It's hard to believe I've been here a week-and-a-half already. My days are nothing special: work and the bike ride to and from my flat in the morning and afternoon, running on some dirt path along the sea at the beginning or end of the day, and a little bit of chill-time in the morning and before bed. Although it literally pains me to be away from the family for so long, it's a luxury to work without distraction and also have time to read, write, watch a few movies, and listen to music. (In an effort to stretch my musical palette and remain relevant with my kids, I'm currently on a mission to find a rap sub-genre that I really like. Here are some artists that I've found so far: Atmosphere, Eyedea & Abilities, Dynospectrum, Felt, and Gang Starr.)
Since I've spent so much time in Helsinki, I don't feel pressure to see the sights, which has its pluses and minuses: on the one hand, it's nice to feel that I can do what I like with my time, while on the other, I could really benefit from some more distraction on a lazy Sunday. Also on the plus side is that the friendships I've made continue to deepen. Just this past Saturday, in fact, I went to the graduation party of the son Otto of my host, Heikki Haario. I have known Otto since he came with his family to Missoula in 2005, as a 12 year old kid. Here in Finland a big deal is made of the high school graduation party, noticeably more so, I'd say, than is made in the US. I enjoyed observing the festivities, and felt like I was seeing something uniquely Finnish, which at this point is far more interesting to me than some old historic church.
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