During our orientations in Washington D.C., the Finnish and American students had a session where we our shared their culture with each other - food, sports, aaand music. That day, I learned so much about Sibelius. I didn't know that Sibelius was Finnish or that he made such a big impact on Finnish classical music! The finale of the second symphony that we were going to play is sometimes dubbed as Finland's "symphony for independence! Sibelius wrote Finlandia, another piece that also captures the struggle of the Finnish people against Russian oppression. My host parents have told me that some people think that Finlandia should be Finland's national anthem!
My host parents learned that I played the string bass in an orchestra and how much I admired Sibelius, so they were so kind to take me to Jean Sibelius's house in Ainola! We took a two hour drive away from the city, where Sibelius had some peace and quiet to write his masterpieces. Ainola is where he spent most of his life and where he died, now buried with his wife, Aino, just a few steps away from his house. I picked some nice flowers to put by their grave, but Lassi didn't understand and he took my flowers away because he thought I forgot them. His house was surrounded by strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry plants at every corner. He was surrounded by beautiful trees, flowers, and plenty of nature to go around. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures inside of his house. His house has barely been touched and is said to be just as his wife left it. The walls were lined with his wife's and other's beautiful paintings - ones that I would want to hang in my house. It was nice to see such an important aspect of his life and learn how he lived while making the pieces that I love to listen to!
My host parents have made some great friends with their American neighbors who have been living in Finland for a year and a half now! The parents, Mark and Stacy, have two daughters and a son living with them and an older daughter back in the US for college. They come from Iowa, so we've been sharing stories about our wild times in the Midwest! They're all so nice and outgoing and we talked all night long about America, Finland, and everywhere in between. It's a bit of a shock for me to hear such strong American accents again since my three weeks in Finland. I've grown so used to Finnish accents that I think I might start rolling my r's when I go to the US! It's the 4th of July tomorrow, so Stacy came over ttoday with her very American cake to have us test the taste! Lots of sugar, butter, and eggs. Just the way an American cake should be.
Today, I spent the day with my YFU support person, Minna! It's so nice to catch up with such a nice person on such a nice day! It's been a cold and rainy summer in Finland, but today I was thinking of putting on the sunscreen. We took a walk through the town and first stopped in the small Finlayson church. The Finlayson textile factory powered the industrial revolution in Tampere and provided many of its citizens with jobs. The company provided its workers with houses, market places, and the Finlayson church! Minna and her husband had their wedding here, so it brought back good memories for her. There were musicians playing church music and a worker talked through the history of the church and the events they hold each year.
Next, we walked through Tallipiha, a former stable yard for the Finlayson factory community redesigned as a center for gift shops and cafes. We took a walk in the park towards Särkänniemi, where the Sara Hilden art museum was located. We mused over the powerful paintings and wondered about the messages the artists were trying to say. With the two art museums I've been in Finland, I've been left to wonder about these things by myself, so it's refreshing to have someone as intelligent as Minna to talk with! On the way home, we stopped in the dome church, a huge, towering stone church with huge pipe organs and huge famous paintings. It was great to see the how Finland conveys its religion in different ways than in America. I hope we can meet one more time before I leave, but we had a great time in Tampere today. Thanks for taking care of me Minna!
Tomorrow is Independence Day, but we're doing in Finnish style! My whole family is going with me to the city of Rauma for a meet-up with the other American students tomorrow. It's going to be a two hour drive west early in the morning... But we're taking a tour through the old city of Rauma then going to a lettu restaurant to settle down and catch up with each other. I'm so excited to see some of my really good friends after a crazy three weeks away from each other!
After Rauma, my family is driving straight to the grandparent's cabin, so it'll be an exhausting 3.5 - 4 hour drive after a crazy day. Then we're heading for our family's cabin for a week, which our neighbors will be meeting us for the last two days. Then I'm heading back to Tampere then to Helsinki then to Tallinn for a YFU summer trip on Saturday morning. Then right after, we're going to take a boat ride to Stockholm in Sweden for a day! Then it'll be my last days in Finland... However, it'll be a fun and busy last few weeks and we'll make the most of it!
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