November...like a swift current

Duck on the river...this week's photos are river-centric

Well, November (Marraskuu) seems to be flying along in some kind of hurry.  It will soon be December (Joulukuu) and I will have had no idea what I've been doing for the past month.  I just know it.  The weather is surprisingly balmy compared to that of Williams Lake, but the days are dismally grey.  I've stopped counting the days in a week that I wear long underwear (pitkät alusvaatteet - tops and bottoms; or pitkät alushousut - bottoms only) and instead count the days in a week when I don't...it just requires fewer fingers this way.  School is going through a bit of a busy stretch now. I've got 2 courses ending (silviculture and research methodology) with all of the associated assignments and exams.  In addition to this, I have a fairly major report from my trip across Canada due.  Ugh, not looking forward to the week...but the following weekend should be amazing!

The eastern river bank: my side of the river.  I cross the bridge in that photo everyday on my way to school.  It's the long bridge; it crosses the river, stays elevated through the area pictured here, goes over the railyard, and finally joins the ground on the far side of the tracks (where I live).

Yesterday, Saturday, was April's birthday.  She has been wanting to have a picnic lunch by the lake for quite some time now (i.e. ever since arriving).  But, the weather has always been off, or no-one could make it.  Yesterday the weather was far from perfect, but it wasn't raining...so a handfull of us went down to the beach and had a birthday picnic, complete with a sparkling rosé.  It was 2 degrees and blowing wind off the lake, leaving us (3 hardy Canadians, 1 brave Brazilian, and 1 fearless Finn) with some pretty serious goosebumps and purple fingers.  At least I think my fingers were purple...it was after 15:30, so it was too dark out to tell.   Let's just say the  rosé was well chilled, as were the picnickers (what a strange looking word!).   Things really got heated up later as April convinced me to come out to a salsa dancing-halloween party; pretty much her 2 favorite things (dancing and halloween) conveniently on her birthday.  Salsa was great fun!  For those of you who know my previous record of trying to learn how to salsa, I didn't punch anyone this time!  I am rather sore today though...

Western river bank: the Lutheran Church, Ilosaari, downtown (keskusta) and more of the long bridge to school.

I am continuously learning new interesting things about this country and culture.  April's birthday picnic brings up my First Fun Finnish Fact (the alliteration is getting cheesier and worse by the week).  It is totally acceptable to consume alcohol in public places...provided you are not drunk and belligerent.  For example, having beers (kaljaa or olutta) or wine (viiniä) with a picnic lunch or dinner will not get you in trouble with the police. Compare this with Vancouver where you would have to pour out all your beverages if the police found you picnicking with wine or beer...especially at a public park or beach.

My second interesting story I only just learnt from my roommate this afternoon.  Apparently, people's income and tax information are public domain.  At this time of year (sometime last week I believe), a publication is made available with the details of each taxpayer's name and details of their tax return.  This seems very strange to me.  You can go online (pay-per-view) or purchase a publication with all of this information.  You can look up the information of your neighbours, friends, colleagues, boss, celebrities, the rich and the famous.  Apparently, it's excellent tabloid material.  This practice can be a big source of local news (I took this to mean gossip), especially in small towns where everyone knows each other.  Income from gifts and grants is not included and names are not published for those who earn less than €10,000. Bizarre.

Some of the last leaves left on the tree in all of Joensuu are on willows leaning out over the river. 

Finnish trivia: what is the mostly commonly used Finnish word in the English language???  Sauna


I'll be spending next weekend in Copenhagen (hooray!), so there will be no Sunday blog update as I usually try to do.  Have a great week, and....

Lest we forget