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!

 

Successful aging

           What successful aging means to us? It is very much subjective issue, isn’t it? Since I came to Finland or may be before then I have been thinking this matter in my deep bottom of heart. Seen my mother’s death shocked and shake me this way. Rowe and Khan’s multi-dimensional model with three characteristics of successful aging, low probability of disease and disease-related disability, high cognitive and physical functioning, and active engagement with life introduced more bio-medical approach compared the previous major social theories such as disengagement theory, activity theory, and continuity theory. But actually successful aging should be considered with many other various elements included in it: dimensions such as mental and cognitive health, psychological well-being and life satisfaction, happiness, social relationships, support, activity and productivity, personal growth, sense of purpose, self-acceptance, coping, spirituality, neighborhood and financial circumstances and security. It is really subjective and also cultural. The prevailing cultural conceptions are also varying on age group such as old (65-74), older old (75-84) or oldest old (85+). Especially the number of oldest old group has been increasing last 10 years and continues to grow. For those aged people the definition of disability itself might need to be rethinking, too.
Including me many people has one or several chronic disease health conditions but keep living with adjusting that condition anyway, so if the condition is not serious and we don’t have severe bad disability the low possibility of illness is not first priority for the successful aging for us, I think. How about the loneliness from isolating family or society? It may hurt people. But some people may say they would enjoy their privacy and independency without bothering from anybody.
        Here in Finland, independency, which spiritually mainly but also physically, is valuable to the most people. The older live alone or with spouse after their children grown up (usually after the children graduate from the high school). It is similar to the United State. But the difference from the United States is that the parents support their children financially until they become independent (have a job) and help their grand children as after school caregiver or sickness caregiver unless they live close to them. It looks they enjoy being sandwich generation here in Finland. May be it happens because as follows;
1. the social health care system cover almost all medical expense
2. enough pension to everybody allow them to stay at home till the health condition get very worth
3. they can move to the shelter accommodation
  Well I will keep observing their life…

Windy Tampere

It was very windy all day today. It was sunny with beautiful blue sky after week of dazzling days, so I should not stay inside. Let’s go to the lake!
Wind was pushing my back. Lake was undulating. Waves were splashing.  Trees fall down in the wind. Twigs were soaring in the wind. The birds were flying as drunk in the air.
I was excited. How wonderful refresh feeling I got while I was walking along side the lake. Nature is great, and we are such a small living things belong to it. We can not control Nature. We don’t have that kind of power. We have to admire Nature, we have to be part of it.

All Saints Day Holiday

It was a holiday in Finland, All Saints Day, it is a day visiting the deceased families and relatives at the grave yard with lighting candles. Originally it came from Christianity but now is celebrated by commemorating the faithful departed.
In Finland there are  graveyards everywhere and I see flowers on the grave spots. They don't cremate here I guess.
Stores, public offices, or entertainments(public sauna, also) are closed.
I did long walking into the woods with friend. After more than 2 hours walk we ended up the lakeside  at all most sunset. But it was only 4:40pm! Definitely day time is shortening in Finland.
This beautiful sunset reminded me my nature place at Hokkaido in Japan near the Mt. Daisetu. That's why I feel so calm here at Finland, I think.

Winter ceremony with illumination

Tampere Illuminations begin.

Winter started here at Tampere.
Tonight there was an opening ceremony at City Hall with Fire dance of young people, Snowsong fairy tale and fire works after the ceremony.
Even though it was raining a little, but nobody care of it. Tons of people with children showed up at the central square on 8pm. It was not cold yet. The temperature was 10C at that time, now I feel worm with this temperature. Also summer time ended. This morning we had an extra hour before wake up.
Main streets are brightened up with 165 fantastic light figures consisting of 23,000 led bulbs during darkest months.

Winter started

 I snowed. When I woke this morning I saw the snow covered everywhere around my apartment. It started snowing a little yesterday afternoon but by the time I came home it was already turned raining.    

  

   Now really *Winter* starts. However the temperature is almost 0-2C day time now, it dose not hurt me so much. People wear thick coat or jacket with muffler and hat; those keep warm, and indeed work very well. Still people are active outside, walking, jogging, and hanging around with friends. I did the lake side walking over hour, too. After I came home I wet a lot. A Finnish boy who are born here and growing here told me the winter coldness is nothing to him, the darkness is nothing to him, just that is. I started to take Finnish class at the university. There is a culture exchange program the students to help each other. I got a boy who is interested in Japanese, so we must meet 14hrs to enhance our goal, which Finnish for me and Japanese for him. Finnish and Japanese are totally different language obviously but somehow the way to pronunciation of alphabets is more similar and easier than English. We agree this point. His study major is English and German. Of course he likes comics, that why he became be interested like others. But he entered the special vocational school a year before starting University, so he understands a lot. In Finland people start University or Graduate school whenever they are ready. Especially many graduate students for Master have their jobs and studying to complete their degree in several years. Becoming school teacher at least Master degree may require, so all school teachers at elementary school to high school have Master or more degrees. That may be one of the reasons why the Economist Intelligence Unit for Pearson, has found Finland to be the best education system in the world. The ranking of international test results is one of the top in the world.

Wao, I almost miss the full moon cause too much thinking during walking….

beautiful autumn

It is really beautiful autumn season now. The leaves are falling everywhere all the time. Sometime I wake up with the sound of falling leaves as it sounds like raining lightly outside of window. The falling leaves turning to yellow color cover the grounds. If you walk into the woods you may feel you walk into the fairy tail word of Hansel and Gretel. You may want to lose your way back and stay there forever. It smells so much autumn leaves, and there are all the time sounds of birds. Our university buildings located at the edge of the campus, just next the huge woods.  Whenever I have a spare time I am walking around inside the woods to look for the mushrooms (I found some but I don’t know they are edible or not), birds, and animals (I saw only squirrels).
I am really lucky to be here on this season.

Happy birthday Tampere!

On Oct. 1, 1779,  Tampere was established under the king of Sweden, Gustav III, by that time Finland was not independent country but a part of Sweden. Since 1955 people celebrate the city’s birthday on that day and the last weekend of September. This year is 234rd Anniversary. There are many public events at the city hall, public library, police station, health center, and schools. At the harbor the fish markets sell salmon dishes, smoked, marinated salmon, sardines, other many kinds of white fishes. Most of the museums offer free admission to everybody. People visit the city’s historical events and enjoy fish lunch with family and friends.

Ikeya in Finland

 Of course Ikeya is Swedish company, but somehow it sounds like Nordic country's furniture and living shop to me. However Ikeya shop opened just last year here in Tampere, my colleague told.
So I took the bus for this weekend's excursion. The store building, parking, and the entrance everything is similar looking as I got used in Los Angeles.  Placement setting for the furniture, kitchen items, or children's corner are exactly same even though everything is written in Finnish. Cafeteria is also same condition, that special meat ball plate with mashed potato and lingonberry jelly, smoked salmon, coffee and sweets. Price of things is almost same as in USA, too. But I saw more colorful items here compared in the State. Well,  is this for Finland people? Or export delivery permit the choices? Now I feel I must to go to Sweden to find the birthplace store there..... anyway I found a jar of black caviar so cheap. Only 1.95 euros, wao!!

free market

Another sunny weekend again!  With my colleague from Italy, Eleonora and her friend who lives here in Tampere walked to free market. Blueberry, strawberry, lingberry, cranberry, mushroom, potato, carrot, beets, cabbage, pumpkin, all those fruits and vegetable harvested by local farmers were coming here for citizens.  The square was crowded with families, friends who are enjoying nice relaxed weekend.

They are also having lunch there. Tampere is famous for black sausage made by the pig blood. People eat with lingberry jam and drink milk together. Someday I may try the black sausage but not now….

Start

I must say good bye to the friends in the States for a while now. 
I decided to go to Finland.
Why?
Well I am letting you know gradually in this blog.
After living here more than 20 years, becoming American citizen, but still I have not decide this country  is the place to finalize my life. I would like to explore little bit more in the world.
Finland is a part of Scandinavian countries and EU as well. It's for Nokia, Angry bird, Mumin (Fin; Muumi) and yes, this is the well established social health country in our Gerontology field!!
However I am not sure how this world economy affect Finland's situation. How badly the population of Finland is getting old, what is the percentage of senior people against the total population. How do they live their senior life?
I have been talking with Professor in Tampere University, Finland, School of Gerontology at this point for a while and then I decide I would like to see what is really going in Finland by my sight. 
I am going to explore their culture, their senior life, their social health condition, and also their nature, too!