Home at Last!

Pic 1 Signe (my grandfather's cousin) and Martin and 6 "children" in Larsmo
Pic 2 Suzanne (cousin), Harry, & Rodney in Korsnas (cucumber article)
Pic 3 Bo, Lena (my grandmother's niece), Viktor, Ida, Mikael, Viktoria (my grandmother's sister-in-law)
Pic 4 Egil and Viktoria (my grandmother's brother and sister-in-law)
Pic 5 Mats(my grandmother's nephew), Britt, Isak, Ivar, William, Viktoria
Pic 6 Maj-Len and Elias (my grandmother's sister and brother-in-law)
Pic 7 Leif, Phillip, Ulla (my grandmother's niece), Rickard, Caroline
Pic 8 Anna (my grandmother's sister-in-law) and Erika
Pic 9 Ralf (my grandmother's nephew), Asa, Tildy, Johnny
Pic 10 Caroline and Karen
Pic 11 Lars Erik (my grandmother's nephew), Eivor, Johann (my grandmother's nephew), and Dan

Our flight home to JFK in New York was uneventful. After that is when the adventure began! We found out (we had forgotten) that our flight from NYC to Atlanta left from LaGuardia across the city so we had quite a taxi ride! Then when we got to LaGuardia our tickets did not show up on Delta's reservation list, but amazingly we got seats. Then due to weather around parts of the US, including NYC, our flight was delayed until 10:30 which is when we were supposed to be landing in Atlanta. So we finally arrived in Atlanta at 1 a.m. on Wednesday and David drove us home so the kids could wake up in their beds!

We cannot say to our family and friends in Finland how much we appreciate the hospitality shown to us during our trip! I cannot think of a thing we didn't get to do except stay a little longer...we miss you so much! So for those who have followed the blog, the pictures are of our family and friends in Finland.

Also, I have enjoyed writing the blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading it. But unfortunately, the entries are only the tip of the iceberg. It doesn't tell about Austin's trip to the hospital, Davis and Jessica's shopping adventures in Korsnas, riding bikes to the villa, it doesn't capture the feelings, fun, and jokes of the trip. It doesn't tell about the challenges of traveling with the same 5 people for 5 weeks! I hope you will bear with us as we tell you about these.

What have we learned? For the kids, I think the biggest thing is that even half way around the world, people are the same as we are. A little different in language, food, and housing, but still the same inside. For me, definitely about the language and computers. And for all us...there is no place like home.

Have a great summer!

Time in Helsinki

Pic 1 Olympic Year in Helsinki
Pic 2 Copper Dome of the Temppeliaukio Church
Pic 3 Flower vendor at South Harbor Market
Pic 4 Helsinki Cathedral
Pic 5 Uspensky Russian Orthodox Cathedral
Pic 6 Sibelius Monument (Organ Pipes)
Pic 7 Kids on ride at Linnanmaki Amusement Park

On Sunday morning we said good bye to Lars Erik, Eivor, and Dan. They took us to Helsinki where we had an afternoon of sightseeing. We did a walking tour and saw the Olympic fields and arenas from the 1952 Olympics. We saw the National Opera House and Finlandia House, the National Museum, and Parliament. Then we walked to a church called Temppeliaukio Church that is carved from a rock and has a dome ceiling made of 22 miles of copper. The pews and altar are very simple in order to not detract from from the beautifully carved walls, ceiling, and pipe organ.

In the evening, we met the parents, Riita and Juhani, of Mom's former exchange student, Jari, for dinner. (They live in Spain for the winter and in Finland for the summer.) We went for a very nice dinner with them. On Monday morning, Juhani took us on a tram/walking tour around Helsinki again. We saw the church, the Helsinki Cathedral, where Jari and his wife were married and the Uspensky Russian Orthodox Cathedral. We walked the South Harbor market and purchased a few items. We went to the composer's, Jean Sibelius, monument. And the most favorite thing the kids did was go to another amusement park, Linnanmaki, for the afternoon!

For the evening Jari's brother, Juri, picked us up at the hotel and took us to his home for a nice meal which was our last in Finland.

National Symbols of Finland

During our trip, I have been on a quest to find the national symbols of Finland. Helsinki is the capital to a population of about 5 million people in a country of 100,000 lakes and a midnight sun. There are two languages spoken here: Finnish and Swedish. Swedish is spoken by only 5% of the country and is the language of my family here in Finland. The national bird is a swan, the national animal is a bear, the national tree is the birch, and the national flower is the lily of the valley (I missed most of its blooming), the national fish is the perch, and the national stone is granite. The flag has a blue cross on a white background. The blue stands for water, the white stands for snow, and the cross for the Christian foundation of the country.

The Front Museum and Hangö

Pic 1 Lars Erik with his semi tractor trailer
Pic 2 Ship leaving haarbor for Germany
Pic 3 Water carousel at beach in Hango
Pic 4 Austin with WWII missile
Pic 5 Barbed wire boundary at museum
Pic 6 large cannon from WWII

Today, we set off to see the southernmost city in Finland called Hango which is a tourist town in the summer with miles and miles of coastline. When we arrived, we took a tour of the harbor where Lars Erik who drives an 18 wheeler picks up trailers to carry all over. He drives an average of 3000 km a week or about 170,000 km per year. We saw a tanker leaving the harbor going to Germany to pick up another load! After that we took a driving tour of the area and stopped at a local beach to let the kids swim. Of course today was overcast and cool and then on the beach it was windy. So needless to say, they did not stay in long, but Austin was the first in! They had a rope carousel out in the water that would swing you around when you caught a rope. Since Austin was the right size, it whipped him all around through the air while it only dragged the other kids through the water! After that, we stopped at a restaurant that Lars Erik knew had good food--a truck stop--and it was good!

Before we got to Hango, though, we stopped at a museum that was part of the Winter War with Russia in 1939-40 and led to Finland's cooperation with the Germans against Russia in WWII. The original foxholes, trenches and barracks are still there along with some mines and cannons. Just over the rise of land was the boundary line between Finland and Russia devised in the treaty to end the war. Though the Finns were poorly prepared for war in manpower and equipment, as I teach in my history classes: When fighting for home, family, and land, the home team has a definite advantage and determination to keep and preserve what is theirs. And in this case, too, Finland prevailed.

Though the US has used the draft system and young men must still register for the draft, it is mandatory in Finland that young men must serve in the army for 6, 8, or 12 months to learn an army job in the event a large army is needed for the country's defense. If the time is not served, the young men must serve an equal time in jail or must leave the country. They are not eligible to receive any more benefits as citizens (which are many) if they do not serve the time. Then as time goes on, a few weeks may be required for additional training. Lars Erik, who is trained in large cannons, will train for his last time for a few days in August.

Our wonderful time in Ekanas is over. Tomorrow we leave for Helsinki for a couple of days before we return home on Tuesday, June 30. Where has the time gone?

A Busy Day in Ekanas

Pic 1 Ekanas Harbor at 10 p.m.
Pic 2 View of sailboat from dinner cruise
Pic 3 Kids ready for the dinner cruise
Pic 4 Birthday dinner on cruise
Pic 5 Coast at "sunset"
Pic 6 Summer missions concert in Ekanas

On Friday, we spent the day at the beach town of Ekanas. We left Davis and Austin with Lars Erik at a park to play on the playground near the beach while the rest of us went shopping. After finding a few nice items, we met back and had lunch at a dockside restaurant.

At 5:30 p.m. we boarded a small cruise ship called the Sunnan II for a 4 hour trip around the islands of Southern Finland in the Gulf of Finland. We had a leisurely trip with bright warm sunshine (it has been around 80 since arriving in Ekanas on Wednesday) through some interesting scenery with boats, huge rock islands in the archipelago, and even some men streaking down their boardwalk as they came out of the sauna at their villa to dive into the cold water (I'll save those pictures til later!) We had a nice dinner to celebrate my birthday and continued to cruise. The lowering of the sun was again glorious as it was becoming overcast.

After we landed, we went back to the park from the afternoon to see a concert we had seen students advertising as we walked through town earlier. Much to our surprise and that of some highly intoxicated young people, the concert-drama presentation was performed by a group called 'Summer Action', a Christian outreach group who were from various countries and are working in Ekanas doing missions work for the summer. They did a series of Christian rock songs, drama, and interpretive dance and gave testimony and an invitation at the end. Though some of the audience detracted from the program at times, I know that some seeds were planted and that God will receive the glory for their efforts.

Raseborg--Back in Time

On Thursday, we went to some old castle ruins nearby called 'Raseborg', built in the 1370's. It became important to Finland's history at the end of the Middle Ages. Because the land has continued to rise (as explained in blog 'Stones, Rocks, and Boulders'), the water level was near the base of the castle which is built on a humongous boulder and is constructed of rocks (surprise!). Raseborg has 3 towers, an encircling wall, and divided rooms on several levels used for jails, storerooms, living areas, guard and watch towers, and even a bathroom. It was used to protect the important trade route over the Gulf of Finland to Reval, Germany and to collect taxes as boats passed the castle. It has been controlled by Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Germany and kings and other rulers have lived in it. It lost its importance as the land continued to rise and was no longer convenient to control and collect the taxes. Though it is in ruins, it was very interesting to walk and climb around the ruins and imagine what may have transpired within its walls.

Arrival in Ekanas

After dragging way too much luggage for 5 people across three train stations and Austin almost getting left because he was the last in the group to get on the train because the rest of us were trying to get a mountain of bags on a full train, we arrived in Helsinki and Mom's two cousins met us and drove us to their town about 1 and 1\2 hours away. We went to Johann's home where he owns a horse farm and boards them as well as providing a space for training. After visiting for a while, we went back to Lars Erik's for dinner and bed. His wife's name is Eivor and his son, Dan, is 15.

The next morning we went on a walk down a dirt road not farm from Lars Erik's house and saw a lot of picturesque forests, fields, flowers, and scenery. So most of this entry is just a lot of pictures showing them!

Churches in Finland

Pic 1 & 2-Larsmo church and the center of the dome
Pic 3, 4, 5-Korsnas church-pulpit and soldiers' memorial 'for home and fatherland'
Pic 6-9 Narpes church horse barns, immigration memorial, bell tower, and organ
Pic 10 & 11 Pojo church and bell tower
The dominant denomination in Finland is Lutheran. Most Finnish people go to church for christenings, confirmations, funerals, and major holidays. Not many people attend their local church on a regular basis. Most churches are in the shape of a cross. The priest speaks from a pulpit which is raised above the congregation. There is a separate altar which many times is in the shape of a circle. Most of them have a large boat suspended or displayed in the church symbolizing the seafaring who come to the church to worship. All of them have a cemetery and tribute to the soldiers from their community who died in the Finnish-Russian War in 1939 and WWII. There is also a detached bell tower for most of the churches. The first church and service we attended was in Jakobstad for William's last day of school.

The second church we looked in was in Larsmo. It was built in 1787. My grandfather's family worships here.

The third church we looked in was my grandmother's church in Korsnas which was built in 1747 and was remodeled in 1862. There is a corner stone on the belfry that dates to 1713, but I don't know what that is. We attended church on a Sunday evening and there were about 20 people there.

The fourth church we visited was my grandfather's father's church in Narpes. It was built in 1435. Outside, the small houses were used when people came to church on\with horses in the winter. There is also a large stone with a bronze relief dedicated to those who immigrated and died in a foreign country.

The fifth church we looked at was in Pojo, where we are now in Southern Finland in which these cousins have been married and confirmed. It is different than the other churches in that it is not in the shape of a cross. We looked inside tonight while a choir was practicing for a special program commemerating the 650th anniversary of the building of the church. Hopefully we will go to the program on Sunday.