Does God Exist?

...

Harjoittelu

I seemed to have gotten frozen as well when the winter started. I have a lot of thoughts I wanted to write but I just couldn't get my hands to do it. I could give a lot more excuses but the most important thing is to be able to get back and be able to do what I like to do,writing.

In September-October 2016, I had an opportunity to be immersed in the Finnish working culture when I did my 6 weeks training at a school where there are pre-schools to gradeschool and even immigrants studying Valma course.

What I love about it is that, school here seems to be fun for both students and teachers. I was assigned to assist in the pre schoolers class. When they get into the classroom at 9am they get to seat on pillows and bean bags on the floor, they get to relax and the day starts with what weather, date of the day and what schedule they are having for the day. Students get to share what they did in the weekend or their plans for the weekend.They also get to sing, hear a story from their teachers who were very creative and comical, and get to even do what they call mind and body exercise. At 10, they get to play outside for an hour, where they are supervised by their teachers and once a week they have a more organized playtime or they get to walk to the park or forest and do some activities in there.

When they come back they do some academic work, arts and crafts and have lunch at 12. After lunch, they continue with their academic work and end at 1:30. Its up to the students and parents whether they would want to join various after class activities.

I must commend the teachers for being so positive and caring to the students. For example, they would always say beautiful words when kids try to do their work and when they do arts and crafts. When a kid is complaining, they encourage the student instead telling him to stop complaining.

Questions are welcomes and attended. Creativity is encouraged. I loved when they even made a small store in the classroom to practice math! When they do arts and crafts, they have all the materials they need, the teachers are very supportive and they are proud to present their students' work. We have placed them on the wall for others to see.

It was really fun working with kids though it takes a while for them to get to be comfortable with strangers like me, but when they do it feels so much easier to guide them. And oh how it melts my heart when they would even run towards me, open the door for me and hug me! I wouldn't have imagined that because at first, I was hesitant speaking to them in Finnish, I feel like an idiot, I would rather speak to them in English than make a wrong sentence in Finnish. But that's part of my training so I just have to dare my self and dive into speaking Finnish. I listened to the teachers and tried to say the same words they are using when needed. And then there was one student who doesn't seem to like me, he didn't want me to be around him especially when he is doing some seatwork. Then the teacher explained I was there and how he can help me and then he started teaching me some games afterwards. There are also these two girls who laughed when I said something in finnish but later they became really close to me they even try to speak in english when they want to converse with me some more and then I try to talk to them in Finnish and they correct me gently when I'm wrong.

At the end of my training, it was a tearful moment with the teachers and students. It was my pleasure and honor to be there.

Summerish

Finnish Summer is very short, it rains quite a lot too, so when the sun shines we enjoy going out whether for a road trip, hanging out, strolling etc. Its nice to see people making the most out of it. Summer back home in the Philippines is not as big deal as in here. I see people sun bathe in the park or on the beach even on their balcony. I see people prefer sitting outside on a cafe. People queue for ice cream. People purchasing flowers to decor or grow.  I see people post on facebook how they celebrate and bask in the joy of summer. 

The nights here are long and bright, the sun dawns around midnight. At night, kids can be seen playing outdoors, people strolling with their babies or walking with their dogs etc,.

Ella at one of our summer night stroll, around 7pm

Our baby has had a change on her sleep pattern and won't sleep until its around midnight. We have a dark curtain in our bedroom, we had to close our windows and minimize turning on the lights as we try to prepare her to bed. I heard from another parents how their kids reasons out that its not yet time to sleep because its not yet dark. Oh how challenging it can be putting kids to bed at night when its bright outside, especially for foreigners living in Finland who are used to almost regular sunrise and sunset. 

Yes, summer is no doubt the best time of the year in Finland but that does not exempt it from people's grumbling. You can still hear someone say its too hot! Or complain about mosquitoes and other insects brought about by the this season. Imagine what people say when it rains or when the temperature drops in between when its supposed to be summer.

Nevertheless, its still the Finnish Summer, better enjoy it while it lasts.

"Takatalvi" in Life

Takatalvi - 19.04.16 - Vaasa, Finland

When you start hearing the birds sing, feeling the warmer weather and have longer day time and then it snows and the temperature goes down again, that is just a bummer! "Takatalvi" is how they call it Finnish, its the term for the recurring wintry weather in spring.

Though "Takatalvi" disappoints people, it doesn't stop us from expecting better days ahead, see how people even change their wheels to summer tires even if there is that risk of "Takatalvi", that's because they have the confidence of brighter and warmer days ahead.

Compare that to the wet and dry seasons back in the Philippines, even the la niña and el niño, the storms and disasters may come but hope springs as always. Yes, hope propels our people to vote for a change every election day even if, just the voting itself takes some hassle, even if bad apples get elected every term and even if we have faced a lot of disappointments.


I can't imagine life without hope. But the kind of hope we anchor on makes or breaks us. If my hope come from what I think I can do or from what others can do for me, that hope is limited. When things are out of our control, when we don't have the power to change a difficult situation around, when no one would help us out, when we cannot reach our expectations, it leads us to look beyond human capacity.

"Takatalvi" though a passing thing, it comes in a season where you expect better things to happen so just imagine the disappointment. But "Takatalvi" doesn't change the seasons, summer will come and that's guaranteed! Hope that transcends beyond ourselves makes faith in fruition. This reminds me of this passage in Lamentations 3:22-23 it says,

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

As well as, Matthew 24:35 which says, 

Heaven and earth will pass away, 

but my words will not pass away.

What a great passages to anchor our hope and faith on!  

Hyvää Pääsiäistä

Photo Credit: http://www.kukkalunaria.fi/hyvaa-paasiaista-2

Its this time of the year where Christians around the world celebrates Easter. Wikipedia describes it as "a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Christ... Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In many languages, the words for "Easter" and "Passover" are identical or very similar. Easter customs vary across the Christian world..." 

Yesterday, our Finnish class teacher handed out a reading sheet about the Finnish Easter. I Thought, wow! It would be a great time to share what Christ has done for us! My classmates of other religious background are keen in asking about what Easter is. The teacher described it in Finnish, pointing out to her palm. my classmate from the other row asked me, "Sarah, is that the crucifixion?" I said yes. I hope I could share more to him about it. The reading material we had, turned out to be more about the customs that don't necessarily have anything to do with the real meaning of Easter.

What does trolls, tullips, eggs, chicks, bunny, grass and dafodil have to do with what is supposed to be a Christ-centered tradition? Especially dressing up kids as a witch? Oh it breaks my heart! I think this made-up traditions makes us look funny from the perspective of other religions because there is just no good explanation for it. These traditions is so normal, people would think it is ok. Its fun anyway! And that sets aside Christ in the picture. 

But we can always go against the flow, make our own family easter tradition that focuses on Christ. Take the long weekend to reflect on Christ's life, death and resurrection, more importantly, set our hope that He is coming back again by reading the Bible. Its also a great time to bond with our love ones and take some time to rest. Hyvää Pääsiäistä! Happy Easter!

A Year in Finland

Photo Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland_men%27s_national_ice_hockey_team

Today marks our first year in Finland and our baby is now exactly 6 months! Looking back, we realize how amazing it has been getting through all the hurdles we've been through. My husband and I thought its good to stay in the Philippines, we were both working but suddenly, his project with Appen stopped and we found ourselves caught up with accumulating bills and piling debt. Every area of our life is great but the financial strain is taking a toll in us. A good friend who has been a great help for us, with good intention, suggested my husband to go back to Norway to find work, but just the thought of having to separate constantly broke our hearts, and with my husband's life story (See upcoming book-TBA), it would take a miracle to get hired especially in Schengen countries. My husband kept on finding a good job in the Philippines to no avail. We thought to see if we can move to Finland, his home country but we didn't have the means. A lot of sacrifices has been made, my husband did the best he can, family and friends helped us out, even our landlady adjusted the contract for  us.

Our faith has been stretched until we were able to purchase our tickets to Finland as well as the return tickets. We landed March 20 early in the morning, and the airport officer pointed out that we should change our return flight to one day back, that adjustment would mean another expense. That time we only have a thousand euro pocket money. We went straight to register ourselves to the Population Information System (http://www.maistraatti.fi/), registered to the Public Employment and Business Services (http://www.te-services.fi/). Then I applied for a residence permit and to Kela (http://www.kela.fi/) and got my cards on the 1st of April. Soon after, we had a meeting with Social Services to apply for support. We found a newly renovated unit in the same building where we were staying with my in-laws, our dilemma is if the landlords will let my husband sign a contract despite of his credit standing, but they did!

By April 3rd, we are in our new home! Finding ourselves settled, we can forget about our return tickets and make a fresh start in here. The whole summer has been great, we met a lot of people, gone to different events/places and just basked in. By Fall, we were anticipating the arrival of our daughter, I gave birth on the 20th of September. Its a very special day for us, 20 is my birthdate and September is my husband's birth month. She is a wonderful gift to us, our everyday became more meaningful. By October, we were off the Social Service support and got unemployment allowance instead, was able to get a hold of TE and planned our steps to integration.

We are moved deeply at how things worked out for our good. This day, we reminisce on God's goodness, and the favor we received from our famly and friends. We are also grateful for the Finnish system, thank you for making us welcomed!

First Day of Finnish Class

I had mixed feelings going to school. In one way I feel pleased to have this opportunity of free education learning the Finnish language, on the other hand I would prefer to be at home taking care of my baby but thinking forward, this endeavor would benefit our family. It's encouraging that my husband is very supportive.

Since last  night, I was anxious about commuting by bus, I didn't want to miss my stop or be late so today, I took an earlier bus hence I have a 50 minutes head start which I consumed by reading a book. At 10 am, the instructors came to meet us at the Information, called our names and led us to our classroom. They started by greeting us in Finnish, gave us an information sheet to fill out, discussed guidelines, then everyone said their names and asked others for their names. Each of us also pinned our home country on the world map attached on the board, the farthest countries happened to be South Korea and Philippines. There's about more or less 20 students in total and we represent various countries. My seatmate is a lady from Lithuania. Its funny how all the guys end up seating in the other row separated from the ladies. The instructors pointed that out as well and we had a good laugh! 

These were the materials given to us...

A very thick binder, a folder, a grid notebook, a pen, a pencil, an eraser and a sharpener. I'm definitely thankful for the thoughts!

Here's a candid shot I took with my phone in class. I was careful to be discreet as if I feel that it was an unwritten rule not to take pictures!

First Day in Finnish Class

The instructors, communicates exclusively in Finnish so when my seatmate and I noticed that the ones in front are heading through the doors, we just went with the flow and realized what it was all about. It was a tour inside the school, we basically went to the eating lounge, the faculty rooms, and the cafeteria. 

We headed back to our room then we were dismissed at around 11:25. The succeeding days is scheduled Mondays through Fridays from 8am-1:45pm + take home assignments. We are expected to graduate after 10 months of this rigorous language and culture training. I look forward to learning and getting to know people. Wish us all the best!