Hei from Helsinki!

I'm writing from the little studio apartment Alicia and I share in the heart of the city. Currently, we're both huddled up with our respective computers, clicking away at the keyboards. Just another modern couple in the western world. You see, life in Helsinki is not so different. Ahh, but there are a few things worth telling. A few things worth showing. After almost a week here I feel ready to share some of what I've seen with you all, the folks back home. If you're up for rambling ruminations, then read on. Or, if you're of the mind that a picture is worth a thousand words, then feel free to skip right to the good stuff. Okay, here we go!

As you would expect of a Nordic city (latitude 60°N), it has been very cold and snowy. Temperatures have ranged from -5°C to -18°C (~23°F to 0°F). One benefit of this startling cold is that the snow doesn't melt and turn into ice or slush. Instead the snow stays crisp, leaving everything draped in a miraculous virginal white. The streets and sidewalks are covered in a thin and compact layer of snow, which is then sprinkled with gravel for traction. The city is teaming with small plow tractors, which prowl around with frightening efficiency rounding up errant snow flakes. A second fleet of dump trucks then hustles loads of snow off to somewhere out of sight. Thus, there is uninterrupted passage for bikers, mothers with strollers, and old men in wool coats and fur hats. Traffic in the streets is relatively light, with a majority of people using one of the three forms of public transit (subway, street car, and bus) that cover most of the greater metro region. The cars and vans that are on the streets have studded snow tires, which often spin as they accelerate from stop lights, producing an alarming sound, that I am only now becoming accustomed to.

Another thing that I am starting to get used to is the fact that while nearly all printed signs, labels, etc. are in Finnish and Swedish, the vast majority of people in Helsinki speak good, if not perfect, English. While you hear Fins speaking to one another primarily in Finnish, ask any one of them a question in English and they will respond without batting an eye. This creates an unusual situation in which I feel as though everyone not only knows what I know, but also something else entirely beyond me. It's like "English is an okay language, as a backup."

As you may have heard, Fins are not particularly warm or welcoming, at least outwardly. Passing a stranger on the street will often yield a glance (some might go so far as to say a stare), but smiles, hellos, or even nods of acknowledgment are rare. That said, any Fin I have every asked for directions, or spoken to for any reason, has been very friendly and helpful. I have also observed many fins engaged in intimate and lively conversation, and Alicia speaks glowingly of her Finnish friends and their capacity for frank and open dialogue. So it seems that the chilly exterior face of the Fins is matched by an equally warm inner core. Perhaps this changes a bit in the summer, when meeting a stranger on the street is not such an obvious detriment to arriving at your next heated destination.

The one time I encountered many outgoing Fins, was at jazz club with Alicia and her friend Erika. In a search for live music we found ourselves in a basement club frequented mostly by affluent middle-aged Fins, dancing in a hilariously uncoordinated manner to an American style 50's jazz band. Soon after arriving we were approached by a notably drunk Fin. Erika, who speaks Finnish, reluctantly translated his opening line to me, "What a lucky guy you are to bring two beautiful women, when I don't have any." He then seated himself next to us and proceeded to cross personal space boundaries, and deliver the memorable line, "It must get lonely with just the three of you in bed." The rest of the night we successfully avoided the more obviously drunk patrons, although sometimes you just never knew. As with one lady walking in a cool straight line, until some unseen force (read: alcohol) thrust one of her steps some two feet out to the right causing her to veers dramatically into a nearby couple, and then quickly collect herself and resume her earlier path. In another surprise from the Fins, we were beckoned onto the dance floor not once, but twice! The first by a free spirited curvaceous women and her stoned-looking husband who set the tone early for hilarious dancing. And the second by a man wearing a rather distinguished looking mullet and his wife, who actually demonstrated competency on the dance floor, consistently catching the rhythm and coordinating their dance styles. I was moved to see a rotund middle aged man looking deeply into the eyes of a sweet, librarian-looking, lady and stroking her hand as they danced slowly across the floor. It would be unusual in the States to see an older couple display such intimacy in public, and we were all moved by how they still seemed so in love. However, when they posted up next to use for a serious heart-to-heart, Erika overheard the man saying "It has been very hard lately. My marriage is not so good." Apparently!

Over the weekend Alicia accompanied me to a public Sauna on the outskirts of Helsinki. As soon as we left the city the landscape became thick with snow-covered pines, the likes of which cover some 70% of the country. The facility sits next to a frozen lake and was surrounded by beautifully groomed cross country ski trails. Sitting in the sauna with a number of robust Finnish men was one of my first opportunities to really hear the language spoken at length, and I basked in the foreignness of it. It really is a beautiful, hushed sounding language. There is weight, and seriousness to it, but also a gentle serenity. After 15 minutes in the steamy rooms I met Alicia on an outside deck and walked down the snowy path to the lake, where incoming hot water melts the ice away to create a swimming area. With the courage provided by a deeply heated core, we both plunged into the icy cold water, making a brief attempt at swimming, and then plodding urgently up the exit stairs. Out of the water, a sense of calm descends upon you as the numbed outer layer of skin takes a backseat to the shear life force surging from within you. There is a feeling of invincibility as you stand, completely exposed, steaming before the intense chill of winter. There is also the fact that your feet are burning with cold as you stand on ice, and one must heed the body's cries. Really, some kind of sandals or water slippers (as most of the Fins wore) are necessary for such an act. Also, felt explorer hats. I'm not quite sure about the hats, but apparently they work wonders.

On the second round of cold plunges Alicia and I both chose to wear our boots out to the lake, successfully avoiding freezing our feet, but unfortunately soaking the inserts of our boots with water. This later proved to be fateful, as the owners of the resort (who were not Finnish and spoke little English) gave us the wrong time to catch the bus back to Helsinki, and after the second failed attempt to catch the bus we waited for nearly an hour in 0°F weather. This was my first real head-to-head with the cold, and while both Alicia and I had on enough layers to stay reasonably warm, our already wet feat were a bit traumatized. Alicia bore the worst of it as I had gone to extreme lengths to blow dry my boots in the locker room, but we both learned a couple valuable lessons which I will now share. 1) Do not, under any circumstances, wear your boots to go ice swimming. Wear sandals, booties, or even socks if necessary. 2) Double check the bus timetable until you are sure, especially when given information by people who don't speak your language. Okay, don't forget.

Lest you think my time has been plagued by frigid temperatures and drunken adulterers, I should assure you that Finland has been very hospitable and easy to navigate. I have so far registered at my university, enrolled in a class, taken out a bank account, purchased a transit pass, and gone grocery shopping, all without a hitch. There is a very strict order of operations here, and you must have the right documents and receipts before anyone will do anything for you, but it's all pretty straight forward. It also hasn't hurt to have Alicia, who has been here for over 4 months, as my guide. While she hadn't lived in Helsinki before, she knows her way around a bit, and has lots of connections through the Fulbright program here. Since it has been so easy to get set up and oriented, I'm looking forward to diving deeper into the country and culture.

In terms of my work agenda here, I'll be starting my Waste To Energy class at the Helsinki University of Technology in early February, digging my heels into my biomass district energy research, and reaching out to a few contacts to set up tours of energy facilities. My goal is to continue educating myself about biomass district energy as it relates to sustainability. I'll be preparing a couple power point presentations to give for Fluid Market Strategies in the spring, and I'd also like to put together a short educational film documenting the supply chain from forest to radiator. I may also pursue a part-time job or internship, but we'll have to see how things play out.

For now it's just great to be reunited with Alicia, cooking meals in our cozy new place, and plotting adventures. We're hoping to visit Aaron in Italy, and then take the ferry over to Croatia in the spring. If time and budget allow, we'd also love to go to Turkey and visit Istanbul, and perhaps take a short Ryan Air hop over to Edinburgh for the weekend. In the near future I still have much to see of Finland, and lots more things to do in Helsinki. Tonight we go to a small acrobatic circus, and tomorrow I have orientation at the university. It feels like things are starting to speed up as Alicia goes back to work on her Fulbright project, and my mental calendar of events and goals starts to fill up. Pretty soon it'll just be life in Finland, like life anywhere else. You see, it's not so different here.

Ahh, but there will be more worth telling, and I'll make sure to keep sharing with you, the folks back home. Until then...

Cheers,
Josh