In case you get lost...

While celebrating Midsummer Eve with some friends the other night, on our walk back home we noticed these boxer briefs in the Taito Shop window downtown!

I don't know if they are available in other city maps depending what shop you buy them from...but you have to admit - they'd make a pretty awesome gift for the guy that simply has everything!!!

Also they would help the one who is ALWAYS lost....

And they're "only" 29� a pair!

Hyv�� Juhannusta!! Happy Midsummer!!

Living in Finland is great.  There are a tonne of holidays here that do not get celebrated in North America.
One of these holidays happens to be Midsummer.
It's always placed on a weekend, the Friday being the Eve of Midsummer and everything closes by 12pm on the Friday.  Buses stop running by 1pm and everything is closed on the Saturday.

Last night I got a message from some friends to go check out the huge bonfire that was being lit across the lake - so I packed up one child and went downtown to see.

In order to get closer to the fire you had to pay for a ticket...but we did this last minute - so we didn't bother.

I was told that Midsummer is considered a very magical day.
If you hope to find true love - it's very traditional to pick 7 flowers and place them under your pillow before you fall asleep on Midsummer Eve and whomever you dream of that night is your true love.

There are some other methods but they usually involve being naked and running around or spinning in circles and such....

People tend to go away to their summer cottages for Midsummer and of course slap themselves (and each other) silly with birch branches tied together in big bundles.

Another thing that is pretty common (and is very unfortunate) is to drink quite a bit and go out on a boat and if you really have to pee - and can't make it to land on time, some people pee while standing up in the boat.  Unfortunately, if you're drunk enough - you might fall in and possibly drown.

It's one of the major causes of death during Midsummer celebrations...the numbers seem to have gone down - but still it can and still happens.

So don't drink and paddle!

A New Tab!

Hey Folks:

If you look near the top of my blog, you'll notice a new tab called "Events!"
I think it's important to know what's going on in a calendar month in terms of when the shops are closed and I found I wasn't always able to update it in time so you could get your groceries and errands done before the holiday!

Also included are events happening within the community - if I know of any - and as well, events for the "Foreigners in Jyv�skyl�" - in case you don't use Facebook!

Speaking of which, there is now available, an online used items page on Facebook for those that live in Jyv�skyl� and speak English!
It's called "Second-Hand Items In Jyv�skyl�" and was created because not many used-items sites are English friendly, Google Translate isn't so good either sometimes and some of the second-hand shops are either closing down/re-locating or are too far away to get to by foot!
Oh and if you're crafty and live in JKL - there's an album for you to upload photos of your handmade goods to sell on Facebook!
If you have several items that are hand-made and are similar (i.e. baby socks or cards) and don't want to put individual photos - it's perfectly fine to post 1-3 photos of the item and put a link to where you may have already posted individual photos - like in an online album or blog!

Good luck selling and I hope this all helps!

Just So You Know...

A few weeks ago, my Facebook Home Page exploded with people commenting about a particular Youtube Video.
In this video, a very upset father discovered that his Autistic son was being verbally abused (and not being treated very nicely) by his teachers.
You can check the video out here.

So why am I blogging about this?
There are some pretty heavy privacy laws in Finland - so just in case you tried what the father in the above video did - put a wire on his child to listen to his day at school - you'll be the one in trouble instead.

I know people who have been treated somewhat un-fairly (depends who's view you see it from) in their work place - and there's no way to record what had happened because employers make a point of speaking face to face so there isn't an email trail or a possible recording on the phone.

For the most part - Finns are very honest and stick by the rules but when it comes to you possibly not getting that promotion (or job) because you're due to have a baby soon (for example!).  It is entirely possible that they will simply just not call you or acknowledge your emails or phone calls, as a way of declining you that position.
It has happened to me (Arnold's) and it could happen to you - so please do not be overly offended - it's just how things roll here.

Another major issue as of recently (within the last 2.5 years we've been here) regarding privacy was Google Maps.
You're thinking - HUH?!
Well, when we first moved here, Google had started to go around in a vehicle with a huge camera on the roof filming all the streets and areas in Finland.  The point of this was to create a "Street View" kind of map - so if you're terrible with maps, like yours truly, then you could click on "Street View" when getting directions and see exactly which building you should be heading towards.
What's the problem then?
Well, Finns felt their privacy was being invaded and that it was not allowed - having their private property filmed and on the internet for the world to see.
Google fought back - explaining the reason for their filming and that they were not filming through people's windows or through the yards - but simply doing a cruise-by.

Since then, I haven't heard any complaints and of course, it's a very useful tool!!
I know it's saved me from being lost a few times already!!

Do you use Google Maps?