First Days

It rained non-stop for the first 36 hours we got here and Sharon was beginning to wonder what she had gotten herself into. Would we ever see the sun again? The sun is supposed to be out 20 hours a day in the summer, right? We'll it finally came out and Oulu is absolutely beautiful when the sun is shining. I heard that this year is currently the rainiest in Finland in 30 years.

Yesterday I got an unprovoked "Hello" on the street so I realized I wasn't invisible. It's strange coming from the US, especially Texas, where everyone says hello to you no matter who you are if to acknowledge your existence. I felt like the Jerk when he found his name in the phone book - my existence has been validated!

Idle chit-chat and common pleasantries aren't norm here. However, Finns are generally very nice if you need some help and will help you if they are able to as long as you make the effort. I am surprised I've met a lot of Finns that don't speak English in the stores, so knowing a few words and taking a dictionary along will be useful, like knowing 'vissi' for bathroom so the kids don't pee in their pants while shopping for milk.

We made a trip to the beach where the water and air temperature were the same (65 F). It was quite nice, lots of people swimming and we were the tannest on the beach.

We also found the farmer's market in downtown Oulu where the produce is absolutely amazing and the strawberries more amazing (and expensive at 4euro/liter). And you can buy all sorts of exotic meats (moose and reindeer). The reindeer is quite expensive, like buying filet mignon.



We are glad we brought chili powder and cumin because these seem impossible to find. Sharon made a delicious moose chili for lunch and moose nachos for dinner. Quite scrumptious.

$9.39 / gallon

The rental car company was gracious enough to leave the tank empty so I could fill the tank.

1 liter = 0.264172052 US gallons

1.579 / 0.264 = 5.98 € / gal.

€5.98 * $1.57 (est. exhange rate) = $9.39 per gallon.

About 125 bucks to fill a tank.

32 hours later.

Austin to Oulu, 32 hours door to door. Only missed one flight and 2 lost bags - 9 for 11 isn't bad : )


...and our new home in Oulu

Let There Be Light!

Here's some interesting charts showing sunrise/sunsets over the course of a year. From Matti Tukiainen at GAISMA. You can find the chart for pretty much any major city in the world. Hmmm, can you tell which is Austin, TX and which is Oulu : )

Oulu Bike Map

Oulu Bike Map. Apparently there's 512km of bike roads and lanes in Oulu. There's even an Oulu Cycling blog (not much activity) with some pics of the roads.

My hovercraft is full of eels

This will be my final exam for learning the Finnish language:

Ilmatyynyalukseni on täynnä ankeriaita (mp3)

When I can say this, and get strange looks, I'll know I've got the pronunciation down.
Of course, there are other (more useful) phrases to be learned.

I have no intention of actually "learning" Finnish, which is basically impossible. Finnish typology seems just as complex. But luckily Finnish is a very phonetic language so I'm going to work on my pronunciation. At least if I'm too drunk to find my way home (and riding my bike of course) I'll be able to say the name of the street I live on, Kauppaporvarintie.

Arctic Hysteria

I recently came across this term from an art exhibit: Arctic Hysteria: New Art From Finland.
The show isn't really about being hysterical or insane, but arctic hysteria sounds like some contageous psychological condition... So I had to investigate further. Actic hysteria, also known as pibloktoq, is a condition where you throw off your clothes, run outside into the freezing air and throw yourself into a snow drift (or something like that.) A good account of this in the Inuit is here. Of course in Finland, it's not a neurosis, it's a sport.