Be still, sad heart!
and cease repining;
Behind the clouds
is the sun still shining.
-Longfellow
Thursday, August 23
Tuesday, August 14
Nach der Schule
It's that time of year again.
This morning there were evidences of it in the streets and on public transportation. New backpacks full of new markers and sharpened pencils, unscuffed erasers and blank notebooks paraded by as their little owners began their first day of school!
I always recall it being an exciting time of life--each fall entering a classroom with perhaps a new teacher and a few new students. My school was small with some 35 children (give or take a handful, depending on the year), and my grade was even tinier, often with just me and one or two other kids! But our classes were combined, so that two grades were taught by the same teacher. Due to its small size, in a way the school became its own family, and wasn't as strict as I imagine schools here are. Here, I don't think you can bring an ocelot to school, stop class to go look at a snake, cook clay pottery in a pit in the back yard, make cookies with your teachers, have eighth graders play the same game with first graders during recess, walk around barefoot or go to the river every week as part of P.E. class!
I'll be back in the classroom soon as well, but not till next month. This year promises to be academically even more challenging than the last, as I must research and write my thesis!
This morning there were evidences of it in the streets and on public transportation. New backpacks full of new markers and sharpened pencils, unscuffed erasers and blank notebooks paraded by as their little owners began their first day of school!
I always recall it being an exciting time of life--each fall entering a classroom with perhaps a new teacher and a few new students. My school was small with some 35 children (give or take a handful, depending on the year), and my grade was even tinier, often with just me and one or two other kids! But our classes were combined, so that two grades were taught by the same teacher. Due to its small size, in a way the school became its own family, and wasn't as strict as I imagine schools here are. Here, I don't think you can bring an ocelot to school, stop class to go look at a snake, cook clay pottery in a pit in the back yard, make cookies with your teachers, have eighth graders play the same game with first graders during recess, walk around barefoot or go to the river every week as part of P.E. class!
I'll be back in the classroom soon as well, but not till next month. This year promises to be academically even more challenging than the last, as I must research and write my thesis!
Friday, August 10
Passing it on
A few years ago, as I leaned against the wall of a taupe classroom in California, my professor shared a reflection as was her habit before class. This time she passed on some information that had been gleaned from 95-year olds in a nursing home. When asked to look back on their lives and share some advice about what they would do if they could live it again, the responses they gave boiled down to:
1. Reflect more
2. Risk more
3. Invest in what will outlast you
I thought I would pass it on, so you could reflect on this advice from those nearing the end of their lives, and then act out of new conviction to risk for something you think is worthwhile, and in so doing, begin something that will echo down the halls of time in a positive way.
1. Reflect more
2. Risk more
3. Invest in what will outlast you
I thought I would pass it on, so you could reflect on this advice from those nearing the end of their lives, and then act out of new conviction to risk for something you think is worthwhile, and in so doing, begin something that will echo down the halls of time in a positive way.
Monday, August 6
7 Wonders
As her most traveled friend, Gem tagged me a few months ago to share my realm of expertise by listing my Top 7 Must-See Destinations. So I will give you my seven, but with the stipulation that I have yet to see much of this vast world, and I can only tell you of the places I have been. Ask me again in 10 years and the list will contain some newcomers and revisions, which I hope will include more of Africa and Asia. But as of today, the "Seven Wonders of the World" that I think everyone should experience:
1. Cairo-Sinai, Egypt. No surprise there to any of you. You know my love affair with the place. But simply for its history and culture, it is a must-see for any cultured traveler, and nowhere else can you see the last Wonder of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid, from camelback. The treasures of the Cairo Museum, the crowded traffic and local cuisine will leave a lasting impression on you, as will the hospitality of the Egyptians, because after all, a place is about the people. (This is assuming that you don't get a package deal at a 5-star hotel and then spend your days at the pool. That would be a waste of Egypt.) Please, go eat at someone's home, play with their children and buy at a local market. Take an "utubis" ride to your destination or spend the night at a Bedouin hotel in Sinai.
2. Summer Cottage, Finland. This is also an essential place I recommend for anyone. If you can't come to Finland and see it, get yourself to a lakeside cabin somewhere else. Let it be rustic and have a sauna and a rowboat. Here you will relax simply because you are in nature, away from the daily grind in a more rural setting where you can sit on the dock and watch the twilight reflect on a glassy lake. Play card games late into the night while eating plenty of candy, sleep in late in soft sheets and eat your breakfast in the morning wind. Some summer cottages (mökki) in Finland don't even have running water, but it must be brought in from a well, and electricity may not always be available either. Our summer cottage has both, but what we do still hold on to is an outhouse! And nothing beats having to pee on a crisp August night with a full moon to light your flight to the privy and back! :)
1. Cairo-Sinai, Egypt. No surprise there to any of you. You know my love affair with the place. But simply for its history and culture, it is a must-see for any cultured traveler, and nowhere else can you see the last Wonder of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid, from camelback. The treasures of the Cairo Museum, the crowded traffic and local cuisine will leave a lasting impression on you, as will the hospitality of the Egyptians, because after all, a place is about the people. (This is assuming that you don't get a package deal at a 5-star hotel and then spend your days at the pool. That would be a waste of Egypt.) Please, go eat at someone's home, play with their children and buy at a local market. Take an "utubis" ride to your destination or spend the night at a Bedouin hotel in Sinai.
2. Summer Cottage, Finland. This is also an essential place I recommend for anyone. If you can't come to Finland and see it, get yourself to a lakeside cabin somewhere else. Let it be rustic and have a sauna and a rowboat. Here you will relax simply because you are in nature, away from the daily grind in a more rural setting where you can sit on the dock and watch the twilight reflect on a glassy lake. Play card games late into the night while eating plenty of candy, sleep in late in soft sheets and eat your breakfast in the morning wind. Some summer cottages (mökki) in Finland don't even have running water, but it must be brought in from a well, and electricity may not always be available either. Our summer cottage has both, but what we do still hold on to is an outhouse! And nothing beats having to pee on a crisp August night with a full moon to light your flight to the privy and back! :)
3. Tirol, Austria. This pick should not surprise you either, as I rank mountain landscapes as some of my favorites in the world. This is a place to rest and rejuvenate, to exert your muscles by climbing and feast your eyes on meadows of flowers flanked by snow-covered Alps. Go to the mountains I say! Spend a few days wandering from one mountain alm to another and get to know their keepers and other hikers passing through. And when you crave paved streets, visit the charming towns with mural-painted buildings, flea markets and local pubs with excellent food. I recommend the Johanesbeersaft (black currant juice)!
4. "Shell Road," Ecuador. I had a hard time picking a place from this country, as the scenery ranges from gorgeous Andes mountains to warm beaches and rainy jungles (so basically, see the whole country). The road section I am recommending begins at Baños, which may well be my favorite "to-visit" city there, nestled dangerously under an active volcano. Stop here for breakfast at one of the many cafes, stay at hotels with jacuzzis, eat fresh taffy or buy "indian pants" as souvenirs for your loved ones. The place has an odd mixture of colonial atmosphere littered with adventure tourists and people who make their living off of them! The best way to see the "Shell Road" that leaves Baños toward the jungle town where I grew up is by bike. On one side you will have the dense foliage of the mountainside, and on the other, a 100 ft drop down to the Pastaza River. There are a few small towns along the route as well as some waterfalls to visit should your bum be numb from too much biking!
5. Madrid, Spain. This is a city of culture that is relatively easy to get around and has plenty to see. People actually spend time in the parks with their kites and kids, just lazing or running some laps. The busy downtown sector is easily accessible via the metro and bus systems, and bursts at the seams with shops and museums to suit city-sightseers. Be sure to stop in the local cafés for their delicious pastries and buy some "chucherías" (candy) to keep your energy up as you wander the winding streets. From Madrid it is also possible to visit the smaller towns on the outskirts, which are quaint and quiet compared to the capital. I would also add that perhaps Toledo is a particulary interesting city a few hours away, containing influences of Muslim, Jewish and Christian heritages in the architecture that lines the narrow and winding cobblestone streets.
6. National Parks of California, USA. I have not seen even close to all of the states in the US, but I pick these places because they are beautiful and the hiking is gorgeous: Yosemite, Ansel Adams Wilderness and Joshua Tree (Is it cheating to pick three places in one state? Heheh, they all fall under the same category though!). I spent 10 days backpacking through the terrain and would gladly do it again! Lakes, mountains, rock piles and forests are all yours for the wandering. The experience of backpacking in such a place is not to be missed, as you must carry all your wares with you, exhert your body to get to your destination, and sleep under the open skies. (And if the camp life is not for you, at least you will better appreciate a shower when you get home!) Please go rock climb in Joshua Tree and salute El Capitán as you hike the Panorama Trail through the Yosemite Valley and perhaps get lost along the trails of the wilderness!
7. Mumbai, India. India is place of interesting juxtapositions, and simply for that reason, I think you should go there. People are helpful, especially when you get used to the bobby-head technique and pick it up yourself! Please don't go there in monsoon season, and please see both the north and the south of the country, which are two regions very different from each other (I saw only the north). I think to understand the sheer masses of people living in India is difficult. It's hard to wrap your head around 1 billion people in one country, but here's the crux: 1 billion people eat their cornflakes with sugar and hot milk, would they be the trendsetters then? In India you see that the world is really not about the West.
Well, that concludes this round of wonders, subjectively selected by Yours Truly. The world contains so many interesting cultures and beautiful views to be experienced, so go out there and explore them!
5. Madrid, Spain. This is a city of culture that is relatively easy to get around and has plenty to see. People actually spend time in the parks with their kites and kids, just lazing or running some laps. The busy downtown sector is easily accessible via the metro and bus systems, and bursts at the seams with shops and museums to suit city-sightseers. Be sure to stop in the local cafés for their delicious pastries and buy some "chucherías" (candy) to keep your energy up as you wander the winding streets. From Madrid it is also possible to visit the smaller towns on the outskirts, which are quaint and quiet compared to the capital. I would also add that perhaps Toledo is a particulary interesting city a few hours away, containing influences of Muslim, Jewish and Christian heritages in the architecture that lines the narrow and winding cobblestone streets.
6. National Parks of California, USA. I have not seen even close to all of the states in the US, but I pick these places because they are beautiful and the hiking is gorgeous: Yosemite, Ansel Adams Wilderness and Joshua Tree (Is it cheating to pick three places in one state? Heheh, they all fall under the same category though!). I spent 10 days backpacking through the terrain and would gladly do it again! Lakes, mountains, rock piles and forests are all yours for the wandering. The experience of backpacking in such a place is not to be missed, as you must carry all your wares with you, exhert your body to get to your destination, and sleep under the open skies. (And if the camp life is not for you, at least you will better appreciate a shower when you get home!) Please go rock climb in Joshua Tree and salute El Capitán as you hike the Panorama Trail through the Yosemite Valley and perhaps get lost along the trails of the wilderness!
7. Mumbai, India. India is place of interesting juxtapositions, and simply for that reason, I think you should go there. People are helpful, especially when you get used to the bobby-head technique and pick it up yourself! Please don't go there in monsoon season, and please see both the north and the south of the country, which are two regions very different from each other (I saw only the north). I think to understand the sheer masses of people living in India is difficult. It's hard to wrap your head around 1 billion people in one country, but here's the crux: 1 billion people eat their cornflakes with sugar and hot milk, would they be the trendsetters then? In India you see that the world is really not about the West.
Well, that concludes this round of wonders, subjectively selected by Yours Truly. The world contains so many interesting cultures and beautiful views to be experienced, so go out there and explore them!
Wednesday, August 1
elokuu
The first of August is upon us. Here in the center of Helsinki it is currently sunny and windy. But the nights actually darken now and yesterday's stormy weather plastered leaves helplessly on the wet sidewalks and curbs, like the discarded calling cards of Fall. However, August is still far from being actual Autumn, I tell myself, as it is often the warmest month, and not to mention most Europeans' favorite month for taking summer holidays.
At the workplace the month kicked off with a client coming to request a visa to gain protection from the human rights problems he faced in his home country. What followed that strange episode was a lively conversation about my boss's previous work posts and encounters with similar situations as well as bomb scares. Such stories seem inconceivable occurrences in a quiet country like Finland, but somehow they don't surprise me in a South American setting.
The first weekend of August also starts off the month with a brief visit to the country next door: Russia. St. Petersburg, I've heard, is a beautiful city and less than six hours away by rail. Other than my curiosity and desire to see the place anyway, the added incentive is that my roommate is there for the month and she speaks Russian, knows her way around the place, and wants to show me her favorite sights! Needless to say, I'm thrilled. I love to travel by train, stay with locals, and see places that are important to my friends. I need to brush up on the few phrases I know in Russian; I figured I could get quite far in any difficult situations by batting my eyelashes and saying with a smile, "Mne harasho patamusta ya staboi." (I'm good, because I'm with you! heheheh) Ok, maybe not, but it's worth a try if it makes the stern border guards smile!
May your voyage through August be full of the pleasant and unexpected!
At the workplace the month kicked off with a client coming to request a visa to gain protection from the human rights problems he faced in his home country. What followed that strange episode was a lively conversation about my boss's previous work posts and encounters with similar situations as well as bomb scares. Such stories seem inconceivable occurrences in a quiet country like Finland, but somehow they don't surprise me in a South American setting.
The first weekend of August also starts off the month with a brief visit to the country next door: Russia. St. Petersburg, I've heard, is a beautiful city and less than six hours away by rail. Other than my curiosity and desire to see the place anyway, the added incentive is that my roommate is there for the month and she speaks Russian, knows her way around the place, and wants to show me her favorite sights! Needless to say, I'm thrilled. I love to travel by train, stay with locals, and see places that are important to my friends. I need to brush up on the few phrases I know in Russian; I figured I could get quite far in any difficult situations by batting my eyelashes and saying with a smile, "Mne harasho patamusta ya staboi." (I'm good, because I'm with you! heheheh) Ok, maybe not, but it's worth a try if it makes the stern border guards smile!
May your voyage through August be full of the pleasant and unexpected!
Wednesday, July 25
Ode to the Berry
red. seedy. round. juicy. tiny. friendly.
summer treat. earth ripened. heady scent.
tickles my mouth. like sweet candy.
flavored in green meadows.
by the garden fairies
and many rains.
so yummy
to me.
summer treat. earth ripened. heady scent.
tickles my mouth. like sweet candy.
flavored in green meadows.
by the garden fairies
and many rains.
so yummy
to me.
Friday, July 20
Rambling about Twain's Sails
I keep Mark Twain's quote on my blog because it reminds me of how I want to live life. Fearlessly. Curiously. Expectantly. In order to "catch the trade winds in your sails," you do need to have the sails unfurled and ready to catch them in order to be pushed to new seas and around new shorelines. But when you are docked in a harbor, of necessity your sails must be lowered.
So where am I now? Hmmm, I suppose I am where I will always be: on the open seas, up the coastlines, and in harbors. I need all such places, not just for variety but because each is essential to a ship's life, if we can compare life to a sailing vessel.
The open seas are where the trade winds are caught to new destinations. It is where you meet the storms and waves of the seas, and your strength and build will get battered. Through the regions of doldrums and endless seascape, you must trust that the compass and the Captain know where you are headed, even when you can't see land for months. It is also the place of the most amazing views, such as a placid night clearly illuminated by brilliant jewels in a black velvet sky. In such moments, you feel alive and know you are fulfilling the function for which you were created.
The harbors are for repairs and supplies, for new directions. Each harbor is distinct and the load placed in the hold is specific. The supplies and repairs equip the ship for the next leg of the journey to make sure the cargo arrives to its destination. If the weak boards are not replaced, that could mean danger on the high seas, and if the stowaway is not caught, it could mean mutiny or an unexpected burden. The harbor is for renewal and restoration, a reality check for oiling the squeaky places.
The coastlines provide the route from one harbor to the next, when the route doesn't involve crossing oceans. They are unique and provide information about the differences in the make up of earth's landscape and varied inhabitants. Each country's coastline, while similar in essentials for docking and trading, similar in needs, is unique in language and custom. Discovering these idiosyncracies offers your ship a wealth of knowledge and adventure, through which the coral reefs of Australia will become distinguishable from the shoreline of Sharm il-Sheikh.
"Explore. Dream. Discover," wrote Mr. Twain, which is what I want to do anyway, whether recouping in a harbor, sailing down the coast of Africa, or somewhere in the middle of a Pacific storm. Admittedly, there are always factors at work that want to keep me in the harbor, until the repairs become an excuse for staying. It is in this one choice that the regrets of what I don't do could, twenty years from now, replace the list of things I did do. That is why the term "fearless" is included in the page title, because to be fearless in my world is to know I am not trusting myself to sail me, but the Captain.
Heh, I tend to think in similes and metaphors, images in my head that in one snapshot can explain to me a feeling, a purpose or a concept. It appears that Twain's sails have blown me on a metaphorical journey in today's description. But I let them take me, because what is a ship, if not made for sailing!? ;)
So where am I now? Hmmm, I suppose I am where I will always be: on the open seas, up the coastlines, and in harbors. I need all such places, not just for variety but because each is essential to a ship's life, if we can compare life to a sailing vessel.
The open seas are where the trade winds are caught to new destinations. It is where you meet the storms and waves of the seas, and your strength and build will get battered. Through the regions of doldrums and endless seascape, you must trust that the compass and the Captain know where you are headed, even when you can't see land for months. It is also the place of the most amazing views, such as a placid night clearly illuminated by brilliant jewels in a black velvet sky. In such moments, you feel alive and know you are fulfilling the function for which you were created.
The harbors are for repairs and supplies, for new directions. Each harbor is distinct and the load placed in the hold is specific. The supplies and repairs equip the ship for the next leg of the journey to make sure the cargo arrives to its destination. If the weak boards are not replaced, that could mean danger on the high seas, and if the stowaway is not caught, it could mean mutiny or an unexpected burden. The harbor is for renewal and restoration, a reality check for oiling the squeaky places.
The coastlines provide the route from one harbor to the next, when the route doesn't involve crossing oceans. They are unique and provide information about the differences in the make up of earth's landscape and varied inhabitants. Each country's coastline, while similar in essentials for docking and trading, similar in needs, is unique in language and custom. Discovering these idiosyncracies offers your ship a wealth of knowledge and adventure, through which the coral reefs of Australia will become distinguishable from the shoreline of Sharm il-Sheikh.
"Explore. Dream. Discover," wrote Mr. Twain, which is what I want to do anyway, whether recouping in a harbor, sailing down the coast of Africa, or somewhere in the middle of a Pacific storm. Admittedly, there are always factors at work that want to keep me in the harbor, until the repairs become an excuse for staying. It is in this one choice that the regrets of what I don't do could, twenty years from now, replace the list of things I did do. That is why the term "fearless" is included in the page title, because to be fearless in my world is to know I am not trusting myself to sail me, but the Captain.
Heh, I tend to think in similes and metaphors, images in my head that in one snapshot can explain to me a feeling, a purpose or a concept. It appears that Twain's sails have blown me on a metaphorical journey in today's description. But I let them take me, because what is a ship, if not made for sailing!? ;)
Tuesday, July 17
ask me
don't ask me to paint a big picture
i can't see that far from
where i sit with my feet dangling
like a child's on a tall bench
ask me about the bird that flew
by my window in greeting
or the way the morning smells
from my balcony door
ask me about the sound of her
voice and the flavor of tears
or about the way the trams clatter
across the city cobblestones
i wish sometimes that i could tell
you what everything means
or think macrocosmically in a way
that places events in order
but the future is over the next slope
and i can't tell you surely
where that road will curve and what
jungles and mountains await
but if you ask me, i will tell you
that the wind plays tag with
oceanwaves and the ice cream stand
will sell us chocolate at 2 pm
ask me for the here and now and i
will tell you how your words
paint the horizon in rainbow colors
and entice me over the slope
i can't see that far from
where i sit with my feet dangling
like a child's on a tall bench
ask me about the bird that flew
by my window in greeting
or the way the morning smells
from my balcony door
ask me about the sound of her
voice and the flavor of tears
or about the way the trams clatter
across the city cobblestones
i wish sometimes that i could tell
you what everything means
or think macrocosmically in a way
that places events in order
but the future is over the next slope
and i can't tell you surely
where that road will curve and what
jungles and mountains await
but if you ask me, i will tell you
that the wind plays tag with
oceanwaves and the ice cream stand
will sell us chocolate at 2 pm
ask me for the here and now and i
will tell you how your words
paint the horizon in rainbow colors
and entice me over the slope
Wednesday, July 11
Living vicariously
"Guess where I am," he said over the phone.
"On top of a mountain?" I guessed, already having a vague idea of his plans.
"We're at the foot, getting ready to go on a three hour mule ride up the side!"
I love that my dad calls me from random and adventurous places way on the other side of the globe, this time from here. Having inherited a love of adventure from him, I'm sure he knows I would love to be there also. I am tickled pink that he thinks of me and shares the moments across the distances!
"On top of a mountain?" I guessed, already having a vague idea of his plans.
"We're at the foot, getting ready to go on a three hour mule ride up the side!"
I love that my dad calls me from random and adventurous places way on the other side of the globe, this time from here. Having inherited a love of adventure from him, I'm sure he knows I would love to be there also. I am tickled pink that he thinks of me and shares the moments across the distances!
Friday, July 6
Poeticalness Day
As I left my flat this morning I saw the national blue-and-white flapping in the breeze, and pondered what flagging day today might be. Ah, then I remembered: it is this day. I am a fan of poetry and summer, and especially of the two together. I will go to the market to buy cherries and peas today, which are two treats most certainly associated with Finnish summertime in my mind. And as to the poetry, here are 2 short ones for you to enjoy this summer day, wherever you are!
A kids' poem:
THE PORCUPINE
Any hound a porcupine nudges
Can't be blamed for harboring grudges.
I know one hound that laughed all winter
At a porcupine that sat on a splinter.
--Ogden Nash
An Arabic poem:
FREE HARBOR
Many ships have asked for sanctuary
In the harbor of my eyes
I refused asylum to all of them
Your ships alone
Have the right to take refuge
In my territorial waters
Your ships alone
Have the right to sail in my blood
Without prior permission.
--Suad al-Mubarak al-Sabah
A kids' poem:
THE PORCUPINE
Any hound a porcupine nudges
Can't be blamed for harboring grudges.
I know one hound that laughed all winter
At a porcupine that sat on a splinter.
--Ogden Nash
An Arabic poem:
FREE HARBOR
Many ships have asked for sanctuary
In the harbor of my eyes
I refused asylum to all of them
Your ships alone
Have the right to take refuge
In my territorial waters
Your ships alone
Have the right to sail in my blood
Without prior permission.
--Suad al-Mubarak al-Sabah
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