A Life in Waiting

With Maria having completed her first real client contract and not having any other pertinent obligations for another week or so, we decided to drive out to her family’s summer cottage in western Finland, on an island called Kemiö.  So Tuesday morning we head out around mid-day for the 2 ½ hour ride to get there.  What was quite surprising to me was that as soon as we left Helsinki, Finland turned into farmland.  There were no suburbs, no Westchester like towns and villages, but mile after mile of farms.  And the farms are not the manicured farms that you see throughout the US or in the Southern parts of Europe, but rather just muddy patches of land.  Most of which were overrun with pools of water, to the point that a few looked to be small lakes.  After a few discussions about this with Maria, I came to the conclusions that these are how the farms are kept here, and that they were not run down or abandoned like I had previously thought.  I would imagine that it was due to the type of produce being grown, mostly beets and hay.  I wish I took some pictures to describe it, but at the time it didn’t seem like a photo opportunity.

We arrive in the small town ofTynglax, on the island of Kemiö where the cottage is located at around dusk.  This place was as far off the map as I have been so far in my travels.  It had the feeling of the cabin we use to go to as children with our Pop Pop to go hunting in the Catskills.  It was down this long dirt road with the only other buildings around being those of the rest of Maria’s family’s summer cottages.  With it being mid January, we were the only ones there.  It really was an amazing place.  A two room cottage, with the bedroom just off the main room it had all the amenities of a city flat.  Actually it was better outfitted than our place in Töölö.  Also in the main room, a much expected fireplace sitting square in the middle made of soapstone.  A perfect escape destination.

I wish I could fill in this part with wonderful stories, but our days were mostly filled with sitting around talking, playing canasta, and neglecting any sense of responsibility.  We did however explore the area around the cottage, giving Lexi plenty of time to feel like she was back at Upland Lane.  About 50 meters through a rather thin wooded area, was the bay.  Nice open spot with a swimming area and dock, a place I look forward to returning to come summer.

One highlight of the trip was the long awaited introduction to Maria’s grandfather.  He lives on this same island in the center of the village, and keeps an eye on the cottages throughout the winter.  He was a quirky old man, but I really enjoyed his company.  As he put it, he’s forgotten more English than he remembers, as he used to work internationally. 

So on our last full day there (Thursday the 17^th), we called her grandfather to let him know we were on the island and we wanted to meet him for lunch.  No sooner did the words come out of Maria’s mouth, did he inform Maria that he would be over in 30 minutes and hung up.  As we were basically still in bed at this point, we jumped up, cleaned the place and got ready for him.  After our surprise visit, we all drove into the village and had lunch at the only restaurant in town.  We parted ways after having a surprising excellent meal of pan fried perch, the local catch and some homemade root beer. 

All in all it was a great little get away.  Make’s me realize how much we were missing by not having some small getaway perhaps up at Hunter Mountain or some other spot in the Catskills.  It really helps to clear your head by having a place like that at your disposal. 

(Once again, like I needed a getaway…)

Alright, I need to get completely caught up with my summaries as I really want to begin my discussing my upcoming plans.  Fortunately the past ten or so days weren’t overly filled with excitement, so this should be relatively simple. 

The first snow!  I finally get to see snow in Finland.  It’s not a Nor’Easter, but a decent covering.  Perhaps 3-4”.  Amazing how much brighter a nice blanket of white can make the darkest places.  It really makes a big difference.  And everyone is so excited that it finally happened.  We head back out for our regularly scheduled family dinner and discuss all of the wonderful things we can finally do outside now that it’s finally getting cold outside.  Skating on the ice all between the islands, wind surfing across the ice on this crazy contraption I really want to try out and numerous other unique winter sports here in Finland.  Unfortunately the cold weather doesn’t stay, and the snow is gone within a few days.  It actually feels quite like a New York winter here. 

Next comes Wednesday, the day that Maria’s Dog Hut guests leave and she gets her validation for a job well done.  Over the previous few days, we bust our butts finishing up construction, painting everything and cleaning the place so it looks like a professional outfit.  When the owner of the huskies and other dogs arrive, the woman is blown away on how wonderful the place looks and applauded Maria on such a lovely space.  She receives her first payment as a Finnish Business owner and we go out to celebrate.

Now I really need to thank somebody here.  One of the things I’ve been missing while being in Finland is American football.  There’s plenty of that other crappy kind of football on TV here, but not the good stuff.  And to top it off, we’re in playoff season.  Well Shane, a great friend from home, has done one of the single greatest things one can do for someone in my situation.  He hooked up a Slingbox, a device you hook up to your cable box that sends the TV single across the internet to be watched remotely, for me to use.  This means I get to watch the playoffs!  So I spent this past weekend, staying up quite late mind you since we’re seven hours ahead, watching some of the best football I’ve seen to date.  And it’s all because of Shane. 

With New Years being as full of excitement as it was, the next few days were good to lay low and relax.  Now I haven’t been completely lounging during all of this down time, most of my days include a healthy amount of work, either with The Dog Hut or my own work back home in New York.

So on the third of January, I get picked up by Maria’s cousin Tommi and head to my second Texas Hold ém tournament here in Finland.  Being that I didn’t go out drinking the night before, my head was not as foggy as it was at the last game.  Once again I find myself sitting at the table as one of the four remaining players at the table.  Only this time, I declare my unwillingness to walk away empty handed from the tournament.  It was said slightly in jest, but as with most jokes there was some truth mixed in.  After a few good battles and definitely some luck on my side, I walk away from the table the winner!  215 Euros richer!  Felt pretty good to be the new kid in town and walk away with the W.  And now with being twice in the top four,  I am one of the favorites for the big tournament on the 26^th… which probably means I’ll be the first one knocked out.

 Fast forward a few days to Saturday the 5^th.  One of the things I’m trying to accomplish during my travels is do things that I normally don’t do in my typical daily life back home.  So during my perusing of the Couchsurfing website, stumble upon a group of about ten people heading to a local art museum to check out the Carnegie Art Awards exhibit.  The Carnegie Art Awards is one of the largest, if not the largest, honor in the Nordic counties art scene.  The show travels throughout all of the countries involved, and happened to be closing right after this gathering.  So being I’ve never been to an art exhibit with a bunch of strangers before, I figured why not. 

The exhibit was at the Kiasma Art Museum, which is right in downtown Helsinki.  Well considering this city really isn’t that large, everything tends to be pretty close to the center.  We all meet up at the nearby market square, do the standard introductions, and then head towards the museum.  The group is rather diverse, consisting mostly of Finns, two Americans (myself being one of them), one German and a good spread off ages ranging from early twenties to mid fifties. 

As it turns out, the girl who organized the gathering invited a friend of hers who happens to be a local journalist who had the assignment to cover the expo here in Finland.  So as we walked through the exhibit he explained each piece including some background on the artist and the work.  It was great to get the inside look of some of these works of art that I would normally have walked right past.  The show had no specific guidelines on discipline; there was everything from painting, photographs, and sculptures to stop motion animations and short movies.  I tend to appreciate art that I can relate to the most, and the stop motion animation was just absolutely incredible.  It had to be at least 10 minutes long and depicted the artists view on the fashion industry.  It was full of life, filled with subtle and not so subtle mockery and was just done so darn well.  The piece had to take a lifetime to make, between the details and timing it was just amazing. 

Afterwards we all agree to swing by a nearby pub to grab a bite to eat and a pint of something cold.  Discussions of the show ensue and a nice little political discussion breaks out between the two most opinionated of the group (the two Americans).  The party finally breaks up, but as a few of us couldn’t think of anything better to do, we head downstairs to a British style pub and try to find out exactly how much beer it takes to make the cold walk to the tram station feel like a summertime stroll.  Not sure how well the others did, but I was successful.  Unfortunately I have forgotten the results. 

Well after my disappointment at the poker table, the following few days were pretty well quiet. We went to Maria’s parents house for dinner again on Saturday night, which as always was a lovely time. It’s a nice escape (like I need an escape, I’m on frikkin vacation) out of the city where Lexi has a chance to run around like she owns the place and we get to have a good home cooked meal sprinkled with even better conversations. It’s nice too because it gives me the feeling of family dinners back home.

Next comes Monday, the 31^st. That’s right, New Years Eve. Well if you naïve Americans reading this thought fireworks were only for the Fourth of July or the Whop Hop at the Point, then you are about to learn something. Fireworks are for New Years. And it is not only for professionals…even though it should be. To give a little peak into where this is all going, in the cab (well before midnight mind you) there was a story told over the radio about the first house that was burned down by a drunken Finn. FIRST?!?! Are you kidding me? It’s not even when you’re supposed to be celebrating yet.

So we start our evening at The Dog Hut (of course) making sure all the little buggers have pooped and peed in the proper places before heading out to Annette’s flat about 20mins drive away for a pre New Years dinner. Turns out there was a larger gala that got canceled last minute, so there were a few over dressed party goers with no place to go. Not to mention a LOT of food. Good food. J

So we arrive around 18.00 to find we are the last to arrive. And WAY underdressed. When they said a gala, I just assumed they were exaggerating. Nope. Well actually it wasn’t all that bad, there were only six of us in total and really only one woman was wearing an extremely formal gown. And her reasoning behind wearing it was, “I dragged this damn gown all the way from London and I’m wearing it one way or another!” Well we had a great time comparing travel stories and other related items as two of the women there had both been in the States among other places. We sit down to a killer dinner and proceed to start the New Year’s celebration early. Well, we weren’t the only ones. Remember the fireworks? Well apparently there’s a Finnish law that from 6pm New Year’s Eve until sometime in the morning fireworks are legal. And I don’t mean sparklers and spinners. Oh no, not at all.

Before we left for the dinner party, I heard a few ‘gunshots’ here and there. At first I didn’t really think much of it, electrical transformer blew, a container truck dropped it’s container a bit too hard in an area that had an echo. Who knows, plenty of reasons but they all would’ve been wrong. Turns out it was a few Finns a bit too anxious to wait for their 6pm warfare allowance. Exaggeration, right? Not this time.

Now I’ve lived in New York my whole life. Travelled here and there, but have no idea what a war zone feels like. Sure I’ve watched Saving Private Ryan and all the bad 90’s movies covering the Middle Eastern conflicts (Navy Seals come to mind), but never experienced it. As it turns out, Helsinki on New Year’s is much, much worse. Bombs going off left and right, nonstop. Sitting down at dinner was a constant barrage of explosions and flashes. See Finns don’t care much for the pretty, flashy stuff, they focus on the noisemakers. Flying M80s and the like. I was in awe. I mean literally, the windows were rattling and everything. As I read back over this I realize I’m not doing a good job conveying what it really was like, so I apologize. Just watch the opening scene of Private Ryan where they storm the beaches at Normandy. Just turn the volume way up and sit on the subwoofer.

Well anyway, after we finished dinner and all, we all hop into cabs and head towards Eastern Helsinki into an area called Sipoo. It’s very similar to where Maria’s parents live in the fact that it’s mostly summer cottages, not many year round occupants. At Sipoo Petra, one of the dinner guests, has a family house that has been taken over by her siblings friends for a rather large party. Everyone gathers outside at the main house, which is sitting on top of a large hill with views all around. Quite beautiful, especially with the leaves off the trees because you can see for a good distance. The Champagne bottles get popped and everyone grabs a glass for the final countdown. Now during all of this, the fireworks are still being shot off all around. The standard 10second countdown applies and at the stroke of midnight the real show begins. The skies just light up with a spectacular show of explosions and light! But the crazy part is that it wasn’t all in one place. It was from every direction. Hundreds of private parties all around celebrating the New Year with their own private show lighting up the sky. It was beautiful. Truly breathtaking.

Afterwards we head down the hill to an old barn that the kids converted into a party room. With the DJ DJing, and a table of booze off to the side, it turned out to be a great time. So good, that I really don’t remember how we got home.

Like previously mentioned, we went to Maria’s parent’s house for Christmas.  They have a beautiful piece of waterfront property in a city next to Helsinki called Espoo.  Maybe 30mins drive from our flat.  It’s one of 5 homes on a private island in the Finnish Archipelagos.  Quiet and peaceful, a great place to escape to.  And Lexi just loves it there.  It is very similar to Upland where she is just able to roam around as much as she wants, without any constraints.    

Just after we arrived Maria’s father Raul walks in with a freshly cut Christmas tree and a sheepish grin on his face.  Apparently this year they decided to cut down their own tree…from around the corner!  No, this is not typical here.  It’s just their first official Christmas celebration in this house and they decided it would be a great idea.  The tree ended up being the perfect size, albeit a bit thin of branches.  But once decorated, it was definitely the centerpiece of the room. 

So the rest of the Christmas weekend was filled with deep traditions of Finnish and Swedish cultures including a visit to the graves to light candles, a grand feast on the eve and followed by a magical evening of present exchanging, drinking and just good feelings.  A great Christmas it was.

The following day everyone wakes on their own schedule and once all are awake, the lounging begins.  A day filled with leftovers, pajamas and movies.  It’s like a hangover recovery day built right into the holiday.  These people certainly do it right.

We head out on the evening of the 25^th to go and prep for Maria’s first set of clients, two huskies, one Jack Russell and one little ankle biter that looked like a dirty mop.  One would have thought this to be a momentous occasion being the start of the business, rather it was quite the opposite.  Coming from a relaxed and tranquil lazy environment to a cold, hard and loud one was not very momentous.  It was downright brutal.  After struggling with getting a proper rhythm, we head to bed, a mere 15feet from the kennels we just built.  Not exactly the REM sleep one would hope for. 

The following day Maria started getting her routines in place and getting a feel for how to run the show.  That evening there was a traditional family gathering for dinner and drinks.  Every year it rotates to a different family member, and this year Raul’s cousin who happens to live near The Dog Hut, had the honors.  We get ourselves all dressed up again and head over.  After a lovely meal and a few drinks, Maria heads back to work as I stay and hang out with Maria’s brother Rasmus and her cousin Tommi.  We stayed for another couple of hours at the family party drinking, talking and drinking.  (have you noticed any patterns yet?)  We leave the party and head out for a night of even more of the previously mentioned drinking, talking and drinking.  All I can say is thank God there is an elevator in our building, because if I had to climb the four flights up at 5am in the condition I was in, I probably would’ve slept right there in the lobby.

The next day was miserable.  Beyond miserable.  Hangover city.  And I had agreed to play in a poker tournament that day at 17.30 (5:30pm).  Which when you get in at 5 in the morning, is only a few hours after you wake up.  Five minutes before Tommi comes and picks me up, I finally get off the couch and get dressed.  Considering my condition, I did quite well.  The tournament was a Texas Hold ém poker tournament and was hosted by a group of guys my age that started their own poker league.  It was a two table tourney where I ended up taking fourth overall.  I should’ve won the damn thing, but this kid who didn’t even know how to deal, got lucky on the river to beat me.  I was pissed.  But I at least received a consolation prize, a free entry into a larger tournament at the end of January.  The organizer hands me my certificate where I see Tommi has given me the lovely nickname Puuha Pete (Bob the Builder in Finnish).  We leave the bar where the game was played and head off to the only casino in Helsinki as I watch Tommi gamble for an hour or so before I make him take me back home so I can go back to sleep.

Hmm, so much for a summary.  I suppose I need to work on this.