Exploring, Talking, and Cooking!

One of the first things I put on my wishlist of things to do when I'm in Finland was to go to an orchestra concert. The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra plays at Tampere Hall, we decided to ride the bus there on a rainy, rainy day. Of course, we stopped by the park to let Lassi play a bit, and I let out my inner child on the swing ride!

We almost went home because the doors to Tampere Hall were locked, but someone let us in the empty building, which was a little unsettling. There was a small exhibit of Viktor Jansson's art, father of Tove Janasson, creator of all things Muumi. Unfortunately, we found out there the Tampere Philharmonic was on holiday during June and July... So I guess I'll have to come back to Finland to hear them play. After that, we zipped up our rain jackets and took a walk along the river towards the city center. We walked past the city hall and into the market place where Mikko pressured me into eating mustamakkara, black sausage. It tasted alright... until Mikko told me it was made of blood and grains.

In front of the city hall

"Make a happy face and smile for the camera, Kim!"

My host mother Anne fulfilled my dream - to go to the Muumi Museum in Tampere! Anne, Lassi, and I walked through the exhibition of Tove Jansson's Muumi works in wonder. Lassi looked in awe at the 3D renditions of the Muumi characters and stories at the museum. It didn't surprise me how many Japanese people were at the museum. Muumi is very popular in Japan, even to the point that they built a Muumi cafe in Tokyo. I loved it so much that I went home and started watching some episodes of the Muumi television series! So cute!

My host parents were still working during the day, so they dropped off Lassi to a babysitter. So I was home alone. But I didn't spend it lying on my bed! I took a bus to the city center for an exploration adventure! I went to the Tampere library and read some Muumi books! I got lost in the city, but I believe that that's the best way to get to know your surroundings. I walked through the history museum which also had a lovely small art exhibit!

On Saturday, we took a two hour drive to Espoo for our cousin's grandpa's 80th birthday. I used to live in Espoo with my temporary host family for the week-long orientation, so it was nice to drive down a familiar road! However, Lassi began to get restless and would whine every time I spoke English. I don't blame him. It's frustrating to not being able to break through the language barrier, especially when it's with people you really want to talk to. Thinking realistically, I won't learn enough Finnish to be able to have a full conversation with Lassi before I leave. It's something that I know I'll regret when I leave for the US. So I sat in silence for a good chunk of the car ride, thinking that I'd be all alone at the party while everyone spoke Finnish over my head. But it was the complete opposite of what I thought! I found myself talking to kids my age and adults who were interested in what I thought about Finland. I talked the day away about my experiences with salmiaki and reindeer meat. I talked about traveling around the world and was very inspired by other people's stories! I made some great friends at the party and got to see Olivia and some other cousins again. I was expecting the worst, but I'm happy to say that I had a great time because of how nice everyone was!

To celebrate the beginning of my host parents's summer holiday, I decided to make them Chinese dumplings! Anne dropped me off at a Chinese market in the city, and I was overwhelmed with nostalgia. It was a nice to see and smell familiar food since my three weeks in Finland! We headed home and I sliced and diced with Lassi's help, and Anne and I had a great time folding the dumplings together! Although I made the mistake of making beef dumplings instead of pork, my host parents loved the dumplings! 

Our neighbor Mark came over and also loved the dumplings!

I've been trying out so many new Finnish foods, so making dumplings and sharing my culture with my host family was a nice change! We were all hungry after the birthday party since we had been talking too much to have a chance to eat. So I had a great idea. Go to a Finnish McDonald's! It's been interesting to see how H&M changes its style in Finland to fit with European styles, so I thought it'd be good to see how McDonald's has changed here. The most "different" thing on the menu was the rye bread sandwich. Fins love rye bread, so I wasn't surprised at all. However, I didn't try it because rye brad isn't my thing. I had the classic McChicken and oh man, it was the first time I felt like I was eating real food at McDonald's. It was crisp and full of flavor - the way the McChicken was meant to be. 

Today, my parents's friends who have been living in Florida came over with their little six year old daughter, Sira! We made delicious meatballs with pasta and made some lettus later in the day. The parents caught up with each other in Finnish, so I played with Lassi and Sira for a good hour! Sira spoke English very well and it was nice to talk to a kid in Finland and understand them for a change! 

The lettu master's skills are evolving each day!

The kids made a mess, so we worked very hard to clean it up. Anne gave us delicious chocolate bunnies as a reward!

And of course, Lassi made a mess looking through the hollow chocolate bunny!

I know I've only been in Finland for three weeks, but I've gotten so used to my family and the city that I feel like I could live here for the rest of the year. I'm going to miss the healthy but delicious food, the abundance of beautiful nature, and most of all, I'm going to miss all the wonderful and nice people I've met so far. I'm so glad I decided to jump into Finland, because it's one of the best experiences I've ever had! As always, kiitos for reading! 

Back in the cabin with silly hats and Finnish "binoculars"!