Neuvola "Etiquette"

So in Canada when you take your children for their routine vaccines and check-ups (and if you're expecting) - you take them to the doctor.
Well, in Finland, you take them to your local Neuvola.  They are mostly staffed by nurses - but if you call them that - they're not technically considered "nurses" because of the different education programs required to obtain that "status and title".  A friend of mine is a "Health Care Provider" (or loosely translated to that) but I always think of them as nurses...they provide health advice, check blood pressure and provide vaccines....
You do and can see doctors at the Neuvola for your child and for you (during pregnancy and after you deliver) but it's not often.
Doctors can write your prescription and it would be best to make sure you have your previous copy of your prescription if you have it!

So when you enter a Neuvola - here's some things to keep in mind:

• Leave your strollers/prams outside.  The wheels carry a lot of germs and bacteria - so the Neuvola requests you leave them outside.
• You can bring in baby car seats or carrying bags for little babies.
• Remove your shoes and coat, and your child(s) as well.
• If for some reason you do not want to remove your foot wear (i.e. it's too hard or you have a sore back etc.) - there is usually some blue plastic slip-on covers and just make sure to dispose of them before you go.
• Disinfect your hands and your family's.  
• There's always somebody who is sick in the Neuvola - that's why they have it...so prevent your family from catching a cold and prevent yourself from spreading more cold-germs....
• If your Neuvola has a play area - remember, kids pick their nose, and stick their hands everywhere!  So make sure to wipe or disinfect little hands before you leave too!
• If you are pregnant - weigh yourself and remember the number (remember it's in kilograms!) to tell your nurse.
• As well, go to the bathroom and you do your own urine test (the pH level one with the white strips that change color).  If there's anything odd - then you tell your nurse when you get in to see them.
• When weighing a baby - as long as they don't give too much of a fight, they'll weigh your baby completely naked.  So be sure to bring a clean diaper...you'll probably need it.

That's all I can think of and I hope this helps!!

Movie Theater

I am so excited! My husband and I have plans on Friday evening to go to the MOVIES!!!

While this may not seem like a big deal, since having our son, V�in�, in 2009, we've only been on 2 dates while living in Finland.
The first one came when he was almost 10 months old - he screamed and cried 90% of the time, until our friend took him out in a stroller for a walk - then he passed out from screaming so much I guess.
The second came last March (2011) - we went out for our anniversary and he also screamed and cried 95% of the time and was super happy to see us afterwards, he wouldn't let us out of his sight for 2-3 days after.
We thankfully have found a baby-sitter (actually 2 of them!) that doesn't mind dogs at all and will stay here with V�in� in our home!  PERFECT.  He's a "spirited child" (look up the definition - if you think your kid is super hyper or super introverted - they're probably just spirited) and is incredibly shy when it comes to meeting new people or going to someone's home.  So finding a sitter that is available (without their own children to worry about) and able to come to our home has been difficult.

Now onto the main reason for this post...the movie theater.

I've mentioned a very long time ago that when you purchase your movie tickets here - you are purchasing your "seat reservations" as well.  So whatever seat number is on your ticket - is where you're sitting during the movie. In NS - it's "first come, first serve" for seating....
Tim and I prefer to sit in the middle of a row, in the middle or rear of the theater.  I once got into a movie late with some friends - and we were stuck in the front row.  Not only was my neck stiff as a board - I was nauseous as heck with all the action in the movie!

Okay - so I decided that since tonight is Monday - I'd like to take a look at what movies were out in theater and still in English in Jyv�skyl�.  Most adult (non-cartoons in my book) movies are in English with Finnish subtitles beneath.  The cartoon movies are like this too for awhile, then dubbed over in Finnish after a week or so.
So I headed on to Finnkino's website to see what was up and playing.  Thankfully the site was available in English (as you can tell by clicking the above link) - and I started to pick "Jyv�skyl�" as the city theater and began to scroll through the dates.
Well, the dates didn't make any sense because they were not in order.  And Friday was missing entirely.  My husband and I cruised around the site and tried using the Finnish version of it too - with no luck.
I posted on my Facebook status that I needed help trying to find the movie times for Friday and within a few minutes, a friend of ours actually called me to explain this weird situation.
Newly released movies tend to come out on Fridays - makes sense, because it's not a school night and those that want to go to the movies late on Friday, can sleep in on Saturday.  It's a good night to go to the movies - there's other people there, it's easier to get a group of friends to go...it's a good money-maker for the box office.
But! To ensure that they will have those new movies handy and set up in the theaters by Friday - Finnkino doesn't update their weekly schedules (to include Fridays) until TUESDAYS every week around 12pm or so.

And there you have it...I thought I was going crazy - and you probably did too...but now you know why you can't book a ticket or even see what's coming up on Friday night - until at least Tuesday.

** I strongly recommend the book the link is attached to in regards to spirited children - it saved my relationship with my son and with my husband once I figured out what kind of personality quirks he had!... 

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!)

Kela Dispute

I am quite disappointed in the Kela system currently.  Granted, the staff are very friendly in person and very helpful....but for some reason - I was not credited the proper amount of funds for staying at home to care for our son.

Remember, when I first got here, my residence permit status was listed as "B"?  Well, that's fine.  I guess that means I am not entitled to a stay-at-home allowance etc.
Then in August of 2010, I became an "A-Permanent" status.  Which entitles me to work here with no restrictions.
So I had applied closer to V�in� being 1 (if not after he turned one so at least November 3, 2010) - and was rejected for the stay-at-home allowance.
I went back recently, realizing that perhaps this puts a different spin on things, being "A-Permanent" status and the lady was very kind and gave me some information.  But she looked on the system and said, "I'm sorry, you don't qualify because you are not permanent status here."
But I am.  So I showed her my Passport with the Residence Permits, and she gave a quick call over to another representative higher-up, and she said, "Oh yes!  Of course you qualify if you're Permanent status!  Here, fill out the forms and send them back and we can retro-credit you as far back as 6 months."
So here I am, going onto my 2nd year of living here, and feel a little miffed that I was out an extra 4-6 months (as there is a 180-days waiting period to ensure you really will live here) of stay-at-home allowance.  Which totals to be about 319,00� a month (on average)!!!
Compared to Canada, where you only get 100$/month for 1 child...319� is about $430 Canadian!!!  To some friends of mine who are Finnish moms, 319� isn't a lot compared to their salary.  But for me, not having a salary to rely on when returning back to work after maternity leave...319�/month is A LOT of money!

Ah well, better than not getting it at all!

So please be aware: KELA DOESN'T KNOW IF YOUR STATUS HAS CHANGED!!!!
As soon as your status has changed and you have that label in your Passport - re-apply for all of your benefits because you may end up getting more than you previously did!!!