by its citizens perceptions).
And recently, Finland rose to fourth place in the Good Country Index.
Finland is also filled with heavy metal bands…
Moreover, Helsinki is the most honest city in the world! (Okay, there were 16 cities and they compared in which one a dropped wallet was returned the most times, but sounds valid though!)
Lastly, recently The Telegraph listed a vast number of things Finland is the best at!

Adolf Ehrnrooth: “Finland is a good country. The best country for us Finns.” It is a nice caption, and because there are over 5 million opinions on this topic, we can all agree to disagree with each other! But no one can deny that Finland is doing very well on the global scale.

This funny picture is from DOGHOUSEDIARIES ! Check out what the rest of the world looks like.

"Emily's Christmas", by Meritta Koivisto

Emily’s Christmas

Emily watched the slowly floating snowflakes through her kitchen window. It was just past four o’clock, at the dawn of Christmas Eve.

The herbal tea warmed nicely her fingers that were wrapped around a mug of tea. Rooibos. That’s what she had made, so that she would have something to do, because she was not able to fall asleep. The newspaper she would still have to wait, for a while, maybe till five – or if it took more time than usual for the newspaper delivery to get through the blanket of snow that was growing heavier and heavier, it could be even six o’clock.

Emily had been diagnosed with breast cancer in October, and in November she had been operated. Now she was in chemotherapy. That was not what was keeping her awake, it was the cortisone she had been given before, during and after being on the drip. It made her alert, no matter how hard she tried to imagine the calm sunsets and other serene scenes, to push away those other thoughts.

The darkness outside was like a long shadow cast by that one evening, Emily thought as she sipped her tea that had become lukewarm by now. John had been on a seminar cruise, and she had found herself thinking how lucky she was to have met someone so nice after many years of being single. After taking a shower she had – with a smile on her face – applied body lotion first onto her décolleté and then – this time – also lower, when she had felt a bump under her skin. Paralyzed. And she had looked at herself in the mirror, seen the halted look in her eyes, the hand. Tried again. Something hard. The size of an almond.

A cyst, women have mammary glands, and all kinds of glands in their breasts, lumps are not always dangerous, had her friends consoled her while she was waiting to hear the news about her labs. And men, they don’t like to talk about illnesses, had her friends said when her phone calls to John had ever more often been picked up by his voice mail. Then came the phone call, and she was asked to come to the doctor’s office to hear the results. She had prepared herself. “John is not picking up his phone”, she had told her brother. And he came. Drove almost 300 miles. And sat in the waiting room. “It is malignant”, was what she heard from behind the desk.

The next day she asked John to come over and told him the news about the diagnosis – he was sitting opposite to her across the kitchen table. She saw fear flashing through his eyes, but his voice did not revealed it. “Then you go to the chemotherapy”, he had said very calmly looking straight into her eyes.

There you go. What did we say, he is a good guy. He was just busy. He will stay by your side, her friends had said this time.

After that day she never saw John again.

“I will be going on a vacation”, John had told her over the phone. “For a long vacation.”

“Have a nice trip”, she had replied.

“You too.”

That kind of man who doesn’t stay by your side, you don’t need. That kind is not much of a man at all. In that kind you have nothing to lose, her friends had consoled her this time. In these circumstances there was no one else to be found either, she had thought. Not a shoulder to lean on. No one. Just a pillow to grab in the darkness of the night, when the fears sneak around the corners and line up around you like guardians.

To Horror. To sweat and screams, she had awoken. Tonight. There was no one in the room. And the walls, they had been there, straight up, also the table, and the cabin. Only the small alarm clock, that John had left, had been ticking in the silence. There she had been sitting, quietly, alone, bold headed and fearful. The glowing numbers of the clock telling that it was five past three. At that moment, right then, she had thrown the blanket aside, picked up the alarm clock, and opened the window. “Emotions know NO TIME!” she had cried into the frosty night, throwing the clock into the darkness. After that she had put the teakettle on.

Now she looked through the window down to the cars parked on the small side street. They belonged to the people living in her neighborhood. They were putting in long hours at work with no time to plow their driveways. Five soft lumps. From their shape one could tell what type of car’s they were but not much more. “You will sleep again at some point, after you have been awake long enough. That is just what the cortisone does to you”, the nurse had said while pulling out the needle from her vein. “It’s indeed a good medicine. Made me even less nauseous”, she had answered and heard a sad tone in her voice, no matter how hard she had tried to sound brave like the other patients. And that had been something that had taken her by surprise: the surroundings. She had – and why deny it – felt fearful terror stepping through the door under the cancer clinic sign. What was waiting for her there? What was it going to be like? Would everyone be lying in their beds or arm chairs ever so quietly, while hooked into the IVs, so that they would not disturb others, or could you perhaps exchange some words with someone next to you?

Everyone had it rough, fighting their own battles, but no one complained. Not the young mother whose two little daughters sat and waited quietly by the wall drinking from their juice boxes and browsing through the picture books – and occasionally running up to their mother to show the amazing creatures in them: look this, mommy! Neither did the old lady, who was lying on a bed next to her own, show what she had buried inside of her, as her silver headed husband read newspaper headlines to her with a soft voice. And who every once in a while went and adjusted the pillows behind his wife’s back: is it better now? Do you want me to get you some ice cubes? So, that you don’t get sores in the mucosa?

But there she, herself, lied alone. With the IV in her arm. Somehow she would have the strength.

The nights were the hardest ones. She couldn’t even call anyone, she thought and checked the time on her cell phone. It was 4:17. The tea cup was empty. What would she do now? Her eyes wandered back to the row of cars – she listened for a moment to the distant clatter of the snowplow on the main street – and got up and walked over to her closet. In a few minutes she had gotten dressed up in a warm winter overall and disappeared into the stairway with her stuff.

As she made the brush swing around and the crystalline snowflakes flied onto her face, she smiled. How wonderful, how refreshing! When the first car turned out to be her neighbor’s red Honda, she went on to the next one; it was a Volvo, the same model she had once fancied for herself but had given up the thought: where would she drive it anyway? She lived in a city that had good public transportation to take her everywhere, the busses, the trams and the metro – and her family, she visited them only three times a year: Christmas, Easter and thanksgivings. She spent those with her brothers’ family. But this Christmas she would be alone. To avoid the risk of infection. Her ability for fight infections was almost non-existent. She had to avoid the crowds.

The last car was an old Mazda. Eaten up by rust. When its green surface was all cleared and the windows free from snow, Emily dug a card from her pocket. She wrote on it:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

Emily slid the card under the window wiper, just like she had done with the four other cars.

Soon after when she went to the kitchen to re-heat the tea water, she glanced through the window, smiling: a serene pink glimmer was making its way through the line of white crystallized trees. It will be a beautiful day. A new morning – it always arose from the darkness.

The End.

Introducing Janita

By Janita herself

I just released a new album called Didn’t You, my Dear? I honestly feel that this is my best album yet. I am also now in the best place that I have ever been in my life – the happiest, the healthiest, and the most balanced. My album is sort of a declaration of independence for me. I wrote all the songs myself except the cover song. I also played guitar, piano and other instruments myself. I am open to success now, open to showing my talent; I also really appreciate my talent and my happiness. This kind of self-respect and self-esteem are just some of the things I have learned while spending my time in America.

My genetics are Finnish and I look Finnish. Having grown up in Finland there is an air of “Finnishness” about me, in my manners, etc. For example, I’ve never made a real effort to get rid of my accent. I find it to be a part of my personality, a part of me. I am proud of my roots and I feel that my foundation as a human being is Finnish. However, having spent more than half of my life in the US, I think I operate more as an American than as a Finn in my day-to-day life. I notice this especially when I go back to visit Finland, as I find it hard to adjust to all the things that other people consider normal or day-to-day.

I feel that the Finnish and American cultures are opposites in many ways. The collective self-esteem of people in the US is quite high, whereas Finns have a history of living in the shadow of a massive neighbor, that hasn’t always been benevolent… I think this has really affected the self-esteem of the nation. I think that the Finns have amazing abilities and talents, like being number one when it comes to education, and having a phenomenal healthcare and insurance system. Unfortunately, the Finns tend to downplay this, and other attributes. In Finland there is even a saying that it is better to hide one’s success and one’s happiness. This is anathema to what the American mentality is.

I left Finland because of my work and came to the States to pursue an international career as a singer. I doubt that I would have made that decision on my own at that age, but I had a musical partner at the time who was very ambitious. It was quite a transition. I was so young that I had never even done my own laundry. I was sure that I would go back to Finland soon after arriving – I was rather oblivious at the time and had no expectations whatsoever.

By the time I made the choice to stay and really started to make friends in New York, I discovered all the amazing qualities that this city had. I fell in love with it and a number of amazing people that I have met. (Took out a sentence here.) I love the fact that this city does not give a shit–it just keeps going. It is a true melting pot of so many different cultures, and you never feel alone in New York. Being from Finland, I miss the people that I love, and the fresh air.  I sometimes miss the slower pace of life in Helsinki. I also miss the simplicity and the nature of the country. In New York you are literally fighting for your existence on a daily basis, and sometimes I get tired of that. On that note, I have to say that I love the amount of respect that is given to the arts in Finland. The US has much to learn from that.

I now feel really good about the way my career is going. I’ve received rave reviews for my new album,  and have exciting new opportunities coming in almost every day. I feel like I am building a foundation for the career that I’ve always wanted to have, and becoming the artist that I’ve always wanted to be. It is truly gratifying to be able to create the kind of music that I would listen to, and to be compared to the artists that I love. I am deeply grateful. For all of this.

SISU: an interview with Marko Albrecht

By Mikaela Katro

My mother Päivi was a very strong willed Finn with a lot of the famous Finnish trait, sisu. This strength, as well as the Finnish pride she instilled in me has made me who I am today. My mother embodied the core essence of sisu and like my mother I also live with this strength as my mindset. My entire existence has been shaped by sisu.

My childhood was like living in a micro-Finland in the city of Chicago! From our homes interior design to the food we ate, to the sports we played, to the art and books we had, our entire life was influenced by Finnish culture. We had very strong family values and spent a lot of time together just my Mom, Dad, my brother Mikko and then extended family. This instilled in me the need to always put family first. Every other summer we traveled to Finland for three months, saving money during the other two years in order to get there. Every time we came back we brought Finnish treats with, like Turku mustard, makkara and Fazer chocolates. As a child there were times I felt embarrassed for being different, speaking in a different language, sometimes being yelled at in Finnish in public. However, now, many years later, I can say I would not have had it any other way.

When my mother passed away suddenly in 1996 everyone including myself thought our Finnish pride and sisu also died, but the exact opposite happened. We became stronger Finns with endless sisu and grew even closer with our Finnish family. My brother and I inherited ⅓ of our family’s 200 year old summer cottage and land in Lyökki and have been able to spend a lot of time there, creating an unbreakable bond with our family and the land itself. The older you get the more you appreciate the simplicity of summer cottage life. You reset, recharge and get creatively inspired enjoying nature’s silence and peacefulness away from the chaos of NYC and NJ. I love that our children get to experience the same freedom at the summer cottage that I had growing up. They swim in the lake just like I used to all those years ago, and together we pick berries and experience the wonder of nature. My wife Danielle also loves nature, minimalist design and now even sauna. We actually have a sauna in our house in NJ, and as I went to sauna with my parents, my kids now go to sauna with my wife and I, the literal same 35-year-old helosauna that I moved from Chicago to NJ. Our children also go to Suomi-koulu in NYC where they sing and play in Finnish. I guess you could say I am as much Finnish as I am American, I am a Dual Citizen and our kids are now also.

I was in Finland many times over the last three years filming a non-profit documentary “SISU: Family, Love and Perseverance from Finland to America.” It is a profile of my family’s journey over many years through life’s ups and downs. I started the film because I wanted to show my kids what sisu was, and who my mother, their mummi was and where she came from. Soon after starting the film in 2011 her surviving brother, my Uncle Heikki was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given only a few months to live. Over the next 3 years even with his death looming there were a lot of joyous moments in his life that I captured on film; like his wedding, the birth of his grandson and when I took my kids to Finland for the first time to meet him. The film examines the meaning of sisu for my family members and shows true Finnish culture and showcases the beauty of Finnish landscapes and city of Turku.

My sisu is the soul of my mother and loved ones no longer here living on in me. Sisu is courage, strength, grit and living in a way that it is meaningful, by truly loving everyday your life and caring for family, friends and others around you.