Coffee talk

I'm really not used to being in snow. Right now, I'm sitting in Juha's office in Helsinki watching millions of snowflakes fall to the earth. Everyone just goes about their daily life, hardly anyone is that bothered by the cold. I can't even make it 20 minutes without losing all feeling in my face and fingers. WITH fur-lined gloves.

Just came in on the train from Turku this morning. I spent the last 3 days with my grandfather's mother's side of the family. 40 years after my own mother made the same visit. I was passed around between houses and shuttled to other houses, so everyone could have a look at their San Franciscan relative. I've eaten SO much in the last few days. Everyone is totally spoiling me. Good thing I did this at the end of my trip rather than the beginning, so I didn't get used to having people take care of me before having to do everything myself. Ancient family albums were brought out along with pots of coffee and plates of cookies. There were even home movies that included the summer trip taken by my mom and her sisters, brother, and parents back in 1969. Filmed at the same house that I visited just two days ago. My mom was so young I hardly recognized the blond girl that she used to be, enjoying the lake and sun and the company of her distant Finnish roots, except for the signature red handkerchief on her head.

Little pieces of the mystery of her habits and likes and dislikes have been solved. Her favorite candy, black licorice made by Panda, is Finnish. My vegetable diet that she fed me as a child - cucumbers, tomatoes and beets - are eaten at every meal here. Even the furniture in our old house resembles the some of the homes I've visited - old Singer sewing machines, antique Scandinavian chairs and tables, old wool rugs hung on the wall, and of course all of the candles and Christmas decorations.

Its so amazing to come to a foreign country where you virtually know no one, and find that you do not have enough time in your 10 days to really visit all of the family members you never knew you had. And how they welcome you open-armed, hardly knowing anything about you except that you are family.

And so it was, that I was welcomed yet again on Monday afternoon, by the shy hugs of Jaana and Oscar. Oscar carrying my bag to the car, before driving us over to have a traditional Finnish Christmas lunch. Afterwards I was taken to their home where they had so graciously made room for me in one of their son's rooms, who slept on the floor of his brother's room for two nights. Jaana gave me a tour of their home and showed me the family relics which she managed to preserve. Her two sons, Antii 15 and Aleksi 10, both adopted as toddlers from Russia, happily made gingerbread cookies with me in the kitchen. After dinner and a brisk sled ride down the hill nearby, they gave me a robe and a cold beer to go take a sauna. It felt wonderful.

The next morning, Jaana and I drove to her parent's house in Kairila, where all of the family gatherings had been happening for over two generations. Probably more. The same place my mom and grandparents went when they visited. During the hour drive we chatted about everything from family to politics and back again. At one point, Jaana confessed to me that that morning while on the way to school, Aleksi had told her his impressions of me. He said I was very nice and friendly, not like how he thought I would be. When Jaana asked him how he thought I would be, he answered that he thought all Americans carried around guns and shot people. :/ Well. Certainly happy to be of service in disproving that myth!

Anyway, Jaana's parents didn't speak any English, so she translated and we ate and drank coffee and glogi (hot sweetened wine with raisins and walnuts), as we looked over the old family albums and identified relatives. Next, we drove to Pori to visit Jaana's brother Jussi and his children. The oldest, Laura, however was still in Thailand. But I met her brother Mikael 16 and sister Helmi 10, and we drank more coffee and ate coffee cake while watching home movies made by their grandfather's sister, which included footage of my mother.

Yesterday, Jaana and Oscar drove me to Turku where we walked around in the old downtown area as much as the cold weather would permit. Ending our outing at a Viking themed restaurant. Lots of dead stuffed animals and animal furs everywhere. Many reindeer and moose furs all over the walls. I had pikeperch with roasted potatoes and beets. Very hearty Scandinavian food, but very tasty. Afterwards we drove over to Tiina's house where we drank tea and looked at more family albums, reaffirming who was who. After Jaana and Oscar left to go home, I spent the evening chatting with Tiina. She also has two sons, Villhelm 14, and Villi 10. Both were pretty shy so they mostly stayed to themselves.

Ok well thats all for now. I've taken a few wintery photos now, but not as many as I should have. I seem to not be so interested in taking the camera out of my bag when it means having to take my gloves off of my already-freezing fingers. I'll try to upload them when I get back to London.