Uphill Both Ways
May. 23rd, 2008 11:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kyrasantae
This morning I practically limped to school because my right leg was in a lot of pain...from the walking? the sitting? the sauna?
Yesterday afternoon we went to the Kiviniemi sauna. It's like a little lodge in the middle of nowhere, in front of a lake. There were two kinds -- the traditional dry sauna, and the smoked one which is smoky and hotter and stings to breathe in because of the smoke. Out of the group of ladies, only two of us braved to go in completely naked, but with towels as a courtesy -- even the organizers, the natives, wore their bikinis, to not offend anyone, I guess. A couple of times I ended up in the smoked sauna alone with the three natives, being kind of awkward because I had to put my (fake)Tuuli persona on, since one of them has that name. but seriously, it's hot in there. one gets seriously wet all over, and then I skinny-dipped a few times in the lake. The first time I jumped in I didn't realize that the water went only up to my waist and so I scraped my knee on the bottom. It's fine though. The water feels really cold, but it feels amazingly refreshing.
The whole sauna thing is a lot like hot tub culture. Go once or twice a week, chill out and have a beer. Or a cider, which is more popular here. After sauna we hung around a fire roasting sausage (eat them with delicious Finnish mustard!!), eating beet and potato salad, and ruispalat with oivariini. There was also some assorted salmiakki but hardly anyone got into it. I ate one of my favorite Tupla chocolate bars and lots of salad and 3 sausages. It's the mustard that's addicting, not the meat as much.
As the last to leave before the Finns, Vigen, Angelika, and I ended up walking in cooler weather back to the apartments. The darn Finns had their bikes, though I don't know if I would fare any better (with my calves hurting so much when I walk right now) using a bike.
When I got back I was so tired I couldn't write; Ich habe maksalaatikoa mit ein bisschen öljyä ja maitoa erhitzt, and dug into its wonderful liver-ness. Mmmhm.
Today the teacher brought in three movies to choose from to watch - either "Mies vailla menneisyyttä", "Pahat pojat", or "Nousukausi". Well, the only one I haven't seen is the latter, but I'm not surprised that the class chose "Pahat pojat" because drama is a very difficult genre to get into and everyone loves a little action in their movies. It's even the movie I almost always choose when I decide to show a Finnish film because it's so accessible. I couldn't help but sing along with some of the soundtrack, though, and watching on a big projection screen is very nice. I think this is the fourth time I've seen this - might hold the record for my most-watched movie.
I feel an incredible urge to pry the staples out of one of the Jyväskylä rock festival posters all over the bus stops and take it home just because Viikate is on the band list. It's not like until August, anyway. But just because of that.
After the movie was lunch and I skipped eating to go buy a flag for Adam to sign, since he's going back to Prague tomorrow. I also got a Trio Niskalaukaus album from a second-hand music store (who needs new when you would have played it to this condition had you had it the whole time you've liked the album?). And a very expensive shot glass (8,70€?!?!) But it's the only one I've seen so far with the lion on it.
After school I ate Vigen's leftover sausage from last night and some mashed potato really quickly before he went to catch the bus to Helsinki. Then I sewed my black lion patch to my bag and J made rice with stirfry.
Then we biked to harju and Vesilinna, where we encountered some weird tin can percussion band practice, and people chilling out at the park drinking beer. Technically, this is not allowed, but since Finns are very "live and let live", reporting them could be very atypical and frowned on. so you'll find people drinking, well, wherever.
After a stop at some downtown coffee shop, riding back wasn't so uphill and difficult, but it still was. My legs were already weakened by walking and short hamstrings, and riding on the wide sidewalk dodging people and without a helmet is kind of scary.
Almost fell asleep watching some Finnish world travel documentary on TV with J. The guys there were trying to "find themselves" in India and that makes me wonder - what is it that has people turning to organized religion and discipline to find themselves? For myself I have already "found" my Finnish identity, I'm just now proving it.
I hope tomorrow is not as hot as today. J and I are going to the annual city festival and I don't want to feel like I'm melting. And my legs!
Yesterday afternoon we went to the Kiviniemi sauna. It's like a little lodge in the middle of nowhere, in front of a lake. There were two kinds -- the traditional dry sauna, and the smoked one which is smoky and hotter and stings to breathe in because of the smoke. Out of the group of ladies, only two of us braved to go in completely naked, but with towels as a courtesy -- even the organizers, the natives, wore their bikinis, to not offend anyone, I guess. A couple of times I ended up in the smoked sauna alone with the three natives, being kind of awkward because I had to put my (fake)Tuuli persona on, since one of them has that name. but seriously, it's hot in there. one gets seriously wet all over, and then I skinny-dipped a few times in the lake. The first time I jumped in I didn't realize that the water went only up to my waist and so I scraped my knee on the bottom. It's fine though. The water feels really cold, but it feels amazingly refreshing.
The whole sauna thing is a lot like hot tub culture. Go once or twice a week, chill out and have a beer. Or a cider, which is more popular here. After sauna we hung around a fire roasting sausage (eat them with delicious Finnish mustard!!), eating beet and potato salad, and ruispalat with oivariini. There was also some assorted salmiakki but hardly anyone got into it. I ate one of my favorite Tupla chocolate bars and lots of salad and 3 sausages. It's the mustard that's addicting, not the meat as much.
As the last to leave before the Finns, Vigen, Angelika, and I ended up walking in cooler weather back to the apartments. The darn Finns had their bikes, though I don't know if I would fare any better (with my calves hurting so much when I walk right now) using a bike.
When I got back I was so tired I couldn't write; Ich habe maksalaatikoa mit ein bisschen öljyä ja maitoa erhitzt, and dug into its wonderful liver-ness. Mmmhm.
Today the teacher brought in three movies to choose from to watch - either "Mies vailla menneisyyttä", "Pahat pojat", or "Nousukausi". Well, the only one I haven't seen is the latter, but I'm not surprised that the class chose "Pahat pojat" because drama is a very difficult genre to get into and everyone loves a little action in their movies. It's even the movie I almost always choose when I decide to show a Finnish film because it's so accessible. I couldn't help but sing along with some of the soundtrack, though, and watching on a big projection screen is very nice. I think this is the fourth time I've seen this - might hold the record for my most-watched movie.
I feel an incredible urge to pry the staples out of one of the Jyväskylä rock festival posters all over the bus stops and take it home just because Viikate is on the band list. It's not like until August, anyway. But just because of that.
After the movie was lunch and I skipped eating to go buy a flag for Adam to sign, since he's going back to Prague tomorrow. I also got a Trio Niskalaukaus album from a second-hand music store (who needs new when you would have played it to this condition had you had it the whole time you've liked the album?). And a very expensive shot glass (8,70€?!?!) But it's the only one I've seen so far with the lion on it.
After school I ate Vigen's leftover sausage from last night and some mashed potato really quickly before he went to catch the bus to Helsinki. Then I sewed my black lion patch to my bag and J made rice with stirfry.
Then we biked to harju and Vesilinna, where we encountered some weird tin can percussion band practice, and people chilling out at the park drinking beer. Technically, this is not allowed, but since Finns are very "live and let live", reporting them could be very atypical and frowned on. so you'll find people drinking, well, wherever.
After a stop at some downtown coffee shop, riding back wasn't so uphill and difficult, but it still was. My legs were already weakened by walking and short hamstrings, and riding on the wide sidewalk dodging people and without a helmet is kind of scary.
Almost fell asleep watching some Finnish world travel documentary on TV with J. The guys there were trying to "find themselves" in India and that makes me wonder - what is it that has people turning to organized religion and discipline to find themselves? For myself I have already "found" my Finnish identity, I'm just now proving it.
I hope tomorrow is not as hot as today. J and I are going to the annual city festival and I don't want to feel like I'm melting. And my legs!
