Sheldon Cooper learns Finnish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jyi3Xt-MhU

 

If Sheldon Cooper can do it..so can I : )))))

Home is where Itä Pakila is.

Hei!

I’m finally home, to my place, called Itä Pakila. It is situated in the northern part of Helsinki. Again, I got a

warm welcome,this time for the neighbors, they gave me Frazer and Fani Pala chocolates.

Where do you get this type of treatment?!  Of course, only in Finland. 🙂

 

And by the way, I started my job position at Lyhty Ry, in the Lato outdoor group.  They are doing a wonderful job, I am looking forward to work with them.

Still, I have to learn to manage transportation  and get to know Helsinki better.

 

Nahdään!

 

PS:  The place just above the crossroad is Itä – Pakila (Itä – East), while on the left side it’s Lansi – Pakila

To the lighthouse – Lintutorni.

I just came back from a 4km walk in forests of Kokkola, to a place called Lintutorni, a big tower near the seaside. . I’ll keep it simple and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Markets in Finland.

I haven’t been to many markets here, since it’s been only a few days. Things are quite expensive in Finland, so if you are on budget, it’s necessary for you to save some money here and there.

The major markets chains in Finland are:

S – MARKET

LIDL ( I was surprised because I though Lidl only operated in German speaking countries)

K – MARKET

These are the ones I know so far.  They advised me that from all of the above LIDL has the cheapest prices.

If you go to K – market , look for the brand Pirkkaor S – Market, Rainbow. Those are the cheaper brands, and they produce a whole range of products.

I think the first market I entered was K-MARKET.  I got surprised when I came across on slot machines in the market!

People ( especially women ) were playing on those machines like crazy.

However, I’ve been told that all that money from the machines is going to welfare 🙂  Strange but interesting.

Also, the alcohol is very expensive. I believe the government raises the prices of the alcohol constantly ,in order to reduce the  needs of alcohol among people.

Disregarding that, Finns DRINK DRINK DRINK! 😀

Basically, almost all the markets are owned by the Kesko and S groups, with the exception of Lidl. Meaning, the biggest monopoly of markets in Europe. Hence, the prices in the markets.

What market you think is the best? Let me know in the comments section!

Finnish emotions.

 

Please note that these are quite stereotypical 🙂

Kirpputori – second hand shops in Finland.

Today, some of my new pals and I had the chance to visit the so called “kirputtori” or a flea market .if you will.  You will be surprised of the assortments you may find here.  ANYTHING! For a small amount of money.

Many Finns visit these sort of stores, on a daily basis. I was looking around and there were all sorts of stuff from clothes to swords :-))

As I was sifting through t things, I found good winter shoes.. but I hesitated. It’s not like there aren’t shops like this in Macedonia. It’s sort of a cultural taboo.  I will state this unwritten rule when it comes to clothing:

IT’S EITHER NEW OR NOTHING!

The sole notion of entering a shop of this kind disturbed me in a way. My comrades thought that I’m out of my mind, they considered ‘kirpputori’ as normal as anything else.

I’m frank, and I say it – it was an awkward experience for me.

But it was well worth it.

 

Have you ever been to a ‘kirpputori’ in your own country?

 

Let me know!

 

Jaakko kulta, jakko kulta!

Jaakko kulta is actually the Finnish version of the famous song “Frère Jacques”.

PS: I couldn’t find an appropriate version of the song in Finnish.

Here goes the lyrics:

Jaakko kulta, Jaakko kulta,
Herää jo, Herää jo.
Kellojasi soita, Kellojasi soita.
Pium paum poum, Pium paum poum

The sauna experience..

Since our CIMO program involves sauna evenings… I was not so sure about it.

Most of the volunteers have been to the sauna so they didn’t have no problems whatsoever.

Sharing a heated room with a bunch of but-naked guys? Umm..not my cup of tea.

But, of course I’m here to have fun and experience the Finnish way of living. What the hell!

I striped naked and went into the sauna with the rest of the guys.. the temperature was just 85 degrees centigrade.

Quite cold-ish? 🙂

I believe the sauna was electric.. but you need to add water to the stove so the temperature rises up.

 

We were quite the attraction in the villa, because you have a one session in the sauna then you need to get out ( only a towel on you = stark naked!) and afterwards go again to the sauna.

It’s customary for people to dip  into the sea right after sauna.

Many did jump into the sea, I didn’t.

Such a party pooper…

As much awkward as it was, I really enjoyed it. I’m actually looking forward to do it again,sometimes.

Hyvää yötä!

Hiking in the forests of Kokkola.

 

PS: The forest was infested with ticks… :s

Most of the volunteers ended up with ticks on their bodies.  Sheer luck or not, I didn’t have none!

 

Vila Elba

Villa Elba is located at the shore of Gulf of Bothnia, only 4 km from the Kokkola town centre.