On Helsinki — Helsingfors
If first impressions are as important as we make them out to be, my time in Helsinki should be confusing, misdirected, and bone-chilling. My flight from Oslo landed around six in the evening. All seemed to be going fairly well, and I considered my journey practically complete, a feeling anyone who flies often knows. After leaving the airport without going through customs (am I here illegally???) I found myself on a train heading to the center of Helsinki, imagining I’d be unpacking in my warm apartment in no-time.
This, unfortunately, was not meant to be. I spent the next hour hurriedly lost in Helsinki. Not only was I confused as to where I was…I couldn’t even seem to figure out which direction I was going. Every street corner sign is in Finnish and Swedish (a common trend in this city), making me twice as ignorant. This harsh introduction to Finland was made even worse by the 25 below Celsius temperature that chilled even the bones of a lifelong hardcore local. Over the course of the confusion, I did two INCREDIBLY American things. First, I stopped in a Hesburger, a Finnish fast-food restaurant I knew to be similar to a McDonald’s (ordered a Kerroshampurilainen meal of course…butchered the pronunciation, devoured the burger). And second, towards the end I said “Screw it” and turned on my roaming data. Not quite the resourceful and determined sisu at the heart of Finnish culture. Eventually I found my apartment and wondered exactly what I was doing there in the first place.
The week that followed was significantly more positive, although not much less bone-chilling or confusing. I’ve quickly realized that Helsinki is so drastically different from anywhere I’ve ever known that I could not have even begun to understand it with a stay of less than a week. This really makes me wonder how much more there was to know about the many places I’ve already been. As for the cold, that seems to be here to stay. But I did notice it was colder in New Jersey on multiple days this week, so I guess I’m actually not growing more tolerant to the harsh weather…
Since my last post, I’ve spent my first weekend in Helsinki and my first couple of days at Espoo International School (patience, I’ll get into the latter on the next post. Helsinki is a charming city, and we seem to have come during the right week. With the recent string of well-below freezing days, the city’s outdoor skating rinks are in prime shape — something I jumped into (or onto…) immediately. My roommates and I followed this with an authentic and incredibly local experience at Kotiharjun Sauna, the city’s only wood-burning sauna.
“Lux Helsinki” is an art exhibit on display in the center city, near the University of Helsinki. Lux Art, with its emphasis on light, seems to have pulled the city’s inhabitants out of their cozy homes. The daily disappearance of natural light by four o’clock here can be depressing. This artistic collection brought more than just pleasant images — it brought a glow to the city, around which its people can celebrate the good that exists between dusk and dawn. I think I’m starting to warm up to this city.
Read more about the event here: http://www.luxhelsinki.fi/en/artists-and-installations/
