Day 21: Exploring Pori!

At 8 AM today morning, I awoke to bright light streaming through my blinds. It had been cloudy and rainy for the past week, so the Wendelins and I were relieved to have a reprieve from the dreariness of the unusually cold Finnish summer. 

It took a while for everyone to wake up and get organized, but by 11 AM, we were off to Pori! We stopped at a little town in between Rauma and Pori, for it was the site of a grand manor constructed in the late 18th century. 

The exterior of the Eurajoki Manor

The interior- the chandeliers are dazzling.

Marja told me something extremely humorous about manors that were built during this period, in particular, the Eurajoki manor. Because symmetry in buildings was architecturally stylish during the 18th century, some of the doors in the manor and many of the windows are fake! Several doors we opened led to a wall of bricks and many windows adorning the manor were simply PAINTED ON. If you can see in the first picture I posted above, the windows that are pitch black with some strips of white are completely fake!

In front of the manor

With my host parents Marja and Kari in front of a river behind the manor

Before heading to Pori, we stopped at one of Kari's many firms (http://www.messin.fi) so that he could conduct a business deal. Because Messin makes and sells bed frames and mattresses, Camilla, Marja and I spent the entire time there "trying out" different beds (aka sleeping on the comfortable mattresses). My favorite bed was one that looked very princess-like, with a diaphanous canopy and white swirls adorning the bed frame. I also liked the modern-looking bed, which comes equipped with a remote control that tilts/elevates the upper half of the bed so one can read/eat in bed!!

After arriving in front of Pori's town hall, the sky slowly darkened and ominous clouds emerged above us, and we rushed into an Italian restaurant called Rosso (how coincidental that I'm also taking an Italian Studies course this summer!)

Town hall in Pori, Finland.

The menu at Rosso. (which means 'red' in Italian)

My food--it was delicious!

Profusely thanking the chefs and waitressed for a wonderful lunch, we headed off to Rastula, which is a department store located in downtown Pori. Marja told me that there would be major sales at all the department stores this week because the week immediately proceeding Midsummer is when most shops start discounting their products. 

More of Pori

A few blocks away from the department store, I discovered an Angry Birds-themed play structure! For those of you who don't know, the entire Angry Birds franchise was developed and created in Finland. After much struggling and trying to stuff my 5 foot 7 inches body through rings and spaces designed for children under 4 feet, I finally managed to reach the top and slide down!

Angry Birds-themed play structure!! My younger brother would have loved this.

As per Finnish custom, we stopped for some coffee and snacks! Camilla and I ordered the same thing- sukklaakakku (chocolate cake) with an iced latte.

Camilla and I in the Ebla Cafe. The design and texture of the wall was creative--shelves and shelves of leather-bound books.

Approximately 30 kilometers northwest of Pori was a beach called Yyteri Beach, where I pranced about in the sand. Although I tried to convince Camilla to take her shoes and socks off, all my persuasion was to no avail.

Yyteri Beach- almost indistinguishable from beaches in Northern California! However, the numerous spruce trees give it away.

Wading through the water.

There is something so special about being next to the sea--it must be the way the air feels against your nostrils when you breathe in enough to fill all the space your lungs, or the grainy sand oozing between your toes ,or the freezing water gently lapping at your calves, or the intangible, infinite horizon in the distance? It's almost indescribable. I love the sparseness of people on Finnish beaches; they are so much less crowded than ones in California, where every square inch is occupied by an umbrella or a towel. 

We drove a few more minutes to a village called Reposaari, where we visited another church. Unfortunately, the church closed at 6 PM and it was already 7:30. 

Church in Reposaari, a village near Pori.

More of the church

A memorial for fallen Finnish soldiers during World War II and the Winter War against Russia.

Day 20: Reading + College Essays

After the action-packed three days spent at the summer cottage in Kustavi, it was time to settle down and relax at home. The fact that it was miserable and rainy outside also deterred us from venturing outside into the blustery weather. 

My host father Kari owns an interior design firm (raumainterior.fi) that specializes in producing beds and cabinets for luxury cruise ships, such as Royal Caribbean, but today was the first day of Kari's summer holiday, so he also stayed home! Marja cooked a delicious curry chicken pasta for lunch (keltainen kanna pasta in Finnish). On a side note, in Finland, lunch is free from kindergarten up until high school because everything school-related is funded by the government, which in turn is funded by the Finnish taxpayers. Apparently, curry chicken pasta was voted by Finnish high school students around the nation as the most delicious lunch in school, and Marja simply borrowed the recipe!

I spent most of the day reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and browsing through the AP English Literature curriculum for next year. 

In the afternoon, I continued to research in depth various schools and craft college essays. I'm so happy that almost all of the schools I'm interested in have excellent East Asian Studies and study abroad programs, two of the most essential aspects I desire in my future college. My UChicago supplementary essay is coming along nicely, as I've found a way to tie it into my experience in Finland this summer. My Why _______ essays are still a bit unsophisticated and rough, however. Hopefully I'll have them polished before school starts in mid-August. 

Tomorrow, depending on the weather, we will probably be driving to the city of Pori, Finland, which is a town about 45 minutes away by car. Its population is around 85,000, which is double the number of Rauma's 40,000, so I'm excited to explore the city! 

Day 17, 18, and 19: Relaxing in the Summer Cottage!

On Friday morning at 9 AM, Kari, Marja, Camilla and I left for their summer cottage in Kustavi, a tiny seaside town famous for their numerous summer cottages, to celebrate Midsummer! Unfortunately, Charlotta had already made plans with her friends in Turku, so she couldn't come to the summer cottage with us. 

Kari left a bit earlier so he could arrive at the summer cottage to clean up the renovation site (my family is renovating the cottage so it'll have an indoor bathroom), which left Marja, Camilla and I enough time to pick up two of Camilla's friends, Ida and Suvi. Ida lives in the historical center of Rauma, in one of the houses that constitute Old Rauma, and Suvi lives on a dairy farm with more than 80 cows!

After picking up Suvi and Ida, we were on our way to the summer cottage! The hour and a half car ride felt like minutes as Suvi, Ida, Camilla and I were discussing our favorite books and movies (Inception!!!), as well as contrasting Finnish and American culture. 

The town of Kustavi was shrouded in mistiness and greenery, with lush trees flanking the path to our summer cottage. 

My host family has three separate buildings to their summer cottage: one main building, where the family usually sleeps and eats, one sauna building, where everyone can hang out and sauna, and one two story beach villa, which is right next to the beach. Marja and Kari agreed to let me, Camilla, Suvi, and Ida sleep in the beach villa by ourselves. 

In front of their house

We went hiking in their private forest, which was engulfed in a plethora of different flowers and trees. It was so nice, simply roaming around in the forest. In California, I'm used to following already carved-out paths when hiking in the forests and mountains, but in the Wendelin's forest, we created our own paths, ducking under prodding branches and stepping over mossy rocks. Camilla even showed me a swamp that was hidden beneath grass and algae and a humongous rock that was sculpted from the Ice Age.

Hiking in their private forest

More hiking. The forest is so serene.

In front of the Baltic Sea!

Marja and Kari took us around the island of Kustavi, and we stopped by a camp site where they were raising up the Midsummer Maypole! With the assistance of a group of young men and women, the Maypole was finally erected, and everyone around me began singing traditional Midsummer Finnish songs.

The pole is adorned with birch wreaths and tiny Finnish flags. 

Next, we stopped at a sheep farm, which was part of the same "plaza" as several other small cafes and shops where home made crafts and goods were sold. One of the more memorable shops was a hand made candle shop, where all the candles were organically and naturally scented. I fell in love with a multitude of different aromas, including strawberry cake, raspberry yogurt, and blueberry pie. 

With Camilla and her friends Suvi and Ida! We are in front of the sheep pen but the sheep are not visible in this picture :(

While driving on the highway, we randomly stopped at this location because it was so beautiful and I had to document this. Behind me is a field of daisies and towering pines, birches, spruces and rowans. 

In front of the beach. (aka Baltic Sea)

I also sauna-ed for the first time--and it was a very enjoyable experience! While the sauna only went up to 75 degrees Celsius (most Finns go up to 90-100 degrees) and I didn't jump into the sea (you're supposed to after a session in the sauna), I'm glad I got to experience the cornerstone of Finnish lifestyle.

In the afternoon of Saturday, June 21st, Camilla, Ida, Suvi and I played two rounds of Mölkky, a Finnish throwing game that involves a rolling pin type stick and twelve pins with numbers on them. I've attached a picture below!

It is a LOT more difficult than it looks.

Basically, the object of the game is to knock down the pins with the large cylindric block. If you hit one pin, you get as many points as the number of the pin. For example, if you only knock down 12, you will receive 12 points. However, if you hit multiple pins, you only get as many points as the number of pins you knock down. For example, if you strike down 5, 8, and 10, you only get three points. The winner of the game is the one who reaches 50 points first, but even if you get one point above 50, such as 51, you will have to subtract 25 from your score. Also, every time you knock down a pin, you must place it where it fell down, so the pins are configured in a different way every time someone goes up to throw the cylindric block. 

During both rounds, Suvi won the game! I had terrible luck and aim; I couldn't even hit any pins, four times in a row!

For dinner, Kari grilled some delicious vegetables (corn, bellpeppers, zucchinis) and sausages and Marja made some Finnish crepes. We had a great conversation that delved into the unseen underbelly of Finnish culture, things that people would not perceive unless they're Finland natives and issues that could not have been revealed with a simple Google search on "Finnish culture." For example, I learned about the stereotypes surrounding Swedish speaking Finns (they are generally perceived to be more affluent, but that stereotype stems from the fact that some of the richest citizens of Finland are Swedish speaking Finns. However, most Swedish speaking Finns are no different financially than regular Finns) and how the different ways Finns refer to Helsinki reflect socioeconomic backgrounds (Finns who refer to Helsinki as "Hessa" are usually those from the rural countryside, Finns who refer to Helsinki as "Study" are usually born and raised in Helsinki) and how Finns who move to Helsinki from smaller towns are usually much more pretentious than Finns who were born and raised in Helsinki, and how each year's Miss Finland always desires a professional ice hockey player boyfriend (I'm not quite sure how the conversation took this turn??) Anyways, it was wonderful talking to my host family and Suvi and Ida about issues that are so distinctly Finnish and are so nuanced and woven into the Finnish culture.

Sunday morning, June 22nd, we decided to get on a car ferry to explore the other portion of Kustavi (the two sides of Kustavi are separated by a strait.) We stopped at the Archipelago Museum, which featured life in Kustavi in the 19th century. There were rooms and rooms filled with butter churning equipment, sewing machines, eyeglasses, wooden handmade skis and skates, etcetc. It was interesting to step back in time and witness how people "back then" went about their daily lives.

Me in front of the smoke sauna at the Archipelago Museum, also known as Skargardsmuseum (in Swedish) and Saaristolaismuseo (in Finnish). 

On the deck

I am so fortunate to have celebrated Midsummer with my host family in their beautiful summer cottage!

Day 16: Shopping for Midsummer+Off to the Summer Cottage

For those of you who don't know, Midsummer is one of, if not the, biggest holiday/celebration in the Finnish culture.  This year, Midsummer will take place this Saturday, June 21st. To prepare for this momentous celebration, Marja and I went shopping at the City Market (a supermarket chain) for food, food, and more food. We went two days before the actual celebration because stores are usually flooded with people on Midsummer Eve and completely closed on Midsummer holiday. 

So much food!! The cart eventually got so heavy that I almost crashed into certain displays when trying to navigate the cart around a corner. 

It was also Marja's birthday, so Camilla baked a wonderful chocolate and strawberry two layer cake! It was incredibly delicious!

Because Midsummer is this weekend, I will be leaving for the summer cottage in Kustavi tomorrow morning! Unfortunately, there won't be any wifi at the cottage, so I will not be able to blog while I'm there. Fortunately, I will be sure to take lots and lots of pictures showcasing the breathtaking scenery.

Day 15: An Eventful Day in Turku!

Yesterday afternoon, my host mother drove me, Camilla, Ann-Christine, and Charlotta to Turku.  Once the medieval capital of Finland, I couldn't wait to delve into all the history and culture this city had to offer. Because Ann-Christine and Camilla both attend the University of Turku, they have individual apartments which me, Camilla, and Marja stayed in. Camilla and I slept in Ann-Christine's apartment while Marja slept in Charlotta's. 

Ann-Christine, an alumna of the Finland Young Ambassadors Program, had received an invitation from the US Embassy in Helsinki a while ago to celebrate the 238th anniversary of America's independence and decided to bring Charlotta along to the embassy celebrations, so they left early in the morning to catch the bus to Helsinki.

After dropping two of my host sisters off at the bus station, Marja took Camilla and I around the University of Turku. We explored many of the university's buildings, including the French, Russian, and English language departments, business academy, law academy, and humanities (philosophy, literature, etcetc) department. The University of Turku is split into the Swedish speaking part of the university and the Finnish speaking part. 

In front of the humanities buildings at the University of Turku

Botanical Gardens of the Royal Academy

Because Marja knew of my passion for classical music, she took me and Camilla to the Sibelius museum, which is owned and funded by the Åbo Akademi (the Swedish speaking school of the University of Turku).

Front of the museum.

All the exhibits were so fascinating- the first exhibit showed us the evolution of modern symphonic instruments. Primitive violins and flutes progressed century to century from single stringed blocks of wood and sticks with holes in them to the elegant instruments we are fondly familiar with today. Unfortunately, the museum implemented a policy against photographing the exhibits, so I was not able to take pictures of the early instruments.

The second exhibit featured a wide array of pianos, from the early clavichords and harpsichords to the modern brilliant grand piano. Below you can see a picture of me playing harpsichord! While quite similar to the modern piano in terms of keys and method of playing, there were quite a few differences that clearly distinguished this instrument from a modern piano. Harpsichord keys were a bit sticky and the sound tended to be fragile and less stable. Moreover, the harpsichord produced a tinny, string-y kind of sound that is very unique to instruments of the Baroque period.

Playing harpsichord at the Sibelius museum :) 

In the middle of the museum, there was also a great concert hall with a grand piano at the front. 

In the concert hall of the Sibelius museum

The highlight of the museum was the Sibelius exhibit. 

Me and Sibelius!!!!!!

Sibelius Exhibit

This exhibit was so eye-opening. Besides reading about Sibelius' early life and background (he started violin at a very late age- 15 years old!!!), I also got to see some of Sibelius' original scores, such as the score to Finlandia and some of his major symphonies and concertos!

One mind-blowing fact I learned from the Sibelius Exhibit: There were actually two versions of Sibelius' famed Violin Concerto (the concerto that ECYS performed in Central Europe last summer), but Sibelius, being the perfectionist he was, made some major revisions to the first version. The revised version of the Violin Concerto is the version we all know and love today. 

Outside the Sibelius museum

Our next destination was the Turku cathedral, where we not only explored every facet of the cathedral, but also had an opportunity to listen to a live organ concert! The voice of the male opera singer who accompanied the organ gave me chills- it resonated throughout the high-ceilinged cathedral, filling the entire building with a richness and sweetness that seemed ethereal. 

In front of the Turku cathedral.

Inside the Turku cathedral. Behind me (golden structure) is the large organ where the singer+organ player stood.

After finishing lunch at Teini, we hiked up around 150 steps to get to our next destination- the vantage point! There were also some foreign consulates near the vantage point, such as the Estonian and Netherlands consulates. 

You can see the Turku cathedral from this vantage point!

Estonian consulate in Turku.

Dutch consulate in Turku.

Next we headed towards the Handicrafts Museum, which is technically a reconstructed village with houses that are over 200 years old. It seemed as though this village was plucked from the 1800s and placed into the modernized city of Turku. All around me, I could perceive a palpable sense of history, as people dressed as shoemakers, clockmakers, glovemakers, goldsmiths, and tailors all from the 19th century were milling around, busily attending to their "jobs." 

At the Handicrafts Museum (technically a reconstructed historical village) 

A silverware maker's house

The main river, River Aura, that winds through Turku.

In front of the Contemporary Art Museum. Elephant!!

Will update blog soon- I'm currently in Turku!

Day 14: Sammallahdenmäki

Today, Marja drove Ann-Christine, Camilla, and me to Sammallahdenmäki, another UNESCO World Heritage site in Lappi, a small city next to Rauma. Come to think of it, in the two weeks I've been on the FUSYE program, I have visited a total of three UNESCO World Heritage sites- Suomenlinna, Old Rauma, and now Sammallahdenmäki! The weather was freezing (do not be fooled by the sun) and the blustery wind repeatedly nipped at our faces. Nevertheless, it was great to hike into the forest and surround myself with the magnificent scenery.

Sammallahdenmäki was the first Finnish prehistoric monument to be awarded the distinction of being a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. Furthermore, the cairn area was nominated as the most outstanding representative of the western bronze culture in all of Scandinavia. 

The dead from the villages were buried under stone cairns, which you can see below. Radiocarbon analysis dates the cairns to the beginning of the Bronze Age. During various excavations, burnt human bones, shards of pottery, animal bones, stone artifacts, scorched grains of barley and wheat, and bronze serial bracelets were found. 

Stone cairns (burial places)

In front of the burial site.

The most famous of the Sammallahdenmaki cairns is called the "church floor." A folk tale recorded in Lappi in 1878 explains the origins: The Christians and giants in a village decided to have a competition to see who could build a church the fastest. The first group to finish their church would ring the church bell. But the Christians cheated, immediately raising a trestle of two poles, hoisting a bell in the fork and started ringing without even building the church. When the giants heard the ringing, they became angry and left their work unfinished. Thus, the giants only managed to build the floor of their church, which is now known as the "church floor." 

Beautiful Finnish nature

The forest that we hiked through is so pure and serene. Marja, Camilla, Ann-Christine and I were the only ones there.

 Me in front of the trees

After a morning of hiking, Marja took us to a pizza parlor in the middle of Old Rauma. But first we stopped at an art gallery where Camilla's friend, Ida, works as a summer intern. It was inspiring to be surrounded by such great art and unique sculptures. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the art gallery :( But I did sign my name and wrote down where I'm from in the guest book!

Eating pizza at Jubu Pizzeria! 

The pizza at Jubu Pizzeria was so delicious! I ordered the Pollotexas pizza, which is adorned with Mexican sauce, peaches, chicken, and jalapenos. I had never tried peaches on pizza before, and it offered a surprising twist on a familiar dish. Nothing in an American pizza chain store can even compare to the handmade savoriness of Jubu pizza. Every bite of pizza seemed to melt into my mouth, and all the elements and ingredients that the pizza was comprised of blended together harmoniously.

Tonight, my host family will be driving to Turku, a very large city about 1 hour away from Rauma, so I'm pretty excited!