the first week

hello everyone-
it has been one week since we arrived here and it has been full. we have an official team blog at www.mntofinland.blogspot.com and I won't repeat everything here. I just wanted to say hi and tell you a few more personal thoughts.
our schedule has been non-stop because each rotary club that has us for one or two days, wants to show us everything about their town and share their lives.
For me the one of best days was the day before yesterday. We had a really interesting tour of a valve factory. It was spotless and beautiful. It is hard to imagine, i am sure, but really, everything from the valves to the furniture to the lighting was gorgeous. then, after lunch, we went for a long boat ride on a big river full of small islands. we were in the town of vammala. it rained at first, then the sun came out. the blue and white of the clouds, the wake and the water plus the finnish flag was beautiful. for the first time, i felt finland.
i am touched by the stories told to us by the 60 year old people whose fathers or uncles were in the winter wars against russia. my host kari stopped to show me the headstones of the "village's heros from that war". i think there were 50 or 60 in a row all with a date of some time in 1940. to have such things in this tiny village and many many others, must change the nature of life there. i have no idea how that feels. it is also interesting to hear the love/fear relationship with russia. the russians are buying everything in finland- houses, hotels, cabins, farms, businesses. they have more money than they know what to do with. on the other hand finland needs the commerce.
our friends did not want either sweden or russia to win the world cup. they were all cheering for canada.
the saunas have been great. we go with the women in the home and sit and tell stories, laugh, and then go into the freezing lake, one at a time. whoever is next to go in, holds the towel for the person in the water. when the women have finished the sauna, the men go in. all of the saunas have been wood fired. they prefer the soft heat, what ever that is. but i love the smell, so i agree, wood is best.
we are eating constantly. coffee and danish, coffee and sandwitches, lunch ( meat and potatoes) light dinner ( not that light). all of it is delicious.
people say finns are serious and shy. that is not our experience. they laugh, and hug and help each other. it feels like a close community. of course, we are in smaller towns, and everyone is in rotary and they probably went to school together. but life seems relaxed.
one of the difficult things is that the sun is up all the time! right now at nine, it looks like 5 pm. at midnight these days, the sky is pink with the setting sun. i woke at 3 yesterday morning and again the sky was pink with the sunrise. we are very short on sleep. we are almost one month from the longest day.
the three women i am traveling with are great. the rotarians like our presentation, we do it better each time. we have a short introduction in finnish which also softens up our audience.
i am staying with a family tonight with a small boy, like Oscar and a young couple like Erika and Benji. petteri is playing with trucks in the living room. he loves volvos too.
goodbye for now.
nonna/mom/mary
xoxoxox