Solitary people

This morning I went running despite the grey and foggy weather. I could barely see hundred metres in front of me and the sea didn't have any horizon. At one point, I could spot a few men emerging from the sea. Six men, each one around 20 metres from the next one, sitting on their little foldable chairs ice-fishing by the small hole in the ice. An absurd sight, or rather, what a curious hobby (an example on this equally curious Youtube video, the basic ice-fishing vocabulary includes, at least according to this video, "jumalauta" = fucking hell, "saatana"= damn, "vittu"=fuck, "kahden kilon siika"=2kg whitefish).

Visit Finland website writes: "At some point in their life, almost every Finn has sat by an ice hole, ice-fishing for perch, the national fish of Finland. Many have got such a bite on the end of their lines that this has kindled a lifelong spark for fishing." Honestly, I can't imagine what kind of a bite would get me to try out ice-fishing.

At the same time, ice-fishing reflects so well the Finnish solitary mentality (Visit Finland calls it "Finnish meditation"). While the elderly Italian signori gather around the fountain in the central piazza of the town to sip some aperitif together, the Finns take their lunch packs and enjoy their solitude in the cold and wind, alone on the ice. I wonder if my generation of men continues to do so - if the behaviour and mentality haven't changed, maybe there won't be any cold winters to practice ice-fishing in 30 years time in any case.

P.S. Five years ago in South America me and my friends complained about the ubiquitous reggaeton music. Yesterday, I went to a reggeaton dance class to shake the booty. My moves surely need some polishing, but the two guys on the class were just hopeless and not making any difference between hips or shoulders. However, I appreciated them trying out. Two men less going ice fishing...

Sounds and sensations

During my cosmopolitan years, I forgot many of the sounds, odours, and other sensations familiar to Finland. What a great feeling to rediscover them again and the reminiscences they bring to my mind.

In the autumn, it was the wonderful scent of fallen leaves. Wading through the piles of colourful leaves and kicking them in the air, feeling like a child again. All the memories of the starting of the school year came to my mind, something new and exciting. I couldn't stop breathing in the autumnal parfum with long inhales.

In the beginning of the winter, it was the sight from the window of everything being covered in white one morning. The snow made the sounds softer and the city life seemed to decelerate. I had forgotten the ability to balance my walk on the icy street but the skill of guiding a sled downhill hadn't disappeared anywhere.

Now, as the winter is discreetly turning into spring (at least, in my hopes), I'm rediscovering the sound of drops as melting snow is running down the rain pipes. Tip, tip, tip! Every day is longer than the previous one. The forgotten brightness of the sun getting more strength from the icy sea and the snow-coated fields dazzles the eyes.

The snow piles in the shadowy sides of the streets look like everlasting, they will be there for another month probably. They are dirty; the exhaust fumes, city's pollution and sand have been accumulating there for the past two months. The melting snow is creating brown channels in the streets.

Soon, the snow will give way to the spring, to the smell of decomposing organic life. The lovely feeling of first unzipping the winter coat, getting rid off the thick gloves, and the gradual undressing until the Midsummer, a process unfamiliar to the Southern countries where the change is faster and less striking.

No wonder, the Finns are among the happiest people in Europe (after the Danish). Only after the dark, long and cold winter can one appreciate life as we do. The Finnish winter offers us an opportunity for a collective survival. The affordable winter holidays in Thailand must be hampering the social cohesion in Finland...

P.S. The two bears in the Helsinki zoo woke up after their 4 months of winter sleep. Lucky bastards - but oh so cute!