Vappu...aka Labour Day...aka Hang-Over Day.

If you haven't read my blog last year around this time - then you probably never heard of Vappu!  Or at least not from me anyway.

You're probably wondering why (in Finland) so many young adults are wearing funky coloured jump-suits...with badges sewn all over them...and why are some wearing similar shirts or wigs or hats....
It's almost as if there is a MAJOR pub crawl about to happen.

Well, then you'd be kind of right if you thought that.
Vappu occurs every May 1st - some know it as "Labour Day", some know it as "May Day"...and some know it as "Drink a heck of a lot the night before and nurse my hang-over with a lovely picnic - rain or shine day!"
However, Vappu starts the day before and the next day is more of a relaxing and picnic day because nothing is opened.

You will also probably see an insane amount of white caps that look almost like sailor caps...those are what students get when they graduate their program.
The jump-suit colours depends on what program you are in.  I haven't seen my husband wear them at all - and I doubt I ever will.

Some things I've seen today on individuals or groups of people:

• Older lady (late 40's-50's) wearing too much make up and a purple curly-haired wig with streaks of green and hooker boots...
• Girls with green fairy wings
• Sponge Bob Square Pants t-shirt wearing girls
• Afro-wigs....several of them.
• Ladies wearing BRIGHT pink ties with the words printed on them: "GIRLS NIGHT OUT!"...before 11am.

And in case you are wondering, yes Finnish people CAN drink a lot.
I know in Canada - it's pretty common to be able to drink a lot - depending on where you are from.
Well, I am quite confident a Finn could out-drink a Newf easily and still survive (somehow).
A typical house party or drinking fest of any sort tends to start at 4pm (depending on the host) and end 12 hours later or more.  No joke.

Oh and downtown JKL had this market - I forgot to take photos but if you check out this other JKL blogger, Willie - then you can see what it looks like!

Happy Vappu!

PS And if you're wondering what yours truly is doing - I'm having some friends over for a bbq in the fire pit in the back yard....and then we'll just hang out and talk in English. Ha.

Duct... Duct... JESUS!

Okay, so perhaps one of the funniest things I learned today (via Facebook) was the reference of Jesus and duct tape.
Seriously.
Finns have nick-named duct tape (you know, that silvery stuff that keeps EVERYTHING together but a relationship??), "Jeesusteippi (Jesus Tape)".
Why?  "Because you can repair almost anything with it", my friend H. said!

Don't believe me?  Check out Jeesusteippi's Facebook Page!
And yes, I do realize and know from personal experience in Canada - that duct tape comes in more colours than silver/grey.....
I bet even the not-so-religious types are thinking "Oh - I DO have Jesus (tape) in my home!" :P
Finns say the darnest things.......

Tap Sum Bong!

Are you familiar with a Canadian comedian named Russell Peters?
If not, you should definitely check him out...especially since the title of this post, "Tap Sum Bong".  It's not his best work - but it will do for the purpose of this blog.

Coming from Canada, one thing I was regularly exposed to - as young as a teenager (from what I can remember anyways) is the smell of drugs.  Marijuana or weed specifically.
I personally do not encourage or participate in ANY kind of illegal drug activity (or un-necessary drug usage).

Anyways, so I will explain my first encounter with drug paraphernalia in Finland...
Today, April 27th, a friend of mine kindly looked after my kids while I took the furrier ones to the local woods to run and exercise.  The husband was in Helsinki presenting a paper - hence why I was doing this!
I also forgot to ask the lady I was meeting (she has a puppy) for her number AND forgot about the Helsinki trip....so I HAD to go.

Her Mastiff pup was super excited to see us and everyone was having a good time...until I saw my younger dog, Loki, jump into a swampy area - neck-deep, swimming for some plastic THING in the water.
I thought it was a bread bag...then after a few attempts, he dragged out a plastic Coke bottle.

My oh my - it looked odd!  Turned out it was a home-made bong.
I don't have a photo of it yet...if it's still there - but if it is - I'll take a photo next time I go there!

It was a Coke plastic bottle with the cap on it, and the lower section (on an angle) was cut off and replaced with the top part of another bottle attached and a straw in that section...and it was a bong.
Funny how I go to these woods regularly and the most "extra-curricular activities" I've ever seen the evidence of was drinking, fireworks from New Years Eve and the odd (but rare) condom package.
Hmm.

**Please note:  I do not recommend creating any sort of bong or use of any kind of drugs whatsoever!!! I just wrote this because it was an experience in Finland.**

Panda Factory!

You read that correctly.  I went to a Panda Factory.
Now before you get all upset about me going to a Panda Factory - please note, that "Panda" is a brand.  And no, I don't mean a brand of panda bears that are endangered or extinct either.

I mean Panda chocolates and candy!
I didn't take any photos inside as it looked like a candy/chocolate store...but there ARE tours available.  This is located in Vaajakoski - about 20 minutes outside of Jyv�skyl�....the bus #1 goes by there.
I only know that because I took the wrong bus my first year here...and saw the factory as we drove by.

There are free samples when you immediately walk in - and I'm glad they had some!  Not that I was hungry but I was a little cautious about tasting the fruit-flavoured licorice!
I really cannot stand the black-licorice flavour - and to prove it to my friend, I took a bite of the "Natural Licorice" and at first - the taste was very light...but the more you chewed - the stronger it got.  My face was distorted and my friend couldn't stop laughing.

When you get there and stand outside - you may just go into diabetic shock!  Why?
Because it smells like delicious candies and chocolates!

You are currently looking at 10 cavities in a bag...for about 17�.

A mixed bag of chocolates!

I swear I did not eat this all!  The bright blue bags of licorice are not for me!
The bag of "SMASH!" (far left yellow bag) is amazing...they're Bugle corn chips (those cone shaped ones that you would pretend were claws if you put them on your finger tips as a kid) coated in chocolate...dangerous.
Blueberry licorice - not all for me either.  Thankfully - it does not taste like regular black licorice.
Some chocolate bars and a bag of chocolate filled with marshmallow filling.

If you ask any Finn - they'll tell you that Panda makes FANTASTIC licorice (it's a world-wide company and can often be found in airports and in some specialty candy shops!) but not-so-great chocolate.

Karl Fazer usually takes the cake for the best chocolate and crummy candy.

Well, by the time my friend and I left the store - we could not smell the sweetness outside because our noses were filled with all the sugar one could possibly smell inside the shop!

Well, I can officially say that I've been to the candy shop and 50 Cent wasn't there! HA.

Finally - a complaint letter to UPS.

This was sent April 17th, 2012 from me to UPS....regarding my lack of a Kindle.


"Hello: 


I was advised as of Friday morning by one of your UPS representatives (via telephone) that my package would arrive yesterday (Monday April 16th). This was not the case, nor has the tracking information been updated on your website. Technically, my package is still in Helsinki from the looks of things. 
I have also requested a text message when my package was being delivered and have yet to receive one, so I think it's safe to say - it may not have reached Jyv�skyl� yet. 


I also wish to have this e-mail forwarded to a supervisor or manager as I find the services from UPS very disappointing. The e-mail representative I have dealt with (____name removed from this blog post for privacy purposes___) was very helpful, however - I am not impressed with the lack of communication between UPS and myself, as a customer. I had received 1 phone call on April 4th, that I did not answer and it turned out to be a pre-paid and un-listed number. I assume it was UPS because after a response from _________, I received a phone call - over a week later - from a UPS representative requesting my Finnish Social Security number. The number was also un-listed and pre-paid when I tracked it. Why it could not be requested via e-mail also baffles me. I find it very odd that I had to initiate contact and wonder why your staff did not attempt to call me again, either later on in the day time or on another day. I deem this extremely poor customer service and I would not be recommending your services to anyone in the future. 
Sincerely, D. Riggs"


The person has since emailed me advising me they have forwarded my email to a supervisor and that they will try and find my package soon and contact me soon.  And that they were very sorry for all the trouble I was going through to get my package.  


Here's hoping I get it before Christmas. 


**UPDATE:

Here's the response I got from a supervisor:

"Hello

I got  your message regarding to your shipment.

We called you on 4^th April and after that request from social securityn number  was sent to you by email. Based on your message you haven�t got my previous email.

I�m sorry about this bad service you have received from us."

Jyv�skyl�'s Craft Exhibition!

Yes it's true - JKL has a craft exhibition twice a year - one in April and one in early December, just in time for the holidays.

Well, this is what I picked up:

Some charms - a flip flop, a camera, some knitting and an owl!

Pretty ribbons!

These were buy 1 get 1 free. YES!

This is made in Finland.  It's a loom that will create a rope as you wrap the yarn  around!  (I'll blog more about it later!)

These are all hand-made!  The artist was amazing, spoke English and very friendly!

Check out the details!  (And her site).
She doesn't use any molds except for the cupcake base and ginger bread men for the Christmas holidays.

Good old viruses!

I'm not talking about the string of colds/the flu going around...I'm talking about something a tad bit more serious.

When purchasing frozen raspberries - please check the bag to see where they are from.  If they are from Finland - this doesn't apply to you.  (The ones from Finland are very clean and more expensive).
There has been some issues with the raspberries from elsewhere (yes even the frozen ones) because they contain the Listeria bacteria and there have been cases of the Noro Virus!
So! If you want to still eat them - you can.
Just they must be cooked at a minimum of 90*C for a minimum of 2 minutes.

I happened to be shopping with a friend of mine when I was buying frozen berries and I kept ignoring the note that was printed and taped to the freezer door....and of course it's not in English - so another reason why I ignored it!

A Finnish Drinking Game...

A couple nights ago I went to a house-warming/going-away party for some friends and I was excited because - I haven't been to a Finnish house party yet.  Well, I've been to "family-friendly gatherings" but I have never consumed alcohol at those ones and I certainly did not plan to drink that night either!  (Mostly because I am still breast-feeding and partially because I did not have time to go out and buy anything).
So I showed up with a bowl of freshly baked cookies and after a few minutes of awkwardly standing there not knowing anyone - or what they were saying  - as it was all very fast - someone decided it was time for a drinking game.
Oh boy.  "I'll just watch and join later" was my excuse.
Well, they weren't having it!  The husband was away for a few days attending a conference in Germany - so surely I needed a break and someone gave me a cider!
We all sat in a circle and they began to explain the rules as best as they could remember it in English.

Now - the thing with Finns who are drinking or have had a lot to drink - is that they tend to be very brave and speak A LOT of English...even though it's not their first language or one they practice often.
And so far - every drunk Finn I have encountered, has had pretty great English!  I think it's something in the drink - that just helps them shed away the modesty and shyness and they really let loose with their language skills!

So a deck of cards was found and we all sat in a circle...
I cannot remember the rules perfectly (I only had 1 drink!!) but I will try my best to describe it and some of it may be wrong but at least you get an idea of their version of a drinking game!
*I have never participated in a drinking game in Canada...so this was a first for me!*


One person at a time flips the top card of the deck and whatever card is shown, determines what the action is required.
* means I can't remember the colour - black or red.
** means opposite colour!

• #2-6 in red (*): the person flipping the card has to drink their beverage ___ times as the number shown on the card 
• #2-6 (**): the person gets to choose who has to drink __times as the number shown on the card.  Also it's possible that they divide it like "3 sips to John, 1 sip to Melissa and 1 sip to George!" (5 is shown)
• Queen (any colour): "Waterfall" - so when this card is shown, the person who flipped the card must begin drinking and not stop...the whole circle (think like a "wave") begins to drink one after another in order that they sit (clock-wise) and you must continue to drink until the last person in the circle chooses to stop.  Then the circle reverses order as they stop drinking.  So either way, the flipper has to drink the most.
• #8 (any colour): You have to keep this card and do some sort of signal (i.e. play with your hair) throughout the game and the last person to "get it" and copy you has to drink ("penalty")
• #7 (any colour): Everyone holds 3 fingers up and the flipper goes first.  You have to say something true about something you have NEVER EVER done before.  (I.e. "I have never ever smoked before")  So those in the circle that HAVE done this thing - they have to "lose a life" and put down a finger....and each person goes in the circle and says something they have never done before.  Then whoever "loses all 3 lives" first - has to drink.
• Jack card (any colour) - you have to smack your forehead and everyone has to do it.  Whoever doesn't or is the last one - has to drink.
• #10 (any colour) - everyone has to agree on making a rule like "You have to say 'Cheers'! before taking a drink or else you have to have another drink!"
• King - I think it was you could make a rule everyone had to abide - like above.
• #9 was a break card.  You could use it whenever you wanted to use the bathroom or have a smoke.

Phew.  And that is how they do it in Finland.

Lady Gaga!

Lady Gaga is coming to Finland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm excited and proud that she's coming here - even though I am probably not going to make it to the concert due to some travelling!
Want to go to Helsinki to attend her concert?
Check out this site:
http://www.lippu.fi/lady-gaga-Lippuja.html?affiliate=ADV&doc=artistPages%2Ftickets&fun=artist&action=tickets&erid=751234&language=en

Tickets are available as of 9am today!  (This is a legitimate site as I "follow" Lady Gaga on Facebook and have linked the English version of this site for you.)

I hope you have fun Little Monsters!

An Extra 10% off!

I hate to sound all telemarketer-ish and like a spam mail you would automatically delete from your junk mail but this is AWESOME.


I shop for all of my cooking books, kids' books and my husband's books on Book Depository.  (Occasionally on Play.com but anyways..)


Well, why is BD so fantastic?  They have free shipping world-wide - seriously.
And no, you do not have to spend _______$/�/� in order to qualify. You can get 1 book - or you can get 100.


Anyways, guess what?  They are offering an extra 10% off until May 14th, 2012!


Just put in the code: APMA12 when you check out.
Have fun shopping!  I know I will be.

So why the heck am I writing about this in a Finnish blog?
Because in Finland, depending where you live - it's hard to find English books - or the selection isn't as great....or they're just wildly expensive.

PS It's never too early to start your holiday shopping...lol.

How to Get Your Kindle Faster...

Remember a couple days ago I wrote a post about how my husband got his Kindle in 2 days and I was still waiting?
Well, yes, I am STILL waiting - but I have results!

It turns out, on April 4th, when it checked into Helsinki and completed most of their customs - they called me.  I didn't answer because I didn't hear my phone and I was dead asleep...they called after 9am but hubby was watching the kids so I opted for a nap.
When I woke up, I noticed that some weird number called but I disregarded it as a telemarketer.  I figured if it was UPS - they'd call back - RIGHT?!
Nope.  They never once called back...great customer service guys.  I really appreciate it.

I finally decided to check out who called that day - and it turns out it was not listed and pre-paid.  Was it UPS or not?!
I then decided it's been long enough - time to send an email!  I emailed UPS who guaranteed a response within 1 business day and yes, they did email me back.  The rep was vague and just said we'll see what's going on.
I emailed him back advising him my husband got his Kindle in 2 days and I'm still waiting.
I then get a phone call this morning from a similar phone number and decided to answer...yep.  It was UPS.
"Oh we found out you contacted us and the reason why your package from Amazon.com is being held here is because we need your Social Security number."
I gave it to her and she told me I'll get it on Monday.  Great!

Still it doesn't explain the poor customer service from last Wednesday - not calling a customer back...why the heck not?!  If not later in the day, the next day - until you get the customer to pick up!
And they couldn't take it out of Helsinki until they had my Social Security number - so they didn't bother trying to deliver it in person.

I just looked at the 2 numbers from today and last week and they are NOT the same...so perhaps UPS has several numbers?
Oh and I did use 16400 to find the 2nd number and yes, it's also un-listed and pre-paid too.


This is the not the first time I've had issues with UPS and missing packages...so be warned - if you go the International Shipping route for anything going through UPS - this is what you may go through!

Craft Exhibition in Jyv�skyl�!

This weekend (April 14-15th) there is going to be a craft exhibition in JKL!
It's held at the Paviljonki across from the City Center on the other side of the train tracks.  It's easily accessible by foot, parking is available (but I'm pretty sure you have to pay) and a few buses go right past it!
Want more information?
Check out Paviljonki's Finnish site.
If you go to the home-page of Paviljonki - there is an English option and when you click on it - the craft exhibition is not listed on the main page!
Which is quite unfortunate as Jyv�skyl� is a university city and home to many native English speakers!
Just think of all the extra money that could be made by having foreigners more attracted to your site AND EVENTS!
Tsk tsk Paviljonki - please update your site!!
(I know for a fact they hire bilingual people to take coats and entrance fees....so why not get someone to translate ALL events on their site?)


Anyways, this exhibition occurs twice a year.  Once near Christmas and once in the spring...so go check it out!
Sincerely yours,
An English speaker spreading the word!

Amazon Versus Finland

I am of course referring to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de - heck, even Amazon.it!

For those of you that are familiar with Amazon and it's products, you have probably heard of the "Kindle", the "Kindle Touch" and the "Kindle Fire".
Kindle is a particular brand only sold by Amazon and it's a type of E-Reader.

Why blog about an E-Reader?


Well, it's another one of those "experience things" while living in Finland and perhaps you are trying to purchase one as well!

When ordering books or DVDs - we usually go through The Book Depository (free shipping world-wide!) and Play.com (free shipping to EU and UK but not on everything to the EU).
While the Book Depository sells E-Readers - they are all sold out.
And Play.com does not ship them to Finland.

So - we looked downtown to see what we could find for my academic husband (who is always reading and requires tonnes of books!) and he decided that the Kindle would be perfect for him because you can make notes, highlight sections of the book etc.  As well, the extremely long battery life, E-Ink feature and light-weight was also a plus!
Okay perfect!
But Amazon UK does not ship their Kindles to Finland - nor do the other EU Amazon sites!
Great.......

So the husband orders his from the USA but you have to pay a little extra for the "International Shipping" version....AND you also get charged for import fees etc - about 30� extra.  So he paid about 125� for a Kindle to be sent here.
You will notice that the Kindle fees for within the US differs from the international shipping by quite a bit!

Now with any kind of electronical device - when you live with children/pets, travel a lot or perhaps you are accident-prone, you should get a case or protective sleeve for it - right?
Amazon US (.com) does not ship their cases....
Now I understand if Amazon.com does not ship their Region 1 DVDs because they're meant for North American DVD players and you're not supposed to know how to change the Region on your DVD player...(Nothing a little Google search can't help you with by the way!)
But a protective case is not Region-based nor does it require a specific plug outlet.

However! Amazon UK ships the Kindle accessories to Finland!
So he ordered from there and got it quite quickly!
His Kindle arrived 2 (business) days after ordering!  WOW!  UPS emailed him and called him and delivered it to the door!

So after some thought, I decided I will get one too.
Why?  Although I am not a scholar, and I do love to flip pages and read normal books - the library downtown does not always have the ones I would like to read!  And the waiting list can be quite long!  (I am still waiting on a book I placed a reserve on in December 2011.)
As well, I had left behind many books in our storage unit in Canada that I could re-read all the time!  Especially series of books that can be quite heavy and would add to my luggage's weight!
And let's face it - English books in the shops here are quite expensive!  (And the selection not as large of course.)
Oh and of course there is the green aspect of saving paper and trees by not purchasing as many paper-made books....
I also love the idea of being able to carry my whole "library" in one compact and light-weight product!  Great for the bus, the plane, the train, walking, etc.!

Well, I ordered my Kindle and it was shipped April 2nd and should have arrived to me via UPS by April 5th.
Today is the 10th - granted, there were several holidays and  weekend- but at least I know via Amazon's website that it was in Helsinki as of April 4th at 9:15am local time.
I'm still waiting for it and hope to get it soon.....because I have my case from Amazon UK - just not my Kindle.
And I haven't gotten an email or a phone call from UPS!

Oh and you cannot order from Amazon.com unless it says "International Shipping" is available...so the cool Kindle Fire (a tablet computer for a really affordable price - under 200�!) I would love to have in the future?  Nope - not available for shipping.  (The links for the Kindle and Kindle Touch above are for international shipping - so I saved you some trouble there.)

Funny how my husband got his Kindle from the US before he got his Kindle case from the UK!


**Please note: I do not work for, represent or am related to anyone employed by any of the above mentioned companies!  I'm just a customer like you.**

Cluck-Cluck-FREEDOM!

Old MacDonald had a farm - E-I-E-I-O!
And on his farm he had some chickens....
E-U wants to change the law!

Okay, so you were probably freaking out recently (if you're not vegan) at the lack of eggs in your local grocery's shelves....even the BIG shops are out of eggs.
I know I freaked...I instantly thought of how many eggs I had at home (6) and figured how I was supposed to stretch 6 eggs over Easter long weekend....because I have so much baking to do and a 2-year old that can pound back 2 scrambled large eggs in one sitting - no problem!  (Bear in mind he doesn't eat any meat - naturally!  So - eggs is the route we go with him!)
Well, it turns out - that the EU (European Union) wants to give the chickens some more freedom and more space per chicken in their coop.  Which is great for the chicken because let's face it - if you were crammed into a too-small coop to begin with and you're trying to do your business (lay an egg for example) - more likely, those eggs are going to get stepped on or broken and then it becomes a waste and dirty inside your home (coop).
And don't even get me started on how many times I've opened a carton of eggs and discovered one was already cracked (because I forgot to check before taking that carton) or covered in poo.)
Yes, Finland does sell free-range eggs (chickens have more space or complete freedom to roam) - but those are more expensive and sold in smaller packages (I typically buy a carton or two of 15 eggs).
I spoke with some friends about it and here's what I've been told:

• Farmers are quitting or not selling their eggs anymore.  Probably the cost of re-building a chicken coop (especially if a permit is required - like anything else in Finland) can be quite high...
• To get rid of some chickens to make space - I imagine they would have to be butchered and the meat sold...but not sure if this is happening.

So hopefully farmers are able to make appropriate and EU-approved arrangements and soon we can all have eggs again.
E-I-E-O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kinder Surprise versus Fazer Mignon Easter Eggs

Hello all:

Today is Easter Sunday and just an FYI - tomorrow is Easter Monday and most shops are closed.
Hence why yesterday and Tuesday will be super busy at the grocery stores!

So - what is the biggest difference between a Kinder Surprise Egg and a Fazer Mignon Chocolate Egg?
Well, Fazer does have some chocolate eggs that contain a toy inside...but one special kind of chocolate eggs is made - well, inside an egg!  And it is pure and solid chocolate!
Don't believe me?

If you look closely, you can see a small dent where they got the egg out and poured the chocolate inside, then sealed it in!

They are sold individually like this or in a little egg carton of 6 (or perhaps it was 4...)!

This is my first time buying them - as our guests are from Brazil and I felt this was the "ultimate Finnish Easter gift" - not that I think Easter is a materialistic holiday - it shouldn't be, but because it's their first Easter here -why not?

These are only sold around Easter time and tend to go pretty quickly! So get one if you can!

**WARNING:  These contain almonds and hazelnuts inside - while it is made with solid milk chocolate, the almonds are ground into a fine texture like flour so the egg itself is nice and smooth.
But if you have allergies - you may want to stick to something else.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mignon_(chocolate_egg) Check for more info.