He's Gay - Yep.

So if you haven't been following the news outside of Finland - you probably didn't know that Finland is in the process of electing their newest President.  A President can hold their spot for 6 years and only be re-elected once (total of 2 terms).

I typically do not write about politics (or religion for that matter) because it causes a lot of controversy, debate and sometimes some very nasty comments.
But this is something interesting.......

I found out that there is a Presidential candidate that is gay through Facebook (don't we all find out the juiciest stuff there?) and my friend had posted it from Perez Hilton's site.
Of course, Perez is a huge LGBT supporter and honestly - I support the their choice as well.  I think it shouldn't matter who you prefer - as long as you treat them nicely and honestly.  That's what you'd expect from a heterosexual partner - right?

Anyway, I continue...

I went to a knitting group last night - and we haven't met in ages!  There were some new faces there - and it turned out the hostess had recently had a birthday and they were there with lots of lavish cakes and it was a mini celebration too.
There was a heavy discussion of Afghanistan because one of the guests has worked there for 27/30 years!  Holy impressive!
And then they got talking politics (mostly in Finnish).  I heard the word "homo" and while my ears perked a little out of curiosity - I remained quiet because frankly, political conversation is not my cup of tea.
THEN they turned to me and said, "Dominique, did you know that there is a Presidential candidate, Pekka Haavisto, he is a homo!"
"Yes, I am aware there is someone gay - I actually found out about it on an American website." - me
"What do you think of this homo running to be our President?" was the next hardball thrown at me.
I sipped my tea and weighed my words carefully...or as best as I could...

"Well, Finland has already made major headlines with having a woman as a President, Tarja Halonen....and it's clearly opening people's eyes to be more accepting of women and men as being equals...I mean, look at the US - they're finally getting around to accepting a black man as a President and Hilary Clinton could have been President...and she's a woman.  I think that says a lot."
They all cheered and clapped at men and women being equal.
Then I threw the bomb.
"Now, when it comes to a gay man being President of any country - I think it's fine.  I mean - who cares?  He's a person just like anyone else."

And that's when the silence hit me like a tonne of bricks.


The lady firmly stated, "No, the homo will not make a good President."
That was it - my dismissal - no further discussion.
My friend and neighbour whispered, "She just means as a President he would not be a good choice"...(What - because of his sexual preference?!)
This lady then clarifies: "If we have a homo President - he'll never go anywhere.  If you are in Afghanistan - and you are gay - you are killed!"
Okay, well why Finland's politicians are being sent over to Afghanistan - I don't know...and after some discussion with my husband that night - he said that foreign dignitaries' sexual preferences are not considered in a foreign country.  Nobody would say, "Sorry President of the ____________ country - you're not allowed because you prefer ________ over ________."
And I would think that if you KNOW the country you're going to has some culturally strict beliefs - you would respect that country and not put on a huge display against their beliefs...it'd be a little rude to do so - especially if you're the President and representing your country.  (Not just homosexuality but for examples: showing affection in public, if you're a woman - wearing t-shirts or shorts..you know what I mean.)

Anyways, I was clearly labelled a "Gay Lover" silently and from that point on, that lady had absolutely nothing to say to me and made sure to ignore me in every way possible...which was fine because I had some knitting to do.

And then to make the knitting night slightly MORE awkward.... the two ladies that were friends of the hostess decided to whip out the Bible and read passages from it in Finnish.  I don't know what was being said and if it was their way of sticking it to the gay man or what....but my friend advised me later that they were saying, "If you feel like this you should read this one!  If you're in doubt of that read this........"
Not that there's ANYTHING wrong with reading the Bible - but I was curious if it was in response to my acceptance of a gay Presidential candidate.
I guess I'll never know and I don't really care too much as I cannot vote anyhow.

With that all said and done, here's an article in English about the Presidential candidates and all the best to both of them.

(Finland also has a Prime Minister too!  Try to get your head around that one!!)


*I sincerely hope I did not offend anybody as that was not my intention but merely to advise you of the current hot topic in Finland.  I rarely discuss politics or religion and with that said - this post has been re-read several times and edited several times to show you simply my experience.*

Baptism Party in Finland

Yesterday we had the honour of attending our friend's son's Baptism at their home.
Normally it's done in a Church but given that the Baptism was being held on a Sunday (and Father's Day) - they requested the priest come to their home if possible....and that was the only day available she had.

I haven't been to a Baptism or a Christening in Canada before, but from what I understand from my friend's photos - it's pretty similar.
However, this one was conducted completely in Finnish - so we really have no idea what was said but I can guess at some parts!

We brought a small gift - just something I made (a bib and wash cloth set with a card) and I'm glad we did bring a little something.  Lots of people had brought gifts for him!

There were lots of passages read from the Priest and the members of the family and Godparents - it was lovely.
The mother is part of a choir - and WOW I was so happy they sang a few songs...it was so nice!!
The choir group also held a hand out above the baby's head and said a prayer of sorts (or a blessing) for him and when the father released the name - it was very magical!

I know that may sound corny because "it's just a name"....but while everybody knew the first name - nobody knew the second!  Definitely a moment of suspense!

The baby wore a white gown as well, and slept through the whole thing!  So did my oldest- thank goodness...or else he'd be running around everywhere!

The Priest did put some Holy Water on the baby and dried his head off when she was done and that was that!

Then we ate all kinds of wonderful food!

There were a set of twin girls (2 years old) there and they wanted to know what you do at a Baptism party.  The mother asked them, "Well, what do YOU think happens?"
Their response was, "We dance?"

This isn't all the food either!  There was a smoked salmon, roast beef and lots of veggie casseroles and savory pies with mushrooms and salmon etc.

Some Baptism Etiquette:

• Dress nicely
• Don't touch the food until after - no matter how delicious it looks!
• Bring a small gift for the one being Baptized (it's not necessary but always warmly welcomed)
• Keep quiet during the ceremony

Pretty obvious - but just in case you were wondering.

Furnished or Not?

Last night we had our friends over for dinner - whom we happen to be renting from.
We discussed a wide variety of things, ate an awesome dinner (if I do say so myself!) and a delightful dessert! (Am I being too honest??)
(In case you're wondering, I made a roasted chicken and vegetable dinner with mashed potatoes, cheesy garlic bread and a blueberry/raspberry/cinnamon cheese cake with a butter cookie crust and topped with dark chocolate).

We learned a few things during that chat and I thought I'd share with you!

The biggest thing we learned (this is entirely based on where you live and whom you rent from) - is that if an apartment you're renting is not furnished - it's usually more expensive!  As opposed to having a partially or fully furnished flat - it's cheaper!  How odd.
In Canada - or at least in NS for sure, typically something that is fully furnished is a bit more expensive - because it acts as an extra fee for any potential damage to the furnishings (i.e. dishes, furniture, bed sheets etc.) - on top of the security deposit - which is typically for the flat itself.
I love learning about stuff like this - because it helps to prepare us for the next time (if there is a next time - we'd love to live here long term) we have to move.
Our last flat was partially furnished with furniture, but we needed to get our own dishes and silverware etc. (near the Central Hospital in Jyv�skyl�) and because it was significantly smaller - the rent was much lower.  It was a 1-bedroom flat, 51 meters squared.
Now we have a 2-bedroom flat, 71 meters squared, if I remember correctly.

Another thing you should note when apartment hunting!!! 
When it lists the total amount of rooms - usually the bedrooms are listed with the living room.  So what looks like a 2-room flat - may really be a 1-bedroom with a living room!  Just a very important FYI!

Okay, and onto what else we learned.
There's some apartments that you can own, as long as you have the 15% deposit.  (15% of the total cost of the flat).  So with you owning the flat - you can have pets, parties, decorate it whatever way you'd like - and when tax-time comes around, you can claim some of the interest on your loan or mortgage.
Oh and if you decide to sell that flat - the 15% you had deposited kind of ensures you are able to get another place.  Instead of getting a guarantor to sign for you, this 15% deposit acts like a guarantor!

There's straight-forward renting agreements too (like what we have had since moving here) - and then there's another tricky one - I'll try and explain it the best way I can.

You can invest into an apartment, live there - do as you please...and when you leave, you get a portion of your investment back!
So lots of people pay into their flat (either rent or ownership - I think it can go either way), and when they sell or move, they get a portion of the money back - because the flat is considered an investment, or like a stock!

A security deposit is typically 1.5-2 months worth of rent...very important to know.  If you trust the person, you can put it straight in their account.
However, we have had issues with our first landlord when we first came here - the landlord tried to keep our security deposit and find any way possible to not give it back to us in full.  It involved a month's wait, which was awful as it was quite a bit of money, and we needed it to make a deposit onto our current flat.  We ended up threatening legal action (in which if we won the case, which we surely would have - she would have to pay our legal fees as well!).  And a friend had suggested in future, to set up a separate bank account with your landlord - so that the money can not be touched unless both parties are present at the bank.

Happy flat-hunting!!!  (September is the worst time to flat-hunt, just like any other place with a university or college nearby....so start a bit early if you can!)

A Walk With My Dog

Last night, while it finally cooled down, I opted for a walk with Loki.  I packed my small travel purse with the dog's brush, treats (home made!), poop bag and my iPod.
Upon crossing the street, there's a dirt road that leads to a couple soccer (ahem, "Foot ball" in Europe) fields...and that's where I had my weirdest experience in Finland yet.

I saw this gentleman that walks his beautiful brown and white spaniel regularly and was happy to see him!  I haven't seen him in ages - bear in mind, we actually don't talk to each other (good ol' language barrier)...but I waved to him and let Loki drag me over to see his dog.
He smiled a lot and started blubbering to me in Finnish and I just smiled, apologized a few times and stated the obvious.  "Loki - poika" (Loki's a boy)...that was it.
I smiled at his dog, who remembered I carried treats and could CLEARLY smell the ones in my bag.  So I showed the guy the Beef Stew flavoured biscuit I had and pointed to his dog, asking if it was okay to give to him.  He smiled and said "Joo" (yes) and just had a great big grin, while his dog devoured the biscuit.
Then next thing I know - I'm getting a huge hug.  Okay! So he must be super excited to see me.
Then - I get a kiss on the cheek - uh oh.  He smells a bit like booze - but not reeking of it...
I fake kissing his cheek (aka the air) and start to back away - like hello awkward situation!
Then he closes his eyes, pulls me close and aims for my mouth.

Uh no-go dude.  So I push him away, said "no" firmly in English and that was that.
THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  He continues to chat me up in Finnish, about God knows what, as if he didn't just try and plant one on me.
And I'm pretty sure he's in a relationship and far too old for me (aside from the fact that I have a son and am happily married and don't speak the same language as him).

I'm a little paranoid about meeting him again...yeesh.
(And my husband thought this was hilarious.)

Taking a Train in Finland

Taking a train in Finland is relatively easy.  (I'll take a photo and add it to this post later today showing you what is what on your ticket -if I can find one!)

Now, buying a ticket is another story.
I don't know how it works in Canada, as I've never purchased a train ticket before...
You can purchase a ticket on VR's site. (I linked it to English for you!)  Here's the catch - your online purchase must go through between the hours of 6am-1130pm.  There are usually people available to buy tickets from on site, but typically after 8am....
When I had to get a ticket to go to Helsinki for that Arnold's meeting, I was submitting my phone number and about to click "SUBMIT" and then the clock turned 11:31pm.  The ticket could not be purchased.
How frustrating!
I looked on the website and found out that I am able to buy tickets from the electronic machines on site (they are green and look like banking machines sort of), as well as at the R Kioski (corner store) located at the train station.  Whew.
The next morning, I was at the train station by 6am, as my train left shortly after and I tried using the electronic machine and had no luck.
WHY?! Because the machine is completely in Finnish or Swedish.  There isn't an English option available! And you can buy bus tickets from this electronic kiosk as well!  Holy confusing!
The worst thing, was the label on the machine..."For technical support please dial..." IN ENGLISH!

I ran to the corner store and asked if I could buy a ticket from her and she said no, but to go to the conductor and he'll sell me a ticket.  Great!

I get on the train, pick an empty seat (hoping that nobody had a ticket for that seat) and waited for the conductor to enter our cabin.  He asked for my ticket and I explained the internet store closed before I could hit submit and the machines aren't in English!  So I handed him my Visa Electron, and they don't accept Visa Electron payments. (Cash and major credit cards I think are accepted....)
What in the WORLD was I going to do?!  The conductor had a loud and deep rumble kind of voice and didn't speak a lot of English either.  Great.  So thankfully, a younger person sitting nearby translated everything for me....
When I got to Helsinki - I had to go to the train station and purchase the ticket from Jyv�skyl� to Helsinki, and my return ticket there....then it'd be okay.  PHEW!

When I told some of my Finnish friends this wild story - they said I was very lucky I didn't get kicked off at the next stop!  (Plus there's an 80� fee for being on the train without a ticket).

However, the cool thing about buying your ticket online is that you can get a text message to your phone with a bar code.  This bar code can be scanned by the conductor, so you don't have to worry about losing your paper ticket :).  How environmentally friendly!

Just make sure you have proper ID if you're a student purchasing a student ticket...you should have it on you just in case you bought a ticket online with your name on it anyway.

And just in case you're thinking, "If I don't buy the ticket like the conductor suggested, and get on the train a few hours later...what are the chances they are working the opposite route, different train...?"
Answer: VERY LIKELY.  So don't be cheeky!