Sorry for the delay.
Still not married in Finland. We have to send our document to the Finnish Embassy in Ottawa for them to certify the stamp made by the Ministry of F.A. is legitimate and "not made by someone at the super market."
The Rally is coming soon to Jyv�skyl�....and it's held near Kortepohja - should be fun. I don't really watch sports or cars - so I'll be staying close to home.
While having guests over for supper tonight - I made a beef stir-fry...with lots of vegetables and a fruit cobbler. I was worried the meat would be dry or the rice would be dry...or I over baked the fruit cobbler but everything turned out just fine. I had wanted to make a roast chicken dinner - but often have difficulties finding a raw, whole chicken. They're not in the shops every day...and I never make note of when they are in.
Next time - I will get one and freeze it. According to one of my guests he said that they're very uncommon in Finland and that the chicken fillet and marinated meats are what usually sell first.
It's coming close to my Finniversary..........definitely going to have to have a party of sorts.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Tomorrow's THE day
Tomorrow is THE day in which we'll be going to the Mastraati (I apologize for my horrible Finnish spelling) and telling them that yes, we are married...and have been married since February 2007.
For those that are new to my blog - welcome and here's the quickest version of why we need to prove our marriage.
My husband and I are both Canadian and came here in August of 2009 for him to do his doctoral program (research etc.). I was pregnant and was advised by the Mastraati that we must prove our marriage because we were married outside of Finland. I thought our passports were good enough as they are a Canadian Government issued document (also "issued" by the Queen if we want to be specific) - however it doesn't bear my maiden name on it. Ugh.
So that was back in October and we had our marriage documents in storage in Nova Scotia. Thankfully my parents don't live far from the storage location so they dug around and found our things and mailed it to us. It wasn't good enough for the Mastraati because it had to be signed and stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We sent it there and they sent it back because "it was the wrong form".
Fast forward to about April - we got everything sorted and re-sent to Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have it sent back stating that our Passport copies were to be officiated not by the Mastraati but by a Canadian Official. Fast forward to May 9 - we sent everything and waited.
So after weeks of waiting (they finally got around to processing it around June 28th) we finally received our documents last week.
The problem is that my husband forgot to put my birth certificate in there. However the "proper" form does state my name at birth - so hopefully that will be sufficient for them.
The actual reason for needing us to be "married" in Finland? We gave birth to a son early November and there isn't a father listed. We could apply for his Canadian Citizenship papers and Canadian Passport with me as sole guardian and parent - however, if anything happened to me - well that would be difficult for Tim to claim guardianship. And it makes it harder (and more costly I believe) to have to add my husband's name later on.
For those that have never dealt with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Canada - they are a pain in the neck (very incredibly politely speaking). Their site states to contact "the Embassy prior to contacting us". Well - since it doesn't clearly state which Embassy to contact - we tried to contact them directly first by leaving a voice mail (2 business days they'll return your call is the message - this is not true - they don't return calls) and by sending a professional email (up to 7 business days to expect a response - also not true - they do not write back).
We gave up on their lack of response and guessed to contact the Canadian Embassy in Helsinki. The person there, who knows us on first names basis (we've contacted them a lot about our problem), got a response in less than 12 hours. HOW?
So if you ever have to deal with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - good luck.
My son, V�in� and I, have missed out on a trip back to Canada in May and a trip to Greece coming up at the end of this month, while my husband attends and presents in some conferences.
It's quite frustrating as you can imagine because he is the first born grandchild on both sides of the family and I do miss home quite a bit. I do call Finland home now - as we've been here for 11 months - but I still do not speak the language and we just moved to a new area (Kortepohja) so I'm still trying to learn my way around.
I can't even pronounce my street name. Jeeze.
Oh and for those that are wondering - yes we probably could've went to Helsinki and dealt with their Mastraati there - however it may have been a waste of time as V�in� is born in Jyv�skyl� - they may have rejected our application to get things sorted out.
Here's hoping all goes well tomorrow
For those that are new to my blog - welcome and here's the quickest version of why we need to prove our marriage.
My husband and I are both Canadian and came here in August of 2009 for him to do his doctoral program (research etc.). I was pregnant and was advised by the Mastraati that we must prove our marriage because we were married outside of Finland. I thought our passports were good enough as they are a Canadian Government issued document (also "issued" by the Queen if we want to be specific) - however it doesn't bear my maiden name on it. Ugh.
So that was back in October and we had our marriage documents in storage in Nova Scotia. Thankfully my parents don't live far from the storage location so they dug around and found our things and mailed it to us. It wasn't good enough for the Mastraati because it had to be signed and stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We sent it there and they sent it back because "it was the wrong form".
Fast forward to about April - we got everything sorted and re-sent to Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have it sent back stating that our Passport copies were to be officiated not by the Mastraati but by a Canadian Official. Fast forward to May 9 - we sent everything and waited.
So after weeks of waiting (they finally got around to processing it around June 28th) we finally received our documents last week.
The problem is that my husband forgot to put my birth certificate in there. However the "proper" form does state my name at birth - so hopefully that will be sufficient for them.
The actual reason for needing us to be "married" in Finland? We gave birth to a son early November and there isn't a father listed. We could apply for his Canadian Citizenship papers and Canadian Passport with me as sole guardian and parent - however, if anything happened to me - well that would be difficult for Tim to claim guardianship. And it makes it harder (and more costly I believe) to have to add my husband's name later on.
For those that have never dealt with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Canada - they are a pain in the neck (very incredibly politely speaking). Their site states to contact "the Embassy prior to contacting us". Well - since it doesn't clearly state which Embassy to contact - we tried to contact them directly first by leaving a voice mail (2 business days they'll return your call is the message - this is not true - they don't return calls) and by sending a professional email (up to 7 business days to expect a response - also not true - they do not write back).
We gave up on their lack of response and guessed to contact the Canadian Embassy in Helsinki. The person there, who knows us on first names basis (we've contacted them a lot about our problem), got a response in less than 12 hours. HOW?
So if you ever have to deal with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - good luck.
My son, V�in� and I, have missed out on a trip back to Canada in May and a trip to Greece coming up at the end of this month, while my husband attends and presents in some conferences.
It's quite frustrating as you can imagine because he is the first born grandchild on both sides of the family and I do miss home quite a bit. I do call Finland home now - as we've been here for 11 months - but I still do not speak the language and we just moved to a new area (Kortepohja) so I'm still trying to learn my way around.
I can't even pronounce my street name. Jeeze.
Oh and for those that are wondering - yes we probably could've went to Helsinki and dealt with their Mastraati there - however it may have been a waste of time as V�in� is born in Jyv�skyl� - they may have rejected our application to get things sorted out.
Here's hoping all goes well tomorrow
Moomins
http://imaginatorium.org/shop/pics/ra10173.jpg
These are "Moomins" - they are not hippos. They are Mommin Trolls...and they live a simple and happy life.
Moomins were created in Finland and are very popular in Japan. Japanese tourists here LOVE Moomins. Anyway - I was watching a Moomin DVD earlier (in Finnish) and noticed (out loud) that Moomin Papa does NOT sleep in the same bed as Moomin Mama.
HOWEVER! Snork Maiden (she's a Moomin too with a gold anklet and a tuft of hair) shares a bed with Moomin.
When I asked my husband why (he's not Finnish - I just asked out loud I guess) - he suggests "Different generation."
Any Finn reading this - can you explain why two married Moomins are not sharing a bed but the son and his girl friend can?
Slightly confused.
These are "Moomins" - they are not hippos. They are Mommin Trolls...and they live a simple and happy life.
Moomins were created in Finland and are very popular in Japan. Japanese tourists here LOVE Moomins. Anyway - I was watching a Moomin DVD earlier (in Finnish) and noticed (out loud) that Moomin Papa does NOT sleep in the same bed as Moomin Mama.
HOWEVER! Snork Maiden (she's a Moomin too with a gold anklet and a tuft of hair) shares a bed with Moomin.
When I asked my husband why (he's not Finnish - I just asked out loud I guess) - he suggests "Different generation."
Any Finn reading this - can you explain why two married Moomins are not sharing a bed but the son and his girl friend can?
Slightly confused.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Our experience at the Vet's (part 1 &2)
This was over a week ago but I just noticed that Facebook has been updating my Learning about Finland blog recently. It's been a couple months and I was starting to slack off on this blog because of the lack of auto-updates.
Anyhow. As my FB friends are aware, my 2 1/2 year old Loki (husky/lab/mutt) mix had 2 ticks. One in the front of his leg and one on the hind leg, inner thigh.
We thought - no problem - we'll haul them out with tweezers and the "tick bar". Loki is a genius dog and sometimes a little dumb. He tried pulling them out himself and ended up killing them. So because they were dead and not feeding off him (aka getting bigger) we were stuck with two dead ticks in his skin that could not be pulled out.
We referred to a friend or two and they suggested letting it sit out for a bit and the skin will naturally push out the ticks. This happened to our other dog, Blue (7 y/o border collie/lab) near his eye and we thought - fabulous!
Loki - here's the dumb part - continued to try and pry out the ticks that he killed and created an abscess in both spots. Then one of them popped and he continued to pick and created a wound so deep we could see deep into the flesh.
So off to the vet we go. First I called to book an appointment and for some reason - my phone keeps hanging up on people. Finally I book an appointment and we get there and wait in the room and it's a lovely little vet office not far from our place. About 10 minutes walk.
The vet does speak English and she ASKED if she could touch Loki to see the cuts. I was impressed. Most vets just snap on the gloves and get to it. Loki's a friendly dog - just so you know....but it's kind that the vet asked anyway.
After assessing him quickly (no thermometer required!) she provided some cleaning products, a cone and some antibiotics. She stated the ointment was honey-based and that he would not eat it. Loki proved her wrong. He LOVED it.
She then said the pills were tasty and that we wouldn't need food to cover them up....she was wrong. Loki hates medicine and Tim has to drop it down his throat (also pry open his mouth and teeth).....
So all in all - a great experience.
Then we had to go back. He's not fully healed and will still pick at it - given the chance (we don't use the cone while walking him - he refuses to pee or poo)....and had finished his medication.
I tried to call but the lady couldn't hear me and clearly did not understand English.
So I just popped in and the vet was great and remembered Loki's name and we paid for our medicine and left. I offered him a cookie (marrow treat) and he gulped that down and the vet said "Oh Lokiiiiiiiiiiii - I have a cookie for you"....well wasn't he excited.
She reached into a tin and pulled out a handful of dog food and put it down on the floor. One sniff and he was dragging me out the door.
The vet said, "Oh - I guess you knew I was tricking you into eating dog food."
(Yeah - no kidding. Don't lie to my dog - ha.) - were my thoughts I silently thought.
Anyhow. As my FB friends are aware, my 2 1/2 year old Loki (husky/lab/mutt) mix had 2 ticks. One in the front of his leg and one on the hind leg, inner thigh.
We thought - no problem - we'll haul them out with tweezers and the "tick bar". Loki is a genius dog and sometimes a little dumb. He tried pulling them out himself and ended up killing them. So because they were dead and not feeding off him (aka getting bigger) we were stuck with two dead ticks in his skin that could not be pulled out.
We referred to a friend or two and they suggested letting it sit out for a bit and the skin will naturally push out the ticks. This happened to our other dog, Blue (7 y/o border collie/lab) near his eye and we thought - fabulous!
Loki - here's the dumb part - continued to try and pry out the ticks that he killed and created an abscess in both spots. Then one of them popped and he continued to pick and created a wound so deep we could see deep into the flesh.
So off to the vet we go. First I called to book an appointment and for some reason - my phone keeps hanging up on people. Finally I book an appointment and we get there and wait in the room and it's a lovely little vet office not far from our place. About 10 minutes walk.
The vet does speak English and she ASKED if she could touch Loki to see the cuts. I was impressed. Most vets just snap on the gloves and get to it. Loki's a friendly dog - just so you know....but it's kind that the vet asked anyway.
After assessing him quickly (no thermometer required!) she provided some cleaning products, a cone and some antibiotics. She stated the ointment was honey-based and that he would not eat it. Loki proved her wrong. He LOVED it.
She then said the pills were tasty and that we wouldn't need food to cover them up....she was wrong. Loki hates medicine and Tim has to drop it down his throat (also pry open his mouth and teeth).....
So all in all - a great experience.
Then we had to go back. He's not fully healed and will still pick at it - given the chance (we don't use the cone while walking him - he refuses to pee or poo)....and had finished his medication.
I tried to call but the lady couldn't hear me and clearly did not understand English.
So I just popped in and the vet was great and remembered Loki's name and we paid for our medicine and left. I offered him a cookie (marrow treat) and he gulped that down and the vet said "Oh Lokiiiiiiiiiiii - I have a cookie for you"....well wasn't he excited.
She reached into a tin and pulled out a handful of dog food and put it down on the floor. One sniff and he was dragging me out the door.
The vet said, "Oh - I guess you knew I was tricking you into eating dog food."
(Yeah - no kidding. Don't lie to my dog - ha.) - were my thoughts I silently thought.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
2nd Hand Shop!
So the "flea market" as I have been calling it....near our flat is actually a Second Hand Shop.
So I took my hubby and baby to the Second Hand Shop that's open 6 days a week down the road from our flat and this time I made sure to bring a re-usable grocery bag!
We lucked out and found my little guy 3 wooden pegged puzzles....you know the really old ones from when you were a kid and your parents too probably. They were under 5 Euros each - so I was thrilled at such a great find...considering one I purchased for a gift (a more updated version) was over 11 Euros!
I also found a book that was about being Cheap. Well it's a fun book - things you can do to save money and whatnot. I finished reading it and think it's awesome.
While looking around I noticed one major thing. There's tonnes of used stuff and a little stand with "new packaged stuff" like things for your nails...but there was nothing truly handmade. There was the odd piece of baby clothing but it was used and fuzzy and just not "mine". Yes it makes sense as it's a 2nd hand shop - however...it'd be nice to have something crafty eh?
I went to pay for our lovely wooden puzzles and book and the cashier chatted me up asking where I was from. I told him a bit about myself and asked him how I go about selling things there.
It's so easy! It's 22 Euros a week (they're open 6 days a week) for a table or 28 Euros for a table and a rack if you have clothing to hang....and they give the price tags with the number of your table. You pay the fee and put the stuff out and they give you the money. There is 0 commission.
So I'm going to try and make as much as I can and try it out.
Here's their website (in English) and if you click on the Finnish flag - you can see a portion of what it looks like inside.
So I took my hubby and baby to the Second Hand Shop that's open 6 days a week down the road from our flat and this time I made sure to bring a re-usable grocery bag!
We lucked out and found my little guy 3 wooden pegged puzzles....you know the really old ones from when you were a kid and your parents too probably. They were under 5 Euros each - so I was thrilled at such a great find...considering one I purchased for a gift (a more updated version) was over 11 Euros!
I also found a book that was about being Cheap. Well it's a fun book - things you can do to save money and whatnot. I finished reading it and think it's awesome.
While looking around I noticed one major thing. There's tonnes of used stuff and a little stand with "new packaged stuff" like things for your nails...but there was nothing truly handmade. There was the odd piece of baby clothing but it was used and fuzzy and just not "mine". Yes it makes sense as it's a 2nd hand shop - however...it'd be nice to have something crafty eh?
I went to pay for our lovely wooden puzzles and book and the cashier chatted me up asking where I was from. I told him a bit about myself and asked him how I go about selling things there.
It's so easy! It's 22 Euros a week (they're open 6 days a week) for a table or 28 Euros for a table and a rack if you have clothing to hang....and they give the price tags with the number of your table. You pay the fee and put the stuff out and they give you the money. There is 0 commission.
So I'm going to try and make as much as I can and try it out.
Here's their website (in English) and if you click on the Finnish flag - you can see a portion of what it looks like inside.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Crafty
I apologize I don't write in this blog often enough.
Here's why: www.whatsyourcraft.blogspot.com
My Youtube account is: www.youtube.com/user/TheArtsyfartsy123
Here's why: www.whatsyourcraft.blogspot.com
My Youtube account is: www.youtube.com/user/TheArtsyfartsy123
Flea market!
I decided to go check out the local flea market near where we live and I'm so glad I did.
I had brought V�in� with me and as he was wrapped to me - I'm glad it's not far!
When I walked in - I didn't know what to expect. The one thing I did know is that there are no entrance fees like in NS. When I asked our friends about it - they thought I was quite odd in asking how much the door-fee was. They couldn't figure out why one would pay to look at things that you may or may not buy! Such lovely common sense!
Moving on...when you go inside there's tables and racks arranged in aisles and that's great. Each item is tagged with a price, size (if applicable) and a code number. That code number is assigned to the table or rack it's from and determine who is the person selling the item.
They even have baskets and shopping carts! The larger items like furniture and washing machines were in the very back of the warehouse and everything else was in the center.
When you pay - here's my favourite part - you can pay with debit! WAHOO! Or credit cards! YAY!
There weren't any food vendors - which is kind of nice because I end up porking out even more...
So here's what I scored for a total of 34E:
-4 pull up cloth diapers (look super clean and brand new!)
-1 board book for V�in� about a dog named Tim (purely coincidence!) who teaches you basic words in Finnish
-1 Thai cook book in English
-a seat for a regular toilet for V�in� (so he doesn't fall in) - it's blue and sturdy looking, unlike some of the things I've seen downtown
- 2 H&M sweaters for me that also look very new (one was 1/2 price down to 1 Euro!!!)
- 2 t-shirts (my summer clothing is kind of low....as I was always working indoors during the summer - so now I can finally expand cheaply!)
There's loads there and I'm sure they re-stock often...I'm surprised I didn't see a sewing machine. I've decided that I would like one for when the landlords take their furnishings back to their future home (after our contract is up) yet I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it either.
I'll definitely be visiting again. It's open 6 days a week and all year long...yup - I've fallen in love.
I had brought V�in� with me and as he was wrapped to me - I'm glad it's not far!
When I walked in - I didn't know what to expect. The one thing I did know is that there are no entrance fees like in NS. When I asked our friends about it - they thought I was quite odd in asking how much the door-fee was. They couldn't figure out why one would pay to look at things that you may or may not buy! Such lovely common sense!
Moving on...when you go inside there's tables and racks arranged in aisles and that's great. Each item is tagged with a price, size (if applicable) and a code number. That code number is assigned to the table or rack it's from and determine who is the person selling the item.
They even have baskets and shopping carts! The larger items like furniture and washing machines were in the very back of the warehouse and everything else was in the center.
When you pay - here's my favourite part - you can pay with debit! WAHOO! Or credit cards! YAY!
There weren't any food vendors - which is kind of nice because I end up porking out even more...
So here's what I scored for a total of 34E:
-4 pull up cloth diapers (look super clean and brand new!)
-1 board book for V�in� about a dog named Tim (purely coincidence!) who teaches you basic words in Finnish
-1 Thai cook book in English
-a seat for a regular toilet for V�in� (so he doesn't fall in) - it's blue and sturdy looking, unlike some of the things I've seen downtown
- 2 H&M sweaters for me that also look very new (one was 1/2 price down to 1 Euro!!!)
- 2 t-shirts (my summer clothing is kind of low....as I was always working indoors during the summer - so now I can finally expand cheaply!)
There's loads there and I'm sure they re-stock often...I'm surprised I didn't see a sewing machine. I've decided that I would like one for when the landlords take their furnishings back to their future home (after our contract is up) yet I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it either.
I'll definitely be visiting again. It's open 6 days a week and all year long...yup - I've fallen in love.
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