Official school photos

Once a year, schools and kindergartens in Finland are visited by a photographer, who takes portraits of the children, as well as a class photo. Here are the boys' official school photos from the academic year 2007-2008.

Henry

Thomas

Thomas does not normally have a hairstyle reminiscent of 'The Beatles' but in the days leading up to the photo shoot, he had been ill with a stomach bug so we hadn't quite managed to get him to the barber's.

We'll try to be better organised for this year's photos.

SaiPa and Finnish humour

Many of you will know that Finns have a peculiar sense of humour - think of the Monster rockers, Lordi, first ever Finnish winners of the Eurovision Song Contest.

As a further example of Finnish humour, click on the link below to see the 20-second advert for SaiPa, Lappeenranta's ice-hockey team:

Saipan-TV mainos

(Link fixed: 11 Sept 2008)

So, what is it all about?

From the point of view of the city slickers of Helsinki, people outside the Kehä 3 ring road are all ignorant, uncivilized country yokels, 'juntti' in Finnish. The TV advertisement plays up to this stereotype.

The motorbike in the video is the classic 'Pappa-Tunturi' or 'Grandad-Tunturi', a 50cc, 2-stroke machine from the 1960s.

While the advert is all in good fun, I'd like to know whether the local tourist board are laughing.

The new ice-hockey season starts on Saturday, 13 September 2008. So remember to give the boys a shout - the chap in the video shows you how!

I found a French horn

The holidays are over, school and work are in full swing, the sky is grey, but for some people, the sun is shining; Thomas's French horn has arrived! When he got it, his smile suggested that Christmas and his birthday had arrived all on one day.

Below some photos.

Thomas blowing his horn. (The instrument is not a full-size one. )

Luckily for his parents, the music school has an instrument rental scheme as French horns are rather expensive.

After only one lesson, Thomas's playing is not to everyone's liking! Maybe because the noise sounds like a cross between an alphorn and a fog horn. But even the greatest virtuosos must start somewhere!

Off to School

It is mid-August, which in Finland means the end of the long summer holiday.

For Thomas, it was the start of his school career. And for Henry, a move to a new school. Below, a few photos.


Thomas standing in the schoolyard on his first day of school. Note that in Finland there is no school uniform, although for boys, baseball caps seem to be de rigeur.


The Class 1 children lining up. Note that the teachers have a very relaxed dress code, too. Spot Thomas for extra points!

Unfortunately, there are no photos of Henry's first day at his new school - I still haven't managed the art of being in two places at the same time.

You may be wondering why Henry is changing school after only two years? Well, it's not because of bad behaviour or itchy feet, his new school has a class with emphasis on music, and Henry was lucky enough to be selected. The good news is that he has one less P.E. lesson, one more music lesson, music theory instruction at school, and lots of singing; the bad news is that on most days he has to leave the house at 7.15 a.m. to catch the bus to town.

For those of you interested in the Finnish school system, which has done very well in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, below the boys' school timetables.


Henry:
Henry has started his foreign language studies this year. In Lappeenranta, this means English for all pupils. The situation is a little tricky as Henry is, in effect, a native-speaker of English. Next week we have a meeting with Henry's teacher and the headmaster of the school to discuss how to handle this predicament. After one lesson, Henry said that he couldn't understand his teacher's English and that the class had been taught the words; camel, beach, and ball.

Thomas:
Thomas's timetable is for the first month only. The children are given a 'soft landing' to school, which means that there are only three hours of school each day. After a month, a couple of hours are added to the week's schedule. (XXXXXX means school, blank means no school.)

Looking at the very few hours that Finnish children are in school, the conclusion could be drawn that the best way to success in learning is to spend as little time as possible in school!

For many, homework is a problem. Not in the first week, it isn't! Below, Thomas hard at work.

Sunny Days

During a very wet summer there have been a few sunny days. Below a few photos of what we have been up to when the sun has been shining.


Thomas and Hwei-Ming washing mats. Finnish homes generally have wooden floors decorated by mats, which need to be washed once in a while. Traditionally, this is done in a local lake and the town provides outdoor facilities where mats can be washed and dried. For children, it is great fun.


Thomas and Henry paddling in Sammonlahti. After the "hard work" of washing mats, the boys got to spend some time enjoying the lake.


A few days later we were invited by some Chinese colleagues to a sauna and barbecue at the university's "beach sauna". Below some more photos.


Our hosts around the barbecue. The menu was very Finnish and included potatoes, grilled courgettes, grilled mushrooms and the ubiquitous Finnish "makkara" (sausage).


Henry practising his rowing.


Meanwhile, Thomas is in shallower waters.


The final photo is at the request of Hwei-Ming, who wishes to provide evidence that I can indeed be persuaded to make contact with cold water.


Luckily there is a warm sauna nearby. Brrrr!

Watercolours

Hwei-Ming, Chairman of Elk Street Ltd., decided recently to try her hand at watercolours. This was a new medium as previously she had done oil-painting. She joined a course at Joutsenonopisto, an adult education institute, and below are some results of her efforts.

Swans

Orchid flowers

View from the veranda of the school

Visit to Suomenlinna

When Elk's Street is visiting Helsinki, I am sometimes given a couple of hours off to "go and do something" (quote: Chairman). One of my favourite ways of spending some free time is to take the ferry from the marketplace and visit the Fortress of Suomenlinna. Suomenlinna, in Swedish 'Sveaborg', is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Finland's main tourist attractions.

Below are a few photos taken when Finland is showing its sunny side.

The ferry to Suomenlinna leaves from the marketplace. The photo shows the red "Koff" beer tram passing the marketplace. The tram has been converted into a bar and tourists can hop on board and enjoy a beer while looking at the sights.


It's difficult to believe that this is in the heart of Helsinki.


A Silja Line vessel setting out on a cruise to Stockholm, Sweden.


A small bay on the island of Länsi-Mustasaari. This is a part of the fortress complex that is ignored by most visitors, who tend to stay on the main island of Susisaari, where the main attractions are situated.


The view from Tykistölahti (Artillery Bay?) looking towards the straight of Kustaanmiekka.



The Finnish flag. Those with sharp eyes will notice that it is a little different from the 'normal' Finnish flag. The swallow-tailed state flag, or 'war flag', is flown on Suomenlinna.


When I returned on the ferry to the marketplace, there was a rather handsome sailing vessel, Sea Cloud II, moored in front of the Palace Hotel. This is a luxury cruise ship, Helsinki being a popular stop for many cruise liners.


Another view of Sea Cloud II. To find out more go to the Sea Cloud Cruises website.


One attraction on Suomenlinna deserves to be mentioned, an attraction that brings me back to the start of this post; Suomenlinnan Panimo. This is a small restaurant that brews its own beer. I usually have a glass while waiting for the ferry back to the mainland and it's much better than the insipid brew 'Koff'. So, next time you are in Helsinki, skip the beer tram and get the ferry over to Suomenlinna. Unfortunately, the Suomenlinnan Panimo website is mostly in Finnish but click on the 'Oluet' link to see the beer labels and the 'À la carte' link to see what I can't afford to eat.