6 Fingers & 2 Thumbs

Today is the 27th of December and for many that means waiting in massive line ups for all the wonderful Boxing Day sales (Boxing Day is the 26th of December and way-back-when rich people would box up their gifts they did not like and give them to their servants/hired help) and returning the gifts they didn't like or had duplicates of already.
Today my family got to hang out for a few hours at the police station so we could renew our residence permits (3/4 of us) and apply for a Finnish ID card for the husband so he can get a loan here.
After a lengthy wait and once my husband was finished his share of the process - it was just me and the officer in a cozy office getting my share of the paper work completed.

What's new this year is that the Finnish Residence Permits are no longer pieces of paper with your photo and  some info on it glued into your passport.
This time the Finns are going all high-tech!
The Finnish R.P. look like an ID card of sorts (we won't get ours for awhile so I'm sorry I can't describe it properly) but is not an official piece of identification.  It's merely a permit saying yep we live in Finland.
In this RP there is a microchip and that contains a copy of our finger prints and our signature along with other stuff I'm sure.

A child under the age of 6 does not have to have their finger prints taken.  (Thank goodness!)

And it's all digital....there's no more ink and paper and rolling your fingers this way and that on the ink pad.
Your prints will be taken from both hands - right hand first and beginning with the thumb and each finger is printed twice (you lift your finger between prints) to "ensure quality prints" for their records.
Now because it is winter time and I am TERRIBLE at moisturizing my hands - the scanner was not able to pick up some of my prints.  So I had to rub my fingers onto my skin to get some oil to help make the print clearer.
Good thing I had an apple and lots of peanut butter for breakfast at least 5 hours prior (and nothing else since)...my face was a little oily...not that you care or needed to know that!

Oh!  You're wondering why my title is "6 Fingers & 2 Thumbs"?
My pinky fingers couldn't leave a print because they were "too small".  Alright - not sure if he'll put on my file "She has small baby fingers - no prints available...but she DOES have all 10 digits!" or not - but I found it amusing but didn't ask if he felt the same.

Oh and some friends of ours had to fly to Ottawa to access this machine to get their RPs before moving here - because Ottawa had the only Finnish Embassy that contained a digital finger print scanner...GO CANADA!

Then came the interesting part.

It turns out that my oldest son's RP had expired back in September.  Why it was a different date than ours - I don't know.  Ours typically expired in August but because of this new system - we were advised they would extend the date on our RPs and we had to renew it before 2013 and that we could renew the child's at the same time.  So maybe they didn't extend his??
I apologized profusely and said that I thought we could renew the 3 RPs at the same time and that our expiry dates were all the same - oops - seriously.  That and the lady that we normally dealt with was in the next room - I didn't want to point fingers and play the blame-game...anyways...
He informed me that this was illegal but because he is an under-aged child (he's 3-years old) there won't be any fines.
I advised him that if it was such an issue to be a little late on a RP renewal - why weren't we contacted??
"Well, we don't send notices like that."
"Obviously a 3-year old is not a major threat if his residence permit application wasn't submitted on time and nobody contacted us about it..." - was my grouchy thought...
BUT!  I have received notices - FROM THE POLICE/IMMIGRATION SERVICES in the past - when a residence permit was due for renewal or past due because we were waiting on a proof of contract renewal etc.
Interesting!

THEN!  I realized that the youngest one doesn't have a RP in his passport because we only applied for it in October and it was the first one for him - so it's still being processed in Helsinki at the Immigration's office there.  I informed Mr. Officer this and he asked if we had been in contact with the Immigration's Office - I advised him no, they're probably waiting to see proof of us getting our RPs renewed before they send it back to us or finish the process.
NOW I'm looking like a sneaky suspect because it sounds JUST like something that would happen in Finland and because I sound calm yet like I have experience.  I mentioned that it had happened in the past with our first son - so that is probably what's happening.
And why would the Immigration's Office contact us about submitting OUR RP applications when they/the Police cannot contact us inquiring about an expired "under-aged child's" residence permit??? HMMMMMMMMM!

After showing his paper work to a colleague and coming back to see if I still had that "WTF" look on my face - he then decided to play good cop and ask me why I gave my boys Finnish names...and if my Canadian friends/family can pronounce them....

And there you have it.  My first taste of illegal activity in Finland.

MANTELE!

"Oooh a new post - and it's technically Christmas DAY in Finland...I wonder what is going on..."

Why thanks for your worries!  I assure you all is well - some gifts are wrapped, stockings are stuffed and hung on the book shelves with care, the dogs are sleeping and the kids are dreaming about sugar plum fairies (HIGHLY doubt it - but you know...).

I've mentioned before several times (it IS my 4th Christmas here now - WOW!) that Santa comes from Lapland, Finland (according to the Finns)...he sings and gives gifts to the kids when they're awake on Christmas Eve...the big dinner is usually on the 24th...and you relax and enjoy a bowl of hot rice porridge on Christmas Day morning.
What goes in the rice porridge?  Kaneli usually - ah ha!  I DO know some Finnish (if I could double/triple underline I would)!! Kaneli = cinnamon by the way.  Of course rice porridge smarty pants!
And a single mantele.

At first glance - it probably means nothing to you if you don't know Finnish.
At second glance - you might have thought I was swearing - given the capitalized title...
By third glance - you don't care and know I will tell you what it means in a moment....

Anyways a mantele - is an almond.  (Some Finns know it as manteli...but Google Translate say both spellings are acceptable...and the dictionary says it should be manteli...GOOGLE TRANSLATE - get your act together!)

As per Finnish tradition - a single almond is placed in a pot of rice porridge and whoever scoops that up and gets it in their bowl will be VERY lucky and have good fortune in the new year!
I only learned about this tidbit recently as I had my first bowl of Christmas rice porridge at a pikkujoulu ("[Little]Christmas Party") I attended.

I have never personally cooked it before as it can be quite time consuming and burns easily if not attended to - and with two mobile children and a husband that probably won't eat it either - it'd be a waste of time and ingredients.
Maybe next year...

Anyways, Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas/Hyv�� joulua to all!

Bullying.

All around the world people are being bullied.
It's not nice and it's usually over petty things like:

• Weight and size
• Accents and pronunciations of difficult words in another language
• Fashion sense or clothing worn
• Sexual preferences
• Being smart or deemed not being smart at all
• Financial status
• Race

The list goes on as you know, but one new "trend" going on here in Finland is making fun of children for wearing REFLECTORS to school.

Finland gets really dark in the winter time - to the point that the sun doesn't come out until about 9-10 am (depends where you are located) and is gone between 2 and 4 pm. 

It is SUPER important to wear a reflector when outside because it's very hard for drivers to see you - let alone anyone else - bikers etc.

Perhaps it's because of the shape of them can be deemed "baby-ish" like shapes of rubber ducks or hearts or ghosts...but the point of them is to be seen so you don't get hit by a car, bus or anything else that can hurt you.

The police of Finland are noticing a growing trend with bullying about wearing reflectors in school and children are starting to not wear them and becoming higher risk of getting hit by cars.

Here's the article in Finnish.

Of ALL things to be made fun of...

A Great Act of Kindness

Someone had commented recently that I haven't been posting a lot of happy things on my blog lately.
I thought that me writing about every time someone held the door open for me while I pushed a double stroller would get old - so I haven't written about much lately.  You're right.

But today, I experienced a wonderful act of kindness and thought I would share.

After the whole husband travelling to Helsinki (en route to Istanbul) to find out that he was lacking his passport - he finally got a new ticket last night and left before midnight to take the late night bus to Helsinki.  YES he has his Passport - I acted like an officer from a border crossing point and refused to let him out of the flat until he showed me he had it and that it was his - and not mine or the kids' in error...

One child kept me up from 1:30 am-4 am...he confirmed that I was not Daddy and neither was his baby brother.
Baby brother is teething like mad and decided waking up every 20-30 minutes all night was totally acceptable (I know he can't help it and he had a flu shot too!) and a very cool thing to do..despite pain relievers given!
So I barely slept...at this point of the day - my husband should be extremely grateful that he's in another country.
I rushed my kids out the door in an attempt to be at day care for 9am.  We got there about 9:15 - which is a record...really.
The speech therapist was there and I didn't know if she was coming or not - so my lip started to tremble because I HATE being late for appointments.
*Insert awkward break down in front of the therapist and assistant involving coughing, a leaky nose and too many tears and puffy eyes...May I also note that I was wearing 2 totally different socks and looked like a slob because I thought I was JUST dropping him off...*
I toughed it out and stayed for the therapy appointment and my youngest got to sit in his stroller and watch the other kids play outside - wow thanks so much teachers!!
After some errands, the little guy finally napped so I was able to pop some laundry in the wash (3 loads!!) and do a load of dishes too (3 of those too!).

I made it my ULTIMATE goal today to be there for 3 pm to pick up the older one and I did it.
I was there by 2:57 pm - WAHOO!  (Another record since we've moved and since the snow has stayed on the ground...)
And guess what?  They were dressing him for me so that way it saved me 15 minutes...I was in awe and thanked them a lot and they said they can do this for us while hubby is gone if it helps.
IT SURE DOES!
Then they suggested keeping him from 9 am - 4 pm so I don't have to rush around to be there on time and I could maybe have a nap myself they suggested...wow.
I was stunned...this was fantastic news.
Why?

The kids go out again to play after 3 pm and stay out until 4 (if it's not too cold out)...so over the next couple of days I will be able to save more time and just leave with him already dressed and ready to leave day care.

Words cannot express how much this means to me and I cannot recommend Kortesuo P�iv�koti enough!!
They knew I was in a tricky position having two children (one Autistic and one that can walk - but not in his snow suit and boots) - neither of which can dress themselves or do a lot for themselves...and a dog that needed his share of attention and exercise.
I'm deeply touched by their massive act of kindness and I know it's not easy to re-arrange everyone's schedule so there are enough teachers to dress the 10-13 little kids in a group and make sure they're layered enough and pottied before they get dressed - just so one parent out of at least 25 doesn't go insane.

Paljon kiitos.  Paljon kiitoksia (MANY thanks!)
*Correction made over a year later thanks to a comment below.  Still learning Finnish...please don't shoot me! :)

Angry Birds Are From Finland - Drunk Birds Too...

Today was an eventful day - one I will never forget.
I swear I am not pregnant, didn't secretly deliver a baby whale, didn't surprise anyone in Canada with a "I'm here on your door step ringing your bell while calling you from my Finnish phone" and I did not attend a Finnish wedding or a funeral.

Why was it eventful?
Today is the 11th of December and my husband was going to Helsinki then to Istanbul (Turkey) to attend a conference in which he will be presenting a paper that he slaved over for the better part of a week.
It's a 5-day trip due to the once-a-day flights out of Helsinki (direct) to Istanbul.

I was prepared.
I had a back-up plan for the dogs in case one friend couldn't take both - one other friend could take a pooch.
I had bought enough food for the week for my friends who were helping me out with the kids at night so I could cook supper and actually eat 1 decent meal a day...and take the other dog out.
I even had "Don't lose your sh*t/Cheaper than a therapist food" - which helps to keep me calm when hubby is away...you know what I mean.  When you count to 10 because your kids are driving you insane and you sneak off and take a sip of your flask or in my case - a trip to the pantry to nibble on chocolate or a scoop of ice-cream...or chug a glass of Pepsi for that extra kick to keep going.
My oldest would be in day care in the day time so it was just a matter of getting the dog out for a long walk while the little one napped in his stroller...
I was SO prepared.

What I was not prepared for was my husband advising me that his passport was missing and if I could check all his usual spots for putting important documents...and then go into storage and look into the coats and blazers stored away...and then go back and check this spot and that.
I was fuming because our everyday record of being late dropping our son off at day-care was about to be broken by ME!...ah well - tomorrow I'll try and surprise the pants off of them by showing up by 9...

So, I ended up doing my errands (one kid at day care, the other gets their flu vaccine) and asked where Tim was on his return trip...he advised me he'd be back soon.
We ended up all going home together and on our walk back home I noticed a ball of grey on the side of the path - which is all downhill by the way.  PERFECT for sledding, slipping, biking, falling on my butt - you know - perfect for fast transportation.
I walked over to this ball of grey and discovered it was a bird who didn't flinch at all when I went up close to it.
After dropping off the little guy and the husband, I rushed out with a piece of bread and my camera.
(Still have to upgrade my photo storage then I can post photos I took of the little bird.)
I decided to pick up the bird and try to get it to eat food from our yard...no luck.

So I didn't want the poor thing to freeze to death - so I got a shoe box, lined it with an old receiving blanket, plopped the bird in with some bread and a small lid of water...and left it on my balcony.  It wasn't showing any signs of flying or even chirping...so I felt confident I could pick it up without losing an eye.
I posted the photos on my Facebook and discovered from a friend that it was a "Bohemian Waxwing" - related to the Cedar Waxwing but anyway.

After chatting with a friend - he advised me that these birds eat a lot of red berries hanging off of trees.
Okay - well, they have to eat something because they eat insects in the summer...so that Wikipedia link tells me.
And apparently those red berries act as an alcohol when too many are eaten...or they are turned into alcohol somehow in their system.  (I'm not a scientist - just a blogger...)

You getting what I'm trying to say?
I "saved" a drunk bird and let him get over his hang-over on my balcony in a nice little shoe box with bread and water and a towel to block the wind...
He left me a message in the snow too - some foot prints that were definitely NOT in a straight line.
And no bird poop!  I call that success!

(In Finnish they're known as Tilhi - which means "Waxwing").

How To Survive Winter and Things To Do!

I try and blog about this every year for those that are new to my blog and I hope this provides some useful information!
If you've never seen snow before - well, people in Helsinki are (supposedly) expecting 50 centimeters of the white stuff relatively soon...
This year (similar to last year too) the snow has been slow getting here and staying on the ground.
So I am enjoying it as much as possible - although snow helps to brighten up the darkness and it's fun!
(Also it makes it a lot easier to spot and avoid dog mess when playing in the snow...)

SO!

How to survive winter and the darkness of Finland...

• Wear safety reflective vests, reflective bands, clothing and dangling reflectors ALL over!  Well, you don't have to blind anyone but definitely at least 1 on each side of your body!  Especially if you are walking a lot and crossing the road - it's not easy to see the other side of you from a driver's point of view!!  Many roads are poorly lit and many pedestrians like wearing black for some reason here (yes it goes with everything and blends into the darkness and is a slimming "colour" or shade...but you won't be thinking that if you end up in the hospital!).   And it's not just cars you have to worry about but cyclists as well that ride on designated bike paths or on the side walk.
• If you have a vehicle - it would be smart to pack a couple safety reflective vests in the trunk - should you need to pull over and check something under the hood.
• And you should probably pack a shovel in the trunk too - in case your car gets plowed in with snow!
• If you're walking a dog - please put some sort of light on them or reflective coat too...
• Wear a head lamp or have a good lamp on your bike! It's hard for YOU as a cyclist to see where you are going on a dark road - let alone for pedestrians and other cyclists to see you too.  A non-blinking lamp is probably best so you don't give someone a migraine or a seizure...
• Wear LAYERS!!!  Layers are necessary once the temperature begins to drop and depending where in Finland you live - the more Northern you live - or near the coasts - the more necessary layers become!  Aim for relatively light-weight layers so you are not instantly sweating by the time you are tying your boots!  This also helps you to move comfortably too.
• Here's some information about frost bites and hypothermia!
• Take your VITAMIN D!  Without a lot of sunlight - you'll be feeling extra sleepy and this can help perk you up a bit!  Or you can get one of those special lamps that radiate vitamin D and fake sunshine to get you going in the morning.
• Get MOVING! No, don't pack up your belongings...but just get outside and enjoy the weather as much as possible and the fresh air too!  It can be sad and lonely indoors - so definitely invite your friends over or meet up for coffee somewhere - just for the sake of having a social life outside of the internet or cell phone world.  
• Sign up for some courses like Zumba, yoga or Tai-chi!  Or perhaps go rock-climbing (indoors), play sports or join a craft group or reading circle!
• Pick up a new hobby or new project involving a hobby you're already familiar and interested in!  (I.e. Ravelry is fantastic for knitting and crocheting patterns...)
• Volunteer!
• Keep warm!  Yes that was hinted with the "Wear LAYERS!!!" above - but even indoors - keep warm.  Some flats and old homes can be quite drafty so definitely wear some layers at home if necessary, drink lots of hot beverages (i.e. coffee, tea, hot chocolate - or do you call it cocoa?) and become BFs with your sauna.  
• Remember, some Finns are hardcore sauna fans and they'll not only roll in the snow once they're hot enough but they might even take a dip in the freezing nearby lake.
• "BF" means best friend not 'boy friend' in this case.
• Wear sunscreen on sunny days! Many people have been fooled by the idea that they cannot get a sun burn on any exposed skin during a cloudy day but that is not true.  If you plan on going out for a long period of time - you may want to dig in your summer bag for a blob of sunscreen just to be safe.  The sun does peek out a bit in the winter and it is possible to get a burn...combined with dry air (if you live in a dry area of Finland) - the results are not pretty!
• MOISTURIZE!!  I live in Central Finland which is nice and dry - if you do too - you'll definitely want to moisturize your skin - body lotions, lip balm and so on - so your skin doesn't crack.  Trust me - it hurts like a you know what!

Things to do during a Finnish Winter...

• Ski - down hills or cross-country!
• Skate - or play ice-hockey!
• Craft - knit, sew, crochet, make cards, scrapbook, pottery, carpentry, weave...
• Travel - you'd probably want to go somewhere warmer for a bit - or travel to Lapland for the Northern Lights...or perhaps to Santa's Village?
• Study!  Sorry I reminded you...
• Work...sorry I reminded you about that too.
• Do a polar dip after sauna (then run like crazy back into the sauna!)...
• Bake and cook popular holiday goodies!
• Read or write....
• Take photos or write a blog about your life in Finland!
• Join Postcrossing!  (I am not an employee or volunteer - just a member and love it thoroughly).
• Have movie marathons with friends...
• Learn Finnish!
• Thaw out and clean your freezer and fridge!  Your food can go on the balcony which should be cold enough!!
• Stock up on ice-cream - this is a prime time if you don't have a car and have to walk quite a bit to get home!
• Drink gl�gi...sorry egg nog is not sold here.
• Make snow angels, build snow people, have a snow ball fight...
• Shovel snow or pump up the snow blower!
• Sleep?

PostCrossing Meet Ups!

I am super new to Postcrossing but am becoming quite addicted to hunting around for post cards these days!
Especially this past weekend, there was a vendor at Paviljonki Christmas Exhibition selling them for 30 cents a piece!! Which is way cheaper than 1� each at the book shop downtown...although none of them were of Jyv�skyl� specifically - anyways!

So I've also recently discovered that there are gatherings of people involved with PC in various countries...so I dug around and perhaps you are interested in when your city PC members are meeting up!
You can find a list of countries here then once you click on the country you live in - then you can find your city and find out when the next meeting is!
The next Jyv�skyl� meeting is listed here.  It'll be held at the post card/stationary shop Harjun Paperilla on December 15th at 4:30pm.
I wish I could go but unfortunately I'm booked that week with the kids!
I'm definitely looking forward to going in the future!!!

You Either Can or You Kant(ele)!

I have been hunting (not very hard) high and low for a Kantele.
What is a Kantele?

It's a Finnish harp - usually made with 5 strings...although there are variations!
(Unfortunately I have exceeded my photos limit on this blog so I cannot post photos of my own turquoise coloured Kantele I bought recently!)
And if you happen to be a self-learner - there ARE English Youtube videos on how to play this beautiful instrument!

Why in the world would I want one?
My oldest son is named V�in� which is short for V�in�m�inen - who is famous in the Finnish Epic, The Kalevala, for being able to play the Kantele extremely well...along with being awesome as magic and so on.

Recently, I was at a craft fair held at the University of JKL last weekend and there was a Kantele maker selling them!
It was a bit pricey but I don't know when I'll ever get the chance again!  It also came with an extra string and a tuning key...

This instrument is still being taught in Finnish schools today!!
So if you ever get the oppourtunity to test one out - definitely try it!!

Arts & Crafts & Baked Goods!

Hello all!

If you're in Jyv�skyl� and happen to be going to the Arts & Crafts Exhibition going on at Ilokivi - perhaps you will see me there!
I will be selling freshly baked goods (INCLUDING dog biscuits!) and there will be other vendors involved too!
One person is selling Vietnamese food, some people are selling cards and who knows what else!
It should be lots of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Cheers! :)

Real Mail...You Want Some?

Do you remember life before the internet?
Before speedy emails and funny forwards...a life before chat-rooms, MSN, Skype and video chats?
Before Myspace, www. some website . com, Google and Yahoo?
A life before FACEBOOK?

I do and I miss it some times!  I now hate talking on the phone but I do love writing letters!
The problem is that I don't always have time to write nice, long letters!!
So what is the alternative? Post cards!
They are small, limited space to write in and you can find all kinds of different designs!  They're affordable, available pretty much anywhere in the world and light-weight to send.

And if you want to send a post card to someone at random - there is a website that can help you do so!

Postcrossing allows you to send up to 5 post cards at a time (with free registration) to a completely random stranger in the world!
Once your card is registered (you have to write your code on the back of the post card) then you are able to send more cards!  The number of cards does increase over time.

So far I have sent cards to Germany, Poland, Taiwan and the USA!
And I just received my first one yesterday from Poland!!

Enjoy and have fun Postcrossing! :)

Got Kala?

A couple nights ago, I had to do a MASSIVE grocery shopping trip in preparation for Restaurant Day.
I ended up missing my bus back home and opted to eat my sandwich and smoothie at the little dining area of Sokos (bottom floor).
Munch, munch, munch was me and happily enjoying my sandwich and my new knitting projects I started.
I noticed someone else was enjoying his meal but I could feel him staring at me from a couple tables away.  I looked up at him to see if I recognized him - nope.
So I took my phone out and checked my email and Facebook and continued to enjoy my late night supper.
When I was finished, I still had some time to kill so I just sat there and returned some emails and this man (older fellow) who had been eating and staring at me decided to pay me a visit.
I instantly wondered what I could have done wrong and if there were any signs of my supper in my teeth...
He decided to say hello and tell me that his piece of fish was fantastic.  It was so good that he decided to try and get me to go and buy some (despite my 3 massive and fully packed grocery bags - the re-usable kinds not the smaller plastic ones).
He even gave me his price tag sticker so I would know exactly what to ask for and he was just so excited about his fish (kala in Finnish) being tasty that he knows I would love it too.
How did I respond?

I nodded, grunted a bit (I did have some food still in my mouth when he first popped over to see me) and nodded some more.
I then smiled and said, "Hyv��!  Kiitos - ja heippa!"  (Good/great!  Thanks and bye!)
This was deemed a very respectable response and he merrily went on his way.
I don't think he was drunk at all - just wanted to get courage to perhaps talk to someone - maybe he felt lonely or maybe that fish was to die for.

Another Reason To NOT Go With Sampo!

"Dear Sampo Bank (Jyv�skyl� downtown branch):

Please put someone at the front desk who knows how to do their job.
By doing their job - I don't mean a pretty face who just sits there and directs people here and there without a care.

Today I walked into the bank at 10:15am with a baby (thankfully asleep) and advised you I needed to deposit a cheque.
Your staff looked at me as if I was wasting his time by asking him this and directed me to the teller line up.
I in turn, gave him a weird look because I have never deposited a cheque with the teller before but always with a personal banking officer (PBO) because there is always some lengthy sort of process required.
I thought maybe there is a new procedure, as it has been awhile since I've made a bank deposit (cheque-wise) and patiently waited 15 minutes.
I got to the teller and handed him my Finnish ID card, my phone which has my bank account number written in it and the cheque.
The teller tells me immediately, "I'm sorry you have to go over there (gesturing to the PBO area) to deposit this."
(I knew this was going to happen....a part of me just knew it.)
I informed him, "Well, your staff at the front desk told me to come wait here.  It is in Euros and from the Nordea bank in Helsinki..." I point at the bottom of the cheque.
He rushed over to his colleague at the front desk who confirmed that yes, I should be waiting for a PBO - please note he didn't even look in my direction because he knows he f'd up.
But because it was written up in Canada - it was deemed an "international" cheque and I had to get a number and wait.
So I waited another 20 minutes to see a PBO and may I point out that had I been directed to go to the PBO area to begin with - I would have been out almost right away.  Because numbers 002-005 weren't present. They were probably tired of waiting for the 1 PBO who happened to be actively working with customers - since the others were doing paperwork of some type.

The main point of this complaint?  Aside from your staff giving me poor directions and wasting over 45 minutes of my time - he seems quite under-educated.
Why would I suggest this?
A) I spoke in English and I look like a foreigner and was mentioning the word "CHEQUE".
Why should it have been SUPER obvious that I am depositing an "International" cheque?

B) Because Finland hasn't used cheques in over 20 years.  So it's obviously not from Finland...

I sincerely hope someone in your organization reads this and perhaps you can give a crash course to whoever sits at the front greeting desk.

Sincerely yours,
A Pissed Off Customer"


______________________________________________________________________________

If you are making a deposit to your own account - yes, you do need identification.  Seems silly I suppose but I believe it's for the safety of the bank and your account.
Just make sure you bring your ID - either a passport, driving license or a Finnish ID card to make your banking transactions in person.
Do NOT bring your Finnish Residence Permit Card as it may not be accepted as proper identification.

Good-Bye English?

As you probably already know, I am a member of the "Foreigners in Jyv�skyl�" Facebook Group, where we are able to exchange information about local events (i.e. sales, shops being closed, events and so on) and have monthly meet-ups.
So one SUPER hot topic that is going on in Jyv�skyl� right now is the possibility of shutting down ALL English-speaking programs and classes in Jyv�skyl�.

Why is this bad?

• Some families don't stay in Finland for very long - so continuing their education in English would be SUPER important for them (and make life a heck of a lot easier).
• The oppourtunities for foreign families to move here would drop significantly and that means less money for local businesses and less enrolled students.

Want to help and try to DO something about this?

Kirsti Earl started a petition that can be found here and there are only 9 more (digital) signatures required!!!

So PLEASE sign if you live in Finland or know someone who lives here that benefits from having English-speaking programs!!!

And spread the word!!

Get Your Snow!

Snow has officially fallen a few days ago but didn't stick around long enough and there wasn't enough to make snow angels or snow balls and definitely not enough for snow men or women.

While enjoying a tea downtown, a bird wanted to see if I had any food...

A couple quick shots from my balcony - we're moving today so this is it!

So now that there's black ice under the snow and the snow is light and slippery - you need to get your winter tires put on your car and perhaps on your bike too if you bike a lot in the winter!!

If you do not get winter tires and you are caught - they will give you a ticket.

The great thing about (JKL) Finland so far is that when it snows - it's usually not blinding white-outs where you can't see your hand in front of you, which CAN and quite OFTEN happens in Canada...which makes for treacherous driving conditions and causes a lot of deaths and harm.
It's usually flurries that can go on for days if not weeks and it adds up surprisingly!  Of course later in the winter, there are times that you see bigger and chunkier looking snow flakes and there can be the odd "snow storm" but it all eventually melts...usually by the end of April/early May.

A Brown Card For A Green One

I have been trying for what seems like ages to get an S-Pankki card.  You can only get these through Sokos locations it seems - or S-locations like S-Market for example if there is someone set up trying to promote them.  (Maybe there are other ways to get one too - like the internet - not sure!)

The difference between the first S card you get and the one that says "Visa" on it, is that one collects the bonus money and the other is an actual bank/credit card.  (By bank card I mean "debit", the money is linked to an account and you can shop with it.)

When I first went to Sokos to ask for a S-bank card they said I didn't have enough ID.
I had my Kela card, my green bonus card and my Passport and thought that was pretty good.  Apparently not.
I was advised I had to get a Finnish ID for Foreigners.  It's brown, not overly attractive and supposedly is brown to represent the poo that Finns might think of us Foreigners (I'm pretty sure this was sarcasm/a joke in the 6 Degrees paper months ago.  No your Finnish friends don't think you look or smell like poo!).
I'm JUST KIDDING!!!
Although, I did read that article - anyone else see it too?

Anyways, I found out it was 55� and thought it was a bit steep considering I can't use it for much.  But, considering I had over 350� sitting on my green bonus card - just not DOING anything - I figured it was a low price to pay to be able to spend my money I've been racking up by shopping at S-chain places (mostly groceries).

I went to the Police station, pushed that lovely "ASSISTANCE FOR FOREIGNERS" button and waited...and I waited and waited and waited.  In fact, I waited almost an hour, and when I walked in - I saw Mr. Prince Charming Police Officer and advised him that there weren't any applications for me to fill out so I could get my Finnish ID card.
Well, he apologized deeply and said, "That's because there isn't one.  I'm so sorry - is that what you waited so long for?"
As my Facebook status said that day, "Thank goodness he was hot."
So apparently, I just bring in a photo, my Passport and 55� (I paid with my bank card).

I finally went in and waited about 2 HOURS last week with my youngest - thankfully HE fell back asleep, mostly out of sheer boredom - and submitted his Residence Permit application (or he won't get a new Kela card) and asked to get my Finnish ID card too.
I got that all paid for and submitted and the "I know your family name and your kids first names too because I think it's kinda neat and super weird that you gave your kids SUCH Finnish names just because they were born here" officer (who is super nice) said I would get a text message advising me to pick up my ID card at the front desk.

Excellent - well, I got that text message today.
"From 16435
Tilaamanne lupa-asiakirja on saapunut.  Noutopaikka on Jyv�skyl�n p��poliisiasema.  Urhonkatu 2."

All I honestly could pick out of that was "Nouto" meaning pick up - how do I know this?  I apparently order pizza online too much.  And "Poliisi" is police (no, I have never been in trouble with the law).
The last sentence was the address for pick up.

I walked in and didn't know which button to push for a number.  I compared the text message to the buttons (there are only 3) to the machine and ended up going with one that said something about "Asiakirja" (translates to "documents") and figured it was a safe bet.
Especially when I let a fellow go ahead of me and it looked like he was picking something up and it was at the front desk!! :)

Fast forward a few hours later and I was in Sokos planning on opening a bank account so I could spend my precious 350 (and counting) euros.
I told the lady what I would like and she said fine and asked for ID.  I dug out my green bonus card, my Kela card and as soon as she saw my Passport she apologized and said she couldn't help me.
Well, I whipped out my Finnish ID card and she saw it and said, "Oh, you DO have ID- yes I can do that for you!"
(Because everything else just DOES NOT count these days...)

I got my future pin code to be sent to my future address (since I am really moving there in less than a week now..yet blogging when I should be asleep!) and she advised me that there are NO fees on this account at all.
None for withdrawing, spending - nothing.  Not sure about depositing because I just planned on spending what I collect from the S Bonus card.
Once I get that all set up (aka get the S Bank card) then I can destroy my S Bonus card and when I shop - if I am at an S-location, it will automatically calculate the bonus onto the account if I am spending with my bank card.
If not (or if I am at a regular shop that does not accept S cards) then I have to insert my card and press "BONUS" when it shows up on the machine, then remove it and then pay in whatever method I planned on using.
If I want to spend with it - I just put it in the machine and (it has a chip card) use it like normal.
She asked what would be the maximum daily limit on the account that I would withdraw from.  I advised her and then she asked if I was interested in having it as a credit card too.
I told her nope just bank card and she got me to sign some forms.
Their internet banking site is only available in Finnish.

Also, if you lose your internet banking ID number - you have to pay 20� to get a new one.
And if you lose the pin, it costs you 5� if you need a new one set up.

Ah, you want to know what I plan on buying?  A small washing machine for the future flat.
Running between buildings to do my laundry is no fun, especially with colder weather coming up and my youngest can walk already...so there's no such thing as "quickly getting the laundry" anymore.

Oh and most Finns have never seen this Finnish brown ID card for foreigners - so to REALLY get a party started, pass it around if you like!
For some reason, there are 4 identical photos of myself on the card.
3 on front, one has a hologram partially on it (the larger photo), my date of birth is written on the 2nd photo - to the left of the largest one (which is interesting because there is my DOB on the card already) and the back photo is just a mirror of the 3rd identical photo.

I guess Finns want to make sure people cannot forge them!