I've been in Finland for a month and will be here for over five more! I'm not just a visitor to this beautiful country; I actually live here and this is my normal now. We have assimmilated into our new surroundings and are doing our best to live like Finns. I have now compiled some tips for anyone that wants to fit in with the Finns.
Learn how to pronounce "Fazer" and understand its importance!
Fazer does not rhyme with "laser." The z is pronounced more like "ts" and the r is not the hard "r" we use in America to end our words. It is a lightly rolled "r" similar to a Spanish "r" that is at the end of a word. It's hard to describe and I'm sure my speech language pathologist friends can write it out phonetically, but if you want to fit in here do not make this word rhyme with "laser." Fazer chocolate is Finnish chocolate made outside of Helsinki and it is delicious. It comes in all different sizes, but apparently scientific studies have been done and the ideal way to eat it is from the 200 gram bar. Just like we all can secretly admit that a Hershey's Kiss tastes a little different than a Hershey's miniature or a full size Hershey's bar, the same goes for Fazer. So the best way to enjoy Fazer is always Fazer Blue (the milk chocolate) from the 200 gram bar. I can absolutely get behind this assertion and confirm that it is amazingly delicious. A colleague spent a day with some teenage girls and they all concur that the best chocolate to eat while talking about cute boys is Fazerin sininen. There you have it...agreement from the experts on chocolate. Who knows chocolate better than a bunch of teenage girls engaging in gossip about boys?
If you check out this YouTube video the taste tester pronounces "Fazer" correctly at about 9:42 and he also declares "Fazer tastes awesome."
Meet the Moomins
The Moomins are characters created by Tove Jansson in the 1940's. I hadn't heard of these books or characters until I started telling people I was going to Finland, but I'm glad I knew at least a little bit before I got here. The Moomins are everywhere. They are on the plates and spoons in the house we are renting, on every type of merchandise you can imagine, and there is even a Moomin theme park in Finland. There is a series of chapter books that Tea and I are reading (the original series by Jansson) and now there are many picture books based on the characters. These guys were even on the envelope from Finland that contained our official government residence permits. The Finns take the Moomins seriously so learn to recognize Moomintroll, the Snorkmaiden and Little My if you want to be in the know in Finland.
Taste the Runebergin Torttu
This traditional Finnish pastry is made with an almond flavored cake and topped with a ring of sugar and raspberry jam and it is delicious. Most of you know how picky I am about food and tasting new things, but I had one of these yesterday and it was fantastic. The pastry is only available around this time of year (January to early February) because it is named for the famous Finnish poet Johan Runeberg. His birthday is celebrate on February 5th and legend says that he ate one of these every day for breakfast. Runeberg is the Finnish national poet and one of his poems was turned into the Finnish national anthem. Enjoy these pasteries if you are ever in Finland early in the year!
Find The Right Clothing And Don't Complain About The Cold
There is no bad weather; there is just bad clothing. This is an expression we have all heard a few times. The Finns know it's cold and therefore they dress for it. They don't complain about the weather. They have chosen to live here and many people laugh when I talk about snow days or delays because of a few inches of snow or cold temperatures. The Finns just say, "We can't stop living just because it is cold or snowing." Despite the snow and the bitter cold at times, to Finns it is business as usual. In fact, the Finns don't plow the streets down to the pavement or shovel their driveways clean. Adam shoveled our driveway like an American the first weekend we were here and we quickly realized our house stuck out like a sore thumb with a completely snow free driveway. The Finns push the snow down with their feet and cars and keep on going. No salt. No sand. Sometimes they throw down some rough gravel on heavily used pedestrian walkways or stairs, but mostly people just tread carefully and keep on going. They use tires with spikes and drive as usual. In fact, a few inches of snow isn't reason to stop riding your bike to work or school! Here are the bikes outside of the University of Jyvaskyla library.
You can see the roadway is covered with snow and all these people still rode their bikes to school. The cold doesn't keep the Finns inside either. My girls go outside every single day to play. We have seen temperatures range from -25 to +36 Fahrenheit so far and none of that stops the kids from going outside and playing in the snow. Finns remain active throughout the winter and it is very common to see older people walking around using ski poles or walking sticks for assistance. The large lake of Jyvaskyla is obviously frozen and the town plowed a one kilometer track on the ice for skaters and cross country skiers to use at any time. Every time I walk by the lake I see more and more people skating, skiing, or being dragged in sleds around the track. Below are some bikers riding around the lake.
Here's a picture of the frozen lake. You can see a parent skating and dragging his child in a sled while others ski or skate around the track.
Take Off Your Shoes!
At almost every school visit we have all taken off our shoes and go on tour in our slippers or indoor shoes. All children in elementary school take off their shoes at school and wear socks or slippers every day. At work as soon as I arrive at the office off go the shoes and on go the slippers. It's such a nice way to work and means the floors are not covered with the disgusting snow melt and gravel from your shoes. So simple, but so nice, so don't forget your slippers at home!
Leave The Bagged Lunch At Home
All Finnish students are fed school lunch for free. It's not just an option...they all eat it and the thought of bringing your own lunch is pretty much out of the question. Meals are prepared at a central kitchen or right on campus and therefore all the students in the town of Jyvaskyla eat the same thing for lunch each day. This is true for students from pre-school through high school. There are always a few options to choose: a meat, a vegetable, salad, and bread are served at every meal. Gluten free and vegetarian options are also always available in the cafeteria. Students can drink either milk or water or coffee/tea. No sugary juice is offered nor is soda an option. Students serve themselves in a buffet line and the food is all easily recognizable as freshly prepared. No image of the cafeteria cook scooping out unidentifiable slop onto cafeteria trays here! My children are asked to try six bites of everything they are served and then if they don't like it they don't have to eat any more of it. Tea seems to be eating most of her food but Talia continues to be stubborn even after a month! No surprise there! Even as a very picky eater I've been able to fill up at most meals I've eaten at schools. I'm sure if I was a native Finn and these foods were more familiar to my palatte I'd be fine with the offerings every day. In fact, Tea's teacher said that is why they serve even the pre-school children the school lunch - so they get used to what they will be eating in elementary and high school for lunch.
Learn And Embrace The Words Trust, Responsibility, and Choice
Trust, responsibility and choice are the three words that keep ringing in my ears and filling my head as I observe Finnish daily life and particularly schools. Here's a few examples:
Adam arrived to pick up Talia at school a few days ago and Talia told him all about how she had gone to the library with school. Their teacher walked with the class of about fifteen four-year-old over six long city blocks to the central library to pick out some books with the children. Here's the surprising part: we had no idea they were doing that! No permission slip. No advanced warning. No list of emergency contacts, health forms or list of recent immunizations necessary! In fact, the registration form for the girls is almost laughable coming from America. Since that first trip we have arrived at school to find out Tea went to the library, Talia went to the pharmacy and S-Market to learn about jobs, and Talia has returned to the library. Rarely do we find out about these trips in advance. The Finns trust the school and the teacher to take care of their children and are given the respect and space to do just that. Each of these trips had educational value and the teachers have the freedom to take the students to learn.
In almost every building you walk into large coat racks await the heavy winter jackets and boots everyone wears. You hang up your coat and walk away and take care of whatever you are doing in the building - going to school, visiting the library, working, attending class. Your coat is safe. No one is going to take it. No one is going to touch it. In fact, if it falls off the hanger, chances are someone is going to hang it back up for you. No need to shove it into a locker or carry it around awkwardly or wear it while inside.
Finnish high schools have huge empty areas where students congregate and socialize unsupervised. They are trusted by the school to be in class when they are supposed to be there and to treat the common areas with respect. In the school we visited last week the principal showed us an empty area where he is setting up a small weight room/fitness center for students to use on their free time. He also showed us where some new couches and a new TV will go. He wants the students to feel comfortable and they need more space to hang out. When the American Fulbrighters explained that in the US students are always supposed to be "somewhere" and that roaming the halls, just hanging out on couches, or loitering outside is forbidden he couldn't understand. The students had free time, so they should just be free. We all nervously laughed since that isn't what happens where any of us teach. I can't even begin to guess how many times I've said, "Where are you supposed to be right now?" to students in the hallway at Marvelwood. Below is a picture of one of these areas. Also notice all the work on the walls and student made posters that have not been "tagged" with graffiti or torn down.
Below you can see a large bank of computers for student use during the school day. Students can check their email or teachers can allow students to work on these computers during class time. There wasn't a single inappropriate background or screen saver flashing by. The computers all had their mice attached and the keyboards had all the letters. I don't mean to imply that all American students are irresponsible vandals, but it can't be denied that we have had to figure out how to lock down the computers so students don't change the backgrounds and screensavers and that it's not uncommon to find a mouse that has recently been taken apart or is just missing. Finnish students aren't perfect and I can't imagine that this doesn't happen, but just because a few students might make a bad choice, the rest of the students aren't penalized. Students are given a lot of trust and this starts at a very young age.
It is not uncommon to see students as young as seven or eight walking alone to school or hopping on the bus to get back home. Student schedules vary day by day and some students may not start school until 10:00 on certain days or end as early as 1:00. These children then go home and let themselves in and take care of themselves. One principal said that this is an important part of learning. They learn from taking care of themselves and being trusted to go home on their own. They learn from society that they need to be responsible and take care of themselves. This sense of agency at such a young age has an incredible impact on students for the rest of their lives. This sense of independence means students build the confidence to take care of themselves and don't turn to their parents to help make every decision. Later in school students are confident when choosing their secondary educational track. They can choose their classes and their schedules without a parent intruding on this process. The students learn that they have to rely on themselves to learn and meet their obligations and that, in part, leads to responsible teenagers. Students in Finland spend the least amount of time in classes of any of the top performing countries in the world, yet they consistently outperform almost everyone. I asked a principal why this was possible. He believes that it is because the students are given so much time to be free that when they are in class they are able to focus and are there to learn. They know that class time is for learning so they are more able to absorb new material when they only have to do it for a short period of time. Their schedules rarely, if ever, include a day that starts at 8:20 and ends at 2:40 with six or seven academic classes.
Finally, the picture above of a university classroom is one of my favorites. Look at all the different options for places to sit and learn. I was sitting at a traditional desk when I took this picture that shows a standing desk, huge beanbags and low desks for learning on the floor, a leaning stool and a regular stood. Choose where you want to sit and learn so you can be comfortable! What a cool idea. In my office there also these huge beanbags, yoga balls, balance boards, standing desks, sitting desks, and couches so people can choose throughout the day. This is one of my favorite things to see all around me!
Stop Using That Expression About Giving 110% And Go Get A Hobby!
When I sat down for coffee with a new Finnish friend last week she said she had never heard the expression "to give 110%" until she met an American. I am the first to admit that I always feel like I am not working hard enough if I'm not over-working. I get frustrated with people at home who don't go above and beyond the call of duty. In America we are expected to give 110% at work and at home and if you aren't working to the point of exhaustion or putting your kids in the the "right" activities for success you aren't working or parenting hard enough. My friend said Finns "give about 70%...and if they get caught then they give about 90%." Take work home? No way! Grade in the evenings? That's what your prep time - an actual amount of time that allows for class preparation, grading, etc - is for. Finns have hobbies! They sing in choirs. They knit. They take part in the (free) adult education programs and learn a new skill. They ice skate or ski or exercise. At our office every Friday at 2:00 the "sparkling wine club" meets and that pretty much wraps up the day. Above is a picture of Annie having her sparking wine; last week's bottle had gold flecks in it! It's a totally different attitude but it is such a welcome change. I have put my kids to bed every single night since I've been here and have taken them to school at 9:00 at least 3 days a week. They engage in free play for hours each afternoon. Adam goes to the gym every day. I get home from work around 4 on most days and then write, read for pleasure, knit, or plan future trips. I can't say I'm only giving 70% or even 90% but at least I've settled for giving just 100% of myself to my job...and not 110%. I'll keep working on it!