I awoke and had my last English breakfast at the hotel. Ok, so I really didn’t, I didn’t eat the scrambled eggs, the baked beans, or the thick back bacon. I had toast, jelly, and yogurt with granola. Something simple, something light!
I took the bus over to the airport and got checked in. Norwegian airlines is a bit stickier about bags and I had to pay an extra 40 pounds to check my roller bag! It’s nice that I don’t have to deal with it I guess. My flight ended up being delayed, there was some substantial weather going on in England. I bought some needed electrical adapters so I could sit at a charging station and charge devices up, as well as get some blogging done! I am so behind!
Consequently, if you notice I’ve mixed up my tenses and committed other such grammatical faux pas, please forgive me! I’m having trouble finding the time to blog, so it’s during my longer travels or short train rides that the bulk of it is getting done.
Finally, my flight boarded and we departed England headed for Finland. The three hour flight was uneventful, and I landed safely in the much colder climate in Finland.
A word about European airports. They make you walk through the duty free and other shops to get to the gates. This is annoying. They have a black walking path winding through the shops. What if you are late and in a hurry? And Europe, moving walkways much? They must have put us in the farthest gate possible away from border control in Helsinki. Ah well, I need the exercise after all this food!
Bro Kristian picks me up outside. How neat is this? He has “wisited” me three times in the US and now things have changed and I’m in Finland. It’s still very surreal to me. I can’t believe I’m in Europe, I can’t believe I’m in Finland.
Feels like Minnesota actually.
Bro Kristian and I are in no great hurry as our hosts in Toivakka have some evening plans, so we have a few hours to spend before heading north. We head to the shopping mall and grab a bit to eat. After my nice pizza and his burger, we did a little shopping. I will need some shorts for the Finnish Sauna and I didn’t bring any. Also, we have time, why not check out the men’s stores for nice ties, suits, or shirts!
Finland has had a ton of firsts for me. Today I realize this is the first country I’ve been in, that speaks a different language, but generally assume from my appearance that I probably speak the same language. I’ve never had to say “English please?” anywhere I’ve been before. It’s an odd feeling.
Most of the Finnish people in Helsinki and really in general speak decent English. In Helsinki it’s best, but I’ve only met a few that really didn’t know enough to at least have the ability to give directions or “I’m going now” kinds of things.
We headed up north to Toivakka and Bro Petteri’s house. Pet ter ree (roll the r, make the t’s sharp). Bro Krisitian is working on my Finnish. He begins with “No niin”. It is a word I must learn to use. He says I should use it in one of my sermons.
What does no niin mean? Well. Uhm. Nothing, and everything. There’s even a Finnish video where a man buys a car and ONLY says no niin. At first I felt like it meant, “shall we” or “we shall”, but it’s kind of a space filler, a communication of emotion, intent, it’s so versatile! It’s so odd. Kind of like the Finnish people.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Finnish people. They say themselves that they are odd! I’ll drop little bits of the ways of the Finn throughout the next few posts.
We arrive safely at Bro Petteri’s, despite the snowy weather. The roads were a little slick at times, but not too bad. Sis Rebekah has some light food and tea set out, so we have a small snack as she lights a fire for the sauna. Sis Rebekah’s English isn’t the best, so she’s a little shy about talking too much to me. The three of them converse a bit in Finnish and catch up. It’s a bit lonely in a country where they speak a different language, and if you have a complex you’ll always think they’re talking about you, but I understand they are old friends and need time to catch up without encumbering themselves with “how do I say this in English?”
Finally, it is sauna time! Well, I’m not sure I should have used an exclamation point there. I wouldn’t exactly say I enjoyed my time in the sauna. It was definitely an interesting cultural experience, that’s for sure. We changed into our shorts and headed into the wood benched sauna. The sauna is heated to 90 degrees Celsius. That is 10 degrees away from boiling, or 194 degrees Fahrenheit. Insanity! Who are these people?
Not only do you sit there in the stifling heat, but then they begin to throw water on the heated rocks. It dissolves into steam immediately and you are hit with a steamy wave of heat. I could feel my lips burning I think. The concept was too much for me to take, I fell into a fit of laughter at the ridiculousness of it all. Bro Petteri wasn’t too sure about me.
Well, after 5 minutes or so, it was time to go outside in the snow to cool down. I think it was around 20 Fahrenheit outside. The ground covered with snow, we walk out barefoot. This hurts my feet. Bro Petteri lays down in the snow, Kristian throws some at me. The cold feels pretty good, but not the snow! After a couple minutes, we go back in to the sauna. Rinse, lather, repeat as they say!
Finally, the whole thing is over. I think maybe 30 minutes or so. I was just trying to endure, I was about to say, “OK, I’m done!” when Bro Kristian says he feels it is time to be finished. Wonderful. No niin.
After you are done in the sauna and take a shower, you actually feel nice and relaxed. Ready to sleep nice and deep. I can appreciate the sauna for how you feel AFTER, but not how you feel during! Still, I understand the appeal I think to these strong, hardy people. The more I learn of them, the more I find they pride themselves in being able to “take it” – to endure. I think that’s why they enjoy their candy, which really is quite awful.
Good night everyone!
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