the new and improved sheesergirl

winter

i tell everyone to visit helsinki in the summer, when the city turns green and sparkly and everyone goes for picnics at night. but winter has its beauty, too. it's just difficult to stop and admire it when temperatures drop to -28 degrees celcius.

dancing in iceland

Sigur Rós: Valtari on Nowness.com.

uimastadion

summer. why do you leave me? we were getting along fine...

mokki

a majority of Finns own their own summer cottage. many of these cottages, or mokki as they're called here, don't have electricity and some have outhouses. most of them are quite simple... and at the same time very luxurious. ella's mokki is quite typical. it's in the middle of nowhere, faces a lake, and has a sauna. and it's the sort of place that makes me wonder about my priorities. why do i work so hard? do i really like big cities so much? what's the meaning of it all?

after a hard day of berry picking and a gorgeous dinner cooked by a special guest from brooklyn, ella led the way to the sauna. after 10 minutes of warming up in the wood-heated sauna, she told me to get my bikini on for a quick dip in the "lovely water."

the water was so cold i let out a few screams, but after a few minutes of frantic doggy-paddling it began to feel good. then we went back to the sauna to warm up again, and had a can of karhu beer to finish off the day.

i must do this again.

picking berries and mushrooms with ella

lesson 1) if a Finn ever invites you to their summer cottage, accept.

lesson 2) when you find a berry bush, make sure you pick it clean before moving on to the next bush. that way the next berry picker will have a better time.

lesson 3) if you meet anyone while out mushroom picking, try to keep a distance and don't ask where they're going or where they've been. everyone is very secretive about their favourite picking spot.

Alppipuisto

summer in helsinki is all about sitting outdoors, listening to live music til late in the evening, eating lots of berries and drinking sparkling wine.

norway

they say being born a norwegian is like winning the lottery.

summer days are here

wish you were here

makia, makea, makeaa...

May Day

celebrating may day in helsinki

ohayo!

postcard from lapland

these beautiful huskies were part of a six-member sledding team that led me around a 35-kilometre trail in saariselka, finnish lapland. i took turns with a latvian lady at steering and riding the sled. at one point during my ride, i felt the sled was going too fast so i turned around to ask her to slow down -- and discovered she had fallen off a while earlier and i was on a driver-less sled! definitely one of the most thrilling moments of the year.

good morning

no matter where i live, the dining table ends up being my favourite spot. i do everything here - eat breakfast, read magazines, work, send text messages and take short naps when the sun is coming in at the right angle...

i am never quite sure how many place mats to use. it feels a bit odd to use two when it's just me, but that's what i do. i often end up switching sides through the day. today, i'm studying finnish on one side and eating on the other.

should i do it?

when the bay freezes over, we have the option of taking a short-cut over the ice. with the past few days of sunshine, the surface has turned a bit slushy, but many of my neighbours are still crossing. should i follow them? would you? here are some factors to consider:
1) there are plenty of people doing it. none of them look worried
2) but there are a few who consider crossing, and don't. you notice that some of these people are with young children.
3) there are some freshly baked cardamom buns and hot coffee waiting at the cafe on the other side.