Wandering around Helsinki...

Well, after a few days of visiting schools, the official part of my trip is over.

I had visits booked to 8 schools, and managed to complete 7 of them, so it was a pretty good strike rate.
The visit to the 8th school was always a precarious one because it was so hard to get replies to emails from them, and often when they did come it was so late that I could not act upon them. It was a shame because any opportunity to learn more is always a welcome experience.

That means that I have had today (Saturday) and tomorrow to be completely free to do as I please. It has been so relaxing not having to worry about the next day of travel to a school, and finding out which bus route and rail link to take.

I have been crashing early at night as there are only two English channels here and so many shows are on repeat. That means I am waking up again at around midnight, refreshed as if I have had my night of sleep, and being frustrated at having to try and go back to sleep again.
It probably doesn't help that I leave the curtains open on my massive windows in order to appreciate the magnificent view I have, meaning the room is fairly bright all night.

So it's usually up early and out the door, and today was easy as it was the most glorious morning, not a cloud in the sky all day.
As I stepped outside, it felt like one of those first warm days we get in September, when everyone ditches their jumpers and start to wear shorts again. There was just a different atmosphere and people were everywhere. Imagine my surprise when I saw the temperature, I was sure it would have been more than that.

It may have only been 5 degrees, but it felt like 20.

The next few hours were spent just wandering the streets and looking for pressies to buy for my loved ones back home. There was no plan at all, I just looked at streets and just decided to go down them. Some were just opportunities for photos, others just looked so appealing and I just soaked up the atmosphere all morning.

Perhaps the most liberating thing was that I deliberately left my maps back at my digs, and forced myself not to look at the apps on my phone or ipad. And it worked!

I found myself down on the wharf, at a big cathedral, at a market (pressies done - Bingo!!) and just loving not being pressured by time or place. If anything, time didn't exist today as I had nothing binding me (except being out of my room so the cleaners can do their job).

Food found me again. I am an absolute sucker for one pastry in particular that is filled with what looks like gravy, but is a sweet fruit paste of some sort. If they ever find their way to Australia that will be the end of me. One of those this morning, then it was straight to the gym when I got back this afternoon!

There are quite a few nice pastries, but this one is the sick puppy that I am hooked on.

Might just squeeze one more in on Sunday!!

I also had a moose sausage at the market, as well as a reindeer meatball. Magnificent!

When they noticed my accent and discovered I was Australian, they acted shocked when they were telling me that they had heard that we actually eat kangaroos. I pointed to the reindeer meatballs and raised my eyebrows back at them, and they understood perfectly where I was coming from.

Later on in the day I also tried a raw fish dish that also had spicy tomatoes in it. Not sure what it was, but I loved it!! I have just about sampled most of the Finnish delights, but I seriously have to give their pastries a wider berth, they are sensational!!

I'll let the photos speak for themselves. The beautiful thing I really noticed this morning was the shape and colour of the buildings, and also how clean the streets here are.

I have noticed this loose gravel on the roads and paths everywhere, and after asking someone about it, I discovered that they spread it around during winter to provide extra grip on the road and footpaths when it gets slippery due to ice. When the snow melts they just clean it all up. It just means that when one is walking around there is a constant 'crunch' sound all the time, it's quite nice to hear.

As I write this I am once again in the foyer of my digs drinking a beautiful coffee and looking out over the frozen bay. A workplace couldn't get much better than this.

Speaking of coffee, I asked a person at a school what are the things that Finns just have to have.

The pastries were one thing they just love, so I feel like a native on that score! The other was good coffee, with lots of sugar. I'll do the coffee, but as for the sugar...not me! That's rich coming from someone who was once a two teaspoons of sugar per cup person until I got married, and was encouraged to go cold turkey on the sugar, which I did, and am thankful for. Now if there is any trace of sugar it just tastes foul to me.

The view from my 'desk'!

The sun rises over Helsinki.

View from the gym.

From the gym again.

A beautiful morning.

Note where the people have been walking and fishing.

My digs on a glorious morning.

Senate Square

The place where everyone does a selfie...except me.

Senate Square

Helsinki Harbour

A cathedral overlooking the harbour

Another part of the harbour where the fishing boats are.

Some beautiful buildings overlooking the harbour.

That's a massive factory in the background, contrasting the lovely buildings in the foreground.

Some keen swimmers.

I had a chat with this lady, she was delightful. She more or less called the other lady a bit of a wimp as she only really dipped her toes in. I felt even wimpier as I was in a coat, beanie and gloves while talking to her!!

Random street shot, beautiful buildings and colours.

Love the shapes here.

Two of the huge ferries. Cars and trucks were feeding into them like ants.

Random park shot.

This cathedral overlooks the harbour, the gold peaks stood out in the sun today.

Looking back towards the market.

Looking towards Senate Square.

Overlooking the fishing boats.

Helsinki Harbour

The Harbour Market

Senate Square

Senate Square

Picking a winner!!

And when it is 5 degrees in Helsinki and the sun is shining, what do you do with your friends?

Meet in the Market Square for coffee!

Looking towards the Church that dominates the Helsinki skyline.

Tomorrow is my last day here, so I will be somewhat sad to leave as I have grown to love this amazing city. The people are so friendly too. As I leave very early on Monday morning to fly back to London, I'll be spending a bit of time packing my bags so that some of my fragile items will travel safely.

I have just moved on from the coffee to sampling their local beers that the staff are recommending. They are more than capable at their job so I'll have to complete this post here and now!

Until my next post,

Cheers!

Paivankehran School, Espoo

Well today started off wonky, got better, went downhill dramatically before finishing on a high note!!

It was a real roller coaster of a morning.

I was booked in to visit a school yesterday, but at the last minute they asked for a swap, which I couldn't do as I was already going to a school today.

When I got up this morning I found they had emailed me during the night to see if I could come at 12.30 today, which was still a big ask as I was going o be at my school until at least 1.00.
Keep in mind that there would be at least an hour of travel between the two schools.

So I reluctantly had to send them an email back to say that although I would love to come, it would still not be possible.

So, having dealt with that problem, I headed off early to Paivankehran School, which I was confident of finding because I had been in this area twice already this week.

So I get off the bus and see that I am 20 minutes early and the school is in the vicinity. When I get there however, all I see is construction going on, to a massive scale.

And no kids!

I went up to the main gate, as the entire area was fenced off and asked the bloke on the gate where the entrance was. In broken English he told me that there were no kids here because they were building a new school. When I asked where the kids were he just shrugged, turned on his heels and walked away!

I found a Kindergarten next door and somehow explained my problem by showing them pictures of a map on my ipad. Lots of smiles, nods and happiness as they assured me that if I followed their directions everything would be sweet.
They told me that while the school was being rebuilt, the kids had been relocated to another campus.

When I asked if I should walk there they said yes (in their fashion) so off I went.
I was booked in to start my visit at 9.30, and by now it had reached 9.45 and I was was getting stressed.
Off I went, and the 'short walk' took 25 mins.
When I got to the school they sent me to, it was clearly the wrong one. I had been sent 25 mins in the opposite direction, so I had to make up this time, as well as 25 more minutes in the direction towards the school I was meant to be at.

By now I was more than an hour late, and any thoughts of catching a bus or taxi was out of the question as in my entire time there I saw not one taxi, and there were no buses in this part of the city.

Eventually I found my way, and just as I was entering the road to the school I came across the lady from the Kindergarten again, who gave me a horrified look and apologised profusely when she realised she had sent me to the wrong place.

I couldn't be annoyed with her, she was only trying to help.

The playground.

Various shots of the school.

Upon reaching the school, I found I had missed my slot with the Deputy Principal, as she had now left the school to attend a meeting elsewhere. (The Principal was away too, and had arranged for the Deputy to look after me)

Never mind they said, I was taken under the wing of their school support officer, Victoria.
Victoria is not a teacher, but works at the school organising the hiring out of the school facilities to outside groups in times when the kids are not using them. eg After school cooking classes in the Home Economics room, using the Library as a Youth Centre, etc.

Although not a teacher, she may as well have been one because she had just the richest pedagogical knowledge and awareness of the school processes that I could not have asked for a better guide.

With Victoria, an amazing person!

The next few hours were spent touring the school and spending time in various classrooms.
The staff were most welcoming, and the kids in particular were amazed and surprised that someone would travel so far just to visit their school.

Perhaps one of the best parts of the day was when I was waiting at the bus stop and a young girl came out of a big group, tapped me on the arm and said 'Moi', which is their 'Hello'. I remembered her from one of the classes I was in, and for her to come up and greet me again was quite touching.

Visiting Paivankehran was a great experience, and the fact that I was more than an hour late didn't stop me from learning so much from them.
Also, the way that they were just so gracious to me when I had stuffed up their plans by being so late.

Part of their staff room.

Regulations stipulate that they have a bomb shelter!!

This was my last school visit, bringing to 7 the number of schools I have been lucky enough to have visited. Had my plans worked out I should have taken that tally to 8.

So I now have the weekend to explore Helsinki some more. I haven't bothered to travel out of the city much, as I am enjoying just wandering and soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the sights, smells and buildings of this beautiful city.
Just by travelling to my schools this week I have been able to see lots of the areas and parts of other islands (especially today after walking so far in the wrong directions!)

I did discover a new pastry this afternoon, so the gym got a decent visit as payback afterwards!!

So tomorrow the plan is to hit the various markets, stock up on some pressies for the loved ones back home, and have a brave last attempt at some traditional Finnish foods.

I will be somewhat sad leaving Helsinki, although this may be tempered somewhat by the fact that I have to catch a bus to the airport at 4.30 on Monday morning!!

Until my next post,

Cheers!

Friisila School, Espoo

Today I was off to Friisila School in Espoo, and the day could not have been any better.

Once I got up it was on a train, then the buses again and I was paranoid about being late, as I knew the Principal had to leave the school at midday.

Talk about the planets aligning for me today! I got to my local station and a train pulled in straight away. I got off at the bus station and there was a bus just about to leave, on the route I needed, so I jumped on. Did it matter that it was 30 mins earlier than the one I was planning to catch? Nope!!

I had taken the step of writing down the last few stops before the one I needed to get off at, and this proved a master stroke, as there was no way I would have seen it otherwise.

I once again followed my app, and again I was heading through roadworks and dodging heavy machinery, but as I could see that I was in the vicinity of the school I powered on.

It was amazing to go from a built up area to a setting that seemed like it was in the country in the space of 5 minutes of walking. On one side of the school was forest area, while on the other it was 'the burbs', and these houses and neighbourhood was beautiful to say the least.

The school.

The track I walked down to get to the school.

The burbs.

Another road leading to the school.

The burbs.

The school entrance.

The school.

On the soccer field.

The other side of the soccer pitch.

I then made my way into the school, and if the reception I got yesterday was great, this was even better. They could not do anything at all to make me feel more welcome and at home, something that was not lost on me.

I was taken to meet Hannah-Mari Salin, who for the next few hours was just fantastic to spend time with. A tour of the school and very quickly I discovered that this was exactly what I was hoping to see. It was so important to have the context of the school explained to me before the tour, as then I was able to see it through the lens that I was hoping to.

What struck me the most was that although the rooms were quite small, and that the furniture was somewhat traditional and dated (which they acknowledge) it was how the kids were learning that was impressive. There were no examples of the teacher instructing the whole class, as the kids were working in small groups throughout the building, and their teachers were roaming around and keeping tabs on them. 

I know this sounds loose, but it was extremely effective, and the kids were engaged.

There was an incredible amount of trust given to the kids and they respond by not destroying this trust.

They were able to explain their learning, which is a major focus of how this school operates.

These kids really know themselves as learners.

A room for the special needs group. This is a group of 6 kids of various ages who come from different schools for a 6 week intensive program. Often their schools have given up on them, so Friisila do all they can to support these kids and change not just their school's perception of them, but their perception of themselves.

Hannah showing me a class project about propagating tomato seedlings, that will be planted outside in the spring.

Examples of their furniture.

A woodwork room, the  kids are doing great things here.

The tool shed in the woodwork room.

A class during class time. The kids were working in small groups throughout the building. The board displays the task they are working on.

Another classroom.

Sewing machines in the craft room.

The special needs room, showing the individual desks for the kids. Note the portable partitions in the background to create personal spaces.

The special needs kids move their names along the spectrum to show where their emotional mood is at various times.

A daily timetable. The yellow stands for shared work time, the red is quiet time and green is where they can choose which one they want to do.

The lunch room, where teachers and kids eat together. Free lunches are supplied daily by the govt.

The focus on learning, that all kids know and can explain.

With Hanna the Principal, the most lovely and generous person.

A blueprint that the kids are working on in the woodwork room.

The special needs kids use these mood logos on their desks.

Today was just brilliant and it exceeded all of my expectations. What I have shown here is just a snapshot of the bigger picture. Hanna loaded me up with presentations about the school philosophy, and also about effective school leadership, something that will no doubt come in handy to me.

I had arranged to visit another school tomorrow, but I had a recent email from them asking for a schedule change, which was hard to do as I was already booked at another school on Friday. I suggested perhaps later on Friday after my earlier visit, but I still have not heard from them, so it is very frustrating.

To my dismay, they are very slack at responding to emails, so it looks like I won't be visiting anyone tomorrow, a big shame as I have travelled so far to see them.

On Friday I am visiting my last school, then I have the weekend here before flying back to London.

Until my next post,

Cheers!!