Three things that made me happy today:

1. I aced my interview for the PhD school. I was so good that I even made them laugh!!

2. I was so incredibly smart that I put some rubber finger pads on when I went to inject my mice. They could bite all they wanted but to no use – nothing could penetrate my rubber

3. And I found 200g of chocolate just lying on a shelf in my kitchen. This equals one very tasty mudcake!

So Markus is blogging from the US. He’s my second-cousin (little cousin, if translated straight from Swedish) my younger second-cousin from my mother’s mother’s side of the family. That  means he’s tall – like all my grandmother’s brothers and he’s also inherited my family’s musical talents. Currently he’s residing in Chicago, getting to know the music scene and the soup kitchens there. And finding out the truth about America - it’s exactly like we imagined it, annoying commercial breaks and all!

I was so hoping it would survive. The little mouse with the kidney problem. But here is what’s left of her.

The piece of the scalp that her mother thought too hard to swallow. She ate the brains though.

Poor little thing. And poor me who had to take care of the remains

Varje dag publicerar Husis en liten notis från 20 år sedan. Den 6e november 1989 intervjuades Jörn Donner med anledning av Svenska dagen. Han sa bland annat:

“En god finlandssvensk är en person som talar både svenska och finska. Bor man i Finland måste man behärska majoritetens språk, fastän man råkar vara en minoritetsrepresentant själv. Ju äldre jag blivit har jag ändå alltmer förstått modersmålets betydelse. Ett modersmål får man genom att läsa. Och läsa.”

Och man blir ju lite upprörd. För detta är en person som uppenbarligen inte har talat svenska på flera år. Det är lite så jag känner själv. Man har alltså inte möjlighet att tala sitt modersmål eftersom man bara umgås med finnar.

Och man undrar: vad är ett modersmål om det bara är nedskrivet?

Jag önskar att jag kunde tala svenska som mina mor- eller farföräldrar. Med en dialekt som var så tydlig att man kunde säga om jag var född i Hankmo eller Kvevlax. Men tyvärr så föddes jag i Sverige och miste en del av min finlandssvenska identitet.

Och däri ligger problemet. Mitt modersmål är inte det nedskrivna, anonyma svenska språket, men den nyanserade finlandssvenska, det som förändras när man går från by till by, från region till region.

Mitt språk är mitt folk. Det är någonting som syns och hörs – inte bara på papper.

***************

Såg just på Himlaliv och Patrik Hagman. En sak jag tyckte han sa bra var om språket i kyrkan. Hur vårt modersmål inte längre talas i församlingen.

Och det kanske stämmer. Vi är inte längre tvingade att lyssna på bibelverserna på latin men kanske har vi ändå gjort predikan obegriplig för den stora massan.

Har kyrkan sitt eget modersmål?

I’ve spent a wonderful two days at Hyytiälä, a research center north of Tampere, together with both current and former colleagues. It was great to see the people from Shimmi group again and just made me realize how much I miss them!!

A full program of lectures, a poster session and food food food. Here we are at the dinner party. Shinya at the end of the table. Second guy from the left is Oliver and opposite to him sits Matteo, both share the same office as I in Turku.

We had also some games. Mari, Zhao and Jaana are wondering what the pictures should portray. Jenni and Maria (a trainee from Germany) is wondering if the egg really is protected by Oliver’s constructions.

And there was snow!! In the picture, Jenni and Heli from Turku.

So I have to admit that when I moved to Turku I was quite tired. Church tired that is. And not tired from going to church but from all the responsibility I had in my church. The last year in Helsinki I had been: coordinator for the Action festival, head-dishwasher for Women’s brunch, leader of the ushers and organizer of the interpretation. Not all at once, but still… And all very fun things, but still…

So when I moved to Turku I thought; OK, this is my chance to just relax. Take it easy for a while and just be.

But what happened! I am now involved in building a church!

So I guess all Christians should be church-builders, but it is a bit different to belong to a church where there are hundreds of people and one where there are maybe 30.

What I am saying is that I now have to scrape off all the organizing, planning and list making that took up most of my life in my old church and instead focus on praying and building a family.

And I feel so blessed!

Blessed because of what I’ve learned in my old church. Blessed because of what God has thought me throughout my life. I’m so happy to have been a part of both Elim and Fila – and now Friffe.

Life is growth and God is the one who sends the rain to make it possible.

Poor Matteo, he is taking a course in Finnish and to help him out Juha has thought him some useful phrases. Now every time they meet, Matteo greets Juha with a happy: Mitäs äijä! Something he obviously thought ment “what’s up!”

M: I tried to say “Mitäs äijä” to a girl but she got real pissed off. Did I say it wrong??

J: No, but she had the right reaction

“Mitäs äijä” means something like “what’s up, dude!”. Yes, you should only use this if you’re talking to a guy!

Today.

I couldn’t get access to the work plan I’m writing until one o’clock. They had some problem with the network service.

I couldn’t add references to my work plan. RefWorks is an idiotic program.

I couldn’t transfer a mouse to another cage since it was running and jumping like crazy. I had to ask one of the animal care takers to do it for me. embarrassing!

I went home to bake a cake. Used 4dl cream, two lemons and 250g shredded coconut. And 2dl salt!

And I’ve been so happy!

A happy song to sing when nothing is going your way:

I was challenged by/got an award from Carina to name 7 things you might not know about me. Thank you Carina! And if you’re wondering who this person could be just follow the link above or find her name in my blogroll. She is a childhood friend of mine who’s now married and has her own house and two beautiful daughters. AND she is currently building the sweetest doll house I’ve ever seen. So envious. I’d like to have some kids just so that it wouldn’t look so vierd when I want to play with toys.

Kun tämän palkinnon saat
Kiitä sitä jolta sait tunnustuksen
Kerro seitsemän asiaa itsestäsi, mitä muut eivät vielä tiedä
Anna tunnustus seitsemälle
Linkitä nämä blogissasi
Kerro näille seitsemälle tunnustuksesta

Seitsemän asiaa itsestäni:
1. I have a pattern phobia. I get really nauseated whenever I see certain patterns, for example the seed house of a sunflower when it’s getting a bit old. 2. The movie that I’ve watched the most times is Charlies Angels. I just love it, despite the sexism.

3. I collect icons, but you probably knew that already. I’m just telling you so that if you go on a trip to one of the Mediterranean countries you could remember to bring one back for me I currently own six.

4. I never failed an exam when I was at Helsinki University. AND I wrote all of them (except maybe one) on the set date. (I figured this would be the perfect time to brag…)

5. This year, I ordered a take out pizza for the first time in my life.

6. I’m still afraid of needles, after being a diabetic for five years! But I’m only afraid if they’re longer than 5mm and someone else is pushing them into my arm.

7. I tend to read at least two foreign fashion/interior design magazines a month. In a year I’ve probably read five times the amount of magazines compared to books…

I hereby reward/challenge:

• Lena
• Ulrika
• Janne
• Jeannette
• Hanna D
• And just anyone who’d like to join in

*The best yoghurt in Finland – Kalinka top, by Ingman. Totally artificial. When other yoghurt brag about containing real berries, this one only contains some kind of froth. But it tastes great!

*After living without mascara for two weeks due to a stubborn eye infection I now have great lashes

*Other things that make you feel like you’re good-looking, for example when a guy starts talking to you in the street, just like that, for no reason what so ever.

*My new blood glucose monitor. It looks like a tiny porsche, and it has wireless connection. What more can you ask for?!

*When Oliver sings Monty Python’s “Every sperm is sacred” at work.

*Finding a place for the things you love. I’ve now got two icons standing in the shelf above my stove, and my beloved indians of course!