Spring has come?

     It's been little warm here in Finland. Last week most of days the temperature was around 1-4C, so I felt I don't need to have a thick face cover any more when I went out. I also noticed the bird started singing again after for a while. I did not hear on December and January at all. Now even early morning during going to school I am hearing Great tit's song (teacher, teacher...that people hear their song in Finland, my bird instructor Suvi told me, and I agree)
Today with my bird instructor in Finland who I was introduced from one of University Professor we went to bird watching near the lake, Hatanpää arboretum. The area was very familiar to me now after so many times walking around for exercise along the lake shore.
In the arboretum there are bird feeders where many birds coming. Suvi pointed many birds I did not recognized their names such as Blue tits, Green finches, Jay. European Jay's head is rather round and pointy with long hair. Wing has beautiful blue stripped patterns. Blue tits are popular bird here but this was my first time to have a clear image.
     I feel sorry I could not take this beautiful bird's photo and should copy from web site...

Also Green finch, that is not green color, more like yellowish, especially the last parts of wing are bright yellow!
The lake was not completely frozen, so bunch of mallards were enjoying to play or picking their lunch. Even Suvi pointed a couple was busy to making baby! We saw an Eurasian Teal, small dabbling ducks among the group of Mallards. It has nice blue color lane in the teal.
Then we saw a Goshawk flying over to the lake. Suvi was so excited. She said it made her to come today. It was a really large hawk with white color, so sometime people say white tail hawk, that reminded me red tail hawk I used to see in southern California. Now the birding season starts, so I will be busy again.
   

Cross country ski

        Today was my first challenge for the cross country ski. Since I came to Finland I decided I have to try any way the cross country ski. It’s the country for it.

Our university has some rental ski set for the students and staff. My secretary was kind to arrange me to have a set of ski during this winter. Of course the skies are very old ( the stock I rented is made by bamboo!!! But there is no other choice for my short height compared much taller Finnish people).

     Oh, well from the beginning I could stand up and at least walk with ski. But skiing smoothly was not easy at first. May be the ski is too old and dose not have proper grease or wax? Or I am too beginner? Any way I started tries to follow the trace of previous skiers. Slowly, putting out a little speed…..30 min, about 1 hr….

   

     I became feeling that it is fun! I was sweating terribly lot…more than 4 km and ended up to the small lake. It is totally frozen now. I skied to the frozen lake carefully.

On the way back the ski started cooperate with me a little better. Speed increased much more than before. I felt much more fun.

2 and half hour had gone. After all I sweat like a waterfall. But it was really fun, I already decide I will keep continue during the winter, definitely I will return next weekend again!

クロスカントリースキー

フィンランドに来たからには挑戦してみようと思っていることの一つが、クロスカントリースキーです．幸運にも大学にちょっと古くはありますが、無料の貸し出しスキーがあり、セクレタリーがいつでも使っていいよといってくれたので、そのチャンスを逃すわけにはまいりません。
我が研究室の裏手は北に湖に続く森林で，ハイキングロードになっています。秋の間は昼休みの散歩とか楽しんでいて、道もだいたい分かっているしと、土曜日を利用して挑戦しました。
イタリア人の同僚と初心者同士。でも、若くて体力のある彼女に迷惑かななんても思いましたが．
古いのなんのって、ストックは竹ですから．でも、いざ出陣。いつも歩いているハイキングコースの平と思えるロードにスキーで乗っかります．ダウンヒルに比較して、スキーブーツは軽装で，足を固定しないので，比較的楽に立ち，歩き出しましたが，なんと、古いこともあり、それに−６Cと比較的に暖かい日でもあったため，スキー板がスムーズに滑らず，ズズット滑るのを妨害します．板に塗ってあったワックスもあっていないのか．道にはすでにクロスカントリーをしている人たちのスキーいた跡がレールのように筋になっているので，それに沿ってススッとシューッと滑りたいんですがね．坂になるとダウンヒルのように８の字登り，滑走は基本的にはダウンヒルのようです．やっぱ、初めてですから自然に足がくっつくのではなく，開きます．
ほとんどスキーで歩いているように、４kmばかり約１時間もかかって進みます．もう汗びっしょり．

　　　　　時たま、フィンランド人がシュッシュと追い抜いていきます．でも、次第にスキー板のワックスもとれてきたのか、ちょっとスムーズに滑り出します．そうすると、ダウンヒルのようなスピード感とはまたちがう、滑る楽しさがちょっと体に湧いてき始めます。もうちょっとやるかなーと、もうすでにずっと先にいってる同僚に向かって急ぎだします．
たどり着いたのは、”にいはま”湖．すっかり凍っていて、こどもたちがそりで転げ回ってます．だいじょうぶかなと私も氷の上に滑りだそうとしたら、ツルリとすべってスキーごとコロン。
そんなこんなで、２時間半ばかり、最後には少しはスムーズに滑るように歩くというのを体感できてるかなというぐらいにはなりましたが。
まあ、しばらくこの季節が続くので、トレーニングしてみましょうか。

90＋研究

　　　　

　　　　寒い日がいよいよ続いてはいますが，まあ建物の中は暖房されているし、それにうっすらと日が長くなってきているのを感じ始めています．
今度移ったエリアはタンペレの郊外団地のような地域で、ここ20年開発が進んでいるということですが．ほどよく自然を保護して、取り入れているようにも感じられます．近くにあるノキア研究所やタンペレ工科大学のため，２０代，３０代の年齢層が多く移り住んできたとのことです．
　　若い家族をサポートするための、保育園、学校も整備されていますし．
ここのところ、おなじビルディングに同じく移ってきたロシア人の工科大学生と友人になり，夕方誘い合わせて，ハイキングするようになりました．湖周辺の遊歩道エクササイズは確かに寒くはありますが、真っ白に氷に覆われた樹林の中を歩くのは、とても気持ちの良いものです．キュッキュッと粉雪を踏みしめて、頑張っています．
　　ところで、わがジェロントロジーグループの９０＋研究ですが，ここ20年近くタンペレ近郊に在住する90歳以上の方の生活、健康調査を継続しています．そして、昨年末郵送された調査項目の返答が戻りつつあり、今年度2014年の調査が始まっています．
すでに何年か継続して、参加されている高齢者はとても積極的に応答してくださっているようです．残念ながら、私はまだフィンランド語が未熟で調査に参加できず、データだけを待っているのが悔しくてたまりませんが．2010年の調査データをいただき、自分のテーマを設定すべく、統計学的処理の勉強中です。最高齢者は107歳でしたが，今回はどうなるでしょうか。いよいよ、気が引き締まる思いですが。秋から統計処理プログラムの講義を受講し、自分の研究室のコンピューターでも実践しながら、プログラムになじもうとはしていますが。

New start again

             It’s already middle of January 2014. After spending wonderful holiday in northern Italy I was a little busy for moving the location, writing assignment for epidemiology statistic, organizing the room, adjusting to the new environment, then as usual I got flu for a while. This time I lost my voice more than 3 days, still I hear my voice is kind of strange( …may be it’s not true for everybody, but I feel so). Since last Sunday finally winter has start here also. Everyday it snowed. Temperature has been around -10C. All standing trees were covered by snow now, look like sugar coated. In the morning it is very hard to wait the bus at bus stop. The cold powder snow is biting even though the chili wind is not so harsh. I need wrap my face with scarf, which freezes by the time I arrive the campus with my breath.

             However it’s Sunday today. I finished the report of Epidemiology statistics (it ended up more than 20 pages..), and today my friends are coming to my new place. They also spent their holiday at their own home town or their country, so today is a kind of new gathering New Year party. I baked a Galette de rois cake with putting a special chocolate figure inside. Of course Jan. 6 Epiphany’s day was over but still we can play for picking it up as a happy promised girl of this year. Sometime we just pretend like young girls, can’t we?

Finland Independent Day

        December 6 is one of most important national holiday in Finland, Independence Day.
In 1917 Finland declared the independency from the Russia and became a free nation. People cerebrate this special day with family dinner at home watching the Presidential Independence Day Reception at the Presidential Palace. Every year about 2000 guests are invited from the nation wide and enjoyed the music and dinner for the reception and it is broadcasted on national TV, with which people can feel join the cerebration together.
This year President chose to come to Tampere for the ceremony due to the presidential Palace’s renovation. City of Tampere was excited more than usual. Tampere University had student’s torch procession to the city hall. From the city Hall balcony the woman Mayer gave the special speech to the people with white and blue balloons (Finnish national flag colors). Unfortunately I don’t understand the contents but it sounded stately, then more than 1000 balloons flew up to the sky with the salute of cannon.
Soon after that fireworks started at the harbor. It was only 15 min or less of the show but red, blue, and orange, many colors were so gorgeous. Usually quiet Finnish people cheered loudly.
At that time it was still before 5 pm even though it was deeply dark already. People got to return home with alacrity for the holiday dinner and watching the presidential reception on TV.
However for us it was too early to go home, so we walked around the city for a while anyway. Even though it was snowing all the time. It’s holiday!

Thanksgiving in Finland

            This year I am in Finland, so there is no Thanksgiving Day here. So I decided to have Finland version Thanksgiving dinner here. My colleagues in Tampere University, School of Health Science are so international team. One of professor at our school used to collaborate with CDC and WHO many years, and nearly 20 years ago School started a special epidemiology Ph. D course for international students. At that time they wanted helping the epidemiology disaster in India, so they invited a couple medical doctors to be educated here to improve their research and study, then later that program expanded to Africa and East Europa. Occasionally, now every other year, few students who are medical doctors in their countries or epidemiological scientists are invited to the course. They stay here to take many courses in epidemiological field one year and going back to their own country to continue their research to complete for the doctoral dissertation. During their research period they, students and professors keep communicate with internet, telephone, or mail. Or sometime they are visiting each other. Finland is very interested country in that point doing this.
Anyway preparing Thanksgiving dinner course, I found many interesting differences, too. I could not find Cranberry source, pumpkin pure, and cornmeal at anywhere, but Lingonberry source and corn flour.
Instead of pumpkin pie I baked apple pie. Instead of cranberry source I used lingonberry source, which worked very well. My new friends here, Finnish, Italian, Mongolian, and Chinese, everybody had their first Thanksgiving turkey with big smile!