Tolstoy for Business English!

I have the joy of teaching about literature in one of my business classes.  I know, it's not the usual situation for my business English courses, but it is one I enjoy just as much as my student.  We are going through classic short stories (most of which are depressing, actually, but I try to find the more positive ones) by authors such as Pearl Buck, Dorothy Sayers, Haruki Murakami, James Thurber and Ray Bradbury.  Next week we will return to Leo Tolstoy.  I always enjoy our discussions after the stories, because my student likes to philosophize and think about human nature and the world at large.

As I was finishing up preparations for our lesson, the summary of Tolstoy's story "Three Questions" came up in the picture below.  It makes one stop and think about how we live our lives and what is important, what is in our reach.  Live where you're at; bloom where you're planted, and all that jazz.  :)

If you have the time, check out the story: http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/2736/.

TM

That's my title: TM. Training Manager.

Since the end of February, I have carried this title with some trepidation, a lot of excitement, and slowly, with more confidence.

I don't train people, but I take care of everything related to language training for BBi Communication, a language company that I have taught for since 2013.  So I start courses, enter all information into our systems, send out course checks and evaluations, coach teachers, make sure they get paid, hire new ones, and do a random assortment of other office jobs related to filing, selling and making excel sheets and reports.

On the plus side, I now have a steady schedule, steady paycheck, flexible work hours, a great boss and an arena I care about--intercultural education.  I also still get to teach English, which I love, as I have some special students at the moment.  On the down side, I have excel sheets and a rolling list of to-dos that doesn't have a place for a final check mark.  And really, that's not much of a down side, since I it's good to have things to do and there is a measure of satisfaction when the numbers add up correctly.

The last time I had a full-time job was in 2008.  So let's just say that the post-burnout return to the workplace had me lying on the sofa after work for a few weeks.  But along with adding such a job to my life, I have subtracted a lot of other things, on purpose.  I used to carry a lot of responsibility in other things--charity, church, relationships.  I don't do that anymore.  I no longer mentor anyone, serve at church, or spend time doing things "because I have to."  I realized how much my identity was linked to these things in what had become an unhealthy balance.

Thus, I am living in a new era of my inner life, which also gives me some trepidation, excitement and slowly, more confidence.  It is time for new winds and dreams, spaces carved for art and being, and not so much of the doing; time for new skills and thoughts about the make-up of the world and my place in it.  It's a bit scary, very welcome, and timely.

designing

elephant cards:norsu kortit

I'm feeling under the weather today.  In addition to resting for a few hours, I have edited a text about the ghastly reality of family planning in Russia and tried to digitalize my card logo.  Heh, a freelancer's life for me! I didn't get that far with the logo, but here you have my first sample, missing all the curlycues and details I could have added had I drawn it by hand.  I've been contemplating a card business for years, and I'm planning on knocking on a few doors this year to see what happens with that.  :)

Back in the Saddle

I know, I know.  My holiday ends and suddenly my blog goes silent.  Let me fill you in. 

I returned to a green paradise where water is abundant and summer is having a field day.  Seriously.  Finland in the summer is one of the loveliest places to be.  Last week we took a canoe and some kayaks and spent the night on an island about an hour's paddle away. Gliding through a glassy sea at 1 am in the moonlight ranks among the most unique and tranquil nature experiences I've had.  But for the drunken singers, that is.  But they were boosting up their egos on the next island over, belting out lyrics like "all of us are heroes."  The next day we visited another island, explored its nature trail and art installations and enjoyed quintessentially Finnish seascapes. 

Now, through an unexpected turn of events, I am back in Huittinen teaching English to Russian kids.  I have nine kiddos, age 8-11, who will learn the names of different professions and be able to communicate their own daily activities after tomorrow's lesson (I hope).  I'm here with Sonja, which makes it more fun.  Our students are roughly at the same level, so we share the lesson planning and agonizing over how to best teach students who know very little.

Huittinen is one of those quaint little towns out in the middle of nowhere.  There's one roundabout and 3 large grocery stores, 2 pubs and a pharmacy along with various small restaurants and clothes shops. Thrift stores, homes, and furniture warehouses.  If you head toward the fields for a jog down the lane, you will be accompanied by flies and the pungent smell of manure.  A river runs through the town, and there are pretty details like bright flower arrangements on the bridge, as well as creepy details like an obese nude statue in an old phone booth. 

But now the lesson planning is done, and it is time to go hang out with Little Sister and read aloud! :)

Lingualympics

My two weeks of teaching in at West Finland College are drawing to a close.  Only tomorrow left, and then I can officially begin my summer holidays.  It took a while to switch gears from teaching English to adults to teaching it to Russian kids.  The teaching tactics and levels of conversation suddenly went from knowledge management concepts to "What's the weather like today?" (It's windy, cloudy and cold and sunny right now, in case you wanted to know.)

I've had thirteen 9 to 11 year-olds in my class for five hours a day.  That may seem a bit daunting, but there has been grace for every day and I have a good group of kids.  I was also here last year, but somehow this year has seemed a bit more draining.  Today was a fun day though, as we had Lingualympics in which student groups competed through various language-related tasks.  At my station, I had a relay race where they had to collect letters and form as many words as they could with them.  Then in the second round they had to sing a song in English and choreograph it as well.  The day culminated with fairy tale presentations that incorporated the teachers as characters in the script.  I think I was a goldfish-fairy godmother in a presentation that included Johnny Depp and Lady Gaga!

I still have a final lesson plan to compile, but all in due time.  A little nap, and I'll be good to go.  Greetings, from this little town almost in the middle of nowhere.  I have, among other things, learned two new words:

budgerigar--represented by the picture to the left.

ret--verb,  to soak in water or expose to moisture, as flax or hemp, to facilitate the removal of the fiber from the woody tissue by partial rotting.

english camp: a moment

This lovely evening finds me in southwestern Finland on the small and charming campus of a folk high school staring out of the office window at children playing catch while my hair dries from my evening's sauna and swim.  I am here for two weeks teaching English to Russian kids.  My class comprises 12 beginners from the age of 9 to 11.  I find the change from teaching adults to teaching children quite a drastic one as I must work in the confines of an attention span of 15 minutes! 

I teach five hours a day, after which my day is free.   I realized today as I walked through balmy breezes, under blossoming apple trees and verdant grass, and sat on a wooden swing reading sonnets in a British accent, that I am living the dream I longed for sometime in March when the landscape was overrun by snowbanks and gray skies.  There is also the comforting sense of satisfaction after a full day of life lived.

All roads lead to...

The past few weeks have been a bit of a roller-coaster ride in terms of work things.  None of the projected plans of the last post have come to pass.  And how thankful I am for that!  I think I have been in a process through which I am learning to have patience and trust that God really does want to reveal his will to those who seek him. 

So, on the work front:
I am to be an English teacher for different companies here in the Helsinki area.  I am excited for the possibility to help motivated adults find confidence in communication and better language skills for their workplace challenges.  It also means that I will be staying in Finland.  I am also at peace with this, as the other doors to other job applications around the world closed.  I was actually astounded at the peace I had, wondering if I just wiggled around enough or jumped hard enough that this peace would somehow be shaken off of me.  I'm still peaceful. 

I hope to still do some shifts at the store I work for and continue writing articles. This is a link to a travel article I wrote about Egypt for the Finnair flight magazine, see page 16.

And on the surprise front:
Before I begin my English teaching, I will be spending six weeks in Jerusalem volunteering at Shevet Achim, doing activities with the children, hospital visits, and whatever needs doing, really.  I first heard about this organization two years ago when I visited my sister who was in Israel studying Hebrew at the time.  I've been on the Shevet mailing list ever since.  I love the reconciliation and healing they stand for, the hope they offer.  (And yes, I still have a job to come back to.)  I just bought my ticket last night, and will be headed out on Sat. the 20th and returning at the beginning of January.  I am, of course, excited to see my sister, and also my dear friend Essy, who both live in Jerusalem!!

So my nomadic soul has an anchor here in Finland, as well as an opportunity to serve in a faraway corner of the world.  But the peace that has surpassed my understanding comes from the anchor I have in my God and Father, who knows how he made me, for what he made me, and how that fits into his plans.

city jaunts

It's no secret that I love cafés. I like to people watch through big picture windows, journal a few thoughts, warm up after a stroll through the streets, or have a scrumptious breakfast. Most often I enjoy meeting friends to catch up on those not-so-trifling matters of life's loves and losses. I've introduced you to some cafés before, but here is an updated list that I actually made for my work.

Dear reading public, go visit some of these places, and if you do, take me with you!


View 10 + 1 Helsinki cafés in a larger map

For the slideshow, visit 10+1 Helsinki Cafés.

work

I am an intern at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until the beginning of April. Perhaps I have mentioned this before in passing, but I thought I'd repeat it with a few more details now that I have been there for over a month.

I'm in the Finland Promo team, and we work on a website that tells you all about Finland. Click here to see it! I've written two short articles thus far, edited another, hunted down pictures for features, learned how to load photos to the newsroom page, and started to work on the Spanish-language version. It has a ways to go still. Oh, and I've sat in plenty of meetings! One of the really great things about my job are the coworkers. For the most part, my group is laid back, kind, and interested in in their work.

I've also had the opportunity to do other random things that I find interesting. I went out to lunch with an Ecuadorian reporter and photographer who were visiting Finland and got to ramble on about both of my countries. Tomorrow Helsinki is hosting the Baltic Sea Action Summit and Yours truly will be one small cog in the giant ministry wheel that rolls this event to its successful completion. In other words, I am a media assistant stationed at an info desk to offer guidance to those in search of a WC, the number of event participants, the best restaurant in Helsinki, the state of the Baltic Sea, or when Putin will arrive.

And since the curtain call is very early tomorrow, I will sign out and pay a visit to the land of dreams. Perhaps I will see you there! ;)

Dear customer

"Yes, Ma'am, I understand that you are looking for a Canada Goose jacket. They are right over here. Yes, they are the best down-filled jackets available on the market." (Why is the stereotype for a CG jacket buyer so set? Swedish Finn. Loaded with money. Brand-conscious. Sometimes with horrid fake tan.)
"No, we don't accept reservations or put these jackets on hold. There is such a large demand that it's first come, first served. You'd like to try the S size? Ok, let me undo the security lock. Yes, these are so valuable we do keep tight track of them." (The black ones go right away. Bubble gum pink and Turquoise are still waiting to be snatched up.)

I can understand that people want top quality. But it seems a bit much when you have to call from another country to ask when the shipment will arrive. And the craziest instance...For one lady customer, a certain model of the women's CG jacket didn't have a visible enough logo for her liking!!

Dear customer, go spend some time in a third world country where children beg for food and live in the dump. Then rethink your money spending habits and how you find your sense of worth! Would appreciate that, thanks.

summertime

Life is pretty full. Perhaps you have gleaned that from the lack of posts on here. I have been kidnapped by the beautiful summer days and by my job. They are holding me hostage and impeding my blogging by all sorts of tricks like enticing me to bike outside, take pictures of greenery, and most of all, to fall into bed completely tired out. It is such a lovely sensation to go to sleep tired!!

I'm working at an outdoors sports store. We sell all sorts of things for camping, trekking, travel and whatnot. Many of our customers are headed out on adventures and come to our store in preparation for their journeys. I've only been working for a few weeks, and while there is really too much to know, at least everyday I pick up a few more useful tidbits of knowledge to pass on to my customers. For example, instead of giving one customer a blank look when he asked for a folding solar-powered battery charger today (like I did the first time someone came in looking for such a gadget) now I could take him directly to it! But what I still can't figure out is our storage area, a.k.a. the black hole. Things just disappear, even when the database says we should have the merchandise I'm looking for...

I graduated last week. It's now official! And let me beat you to your next question, and answer that I don't know what happens next. I am enjoying the summer and my work, then Sonja and I are headed out on a very long trek through northern Spain. Beyond that, the road bends and I haven't gotten close enough to see what kind of vista unfolds. I am just enjoying the summer scenery along the stretch I am currently walking!

I like you a latte!

So I have been working part time at a cafe for a few months now. I find that I really enjoy life in the service sector, even when my feet hurt at the end of the day. No workday is the same, customers are always unique, my coworkers are friendly and the opportunities for people watching are endless.

One of my coworkers said that our cafe is mostly frequented by middle-aged ladies and dating couples. I guess that's true enough, but we also get exchange students, study groups, Spanish teachers, the owners of the store next door, movie-goers and people who set up their laptops to concentrate on work projects. I still have no framework for how to analyze people by what they do to their coffee cup sleeves: if they shred it into tiny square pieces, does it mean they are hyperactive, nervous, bored or just like to fiddle?

First dates are my favorites to observe. You can pick them out by their shy and polite gazes. Their postures are slightly awkward, not having reached that level of comfort with someone to just lean back and be relaxed. If he is interested, he leans forward. If she's interested, she holds eye-contact. I do get exasperated at the cash register though, if it is obvious that the couple is on a date, and then they are awkward about the payment, and he doesn't offer to do so. If there's a scuffle, I put my two cents in and make him pay. Hih. C'mon guys, you always pay! And if an independent Finnish woman's wrath makes you shy of doing so, be brave anyway. Can she get miffed at you for being a gentleman??!

But cafe romance is not dead, as my other coworker commented to me. A customer came up and had misplaced his frequent buyer card, and asked for another one. He returned later, saying he had found his old card, and gave her back the new one. On it he had written to ask her out, and put yes or no check boxes for her answer! When I arrived on the scene, he was calmly drinking his coffee at a table and waiting for her answer. What can one say to such creativity, but yes!?