This has been such a great experience, such a busy week since I last wrote...how to capture it all?
I will start where I left off , I suppose- last Sunday in Hanko. We went over to Filip's sister's house, which is right in town. She also works at Genencor, in the lab. Her and her boyfriend actually served something quite 'American' for dinner- soft shell tacos! I can't say that I'm complaining. I also got to try some spiked Cider, something I wish we drank more in the states! After dinner, we were offered to take a Sauna. Yes, a Sauna- kind of like the ones we have poolside or at the healthclub- but here they are a way of life.
With the extreme cold temperatures in the winter, the extreme warmth of the Sauna is a must- the Fins invented Saunas and most have them in their homes. Although I was skeptical, I did not want to turn down an experience that I might not normally get to have...
Typically this is something you do with your own gender. You remove your clothes, take a quick shower, and then sit in the sauna for 10-15 minutes. In the sauna, hot rocks are occasionally splashed with water to produce steam, it hits you like a wave! Afterwards, another cool shower, and typically a cold beverage outside. So, I took a Sauna with Linda, Filip's sister. She made a somewhat awkward experience very comfortable, and I actaully enjoyed myself very much. You feel SO refreshed when you come out, it's a similar feeling to when you wake up after a very good night's sleep. I could get used to doing this after work in the Iowa winter!
On Monday the GGRT meeting started at work, and I met people who work for Genencor from all over the world. The leader of the group is Sanna, a tiny, spunky Finnish woman who just recently returned from her 15 month maternity leave (!). In general all of the discussions went really well. I also learned another thing about Finnish culture that I LOVE- all the coffee breaks! Everyday at 9am and 2pm eveyone stops working and goes to the cafeteria to drink a nice fresh cup of coffee. Amazing idea in my opinion! The cafeteria in the plant actually served quite delicious food. Everyday there was a different type of potato (a staple in Finland!) and some type of pancake with Jam. I have tried many interesting types of Jam since I have been here...Lignomberry and Golden Berry are both quite delicious.
The first night we all went bowling after work and had dinner&drinks at the local pub. I have not learned many Finnish words- but Filip taught me how to order this delicious drink called cranberry Longero. It has some sort of Gin, and tastes like cranberry juice. My Finnish vocabulary now has two words: Longero, Kiitos! (which means thank you.)
The next day after work we went on a boat tour out on the Baltic. There were no seals (bummer!), but we saw some very neat things. We stopped out on some of the rocky islands south of Hanko. On a summer day, you might stop and picnic here. (how cool!) It was cold and windy- somewhat dangerous on the rocks (which was really ironic because we had a DuPont rep with us!). We learned a lot about the history of Hanko, and the wars that took place on the Baltic. The island we visited was a historical landmark becuase soliders carved into the rock when they were camped there in the 16th and 17th centuries. See if you can make out any of the writing from my pictures...We also stopped on an island that used to ba a fortress during one of the wars. There is a gorgeous old lighthouse there.
The food was amazing and unique, and a different wine was served with every course. A type of beet soup for a starter, wild crow for the main entree with a mushroom risotto, and creme brulee for desert. Thank you Genencor is all I have to say! We actually came back here the next night (just Filip/Osvaldo/I), and I had a steak which was also fantastic. Here is a picture of the cold fish bar here, another Finnish custom:
I didn't partake in this one ;)
The last few days have been quieter, but still busy with work. We followed our agenda pretty closely and managed to get most of the report written. I have SO much to bring back to Cedar to improve the process, I was learning from the Pros :)
Last night we went to dinner at Filip's parents' house. As you might have gathered, he grew up in Hanko and his family still lives here. The house itself was something out of a novel, a wooden house in the middle of the woods, with a generous yard and abundant garden. They have a dozen apple trees, blueberry bushes and a small greenhouse with tomatoes and berries. When we pulled up, you could smell dinner- fresh salmon grilled on an open fire. We went into the root cellar to pick out our drinks-beer from Belgium. The cellar was amazing- inside they have huge baskets full of recently harvested onions, carrots, and potatoes and a stockpile of jellies and jams made fresh from berries picked right outside. Dinner was delicious. His parents didn't speak much English but were very kind all the same. They had gotten some Coke for me (apparently this is related to being American!) which actually tastes much different from the Coke in the US. The best part was dessert, homemade blueberry and raspberry pie.
Our last day of work at the plant was short&sweet. It has been storming all afternoon...the waves on the sea are incredible! I need to begin packing soon so that I can start my journey home.
This experience has really opened my eyes to a lot of things, and I can't wait to travel more in the future (with my amazing fiance of course!) I have definitely found new meaning to these lyrics:
My life is open wide, the more you live the less you will die
Outside floating free, I'm finally open to see...
Really our world is an amazing place.
See you back in Iowa!
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