Settling In

So this is the end of week 3 and I finally feel like I'm starting to get settled and figure out my way around town.  Some things are still missing...my room is a little barren looking still and I have no bicycle (currently the bane of my existence)...but overall it's starting to feel more like home!  Oh yes, and if you want more photos, I started trying to do a photo-a-day blog (the link is on the right-had side over -----> there).  So far, I have totally failed a posting a photo per day, but I will try to get 7 up in a week even if they come in clumps.

some sweet local art....

One thing that I continue to find a little overwhelming is the finnish language.  Yes, I knew it was very different ahead of time...and yes, almost everyone has excellent english, but it's the little things that lead to frustration.  Shopping for fruits and vegetables: it's challenging to figure out the price of the plums when you have no idea what a plum is.  So the whole list of prices above the produce table (omena, päärynä, sipuli, luumu, peruna) means very little in the end.  But I'm learning. The above list translates to: apples, pears, onions, plums, and potatoes. Of course, not exactly because the finnish names are not in plural.  And if you wanted some apples (as opposed to just apples) the word would change again.
Apple = omena
Apples = omenat
Some apples = omenaa
Yes they are all similar, but just different enough to make it confusing.  Did I mention there are 15 possible endings like this ("cases") that can be attached to nouns? Plus the plural forms.  Plus possessive. Plus compound words.  Finnish is easy.  Se on helppoa.

Not quite sure how to translate these, but street names usually have pretty interesting translations...

Sorry about that rant...**ahem**

It seems that no-one looks forward to autumn here; I'm starting to understand why.  It seems that fall does not bring crisp, clear days that can be so wonderful.  In fact, I think it has rained almost everyday I have been here.  That being said, it has also been sunny most days.  But the days are getting shorter. Oh, so MUCH shorter.  On August 28 my flight arrived at 21:45 and it was dusk; the sun had set, but there was still light in the sky and it was almost 10pm.  Now, the sun sets at 19:15.  That is pretty much 2 hours of daylight lost in the evening alone in the past 3 weeks. Impressive. So, I went to the store and stocked up on vitamin D; a recommendation of many Finns!

More fall colours, against the blue sky

So...how about the Fun Finnish Fact for this week? Bathrooms.  They're different.  Ok yes, the function is the same, but there are some things that are not.  Public washrooms (like in an airport, school, or pub) have full length doors.  It's not just a little cubicle, you get your own room.  In addition to the toilet, your room also is equipped with  a little sink, hooks for your coat or purse, a toilet paper dispenser and a paper towel dispenser.  All this makes the little room slightly claustrophobic.  It is not full service though.  Often, theses rooms lack soap and a mirror, which has lead April and I to question why there would be a sink located in the stall if there is no soap provided with which to wash or mirror for "freshening up."  In the home, most bathrooms I have seen are completely tiled in and equipped with a drain at a low point in the floor, just like the entire bathroom is a shower.  This makes sense as the shower itself is not isolated and is merely a fixture on one wall, usually with a shower curtain that can be drawn closed and a second drain in the floor....have I mentioned the "hand bidets" yet?  yep, we've got those too.

a nice old wooden home I saw along my walk today