It’s been almost two months since I moved to Finland. You can tell I’m
not quite settled in, because those words “moved to Finland” still give me a
little electric shock of – what? Horror? Surprise? Delight? I think it feels
mostly naughty. Not ‘oh you horrible person’ naughty; more ‘wow, did you
actually do something for yourself for once?’-naughty. Friends tease me about
my ‘Lutheran’ sense of duty and how it sometimes goes overboard. I can see now
that sticking with a part-time job where I was working full-time hours was,
despite all the joys of teaching high-school students (and I mean that with
utmost sincerity) and of working with kind, generous and funny colleagues, not
the best idea in terms of my financial well-being. And, in the US, that also
meant not good for my health. I would have ended up with no pension, no health
care and probably nowhere to live. Add to that the fact that I was usually working
in the evening as well – sometimes until midnight or 1 a.m. – and getting
little exercise – and I suppose I was heading for something I’d rather not
consider just now.
So I revel in my naughtiness. It’s a naughtiness that makes
me cheerful. And sometimes I even start laughing while riding around on my bike
because it feels so good. I suppose a few years from now Joensuuvians (how’s
that for a word?) will talk about that crazy English professor who rides around
on her bike, cackling. Maybe by then I’ll really be settled.
What does ‘settling in’ look like? It means I have a routine
down for loading my bag and bike in the morning, and for packing up to go home
around 4 each day. It means I have enough dishes and furniture to make things
cozy in my strangely empty apartment – things I have enjoyed seeking out on a
Facebook fleamarket site and in local Good-Will type shops. (And today I even
found a chair next to the dumpster, which I quickly laid claim to. Now I can
have three people over for dinner.) In fact, tomorrow I am getting a red velvet
sofa for my bedroom. That room is the emptiest because it’s big and only has a
bed and night table in it. A red sofa might be just the place to recline and
read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
in Finnish.
Settling in may mean that my Finnish is getting better.
Today I met two separate people and wrote to a third about items I had bought.
All these transactions took place in Finnish, and none of these people let on
that they thought/knew/suspected I was a foreigner. I don’t shrink from my
e-mails anymore, and for the first time today, I left the house without my
dictionary. I’m thinking that ‘click’ of feeling comfortable in a foreign
language may happen sooner rather than later.
It means I have a pretty good idea of what to buy in the
grocery store when I walk in rather than strolling the aisles reading every
label. Though today I found the largest grocery store yet – where they actually
had kale! – so I spent some time enjoying the large selection. It must have
felt this way to East-Bloc citizens coming to the US for the first time and
seeing no empty shelves anywhere, and I surprised myself feeling almost giddy
at the capitalistic joy of long rows of shiny consumer goods.
Settling in also means that all my classes have started. It’s
a full load, but having no more than 18 students in any one class means that
the grading is minimal and manageable, and co-teaching three of them means that
the classes have basically been prepared for me. My MA-level course called ‘Translation
Project 1’ is fun because I managed to get the students a real commission. I
get to talk to them about the translator life for an hour each week, and mentor
their teams for the second. Teaching something you love has to be one of the
greatest privileges on earth.
And finally, settling in means I have some friends. I can
count on Stuart the Canadian to want to go to lunch at about the same time I
do. Emma the Swede lives in the apartment building next door, so I’ve gone
there for tea. Greg the Australian has kindly driven me and various pieces of
furniture to my apartment, and Cathy the American (of course she had to be a Cathy)
has taken me out for Chinese food. Michael the Liverpudlian/German and I
organized a successful student pub night, ostensibly for practicing English,
that had a great turnout. And Nina in Helsinki has not only been the biggest fan
of this blog (and has even said I should turn it into a book!) – she is one of
the most amazing hosts I’ve ever had the privilege of staying with. She makes it
look effortless as she whips up delicious meals and desserts, picks me up and
drops me off or arranges for someone else to do it, offers a bed and sauna and
her fun company – all while being a mom and wife and avid Bruce Springsteen fan
and working full-time. It’s great that she’s in Helsinki, because I’ll probably
be flying out of there quite a bit – but I wish she lived closer.
No, not finally after all. I have to say something about the
weather, because settling in means that the year is progressing. You can feel
it very strongly and see harbingers of it everywhere. The outdoor tables and
chairs have been removed at most restaurants and pubs. Cars and bikes have
their lights on in the morning when I go in to work now at 8 a.m. The wind was
stronger today than I’ve noticed before, and yellow leaves were whirling all
over the place. The earth is turning. We’re settling towards darkness.
Thank you for your kind words -and a great post once again! I am touched beyond words. And you know, it all comes from the heart. Look forward to having you visit for whatever reason!
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