A lady from Finland is visiting friends in Tennessee. She writes about her country and her home in the Artic. (She lives in Ivalo, which is in the northern part of Finland.)
Hei! Mita kuuluu?? Kiitos hyvaa! (In my language--Finnish--that means Hello! How are you? I am fine!)
My name is Sari Annike Gustaffssenn; and I live in Finland. I am visiting friends here in America for about a month, and I just got in last week. Am still getting over the jetlag; am about over it now, thank goodness! I live in Ivalo, which is in northern Finland, deep in the Artic Circle; so where I live is often very cold. It is also very snowy in the wintertime, and we can get lots of snow and ice. And it is so far north that the sun doesn't come up for several months in the winter (it is always dark), but in the summer, the sun doesn't go down; and then it is light out all the time, even late at night. It CAN make for a very confusing time for people if they aren't used to it; but to me, it doesn't matter. It's always been a part of my life, so it doesn't bother me one bit. (It's rather cool going skiing at 4 in the morning, and it is dark out with nothing but the moon or the aurora lighting up the snow; and/or the sun shining like it was in the middle of the day instead of very early in the morning!)
I am staying with my friend, Helvig Gustaffssenn (NO relation to me, by the way!!); Helvig lives in Tennessee, here in America, where he is attending university, and he invited me to come see him in America, which is why I am here. So far, I am having a very nice time, but I sure do miss my homeland. I miss that Finnish food, and I miss seeing the northern lights out my window. (In Finland, the northern lights, or, as you call them here, the aurora borealis, are very bright and very colorful; but here in America, they are hard to see, especially in the city. But there HAVE been a few times I saw them, but what I see here in America is nothing compared to the lights in my homeland. Here they have been a very big disappointment, I am sorry to say!) I also miss skiing every day, and I miss the snow and cold. Here in Tennessee it is almost like spring; and it is too warm for me!
I have met a lady who is a nurse; and the only reason I met her was because Helvig broke his collarbone in a fall; he fell down the steps at his house, and he had to go to hospital to get emergent care. He is now wearing a cast and sling on his arm, and he is in much pain. At hospital, in emergency care unit, I met this lady, who was very kind; she could tell that I was worried about my friend, and so she sat with me and tried to tell me that he was okay, that he was not dying. She was very nice, and she eased my fears. She was very little in size; but she was roly poly, like a little snowman, and she waddled like a duck as she walked. She used a cane, but she still worked hard, and she was very kind to both Helvig and myself. She gave Helvig a shot for his pain, and she made sure that he was comfortable when he was in the emergent care room. (This happened the other day, and I am still upset about it because I have to do Helvig's school work; and some of what he is taking is HARD to understand!! I also have to help him get dressed, and help him with his eating; but so far he is being good about it; but he is still in a lot of pain. I do hope he feels better soon!!)
I do wish I knew that little nurse's name; I do want to thank her for being so patient and kind to both Helvig and myself when he fell! It really scared me when he fell: he was coming down the steps--IN the dark; I don't know WHY he didn't turn on his lights, so he could see where he was going!!--, and he must have tripped; and down he went. When he fell, he hit his shoulder, and there was this sickening "CRACK!" and then he howled in pain. When he couldn't move his arm and his shoulder area started to swell, I knew he had done something horrible to it, so I told him to go to hospital, to the emergent care area, so he could get treated for his injury; and it turned out he broke his collarbone. I don't know why, but I can't get the little nurse out of my mind, and I would love to tell her how much her kindness meant to both Helvig and myself!
I am very tall and thin (people say I look like a model) with long, streaky-blonde hair that is straight (it goes past my waist) and big, grey-blue eyes that can change color, depending on my mood; and my skin is tanned naturally; and I am very active. I love to go cross country or nordic skiing in the winter, and in the fall, spring, or summer, I love to go hiking; and I also love to go to my parent's village and see their herd of reindeer. They are Sami, and the Sami raise reindeer for a living. The Sami culture is deeply rooted in both agriculture and nature, and a lot of the Sami ways of life, unfortunately, is disappearing; but the Sami are trying to restore their language and way of life. The Sami have their own way of dress and life; and they are also known as Lapps, or Lapplanders. (That makes me a Sami too, but I have always been interested in non-Sami traditions; and it really doesn't mean that much to me.)
I am in my very early 40's, and my parents, bless them, are in their 70's, and are still very healthy, I am happy to say. I am the youngest of six, and I am the only girl. My brothers are named Tove (44), Martin (45), Johannes (46), Arne (47), and the oldest at 50, Dierks. All still live around Ivalo, and all work in different fields of work. Arne and Dierkes are both teachers at primary school for small children, and Johannes works in auto factory. As for Tove, he works as an airline pilot for small airline, and Martin works in a hospital as a lab tech. (He takes blood samples from people, amongst other things.)
Well, I shall write more; I don't have much more to say; but if I do, I'll write again. Hopefully, I will have better news about my friend! I was so scared when he fell; but I WAS glad to meet that little nurse! Maybe I will see her again; and then I can write about her, too.
In the meantime, I also can work on bettering my English; my English is still not that good, and I am still rather uncomfortable with it. So if my words look funny, please do not laugh at me.
~Sari Annike Gustaffssenn.
Want to review or comment on this short story?
Need a FREE Reader Membership?
Reviewed by Abe Rossi
12/11/2003
Karen, very nice story. I think I'll move to finland. I could use a couple of months sleep. I liked hearing about the reindeer. Nice read. peace abel
I have a Finnish Pen pal from Years ago!
Makes me want to look him up!
Excellent story! Thanks for shring your culture
history knowledge! Thanks for the
reviews too!
Exploring the impact of literary icon Flannery O'Connor's noted legacy on the cultural realities of modern-day America, the world, and a certain author.
Hei! Mita kuuluu?? Kiitos hyvaa! (In my language--Finnish--that means Hello! How are you? I am fine!)
