Taking Care

Taking care was the most rewarding activity we had in Finland.
For example, I can never forget what happened when I and Liisa walked a resident lady of the Senior House in her wheelchair around the streets of Kuusankoski.
We went to the center and Liisa decided to show her the new shopping mall, which she didn't know about, yet. She liked what she saw and it was already a bit cold and almost raining when we got out of it.
We asked her if she wanted to go back home, but she said she want to go to see the river (Kimiyarvi) and there we went, to the main bridge. We stopped where she could see the water, but then she said she wanted to go a litle bit further - she wanted to see the paper mill ... where she have worked all her life. And ther we stayed, silent while, for sure, she was rewinding her memories.

 

Working

This is the third word of our trilogy started with the letter W: Watching, walking, working.
Our group of volunteers has developed different sorts of work in Finland, including: making presentations about Portugal, making presentations about volunteer activity, about social and health care in Portugal, painting window frames and cleaning the hiking association log house in Varkhanmukka - Lapland, preparing pancakes for an event at the senior house Kettumaki service center, colecting garbage along Nauha forest tracks, cleaning paths in the cemetery, creating handicraft postcards at the ETAPPI NGO, visiting and debating in several institutions, namely at the Luteran parish house, at the Service House for disabled people, at the lower level school, at the kindergarden (Killinki day care center), at the charity organization "Vienon kammari" or at the Vocational College for pratical nurses (KSAO).

Friday - Sep 14th at Pallas

This was probably the coldest day in Lapland - we went for a walk in the Pallas Tunturi, and walked around with the feeling of cold wind - the wooden boards on the fle oor were covered with ice and were slippery for sometime during the first hours of the day, then it rained and the temperature raised somehow.

The good part were herds of reindeer that were grazing around and we got to see.

... we just wanted to take a good picture!!!... wrong idea though!

Then... Kalapirtit...

... a fishing village by the lake, before getting home.

Thursday - SEP 13 - ÄKÄSLOMPOLO

This day was again marvelous day - almostan enchanted and mysterious walk on the Velhopolulle trail.

And the souvenirs at the gift shop... of course!

We then visited a water mill - quite interesting, apart from the beautiful scenery, just perfect!...

and back home to Raattama enjoying the scenery...

and the beautiful "RUSKA" colours...

Of course, I don't have pictures of our daily dinner and of sauna, for obvious reasons, but I have occasionaly taken pictures of our 8PM coffee (and drinks!!!). This however, something very important happenned - we had our kuksas baptized and therefore, heavy drinking was a must - that night!!

Instructions on HOW to do it were very helpful!!!

... and brought interesting results!!!!

Of course, I drank too!!!!..... - in fact I used my kuksa before everyone else, but I didn't take pictures of myself... oh well, someone else did....

A fun evening!!!....then back to our house to celebrate belated Meeri's birthday - with our baptized kuksas we had some portuguese Moscatel. A great way to finish a spectacular day!