Water evaporates, twirling and enveloping me as I look out over the snow-covered lakeshore: my skin prickly, breath foggy and limbs immobile in absolute relaxation--the post-sauna nirvana. Summer twilight--blue and purple hued--the city is asleep as I bike on cobblestones. I'm a little drunk on wine but mostly the light. Feel familiar? These are my memories of Finland. Sensations of home etched into my skin. Yet they are collective.
Raw and unpredictable nature, melancholy, humble attitude, and ‘sisu’ – what could be more Finnish? The Helsinki City Theatre offers the celebrating people of the 100-year-old Finland a beautiful musical story that has already warmed our hearts in the form of a TV series, and is based on novels written by Anni Blomqvist: Myrskyluodon Maija.
Many people think that because they speak English they can also translate. But unlike language professionals, laymen lack a deeper understanding of the culture as well as the language. This is something I bump into all the time.
In August 2016, I got my first longboard thinking I’d use it mostly for transport. At least that was the idea before I saw videos of longboard dancing and freestyle: a stylish variety of skateboarding which has its roots from boardwalking on surfboards...
As the long and dark winter is upon us, it seems appropriate to make a list of good books to read on those cold evenings.
“I don’t understand what she has against some culture. I mean the lady drags us half way across the world and expects us to sit in our hotel room or go to shopping malls. I get that she’s about to divorce Richard and wants to blow all his money before the shit hits the fan, but I feel like…We should even try to absorb some of this culture or like even pretend like there’s a shred of authenticity about us.”
