Sari Gustaffssenn's friend, Ilsa, shares her story. She lives not too far from Sari, and the two regularly see each other, especially when school is in session.
Hai! Miita kuuluu? Kiitos hyvaa!
This is Ilsa, Ilsa Elke Rekkonen. My name is pronounced like Ill-sah Ell-key Rek kon nehn. I live in Finland, in the city of Ivalo, which is in the Artic Circle.
I am a friend to Sari Annike Gustaffssenn. She goes to university where I work; I met her when she registered, and ever since, she and I have been very good friends. I recently gave her a cat, which she has named "Nemo" because he reminds her of the little fish in the Disney movie. I miss him very much; he was such a sweet cat! But my granny is now living with us, and she is allergic to cat hair, so I had no choice but to give "Nemo" to Sari. I have known Sari for a little over two years now, and she is such a friendly, chatty lady!
But to tell you about myself, I have short, dark, wavy brown hair, grey-green eyes that change with my moods, milky-white skin, and am as skinny as a rail. I have always been thin. Sari is taller than me, and she isn't as skinny: she has more muscles to her because she exercises: she skis in the winter, and she hikes and runs the other times of the year. But lately, Sari has been sick. She has something called fibromyalgia, which makes her hurt, and she sometimes has bad days where she is so sore and so tired it is a struggle for her to get by. I really feel sorry for her because she has had it rough this past year. She lost her daddy near Christmas time, and she has been taking care of her mother, who has been sick herself, and she also takes care of the reindeer, works, and goes to school! It's no wonder she has been feeling puckish lately!
I have a mother, Britta, and a father, Johan; and I also have three younger sisters, Terese-Elena, Heidi, and Ingrid, and one younger brother, Aarnoldt, and we also have some dogs, all Huskies. I did go to university, but I dropped out because my parents could not afford it, so now, I am working there instead. Maybe I will take some classes if the tuition costs ever go down, but right now, I don't see that happening. The tuition costs just keep rising, and pretty soon, it is going to be to where the very rich can afford to go to university. I have worked at university for over a year now, and I love it, but I still miss going to school and taking classes. But I have known my friend, Sari, for two years now; she and I met when we were taking classes together, and we have remained friends to this very day.
Like a lot of Finnish people, I love fun and being out of doors. I love all outdoor sports, and I love spending time outside. Our country is very beautiful, but my favorite time of the year is both fall and winter because that is when our countryside is the prettiest. Between the brightly colored leaves of autumntime and the bright, pristine whiteness of the snow and the coldness of the air, we also can enjoy Nature's fireworks in that of the Aurora Borealis, which is a common occurance here. The Aurora is very common here, and we always enjoy her nightly show during her season! (The best times to see Aurora here in Finland is during the fall, the winter, and again in the spring, with her best displays reserved for fall and spring.) I also love to spend time in the sauna; the sauna is very relaxing, and it is a great way to unwind after a busy or hectic day! We have a sauna in our backyard that we made ourselves, and sometimes we have sauna parties, where I and a bunch of my friends (Sari included) get together, drink wine, and generally act silly by telling stupid jokes or funny stories.
I also love the holidays, Christmas is our biggest holiday here. We go out of our way to make Christmas magical and memorable, especially for the children. The children love Santa Claus (we Finns call Santa Claus "Sinterklaas".) Finland is known as the Birthplace of Christmas, so we take Christmas very seriously here. There is much pageantry and feasting here during Christmas, and we spend a lot of our time singing Christmas songs and telling stories, and visiting our loved ones and friends and bringing them food and gifts. We have lots of lights, and we believe the brighter our places are, the easier it is for Sinterklaas to find his way here, to our houses, so he can give out presents.
I wish I could tell you more about Finland. Finland is such a pretty country, and I guess Sari has told you a lot about it already. She has always been a big talker; it seems she never stops! LOL I was born here, and it is the only home I have ever known; and I wouldn't live anywhere else. I would like to go to America, though; I have been wanting to visit the United States ever since Sari first went to see her friend, Helvig (he was born here in Ivalo, Finland, but now he lives in America, in Tennessee), and she has since made several more trips out there. She says it is very big and noisy, but the people are nice.
I will write more later. I have to tend to my baking before I burn something again; something is starting to smell pretty strong now..think it is the bread...hope I can salvage it! (Seems I get involved in doing something, and I end up burning my food; Mama is always getting mad about that!) Until later, Nakemiin!
~Ilsa, friend to Sari Gustaffssenn. :)
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Reviewed by P. Michaels
8/1/2004
Hi Karen, thought I'd stop by. Interesting story with a new slant. Things are not looking so bad at my place. Laughter does help. Thank you for your concern.
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Hai! Miita kuuluu? Kiitos hyvaa!
