Wrap-up.

Uuups... I did it again.

Like in Argentina, also this time the last moments of my trip as well as the time after home coming took all my attention and thoughts away from the blog. In order not to repeat my all mistakes, I wanted to still wrapup the summer even though I've home for 1 and half months and most probably nobody else but my mom still check this blog:)

So, after leaving Boston we headed to New York. The week in NYC was great and expensive. We got to be tourists with Hanna for couple of days, then Anna joined us. During the weekend we went partying and saw my old college buddy Juho as well as Sol who was on his way to Israel (Of that, you may read more from here.) Hanna & Anna left on Sunday and then I spent the last couple of days with Juho and his friends and family. All in all, New York was great, full of culture and experiences. And people as well:D

As this is meant to be the wrapup, I'll try not to be as wordly as usual. I just want to thank every single person that I met and was involved with this summer. Of course, all the other Finns that I had a pleasure to travel with as well as our Canadian buddies, hosts and Hart House who all made us feel like home. And of course all the other great people I got to meet. You are so many, that naming all of you would take ages and naming only few of you wouldn't be fair. So therefore, I'll just thank one. Thanks Hanna to keeping together with me despite of all my travelling and being away:D

Reminiscing the summer on this wet and windy October night makes me quite sentimental and I really do not say that how should I close the diaries for this journey. Therefore, I shall share with you a column that I wrote for the magazine of Helsinki International Week that was held at HSE last week. I hope this works as the thank you and byebye for this summer and acts also as the first welcome for the Canadians coming to Finland in 2009. So, thank you, bye bye and welcome. Let's stay in touch

- Joel


Export Finland.

Traditionally Finns have been very worried about their image abroad. ”What do the others think about us and our country?”, we wonder. Start a conversation with a Finn and I'll guarantee that within three minutes, they'll ask what do you think or know about their country. I guess it runs in the blood. Only thing we are more concerned about is that the image we send abroad is positive. Therefore every spring the letters section of local newspapers are filled with worried letters (or in Finnish case, SMS's) about how the dog droppings lying around will give the tourists a filthy and bad image of Finland. This phenomenon has grown into somewhat of a national trauma that is discussed in the papers and bars of the country.

Due to this trauma, the Finns tend to always send out their best starting lineup in order to amaze the others. Respected captain and center of this team is of course the hi-tech industry of Finland. Symbolized by Nokia, which mobile phones have connected the people and made even the Finns talk. A little. As a right wing acts the famous Finnish architecture and design, a.k.a. Alvar Aalto wearing Marimekko. Naturally at the left side, we have the outstanding Finnish welfare system that makes citizens equal from babies to pensioners. In the defending positions, we do have on the right side the Finnish defense force that grows boys to men and kept us independent during the harsh cold winter of the Winter War. Left side is guarded by the trusted pulp and paper industry, that providesour excellent school system with the materials to make every Finn literate. And a university student, if possible. As the goalie acts the never-ending list of Finnish sport heroes from skijumpers to rallydrivers. This starting lineup of course resembles our beloved ice hockey team (also played in Sweden and Canada) and the game against the rest of world is played on the ice of a lake of Santa Claus's summer cottage in Lapland. For the winners (read Finland), there is a warm sauna and cold beer waiting. Not exarrating a bit, this is the image we Finns want to send out to our fellow nations.

This trauma has bothered me on a very personal level. Not once or twice I have been told to ”Represent my country” and ”Act as the Finnish ambassador”. Having the expectations of a whole nation on my shoulders, I've start wondering how could I contribute and make others admire Finland and Finns. Of course, I could rant and rave about all the things mentioned above to every foreigner I am ever to meet. I could brag off with my brand new Nokia phone, admire the beautiful shape of Aalto vase that is found in every Finnish home and reminisce about the sweet 4 to 1 victory over Sweden in the 1995 Ice Hockey World Championships.

However, actions do speak louder than words. Realizing this have left me quite unarmed. Being an average Finn, what can I do? My language skills might astonish an average American, but as the conversation is most probably carried out in his native language, I would be the one ashamed. On the other hand, my beer and vodka chugging skills could make some impression, but instead of being looked upon I would most probably be looked down. So, here I've been wondering for 20 something years that how on earth I could make the rest of the Earth understand that Finns just are simply the best.

During my stay in Canada last summer I finally found out how it is possible. I want to share this tip with you fellow Finns struggling with this issue and prove to you suspecting visitors that we just are as cool as our winters. We were spending a laid back weekend at a farm outside of Toronto. At the farm, they had nice pond with sauna next to it. A real, authentic Finnish sauna with wood-burning oven made by a group of Finns back in the 1950's. The holy sanctuary of Finnish quiteness and peace. The place where we all can fit at the same time and where you feel as natural as... well, being naked. And there it was, my chance to shine as a FINN! I was about to warm up the sauna. I chopped up the logs in nanoseconds, cleaned up the fireplace by a flick of a wrist and carefully constructed a pile of sticks and wood inside of it. Then came the part that made me and rest of the Finns stand on the highest podium above all the others. I lighted the woods inside the sauna stove with a single match! Bow! It was no biggie given the hundreds of sauna stoves I've lighted up, but the people were absolutely amazed! To be modest of course. So, there it is: the key to Finnish greatness lies in a single match. I now I dare you to show something cooler than that.

Go ahead, be our guest.


ps. For the ones reading this far. I am going back to Argentina in a month, so most probably I'll do the wrapup for it two years after leaving the first time. To read more about that, go to argentiina.blogspot.com :D