The young woman visiting America from Finland continues sharing her story and tells more about her country of Finland.
She also lets us know how her friend in America is doing.
Hai! Miita kuuluu? Kiitos hyvaas! (That means, "Hi! How are you? I am fine, thank you!" in my language, which is Finnish!)
This is Sari. Sari Annike Gufstaffssenn. In case you don't remember who I am, I am the one from Finland. I live in Finland, in Ivalo, which is in the northern part of my country; I am visiting here in America, and I am visiting here for about a month or so. I am visiting my friend, Helvig Gufstaffssenn (same last name, but only a friend; not related to me!), who lives in Tennessee; and so far, I have been having a very good time (but then Helvig hurt himself, so I have been taking care of him, as he recovers).
I have told you some about my country: the cold and snowy winters, the northern lights, the reindeer and the Sami culture, and my family (I have five older brothers named Martin, Tove, Arne, Dierks, and Johannes, and my parents are still alive and are in their 70's). I have also told you that I love to ski (nordic or cross country) and go hiking when the weather is warm and sunny out. But I will tell you more about my country now and why it holds such a special place in my heart.
Finland is full of friendly, funloving people who love to have a good time, and we are more than happy to show our visitors what makes our country so special. We have many lakes and woods; and there is always something exciting to do, whether it is in the villages or in the bigger cities. We are a very stubborn people, full of sisu (courage), which means we do not give up easily; we will tackle any problems that befall us, no matter how big the problem may seem to most people. To us, there is nothing we Finns can't solve without a little bit of ingenuity!
We also love saunas: saunas are steam baths that have become popular all over the world; but it is we FINNS who are credited with starting this tradition more than two thousand years ago. To have a good sauna, first of all, we need a small, one room, wooden building set well away from the house. In a sauna, we use stones that are heated on top of a kiwa, or wood-burning stove. When the stones become very hot, water is then thrown over the stones, to produce a fine vapor called loyli, which then fills the small room and feels oh, so good on a body, especially after excercising or working hard! On average, the average temp of the room is between 70 and 90 degrees Celsius (170 to 200 Fahrenheit), and the purpose of this is to start perspiration, which then helps cleanse the skin even more. During this time, people are then gently patted over their skin with small, wet birch switches called vihta, which helps to circulate the blood and flow more freely in our bodies. It also creates a pleasant perfume, and it makes us smell good.
After we have our saunas, we then usually go to a small pool or lake to cool down; and it is very exhilerating. We take our saunas very seriously back in Finland, and it is a good time to relax, gather with friends, or just melt away the day's troubles or concerns.
Here in America, there are places that have saunas; but not like back home in Finland; to me, a regular bath or shower just doesn't do justice in comparison to a sauna! (I guess that is why I am staying with my friend, as he DOES have a sauna built in to his property, so in a way, it is like having a bit of Finland with me here in America! Or I go to the health club to have my sauna; they have them there, too.)
We have many thousands of trees back in Finland; and it is often said that Finland stands on wooden legs. The legs, of course, referring to the thousands upon thousands of trees that cover our country. Nearly three-quarters of Finland is covered by trees, and it is one of the most heavily forested nations in the entire world. The forests are Finland's most valuable natural resources, and Finland is also one of the world's leading producers of wood and wood-based products.
Of course, we have many animals back in Finland. We have elk, reindeer, wolves, foxes, lynx, smaller animals like the beaver, lemming, muskrat, squirrels, otters, hedgehogs, and hares. We also have bears, all sorts of birds, and fish. The European elk is similar to the moose they have in America, but perhaps our most well-known animal back home in Finland is the reindeer. Finland is home to a very large reindeer population, and reindeer are known all over the world, primarily because of the story with Santa Claus and his magical reindeer, who fly and pull his sleigh, and deliver presents to all the very good little boys and girls all over the world on Christmas Eve night. The reindeer is also well known because of the Lapplanders, or Sami, who use every part of the reindeer and the reindeer is a very important part of their culture and heritage.
Finland is also well known in producing some of the finest Olympic gold medal winners in the world. Some of our more famous Olympians include Paavo Nurmi (affectionally known as "The Flying Finn"; he won many gold medals in track and field in the 1920's) and skier Matti Nykanen, who won Olympic gold in ski jumping in 1988 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Finns are said to be some of the toughest and best athletes in the world, and Paavo Nurmi and Matti Nykanen were two of the very best; and are national heroes in our land.
Our language is related to Hungarian, European, Lapp, and a few other languages; but in our country, either Finnish or Swedish is spoken. A lot of Finns know other languages; and quite a few of my people speak as many as five different languages--or more--fluently. As an example, I speak Finnish, Swedish, German, Hungarian, and Russian fluently (with English still giving me the most difficulty, even though I have spoken English since I was a child!). English is just so hard and confusing; there are just too many words and confusing meanings in English! I am most comfortable speaking Swedish, German, and Finnish; and I do speak Hungarian and Russian well; but English still gives me the most difficult problems. I speak English better than I write it. (I often have to have help with spelling a lot of the English words; as I write this down now, I am using a dictionary to help me, so I don't spell the words all wrong.)
As with people everywhere, Finland's people love to eat and have a very good time. We love to eat (especially at Christmas; in Finland, we Finns take Christmas VERY seriously; of course; our land is often known as The Land Where Santa Claus Lives!), and we celebrate Christmas (or Joulu) with gusto and pride. We have traditional foods, much singing and dancing, family togetherness, and decorate our houses with lights, just like they do here in America (but in Finland, the holiday takes on a more spiritual meaning, something that has been lost here in America. To me that is too bad; you don't hear the traditional Christmas carols here as much unless you go to a Christmas programme or to church; you here more about Santa Claus than the Christ Child here). And too many people here are too caught up in shopping and don't take the time to really reflect on the TRUE meaning of Christmas..the Christ Child's Birth.
Besides Christmas (Joulu), we Finns also celebrate Midsommer (which is the start of the summertime; we celebrate it with much swimming, boating, food, and drink, and it is our nation's biggest holiday, such as the birthday of your country, July 4, 1776, is here). We also have concerts, bonfires, fireworks, and parades during Midsommer; and we all have a good time. Christmas and Midsommer's are probably the two most important holidays we have in Finland, but we do have others.
As you can tell by our celebrations and festivals, we Finns love to have fun. We are a funloving people, and we are more than happy to share our ways with the rest of the world.
(As you can probably see as I write now, I am suddenly homesick. I have made myself cry because I am suddenly missing my family and my friends and my beloved country of Finland! I love America; always have, but it ISN'T Finland, and I miss my family and my friends back there. I also miss the northern lights, and I miss the saunas and getting together with my friends!)
I must go now; Helvig needs help with his food. (I have to cut it up for him. He is still in his cast--remember, he broke a few ribs and his collarbone when he fell down the steps; I have been taking good care of him, but he IS starting to feel a LITTLE better! He IS still sore; but at least he isn't complaining HALF as much, not like he was!! [He fell down the steps last week.] But until he gets the thing off his arm, he can't do much; I have to help him with his sauna, his food, helping him get dressed, and helping him to and from the bathroom.) I will write again soon.
Your friend Sari's finally got to the sauna...she forgot to mention that in the previous story, if I remember right...And I kept wondering 'A Finn without a sauna?':) Thanks for the update, Karen!
Safi
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