Post #7: Talvi/Winter

 

Because it was 70 degrees today, and it’s FEBRUARY, I thought that it would be very fitting to right about a real winter a.k.a. Finnish winter.  Finland has very long winters.  It is common to have snow fall and stick to the ground in October and have that snow last until the next March.  Of course it can start earlier and last longer the further north you get.  The snow there is awesome!  They get so much that the roads are not plowed all the way off, they are just cleared to the point that you won't get stuck while driving on them.  It is also law to switch your tires to snow tires in October.  The snow tires that most people buy have metal spikes in them so they handle better on the ice.  I remember time when my companion and I pulled our car up to the front of our apartment and switched the tires in between lessons so we would not get a ticket.  It was a lot of fun!

Finnish winters are also very cold!  It is common especially in January and February for the temperature to be under zero degrees Fahrenheit.  It is important that you learn how to layer for those winter months. It is not just the temperature that makes Finland cold, it is also the humidity.  When it is cold and humid the cold literally seems to seep into your bones.  I found that it was best to always keep moving.  I also felt like we would get to places faster on our bikes in the winter than we did in the summer because we would be pedaling harder in order to stay warm.  There are some pluses to Finnish winters as well.  It is usually during the winter months that you will see the Northern Lights.  I will talk about my experience with them in a later blog post.  It is also one of the prettiest times in Finland.  Snow covers everything and because it gets so cold it crystallizes and makes everything glitter.  It’s also cool that it gets so cold that the condensation from your breath will collect on your eyelashes and will freeze making you look like Jack Frost.  Even though it is cold outside you will still see Finns going about as usual.  I am pretty sure that this is due to the fact that Finns will take they babies out on frequent walks even in the negative degree weather.  That way as the baby grows it will already be well acclimated and be ready for life as a Finn.  Finns are so well equipped for winter that it led them to win the Winter War against Russia.  I will also do a blog post about this later because it is really quite miraculous.  The winter is really something that defines Finland.  And for a missionary in Finland the saying holds true that, "Many are cold, but few are frozen."  I love the Finnish winter, and given the opportunity I would go and enjoy it right now.  It is something to look forward to not to loath.  As I spoke with Finns about winter I found that the colder it gets the happier they are.  I think there is something that can be learned from that type of attitude, and I will leave you to interpret it as you will.