Day 27: Catching up on reading

Today was another day of catching up on reading and college apps so my brain doesn't turn into mush! It feels absolutely surreal here- simply immersing myself in the culture and language- but I have to remember that there are still numerous obligations I face, especially in preparation for next year. I read many intriguing articles from Foreign Affairs and the New Yorker today, and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to simply sink into the couch and delve into the pressing international issues and also cultural issues of today. It was an interesting juxtaposition. The Iraqi crisis and the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court ruling and a short fiction piece called "Apple Cake."

It was so beautiful outside!

When Ann-Christine came home from work, we went to Jubu Pizzeria to pick up two pizzas for dinner! 

Here you can see the pizza chef hand rolling the dough for our pizzas!

Days 25 and 26: More time at the Summer Cottage+Finnish lessons!

After departing Turku Friday evening, Marja, Camilla, and I arrived at the summer cottage in Kustavi, where Kari and Charlotta were already waiting for us.

The next day, we visited several places near Kustavi!

Lootholma

Me, Charlotta, and Camilla, respectively

I am on top of their white lighthouse.

Charlotta, Camilla and I played fetch with Vikke using pebbles on their beach. Whenever one of us threw a new pebble into the sea, Vikke would madly dash into the ice cold waters to retrieve it!

Vikke is contemplating whether the leap is worth it. 

On top of the lighthouse. It was very windy up there. As you can see by the white poop stains on the benches, the Wendelin lighthouse is a popular hang-out spot for seagulls.

While we were up on the lighthouse, Charlotta, Camilla, and I decided to begin a game that would help me acquire more words in my arsenal of Finnish vocabulary! Basically, the objective of the game is to start off with any arbitrary word, and then use the last letter of that particular word to start a new word, and so on and so forth. For example, if the first word was "sininen,"which means "blue" in Finnish, the second person would need to think of a word that started with an "n", such as "nelja," which means "four." The third person would need to begin his or her word with a "a," such as "aiti,"which means "mother."

Armed with an iPhone so I could compile these vocabulary words and definitions into a list, I began with the first word. Before I knew it, we had gone through hundreds of words and even began stringing together whole sentences! As a linguistics nerd, I was simultaneously riveted and enthralled!

Now for some rudimentary Finnish grammar!

1. One of the most interesting things I observed about the Finnish language is that it contains no prepositions. No in, over, around, across, etcetc. For instance, if you want to say "in the house," in Finnish, you must say "talossa". The "ssa" at the end indicates "in," while "talo" means "house." Branching off of that concept, "in the sauna" would be "saunassa" and "in the airplane" would be "lentoasemassa." 

2. To indicate a possessive form, you would need to add an "n" to the noun that is doing the possessing (haha sorry for the vague English). "Claire's house" is "Clairen talo." Peltsi's fish becomes "Peltsin kala."

3. To indicate plurality, such as "apples" (omena) or "cards,"(kortti) you need to add a "t" at the end, as opposed to the English "s." Omena becomes omenat and kortti becomes kortit. Of course, there are exceptions, but this is the general principle.

4. Articles, such as "the," "an" or "a" do not exist in Finnish. 

5. In Finnish, referring to different genders is completely neutral, which means that there is no "he" or "she." At first, I was kind of confused why my host sisters and host parents, who were all nearly flawless in English, constantly mixed up the words "he" and "she." For example, one time, when my host mother was referring to Camilla, she said "He has been learning piano for over ten years." 

When referring to someone in Finnish, you must always use the word "han." An object or animal is referred to as "se."

However, there are words for woman, man, girl, and boy, which are, respectively, "nainen," "mies," "tyttö" and "poika."

This is quite different from the Italian and German linguistic systems, where even objects have genders!!

6. The Finnish number system is extremely logical, unlike other number systems around the world (ahem France)! 

one = yksi

two=kaksi

three=kolme

four=nelja

five=viisi

six=kuusi

seven=seitseman

eight=kahdeksan

nine=yhdeksan

ten=kymmenen

When you reach the tens, all you do is add a "toista" to the end of each number. 

For example, eleven would be "yksitoista" and eighteen would be "kahdeksantoista." 

When you reach the twenties, each number will begin with kaksikymmenta, which translates literally to "two tens". Twenty-one would be "kaksikymmenta yksi" and twenty-five would be "kaksikymmenta viisi"

When you reach the thirties, each number will begin "kolmekymmenta," which translates literally to "three tens." And so on and so forth. 

One hundred is "sata," and two hundred is "kaksi sataa" and three hundred is "kolme sataa."

One thousand is "tuhat" and two hundred is "kaksi tuhatta" etcetc

7. There are sooo many compound words in Finnish, which makes it easier for non-Finnish speakers to understand more words. When walking along the streets of Turku, I saw an advertisement for something called a "Kultaranta." Well, I knew that "kulta" meant "gold," and "ranta" meant "beach," so the advertisement must have been referring to a location called Gold Beach! I talked to Camilla and Charlotta about this, and they told me that the president's summer cottage is often called Kultaranta. 

In another occurrence, I was browsing through the newspaper when I saw an article that was talking about "Joulupaiva." I knew that "joulu" meant Christmas and "paiva" meant day, so the author must have been writing about Christmas day!

In the store, I saw an item called "Riisikakku" and I knew that "Riisi" meant rice and "kakku" meant cake! Rice+cake= ricecake.

In the doughnut shop, there was a doughnut called "maitosuklaa" and I instantly interpreted it as "milk chocolate," because "maito" means milk and "suklaa" is chocolate! 

When driving to Kustavi, we passed a city that was named "Uusikauppunki." From my limited knowledge of Finnish, I knew that "uusi" meant new, and "kauppunki" meant town, so the town's name in Finnish meant "New town."

Before arriving in Finland, many previous FUSYE alumni told me that they didn't learn as much Finnish as they would have liked, because all Finns speak nearly impeccable English, which did not give the students enough opportunity to practice Finnish. Even in flea markets and obscure little restaurants, vendors and waitresses speak fluent and almost unaccented English. However, I really showed my host family that I had a desire and initiative to learn as much Finnish as I could, and in return, they've taught me so much! We even went to the kirjasto (library, literally translated it means "lots of books") several days ago to page through some English to Finnish dictionaries.

Lunch! I love this picture, as it not only captures the delicious food but also my two host sisters and the sea behind them.

Day 24: Medieval Turku Festival

On Friday, Marja, Camilla, and I left again for the ancient capital of Finland, Turku! Last week, when touring Turku, we learned that there would be medieval festivities taking place this weekend that would mimic the actual conditions of medieval Turku. There were booths upon booths of costumed actors and actresses dying wool with red onions, crafting household appliances out of birch wood, carving soaps and candles out of animal lard, and even handmade lollipops!

Our first stop at the Medieval Festival was a monk's station in front of the Turku cathedral. 

The certificate--it proclaims that I am proficient at English, Latin, and Finnish! 

The monk who issued me the certificate! His hand is blurry because he was moving it in a prayer motion while I was taking the picture. 

More Midsummer festivities

Camilla and I! I am a jester from the royal court and Camilla is a peasant worker from the 1400s.

Turku's shopping district. On the left, you can see a Stockmann, which is the largest department store in Finland. I took a photo of this boulevard as Marja, Camilla, and I were waiting for Ann-Christine to have lunch together. 

Central Plaza. In many ways, the beauty of Turku rivals that of its eastern counterpart, Helsinki.

In the front of the Turkulinna (Turku castle)

Turku Castle. The nearly 700-year-old history astounded me. 

I am a knight!! P.S. The knight's helmet was incredibly heavy; I could feel the weight bearing down on my shoulders and it was a struggle to lift my neck up. I had never understood how difficult it was to be a knight until I actually tried on the helmet and armor. 

I am a princess! 

The Turkulinna was a treasure trove of all things old--it was built in the 1300s by the Swedish monarchy, who aspired to build a city that could rival Tallinn, in Estonia. 

Over the years, it was fortified and developed into a defense structure, to protect against Swedish and Russian invaders. 

Although most windows in the palace were short and narrow (which is the optimal size for defenders to protect the castle using bows and arrows; the narrowness also prevents offenders and invaders from shooting into the castle), these particular windows lined the king's gathering hall, where he probably received royal guests and dignitaries. 

Plans for this Weekend

Hello readers,

Tomorrow (Friday, June 27th), I will be leaving for Turku and Naantali with my family! After spending a day in the city, we'll be driving to our summer cottage in Kustavi for another round of relaxation and contemplation. Unfortunately, I will not have Internet, but I will be keeping a journal and taking many pictures, so I will post all my experiences when I get back on Sunday.

Best regards,

Claire Lu

Day 23: Rauma Water Tower + Merimuseo

Today morning, Kari, Marja and I took Vikke out on a walk! I kept on laughing at Vikke, who felt the need to mark his territory (pee) on bushes and shrubs every few feet. I also noticed that Vikke has an interesting inferiority complex, as he is a tiny dog and feels threatened by larger, tougher dogs. To compensate for his minuscule frame, Vikke often barks loudly at other dogs passing his way.

In the afternoon, after Ann-Christine had returned home from work, Marja and Kari took Camilla, Ann-Christine and me to the water tower, one of the highest buildings in Rauma. Most of Rauma's water supply is controlled and regulated here.

Rauma Water Tower

Camilla and I 

Ann-Christine, Camilla, and I

We stopped at a cafe at the top of the tower, and I ordered a delectable chocolate cake! In the middle is a layer of white chocolate and milk chocolate. 

Eating chocolate cake (suklaakakku in Finnish) on top of the Water Tower!

On the deck of the Water Tower!

Vast expanse of trees and forest. The clouds above look menacing but the patches of light add hope in the horizon!

In front of the Rauman Merimuseo (Rauma Maritime Museum in Finnish)

A beautifully constructed ship in the Merimuseo.

I am a captain!

Various postcards and notes written by sailors to their loved ones.

Inside a scuba diver's boots

In a simulation--I'm the captain of the ship! Above you can see the New York City skyline.

Day 22: Diving into Rauma's Museums + Soukainen Dairy Farm

Today morning, Marja and I skimmed through the Tourist Guides of Rauma, and we discovered that most of the museums in Old Rauma were free for children under the age of 18! I wanted to take advantage of this learning opportunity, so we planned out a route that would cover all the major museums, which started from the Kirsti Museum and ended at the Marsela Museum.

She dropped off Camilla and I at our first destination-- Kirstimuseo, which was once the house of a peasant sea man. 

Kirsti Museum. What a quaint little house!

China dogs on the window sill! When a sailor was at sea, these dogs would be turned outwards facing the street, indicating that their master was away.

We had our own private tour guide! She was very sweet and knowledgeable. 

After musing over the artifacts for about an hour, we went to the Old Town Hall in the middle of Rauma, which housed the second museum, Raumamuseo. Raumamuseo mainly delineated the history and unique structure of Rauma century by century ever since the 1400s, when Swedes had first founded the town.

In the museum's gift shop, I found an amazing authentically ancient pen that came with an ink jar! I bought one pen that came with a blue ink jar and another pen that came with a green ink jar for 6 euros each.

Old Town Hall--again!

Camilla thoughtfully staring at a museum exhibit

In front of the Marela Museum

It was fascinating to witness the juxtaposition between the Marela Museum, which was once an opulent mansion of a wealthy sailor and the Kirsti Museum, which was once the humble abode of a peasant sailor. 

Marela Museum. The fireplaces and chandeliers were absolutely stunning.

After coming back home, I tested out my new pen and ink jar!

A note I wrote using the cool pen I bought at the Raumamuseo!

The style of the pen and ink jar is reminiscent of the writing tools Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson used to craft their important documents!!!

At 4 in the afternoon, Camilla received a call from her friend Suvi (whom I had met at the summer cottage) inviting us to tour her family's huge dairy farm! I had never seen cows up close before, so this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Suvi's dad monitors the dairy cows from his study via a cow camera. 

The cow milking machine. If you look closely, you can see the utters being attached to suction cups. 

What I totally did not expect was for the milking process to be so technologically revolutionized. Going into the barn, I was expecting to see farm workers sitting on an upside-down rusty pail, squeezing streams of milk from a cow's utter into another bucket. What I saw at the Soukainen farm completely dispelled every preconceived notion I had about dairy farming. It's a highly quantitative process, with robots operating from algorithms and births and period calendars (girls will understand this) calculated down to the very day. Every single cow was tracked from an app on his iPhone and from there he could check the cow's health. 

The entire milking process is mechanized, so little physical labor is required of the Soukainen family. The gates leading from each cow's pen to the robot milking station is perfectly timed so that at 10 minute intervals, another gate will unlock automatically and the cow will walk itself out to be milked. There are sensors that detect where each utter is located, and then suction cups attach themselves to each utter, eventually pumping out the milk. The pipes which the milk goes through after being pumped out from the dairy cows converge into a single tank, where temperature is accurately regulated and percentage fat/protein is discerned. 

                                                

The highly technological process that Suvi's dad uses to organize and keep track of the milk each cow produces. The red indicates that the gate has been unlocked, and the yellow indicates gates that are ready to be unlocked for the milking process to commence. Each cow is milked by a machine, which I attached a picture of above. 

Me with the Soukainen family's hundreds of cows! They smell funny, but you get used to the earthy scent.

More cows. They are feeding on hay.

Me with Suvi and her sister Armi! Suvi is one of Camilla's best friends, and her family owns the entire dairy farm.

"Tervetuloa" means "welcome" in Finnish!

Suvi's family has a village and street named after them!

The view from Suvi's backyard--how breathtaking.