The following is an excerpt from Mother’s Grave, a novel written by Keijo Siekkinen –grand old man of the Jyväskylä literary scene. Mother’s Grave was nominated for the Finlandia Prize in 1985. Translation by Willie Lahti You didn’t think that way. You didn’t think of words like I do, that somewords have their own name and that they are fat or ...

The city of Jyväskylä was founded in 1837 by decree of Czar Nicholas I. The city center was built between Lake Jyväsjärvi and the Harju Ridge, pretty much where it is located right now. Finland’s first Finnish-language teaching college was established in Jyväskylä in 1863 and students have been annoying local residents ever since. In 1967 ...

The word revolution, according to Merriam-Webster, can be defined as “a sudden, radical, or complete change”.  A revolution can be political, socioeconomic, intellectual or technological.  Revolution can be seen as positive or negative, depending upon whose eyes are making the observation.  While to some, a particular revolution may offer hope, to others revolution is seen as a threat.  Finland has ...

Finns seem particularly fond of their furry friends. Take a stroll through a park and you'll see a variety of creatures on leashes: dogs, cats, ferrets and even bunnies. According to the Finnish KennelClub there are about 600 000 dogs in Finland. That's one dog for every 8 people! Owning a pet in Finland is a full-time job as apartment living ...

One thing that you will have likely noticed about Finland is that there seem to be slot machines everywhere. They can be observed not only in casinos, but also in grocery stores, kiosks, restaurants, and bars. Playing these machines is a practically a mandatory part of being Finnish. If you truly wish to blend in with the native population, never go ...

Finland is full of them lingonberries. . From the yellow clustered cloudberry of Lapland to the plain old strawberry, you can find almost any berry variation, especially in Autumn. Perhaps one of the most traditional berries is the lingonberry, more widely known as the cowberry since the name lingonberry is borrowed from Swedish. In Finnish, they’re called puolukka. Lingonberries can ...

Got green fingers? Missing the smell of freshly tilled soil and the taste of home grown veggies? Every summer, KVAT (Recrea-tional Committee of Korte-pohja) hosts a gardening club by providing allotments for students in Viitaniemi and Kuokkala. Adverts for the club go up in May and activities continue during the summer until the harvest in August/September. It ...

Welcome to Jyväskylä, the jewel in the crown of Central Finland.  Whether you like it or not you are going to be living here at least for a little while, and you might as well make the most of it.  All it takes is an adventurous spirit and an open mind.  I've lived in Finland for some time now, ...

If you have recently moved to Finland you may have noticed that most Finnish supermarkets carry a wide variety of potatoes. They are either sold loose or prepackaged in paper or plastic bags. There are three basic types of potato, each one suitable for different purposes in food preparation. There is a standard potato bag color code which is in use by ...

The parliamentary elections are coming soon and the political machines of Finland are running at full tilt. This will be the first time that I will be eligible to vote in the national elections and as a relative newcomer with no political affiliation I found myself wondering who I should vote for. There are all kinds of issues to consider, but ...