Finland Outdoors

In one of my previous posts, I was a little nervous that I wasn't integrating into this culture as I should be. What I have realized since then from my own observations and talking to people is that Winter Life in Finland revolves around doing things outdoors. If you're not into going outside in the cold, you're not having a happy winter.

Thankfully, March in Finland beckons the arrival of very long, sunny winter days. I have to admit, winter here is much more stable than in Montreal. In Montreal, you have to face a wider range of temperature (mild to -30) in the span of one or two day, it's more humid, the streets are full of slush, more snowfall. In Finland, everything is very consistent. I've been alpine skiing three times in the last two weeks and every time the conditions were identical, granular with very little ice.

So yes, outdoors is the way to go. I bought skates and get to enjoy the large Jyväsjärvi (Grain-Lake). The Student Union, or someone with organization skills than I've got, sets-up all sorts of activities on the lake, including snowman, or snow sculpture building and all-day winter sports day where you can try out curling, funny long skates and build igloos.


SNOW PICTURES

Some sculptures were easily identifiable while others needed a little imagination. I did my best for describing what these things were. Below those ones, are some the activities set up for this Sports day. They gave curling lessons using kitchen pots as rocks and built these Finnish-type igloos in which some students spent the night. The latter sounded tempted to to me but I kept thinking how terrible I might feel the next morning after having slept in a small space with ten other people where the only heating was a result of other people's breath. It was surely a recipe for getting a cold. Plus I snore alot...

Oh yeah, notice the little bit of pee beside the Snow Bowl. Even in the snow guys can't aim properly. I'm guessing it was a guy because girls have more sense than to pee on outdoor snow made toilet bowls. Proove me wrong ladies!