Somero Christmas Carols

Forty-one years ago, a couple of Finnish vicars decided to start something new. Why don't we have a special service at Christmas where we do nothing but play and sing Christmas carols, and at the same time raise money for people in the developing world.  We'll try it in a couple of parishes and see if it works, they thought to themselves.

Olli Salomäenpää

Well it worked. And now this traditional Christmas service happens all over Finland and millions of euros are raised for people who need it much more than we do. This year the money is going towards supporting mothers all over the world to help them give a better start to their children, through learning about nutrition and health issues which will keep their children healthy and better nourished.

Somero church was packed this evening (this photo was taken ten minutes before the service started). The congregation sang carols and were also entertained by some young violinists, the Metka Kööri Choir and Somero's Youth Choir. The only photo I have of the youth choir is out of focus as I was sitting so far away but I thought I would put it on here anyway. Sorry about the poor quality.

The singing, however was wonderful. Even Minttu, who at three is young to be sitting through an event such as this, was dancing on my knee in time to Ave Maria.

I went to the service with my good friend Eira,who at eighty years old says that she has been attending this annual service since they first started forty-one years ago.

On the way home in the car she told me how her brothers and sisters used to walk to church on Sundays when they were children, walking ten kilometres each way from their farm to church. On Christmas morning, the service started at six o'clock, so they would have to leave at four thirty in the morning to get there on time. Eira remembers these times fondly and says how as a child she thought that the church was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen.

It was nice to see so many people there this evening, hopefully a good sum was raised for the cause of motherhood in the developing world.

Wishing you all health and happiness wherever you may be reading this and a good start to the week ahead.

Somerniemi Christmas Market

After two weeks of rain and wind, we woke up in Somero this morning to find that everything was covered in five centimetres of snow. As usual the Finns were prepared, and by the time I drove out of our drive all the roads in the town had been visited and cleared by the snow plough. In England of course, you only need one flake of snow to arrive and everything shuts immediately. Roads, schools, airports...you name it, the country is in complete chaos. And if you are English and reading this you will know exactly what I mean!

Anyway, today was the date for Somerniemi Christmas Market, around a ten minute drive from Somero town centre. The market was much smaller and much quieter than it is in the summer when it is packed every Saturday. But there was still a nice atmosphere. I had a cup of "glögi" (mulled wine) with my good friends Anna-Liisa and Kirsti and also bumped into Keanne who was serving coffees in the cafe.  Here are some pictures. Hope you are all enjoying the build up to Christmas.

Happy Birthday Finland

Today is 97 years since Finland gained its independence. The 6th December is a public holiday over here. Everything is shut, but celebrations are still fairly low key. Most families stay at home to watch the President's Independence Day Party on television and join in the obligatory discussion on who was wearing what.

At 6pm Finns put a candle in the window. I have always loved this tradition. It is so simple yet so effective. Just a small, silent symbol from ordinary people that they are proud of their country.

No country is perfect of course, but there is plenty in Finland to be proud of. Today is a day when Finns all over the world remember their roots and celebrate the fact that their country is free.

Happy Birthday Finland.

Somero's Pre-Schoolers and Their Independence Day Party

Two days before Finnish Independence Day on Saturday, Somero was full of excitement today as all the six-year-old pre-schoolers (school here starts at age seven) were invited to a special party with the mayor.

I joined Luca this morning with his classmates in the Olkihatut group at nursery school where they were all dressed up for the occasion.

Everyone was very excited to be going to their first official function. I asked Luca when he got home what happened at the party. He told me everyone was wearing lovely clothes and the girls looked very pretty. They were apparently all given a chocolate with a picture of the Finnish flag on it and some juice to drink, and then they all danced. I hear the music was very good too!

The Finns are famous worldwide for providing top class childcare and I have to say that here in Somero we are especially lucky. The staff here genuinely care about each child and make a huge effort to get to know their individual needs and talents.

Thank you to everyone at the Tuulihatut nursery for their hard work and dedication to the job. We in Somero are very grateful for everything you do. Happy Independence Day for Saturday :)

Spanish in Somero

As December kicked off today and the last month of the year got underway, the advent calendars are being opened and Christmas is not far away.

Somero is dark right now. It's still dark when the children go to nursery and after just a few hours of light it starts getting dark again at not long after three in the afternoon. But the good news is that in just three weeks time we will be over the worst and the days will gradually start getting longer again.

The children finally started opening their advent calendars today

At the end of the year I always look back on the major events of the last twelve months and try of course to remember and focus on all the good things that have happened. I've always found this is a useful exercise because it's so easy to forget how much good happens to us in amongst the challenges we all have to face.

This year one of the things on my "good" list will be my Spanish beginners' class in Somero. We started off in September and I have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone in the class.

Somero-Opisto is our local adult education college which offers courses on all sorts of different topics from conversational English to singing to ceramics.

In any event, my Monday evening Spanish classes have been one of the bright spots this autumn which have made up for some of the sad things that have happened. Fingers crossed one day we will manage to organise a trip to Spain and have a few lessons in the sun. Until then I wish you all a happy week  and hope that your days are full of light, whatever the weather. Hasta luego!

Ruokava Food and Craft Fair

Today was a grey day. Both in terms of the weather and also in terms of my mood. With Christmas almost round the corner, I woke up missing my Mum, missing my Dad and wishing, as I once heard it beautifully described, that I was the most important person in someone else's life. It didn't feel  as though it was going to be a particularly happy day.

Still, as unpredictable as the last two years have been, you never know what is round the corner either, and that is a thought I like to hang on to.

I chatted with a good friend, Jarkko, today for the first time in a few months and was over the moon to hear that he has met the love of his life in the last few weeks. We both agreed that in all aspects of life, good things are definitely worth waiting for, even though it doesn't always feel like it when you're doing the waiting.

Then at lunch time I went over to the Food and Craft fair here in Somero which is held twice a year and attracts people from all over the region.

I remember the first time I came to the fair three years ago when I had just moved to Somero.  I enjoyed the event then too, but didn't know anyone from the town then, so it was a very different experience. Today there were familiar faces wherever I looked, and it reminded me why I settled here in the first place. Because Somero has always just felt like home. And now it is.  

Soila, from our English Club, showed me the wooden products her husband makes in his spare time and several other friends talked me into buying raffle tickets for charity.

Locals producers were selling all kinds of food products including honey, pastries, herbs and spices and Christmas delicacies. There were also a variety of handicrafts stalls selling things such as jewellery, rugs, decorations, baskets and candles.  

The fair summed up Somero fairly well actually. Pretty, busy, friendly, full of variety and very definitely proud to be Finnish. Which in my book makes it a good place to live, even on the grey days.

Make it a Sparkly November

My guess is that if you asked a million Finns which was their least favourite month of the year, the vast majority of them would come back with one answer. November.

I remember once many years ago when I still lived in England and decided to visit Finland with a friend in November. The response I got was the same everywhere we went. "WHY on earth did you come in November? The summer/winter/spring is so much nicer...."

Finns are generally very proud of their heritage and of their country. But in November it is as though they hope that no-one will see Finland or even remember that it exists. November in Finland is like a nasty little secret that they hope will never be revealed to the rest of the world.

This is almost all due to the weather. The summer is quite definitely only a memory. The beautiful colours of autumn have all been raked up and the trees are now bare. It's not winter yet so there is still no skiing or snowmen or stunning winter scenery. Instead the days are short (and still getting shorter) there is too little light, too much slush and almost everything looks grey. And Christmas is not quite close enough to make up for anything yet.

However, as the month draws to a close, the Finns gradually start to get their fighting spirit back. One by one they start decorating the outside of their houses with lights and candles appear in all the windows. Christmas trees are put up later over here than in the UK (except in our house, where our tree will be up next weekend...) but sparkly lights appear all over the place which brighten up the otherwise dull evenings. Before you know it, the countdown to Christmas has begun, and by January at the latest the snow is here properly, the days start getting longer and everyone has cheered up again.

This evening Niko and I took our dog Nisha for a walk. Niko had his new flashing boots on (he is so proud of them he wouldn't go to sleep this evening without having them next to his bed) and I was instructed to watch each time they flashed. I did.  Lots of the neighbours had put lights in the trees and in their gardens and it was all starting to look very pretty. It's about freezing at the moment with only a tiny bit of snow left on the ground from the downfall last week. As we walked, there was a light smattering of rain and the smell of burning wood from people lighting log fires and warming up the sauna.

It was one of the nicest walks I have had in a long time. It also reminded me that there are so many things we can't control in life that there is really little point in letting them get us down. The months, the seasons and the weather all fall into that category. We have no choice as to what they do or when. What we can do however, is to enjoy the good bits, look forward to what's ahead and to make what we have look as pretty as we can. It's funny how just a few sparkly lights can transform an entire neighbourhooda and make everyone feel happier. I thought maybe I should try and hold on to this same attitude next time it feels like a bad day. Enjoy the good bits, look forward to better times ahead, and light up the neighbourhood with a smile, despite everything. Happy November everyone!

 

Somero Apple Crumble

There's a house here in Somero called Svensson which I think is a really fabulous place. It was originally left to the church after the owner died. But instead of keeping it for church purposes alone, it was made available to the whole community for a whole number of different things.

There are several groups which meet there every week but perhaps the most important function these days is the lunch buffet which is available every day from Monday to Saturday. Anyone is welcome to eat there. A full lunch (as much as you can eat) only costs five euros and children under seven are free. 

Supermarkets donate their leftover food, which means that very little is wasted and the whole project (with the exception of one member of staff) is run by volunteers. It's an example of a community making really sensible decisions and then getting together to help each other so that everyone benefits. 

For lots of people who live on their own,  (especially the elderly) it's a place to go to meet other people, have a chat and a hot meal and feel less alone than they would do otherwise. I love it and I wish there was one in every town everywhere. 

Anyway, I took the little ones there yesterday for lunch and they all immediately fell in love with the cinnamon spiced apple crumble that was on offer for dessert. I grabbed the recipe from Tiina, who had baked it,  and today Minttu and Niko made their first ever Somero style apple crumble for themselves.

So thank you Tiina for sharing the Svensson recipe and for all the work that the Svensson people do for Somero. We know we are lucky to have you :)

Toast and Marmalade

After six months of silence, I met my good friend Manu this evening and promised that before I went to bed this evening there would be a new blog post. I've kept my promise :) I must also say a big hello to Amanda Hockey in Cardiff whose mail a few weeks ago motivated me to start writing again. Thank you Amanda for getting in touch ... I hope we meet in person one day soon :)

It seems like only yesterday that it was the beginning of January and I was writing a post saying that I anticipated 2014 being a good year. Now it's only a month until we are celebrating another new year and starting all over again.

After horrible weather throughout June we ended up with a hot and glorious summer here in Somero - but that's all behind us now. Last Friday we had a day of snow and the town has been covered in white ever since.  Most Finns are delighted, as the thing Finnish people hate the most is "loska" which refers to that damp slushy grey time of year where everything is wet and dark. Our family tends to be a little less delighted about the snow arriving. Yes, it looks pretty enough, but it also signals the start of a winter that usually ends in about April, by which time we are about ready to emigrate to anywhere in the world where there is no snow.  Ever.

This summer I didn't get much chance to think about the weather though. My mother, (who contracted Alzheimer's last year) sadly deteriorated over the summer months and eventually left us at the end of September. I know many people have cared for a loved one with Alzheimer's - you will know what a cruel disease it is, both to the suffered and those left having to watch it.

Although many tears have been cried over the past few weeks and months, I am grateful that I had the chance to be with my Mum at the end, and that her funeral was full of people who loved her and will not forget her for a long time.

As for the rest of us, the children are all back at nursery and school and all seem to have settled in well. I have started teaching Spanish here in Somero on Mondays and have a lovely class full of bright and motivated students. I am also the proud owner of a new book of Finnish grammar. of course none of us know how long we have left to live...but I like to think that I will crack this language once and for all before I die. Although with the rules in Finnish, there is no guarantee.

That's it for now really. Somero is still the only place that feels like home to me. At the same time, having lost both my parents in a short space of time I often feel myself clinging nostalgically to memories of life in England and wishing that I could recreate a little bit of the UK right here in Somero. This evening I have done that by eating toast and marmalade. I am not a tea drinker and I am all out of cherry bakewells at the moment, so I am remembering my English roots this evening by eating toast and marmalade. And tonight that's just fine.  Wishing you all a good night's sleep.  

Class 6A Graduate - Thank You Kari Luoto

The end of primary school for class 6A at Joensuun School, Somero

Today is a big day for school children in Finland. It is the official start of the summer holidays, which is always a good thing. It is also graduation day for many.

Yesterday there were concerts and parties in schools everywhere (Cameron's class did a brilliant performance of the cup song).

Then this morning church services were held around the country to mark the end of the school year. Those who are graduating received roses to mark their special day.



End of school service at Somero Church

For Cameron, this was his last day at primary school (which in Finland ends at age 13), so he joined his classmates from Joensuun School at Somero Church who all received roses and a goodbye and good luck message from the younger pupils as they now move on to secondary school.

Having been to school in the UK, I have never lived these school time experiences myself, but today I got to be part of a day which will stay in our memories for ever. I overheard parents talking about the day they received roses as children and I couldn't help wishing that I had the same memories from my own school career. All of the parents in the church felt proud of their children. And I'll admit it, I cried.

Kari Luoto hands out reports

After the service, the children all went outside to be given their end-of-term reports and say their goodbyes until the start of the next school year, and for those in Cameron's class, a new school.  Of course all these events mark a milestone in the lives of these children, perhaps one they will only fully realise when they are a few years older.

Another thing that many will come to look back on is the teachers they have had during this important time in their schooling. And I could not possibly complete this post without talking specifically about 6A's teacher, Kari Luoto. Kari has been teaching the same class for the last four years, so for him too, today was a day which was full of memories and emotions.

I am lucky enough to count Kari as one of my friends, and I have lost count of the amount of times I have said a silent thank you to destiny for sending him to be the teacher of my son.

Kari has not just been a teacher to these students, but he has been their friend and mentor as well. As a musicican and artist, Kari's pupils have received the gift of being around someone creative who showed them on a daily basis ways of  expanding their horizons and "thinking outside the box". 

One day, these children will look back and see just how lucky they have been . I am pretty sure the parents know it already.  In our personal case, Kari was also the one male figure in Cameron's life who stuck around and provided an important male role model when there was noone else in our family to do it. So words cannot express how grateful I am that Kari came into Cameron's life when he did.

Class 6A perform the cup song at school yesterday

For all these reasons, it was both a happy and sad today for all of us. Sadness in leaving the good memories behind of Joensuun School behind, and excitement at what the future has in store at Kiiruun Koulu next term.

Good luck to all six year students who are moving on today. I wish you all a very happy summer. And thank you to Kari Luoto, who inspired and looked after the pupils of 6A and gave them all a gift they will never forget.

 

.

Good luck to Class 6A!