Posts filed under ‘link’
Climate, Finns and changing
Finnish summer weather is a preferred topic in the headlines – no matter what turns: hot, warm, getting colder, the sun is out, behind a cloud, cold and windy, thunder in the air..
Last week was groundbreakingly warm. Having almost +30 degrees is a lot for May. The papers went crazy over the hot weather and so did people, the streets were full of life. Now the week started with drizzling rain and less than +10 degrees. The changes are visible.
I find it amazing to see how weather affects the general mood. It’s more of a guideline than an exception: when the sun is out, so are the people. I know that in most parts of Europe the same deal exists. However, when the weather goes on for a longer time, people tend to find it as a nuisance. Allergies get worse, plants dry up, you get sweaty just thinking of food.. or it’s too cold for this time of the year, people are wearing woolen socks and whining about freezing weather and constant rain when according to them it’s suppose to be sunny. The weather takes a hold of everything from traditional cuisine to acts of love, from common habits to bureaucracy, commonly preferred cloth-colours to the national sport. It affects moods, traditions, how the roads and houses are constructed etc. Seems that most of the people take 30-40 years to get used to the weather in their home country. Why?
Here are a few paragraphs freely translated from the blog of Aikamatkustaja, a counter migrant in Finland. You decide if it’s beside the point:
“It is fashionable to blame the immigrants about everything at the moment. Cultural differences and violence are things that were brought here by foreigners. Politicians could find the guilty from outer space easier than from their own parties. Cultural differences have always existed. Karelians, Savonians, Tavastians, people from Varsinais-Suomi and especially from Ostrobothnia have down the ages caused a respectable amount of quarrels, conflicts, silent treatment, crisis in marriages, open quarrels, drama in tutelages and knife fights. There was no foreigner needed either before.”
Read the whole text here (in finnish). There was also a group on Facebook telling the volcanic ashes to go back to Iceland. I would love to present it for joining purposes, but apparently it doesn’t exist anymore. So instead, make it fun and go dance with cultures from all over the world when they meet in the centre of Helsinki 29 and 30 May 2010.
Yet another awesome travel code
“– Remember that there are not many “undiscovered” places left in the world. Focus on the places that are undiscovered to you and you won’t go wrong.
Obviously, each place you go to will offer unique challenges, but following this list will get you off to a good start.”
There are lots of codes and rules for travellers going around the world considering practical things and culture. A big amount of them might sound scary and I personally know many people who don’t want to go to certain countries because they have the image it is dangerous. Of course you have to be smart about it. However, the main thing is to be aware and ready for whatever might come on your way – or at least as ready as you could be.
There is a CNN program called AC360 which I have never seen. In it “Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news.” The program like every other nowadays has a blog, where lies a great thing from one of the contributors, Chris Guillebeau: 28 things I wish I knew before I started traveling.
“12. When you feel pressured beyond your comfort level by someone who tries to follow you, be polite but increasingly firm. Don’t string anyone along out of guilt—tell them you don’t want their help, and move on. If they keep following you, tell them to stop.
19. Like it or not, you have to be somewhat tolerant of smoking. There are lots of places in the world that haven’t picked up on the Western anti-smoking crusade. If this is hard for you to accept, you’ll likely be frustrated.
22. Don’t point your feet at people or touch anyone on the head. In several cultures, this is disrespectful or otherwise inappropriate.”
He also gives good tips from how all plane tickets are changeable no matter what is written on them – to politics, money exchange, byrochracy. Guillebeau has his own blog The Art of Non-Conformity. And as a side dish he will also teach you how to be awesome ;)
Mm, I didn’t have to tell you twice to go read it, did I? You went already didn’t you.. come back soon, ok?
Culture shock, phase three or four or five?
I’ve been waiting for this to pass for sometime now but everything around seems to motivate it. I have a really bad urge to move abroad.. again.
The weather is getting worse all the time. Finland is beautiful in the fall. I don’t mind it nor winter as long as there is no water from the sky involved (or at least only at times when I’m inside). Last week my socks got wet the first time. The last time it rained disturbingly much was in February when I was in Spain. So the weather is rubbish, the food is not as good, it’s boring here (though I did go to an interesting bar here in Helsinki just last night) and I’m annoyed by the general being of Finns. Blaa blaa..
But the main reason is – that some of my friends are moving or already have moved abroad to places I like or would like to visit. Looking at their pictures of the warm and exciting.. uff. A beautiful sunset viewed from a cliff somewhere in Marseille, driving around Paris on a scooter, the blue waters of Spain, sky diving in Italy, dancing salsa in Barcelona, pizza eating at the Colosseum and further more – canooing and snorkling in Thailand, Bali, Singapore.. Miami, Colombia, San Jose, Venezuela.
Even Finland’s English language magazine, Six Degrees, has a survey “How to avoid autumn depression?” and the first answer from the designer Lincoln Kayiwa was “A bit of travel should be refreshing.” YES.. please! Though right after it the next answer went for a cognitive hint “Do not complain about the weather all the time. It does help to accept the situation as it is.” (Ruth Franco, psychologist)
I’m curious about life, period.
I’ve had some back problems in the past few days. Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with my booty pop practising.. or well, maybe it does, because I don’t really know what it’s about. Also writing the thesis is getting on my nerves at times. Poor flatmate, has to bare with me :)
While I keep on struggling with my own little problems, there is something greater to be shared, Wisdom Book.
The maker Andrew Zuckerman. Source: http://www.zimbio.com/
Wisdom is an ongoing project which was inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can pass to another is the wisdom it has gained from experience. This project seeks to create a record of multicultural group of people who have all made their mark on the world.
“Presented against the same white space, all of the subjects are removed from their context, which not only democratizes them, but also allows for a clear dialogue to exist between them. In an attempt to create a more profound, honest, and truly revealing portrait of these luminaries, the project encompasses their voices, their physical presence, and the written word.”
Chuck Close, Billy Connolly, Clint Eastwood, Malcolm Fraser, Kris Kristofferson, Henry Kissinger, Esther Mahlangu, Nelson Mandela, Willie Nelson, Yoko Ono, Michael Parkinson, Federico Mayor Zaragoza.. and so many others I’ve heard of once, several times or never.
Browse through the whole heartfelt page, and see the touching film trailer, here: http://www.wisdombook.org/
Booty poppin!
I started a dancehall reggae dance class this autumn. My image of it was that it’s based on a lot of swaying, bendy legs and ass shaking. That’s how it seems on the videos. Little did I know.
Dancehall is a subgenre of reggae which came around in the late 70′s when digital rhythms came available also for reggae artists. Dancehall, like it’s parent, is Jamaica’s gift to the world of music genres. Later it’s popularity spawned dance moves that are just full of energy. Many dance moves seen in hip-hop videos are actually variations of dancehall dances. Just check Sean Paul’s Like Glue and Elephant Man’s Pon de River, Pon de Bank. Aparently very easy versions they are indeed.
Last time in class, the teacher was – and I’m not joking – telling us to stand on our head, doing the splits and booty pop at the same time. I laughed the first time she said it but put a straight face on very quick when the booties really started to pop. Booty poppin’ means that someone (usually a girl) is physically capable of shaking their booty without any other body part moving. Not the legs or lower back, just simply – the booty!
After class I did some research on it and found a lot of videos with titles like “Caucasian girls just ain’t got the ass for it.” I might be wrong, but I dare to state black women generally have some rhythm in their vains from birth while us white girls have to practise to find it. For me even trying to stand on my head doing the splits was hilarious enough, but there were some girls in the class who could do it – and boy, did they do it well.
I’ve always wanted to have some kind of talent which leaves others gasping for air. Some people are just unbeatable in cooking, some know how to walk on their hands, paint breathtakingly photographic pictures or have the ability to memorize amazing quantities of information about the volcanos. Some people have it naturally and others learn it through relentless practise. I think I just found what I want to be stunningly good at – as a caucasian girl ;)
Mochaccino is chocolate and cappucino together. What is Livemocha?
I’m somewhat busy at the moment. There is a lot to be done if my serious attempt is to graduate in December. I have to make a professional-like portfolio and the thesis in more or less 2 months. Stress doesn’t suit me.
Meanwhile, it appears my way to relax has always some connection to travelling. As I cannot travel actively, just plan out the upcoming which is still far away, learning languages, watching videos and photos, listening to music and reading are the closest I can get. This time, even if mostly it’s just taking me time and causing more stress, I was introduced to an absolutely great language learning webpage. I’ve been hooked to it ever since I first signed up.
Livemocha teaches, connects and motivates. There are lessons that cover practical reading, writing, vocabulary and talking exercises. Member all over the world can help foreigners learn their native language and learn from other members of the community. Users can practice structured conversation exercises with a native speaker or submit a writing or an audio sample of an exercise for a native speaker to edit or correct.
Even if you have just little free time every now and then, Livemocha covers a good start. You can learn 29 different languages including the most popular English, Spanish, French, Hindi, German, Mandarin Chinese and more rare like Catalan, Greek, Finnish or Estonian.
Check it out! Cheers Thor!
Culture shock, phase two
I think I got so used to being unhappy in Spain, staying on my own and still trying to find something to do that now I’m bored to death because there’s no big emotional things going on. Still so I have so much I should and could be doing but none of it seems satisfying enough. I just seem to be tired all the time.
Next week’s Sunday I’ve been back for a month. Seems longer. I’ve noticed my tan lines are fading already. That’s fast, it was the nicest thing I got from there.
How to learn a language in 6 months
I’m known to be lazy when it comes to languages. If possible I always prefer the possibility to learn it in a genuine environment and even then it can be hard if there’s no effort put in it. I believe a teacher cannot teach everything, basicly he can only get you started and teach you good grammar. When you are not in the environment where they actually use the language, you don’t understand everything and a teacher cannot explain it to you correctly because it needs to be experienced. For example in Italy I found out that there are some words they use that just simply are not possible to translate in Finnish. It just doesn’t make sense and has so much to do with the atmosphere.
At school I still have an English class to attend, Work English. We have to write a CV and application letter for the course. A friend of mine was helping me with them and at a point we were trying to find – if for nothing else, just out of curiosity – the formal ways of saying how well you know a language. While searching I bumped into a series of advice for learning a language or recovering one.
Reading through the 10 steps to becoming fluent in a language in 6 months or less, I realized these were exactly the steps that made me get through to Italian. I remember someone telling me that you know a language quite well when you start to think in that language and not translate it in your mind.
Before going to Italy, I wrote a blog of unimportant everyday things but I wrote it in the spaghetti language. I even had an online friend who was going through the writings and telling me what went wrong. Through that I improved a lot. My first roommates were also very into watching TV which was quite good for me – I sat there mostly trying to get to know them and in the meanwhile I learned from the TV. They played their country mens music for me and I checked up lyrics online to understand what it was about. I still find the most interesting the local ways of saying something and learning how to make use of body language. In the end, the most important is to get understood.
In that year both my Finnish and English skills went downhill and now I’ve decided to sign up for English and Finnish prep classes after my graduation. So I guess you can say grammar is school stuff and everything else comes through life, doesn’t it?
From the same site you can find very good advice on how to recover a forgotten language and learn about the styles for learning one and which one suits you best. Other interesting (and laughable) things the site offers: How to pack, 10 things to do in Amsterdam except smoking pot, 8 incredible survival stories and how to have sex in a hostel! Check ‘em out!
Matkaturvallisuutta ministeriöltä
Yritin etsiä netissä tietoa Marokkoon matkustamisen turvallisuudesta. Espanjasta sinne virtaa kokoajan retkimatkaajia. Minä taas vähän hölmönä tyttönä lähden yksin, joten päätin tutustua paremmin itse kulttuuriin ja sen sellaiseen. Netistä etsiessä turvallisuudesta oli keskustelufoorumeilla mahdottoman erilaisia mielipiteitä. Ulkoministeriöltä löytyy kuitenkin suhteellisen luotettavaa tietoa yleisestä turvallisuudesta maassa kuin maassa, paikoittain suurenkin maan sisällä asia saattaan olla sitten aivan toinen. Samalta sivulta löytyy myös muiden maiden matkustustiedotteita ja yleisiä maalaisjärjelläkin pääteltäviä ohjeita.
Siinä etsiessäni törmäsin tähän Ulkoministeriön palveluun nimeltä Matkustusilmoitus. Vaikka matkalla ollaan pääasiassa aina omasta itsestä vastuussa, ministeriö on kehittänyt palvelun, jonka kautta erityisesti riskialttiille alueelle matkustava tai muuttava voi halutessaan tehdä matkustusilmoituksen ulkoministeriölle tai Suomen edustustolle.
Samaa asiaa ajaa kai myös se, että perhe tietää missä omat kakarat viilettää. Vaikka maansisäisen kriisin sattuessa, ministeriöllä on suurempi valta ja edellytykset tehdä asialle jotain. Jos tiedot on siis jo edustustossa, ilman välikäsiä, etu on varmasti nopeampi. Ja tätä varten matkustusilmoitus nimeomaan on: “– omien henkilötietojen, matkan aikana voimassa olevien yhteystietojen ja matkaa koskevien tietojen antamista ministeriölle hätätapauksia ja kriisitilanteita varten.” Ilmoituksen voi tehdä netissä, postitse, maililla, faksilla tai kännykällä.
Samaiselle sivulle aktivoidaan kriisitilanteen tullessa www-lomake, jolla omainen voi tehdä ilmoituksen henkilöstä johon ei ole saanut yhteyttä.
Jottas tiedätte.
Cueva del Gato
Cueva del Gato is a couple of hours ride from Fuengirola, near Ronda. You can reach the entrance going to Ronda and turning off the MA7401, on the right hand side there’s a parking area next to a hotel called Cueva del Gato. It’s about two kilometres before Benajoan’s station. Driving there you can see why it’s called the cave of the cat. It has a mouth on a little twisted smile and two eyes.
Here you can see the mouth of the cat and if you use your imagination maybe the eyes as well.
From the parking lot it’s a five minute walk along a well maintained wooden walkway over the river and under the railway line. And there you find a nice little natural pool with terribly cold water. I thought I had woken up much before but it wasn’t until diving in that I realized I haven’t been that awake since the last winter. In the heat of the summer however, it’s a welcomed awakening.
Dad, you taught me well.
Pedro and Alma :)
Pedro and I went climbing deeper to the cave and there was some charming little ponds but it was only later when I read that the cave goes through to the other side of the mountain. The way is 4 km’s and climbing over wet rocks barefeet for maybe 20m, I recommend proper footwear. Apparently during heavy rains, as I can imagine noone even trying to swim in, it’s also dangerous to even try to climb up. The cave is partly very narrow and is filled with water. So cave explorations are rather dangerous and not recommended without very experienced guides. The unpredictable floods of the cave river have claimed many lives over the year.
Other than threathing drowning and hypothermia death, we had a lovely little picnic. Alma had made meatballs with white wine mmmmm-delicious. A nice lazy Sunday!
The entrance of this cave can be seen from the railway as it heads north from the station two kilometres away. It’s called the cave of the cat as its entrance is said to look like a cat’s head. Perhaps it does, though the present author failed to see it.
This cave is the terminus of an underground river that rises four kilometres away as the Rio Guaduares, which takes an underground route from the other side of Montejaque, from the Cueva de Hundidero (‘fallen’), only recommended to skilled potholers. Famed for its potholing experience, it has been the scene of many deaths as rising waters trapped the unprepared.
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| Cueva del Gato entrance |
However, for the curious, El Gato is a pleasant walk to an impressive limestone cave entrance. The entrance, by the way, is as far as you should go. A sign prohibits entry without official permission, and although there is neither a physical barrier nor an armed guard to enforce the prohibition, it is wise to obey it.
To reach the cave entrance when coming from Ronda turn off the MA7401 on the right hand side into the parking area next to a hotel located about 2 Kms before Estacion Benajoan. It is a five minute walk to the cave entrance along a well maintained path which now includes a wooden walkway “over the river” through the bridge under the railway line. (Nowadays there is no need to risk all by crossing the railway tracks). There is a reasonable size natural pool in the river where only the brave take a dip as the water from the cave is very cold. From here a short scramble up a narrow path to view the mouth of the cave and take photographs can be negotiated by anyone in sensible footwear.
The cave is of archaeological importance, although it has been heavily excavated and the remains removed. It’s a lovely spot to visit during the heat of the summer and the leafy pool makes a welcome break from the sun. Its waters are pure, unlike the Guadiaro, and so bathers come from vast distances. To the caver, entry to the actual system is best from the Montejaque side and requires various permits and a qualified guide.
