-22° C! That's -8° F!

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That's cold man. My Finnish for Foreigners class was last night. I always walk to class because it's not very far, but last night I think I made it there in record time. If you think New Yorkers walk fast, come to Helsinki. If it weren't for all the ice around folks would be all out running I'm sure.

The pace of life is also picking up for me. The Principal of Espoo International is giving me some courses to teach this coming term and has thrown some odd jobs my way, such as putting together their Electives Booklet. Last week I had some time to send some more papers (and more money) to the Finnish government. Since I'm from the ol' U.S. (not EU) my degrees need to be officially recognized if I want to be a qualified teacher. It's a racket! But I'm not complaining (too much). I was the one that made the decision to move here. It wasn't like Finland was knocking on my door with an invitation to come work over here. So, I'll shut up now, pay my dues, and move on.

That's a lake behind me, frozen and snow covered.





Here's one of the old Kauppahallis, shopping hall. They are always close to the ocean. This is the place to get fresh fish! They were built in the early 20^th century.





This mound is made by the tractor men who clear the roads of the snow. These kids have used a skateboard, sans trucks, to dig out a spot to call their own.


Teaching again was great. Although it was temporary I had the pleasure of spending three solid weeks with the same students. By the end of it I didn't want to go. The students were a great bunch. There were about 120 them I got to know throughout my time there. Within them were not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 sets of twins! Two of which were identical.

One of the aspects I really liked was the bell schedule. There were 15 minutes between classes, during which time the students had to go outside the building. This left teachers time to make copies, prepare for the next class, or perhaps take a moment for themselves and have a cup of coffee. Of course we had our duties, and it fell on me twice a week to walk the upstairs hallway to make sure students were out of the building during this time. It wasn't all bad for students though. Not all students have the same schedules and so some are left to wait for their next class while on campus. There are couches and group tables in the halls of the school for students to use while not in class. There are some rules that make the school environment more pleasant. Students are not allowed to bring bookbags to class, nor can they bring their coats (teachers usually follow the same policy). Students have small wooden lockers to house their books, which are about 12"x12"x12", and there are coat racks outside the classrooms for their coats, hats, and gloves. Teachers leave their coats and such in the teachers lounge. Teachers, like the students, move from classroom to classroom. Only if a teacher requires special facilities does s/he have a room to her/himself, such are industrial arts or home economics.

I look forward to working more with Espoo International and finding more work in other schools. I also look forward to hearing from all of you that I haven't heard from in a long time! Enjoy your winter!