Spring in Helsinki
Scooters for sale at the local grocery store. Seriously.
When I was back in America last week, my niece asked me what life was like in Helsinki and I realized I hadn’t ever really answered that question. Part of the hang-up is that I’m pretty sure half of the things that are different for us here would be different had we moved to any city, in America or otherwise.
Let’s face it: Lyons is a small mountain town. At 2,000 people, it allows for an amazing sense of community and people are open and friendly in a way that I think is fairly unique to small-town America. There’s amazing support for local businesses and artists. But it’s also quite a drive to any of the conveniences of the city.
So let’s talk about a day in the life of Julie…First, I don’t drive here in Helsinki. That means I have to harangue the kids out the door every single morning or risk missing the 8:11 tram that gets Gabriel to school a bit early but allows me to deliver Lily to her school on time at 9am. Yes, that’s a 50 minute commute. A lot of that is walking to Gabriel’s school from the Metro stop and then walking to the bus stop where Lily & I catch the bus to her school, but it’s still a lot longer commute than the 3 blocks to Gabriel’s bus stop and 2 blocks to Lily’s school that we enjoyed in Colorado. Oh how I can’t wait until next year when both kids are at the same school!
After schlepping the kids to school, I usually stop by the grocery. No car means everything I buy either comes from our once-weekly co-op delivery or gets hand-carried home. At this time of year, that’s a lot less daunting than it was in January when it was hovering around zero Fahrenheit and was dark most of the day.
I don’t want to complain too much about the no car situation, because we certainly could have one (or two) if we chose. But we decided when we moved here that if we were going to live in the city, we wanted to do it right, and for us that meant living in city center and taking advantage of the excellent system of buses, Metro, and trams that can get us just about anywhere cheaply and efficiently. And have I mentioned that parking in (any) town is a nightmare? Yeah, very happy to leave the parking, and the driving on the snow, and the watching out for crazy taxi drivers to someone else.
We all know I’m a bit of a fanatic about food, and in Colorado I had spent literally years seeking out all the best in local, organic produce, dry goods, and meats. Starting over again here in Helsinki has been a challenge. There have been more than a few South American/South African fruits and veggies in the fridge this winter. But I’m making progress. The Vahna Kauppahalle (Old Market Hall) is just a few blocks from our house and although aside from fresh-caught fish it’s a little sparse in the winter, spring already looks promising. We have local, wild-harvested mushrooms and berries to look forward to, and have already enjoyed fresh pheasant, local chicken, and fish from both the rivers and the seas around Helsinki. There’s even a fair bit of greenhouse-grown produce, although in the winter that’s mainly salads and herbs.
So we’re eating in much the same way that we did in Colorado, but I think less food ends up in the compost because I’m only buying a few days’ worth at a time. Unlike at home, someone else deals with the compost too, which is so nice! As much as I loved making my own dirt in Colorado, it’s nice to take a break from dealing with flies, varmints, and dogs who like to dig in the compost and just drop my compostables off with my other trash and recyclables in the bins in our courtyard.
Living in an apartment instead of large free-standing house is probably the biggest difference in our day-to-day life and there’s good and bad in it. Being in a 100+ year old flat is really interesting. The place has gorgeous high ceilings, a fun and beautiful wide stairwell leading up to our door, and looks out on one of the more beautiful historic neighborhoods in Helsinki. The kids have an awesome toy loft that makes up for some of the space they’ve lost and keeps things like Legos up off the floors.
The wood floors are so much easier to keep clean than carpeting and the place is, overall, less dusty as a result. The radiator heating is a bit touchy and not quite warm enough when it hits those really bitter temperatures I mentioned above, but it’s very energy efficient–we’re using less energy even when considered proportionately due to the smaller space we’re heating here in Helsinki. But I have to admit that I miss being able to bundle the kids up and shove them out the door when they’re getting stir crazy. And I miss my garden. My little window box and window herb garden are just not really cutting it for me now that the sun has returned–I long to have my hands in the dirt and am not sure how I’m going to get my fix!
Another interesting adjustment has been Matt’s work schedule. Even though he’s no stranger to long hours, in Colorado he worked from home most days. Here, he is working the long hours and working them 40 minutes away in Nokia’s main office in Espoo. We’re definitely still adjusting to having less time with him, but our generous European vacation benefits are going to be making up for a pretty big day-to-day Daddy deficit.
There are so many other subtle differences that I’m sure I’m forgetting. People don’t make eye contact here and they are certainly more soft-spoken than myself or my rowdy very-American kids. But everyone I have encountered thus far has been friendly, generous, and helpful, which is a life-saver when you’re trying to stay afloat in a new place. And I think we are staying afloat these days, not just treading water and trying to survive like we were in the darkest days of the winter. We’re making friends and getting out to explore our new surroundings. The kids are meeting people and having play dates and LOVE the International School. It’s a different world for a lot of reasons, but it’s a good one so far.