Hyvää iltaa Helsingistä! God kväll från Helsingfors! (The bilingual nature of Finland is certainly addictive). Upon being asked to relate how my experience in Finland is in one word, I instantly came up with mind-bending. Quite unlike any other place on earth, despite the fact that I had flashbacks to Stockholm literally every ten minutes or so, Helsinki carries a gritty, edgy, but friendly style during the day, and becomes a futuristic wonderland by night, especially with the holiday decorations. The waterfront to the southeast was extraordinarily calming, too. I liked seeing the cement turtles and noting the lights reflected almost perfectly in the water. The Helsinki Cathedral, which I first heard about as a preteen kid when I was browsing the landmarks in some version of SimCity, was a basic but overwhelming edifice, and the Market Square below as very large indeed, and even more charming by the fact that it was an completely open, with little standing in the view of the cobblestones. Far beyond cold weather and a strange language, I think that Helsinki embodies a creative but controlled consciousness that almost anyone can relate to. As for the research I was doing with the Jewish community...suffice it to say that it deserves a post on its own, but I hit the jackpot as far as information I required was concerned. The picture is very mixed indeed, just like any accurate picture in the humanities, which means that I must be doing something right. However, it seems unwise of me to write my entire Masters Thesis in one night in a Facebook post, so I think Ill head downstairs and help myself to some... ...speaking of drinks, this must be said: I tried the famous Finnish coffee this morning. Does it deserve its reputation as extremely good? Let me tell you this: If there is coffee in the Garden of Eden, Paradise, etc, then it will most likely be imported from Finland. Yes, it was THAT good. Not also to mention the motto I saw on an advertisement tonight: Kahvi Hyvin, Kaikki Hyvin (Good Coffee, Good Everything). Just the sort of thing I should keep in mind when I should begin writing the bulk of my upcoming thesis. Kiitoksia Paljon, Suomi! Tapaamme taas!
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 18:32:53 +0000
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