This week kicked off with an evening at Sari's house to welcome our visiting scholar from Canada.
Sari is known across the globe not only as a skillful researcher, but also as a superb chef!
She and her husband and family are terrific hosts!! And the highlight is always spending time with her kids who are gifted conversationalists--and at such young ages, too!!
Lisa texted me over the Christmas holidays and asked if I had a picture of a reindeer I could send her. One of her colleagues wanted a picture for her daughter. When I heard what was on the menu at Sari's home, I remembered I hadn't sent the photo. I jokingly told those I was sitting with that I should take a picture of this reindeer and send it along instead. Yeah...perhaps not my most refined moment. But I thought it was funny. Fortunately, they did too. :)
The life of an academic! This was taken at the end of our reading seminar where we took up some of Marx's work.
We had 2 days of full on sunshine this week. Makes me SO, SO HAPPY!! The sky has an entirely different color to it in the winter.
And the temperature gauge points in an entirely different direction in the winter. :)
I had a care package waiting for me when I came back!! It came after I had left for the holidays, so I was excited to have something waiting for me at the post office. What was inside?...
My very own Christmas tree, ornaments, and nativity set!! AHHHH!!!! Thank you so much Penny!! I can't wait for Christmas 2013: I'm all set!!! :)
The week wrapped up with a delicious lunch/dinner at Helena's place. Here we are, just before dinner, demonstrating how to use this traditional sleigh...? I'm not sure what it's called in English. (Nor do I remember the word for it in Finnish.) At any rate, I've seen some older people pushing these suckers around in the snow. And there's a seat in the front. (Helena's demonstrating how one might sit on said seat while taking a breather). How handy is that?! Gotta love Finnish inventions.
Now, if the Finns could just figure out how to teleport, I'd live here forever!! :)
Gahhhh! This makes me so excited! :D I love every single picture. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletethe Finnish traditional sleigh is called "potkukelkka" alias kicklsled ('cause you have to kick to make it move ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen we didn't have a car and our kids were young we rode the sled (kelkkailimme) to church: Petra sitting in the front (facing forward), Krista standing in front of Iiro. I was standing behind Iiro holding on him with one hand and the baby carriage where Laura was with the other one. And we went down the big hill besides the burned Jyvälä building (Kortesuonkatu) close the old Palokunta. It was fun! And dangerous? Probably... But isn't life anyway?! ;)