This past week was notable for several reasons. Firstly, another Fulbright grantee, Keith Thompson, visited Jyväskylä from Belfast, Northern Ireland. His project is centered around helping groups and individuals discuss and resolve conflict, which obviously has been a big part of daily life in areas such as Belfast which continues to move slowly forward years after the peace accord ended the ‘troubles’. It was interesting for me to view Keith’s presentation to college students as N. Ireland was on the news almost daily it seemed as I was growing up. My uncle and a few good friends were stationed there at different times when they were in the British Army. I could also relate to the concept that inequality brings friction. I’d like to think that this is lessening over time, yet I know this is not the case as there still remains a big divide between the have’s and have-nots in the world. It was a good visit, and Keith even got to see some of the Vappu celebrations, and, of course, sauna.
Vappu is the first of May celebration in Finland, which if you imagine that winter started somewhere around October and has been lingering ever since, is a source of joy for the population. Besides, it marks the official start of ice cream season beloved by all here (the Finns eat an average of 12.5 litres per capita). To celebrate, many Finns go out to party the night before. We saw hundreds of college students gathered at the local church park all decked out in their various brightly colored overalls that indicate what area of study they are enrolled. For example, Biology students have a green overall. All students wear them tied down at the waist, and they are typically covered in patches indicating various places or events they’ve been to. I suspect that beer is involved in most events, yet all were celebrating quietly. Also worn are white caps with a black band and visor that resemble jaunty captain hats favored by yachtsmen. These indicate that the wearer graduated from high school. Even individuals who graduated 30 years ago wear them on Vappu. This is a cause of some contention apparently, as not all Finns graduate from a typical high school. In fact, many attend vocational and technical schools and so do not have caps. There can be divisions and problems when many people get together as it can ostracize some, although everyone seemed happy to us. We particularly enjoyed picnicking at Harju Park the next day which is when literally the entire town congregates to enjoy the warmer weather.
Robyn’s birthday was on Friday, and she celebrated bundled back up in winter clothes as the snow had returned. Robyn had fun with it as there’s been no time in her life that she celebrated her spring birthday in the snow. Our family is now convinced that Finland has only one season- winter. It breaks down like this: first there is winter, winter; then there is late winter (spring to us); very late winter (early summer); pre winter (summer); early winter (fall); and finally, winter (winter.) You get the idea…We enjoyed her day visiting art galleries and eating sushi along with a homemade cake and breakfast made by the kids. Thanks for making it possible to be here, Robyn!
