Some time ago I got an e-mail from my dear old dad, saying I should write my blog in English like my friend, because "that's why you are there", apparently. I pointed out to him that it would be silly to write in English because all the readers are Finns. But I have a hunch that there was an ulterior motive, to get me to practice my English. Hah, now you have to practice yours when you read this, so the joke's on you!:D As if I didn't practice here already, writing lab reports as fast as I can… but in order to prove my father wrong (best reason for doing anything, isn't it?;), I'm going to write the this one in English, to show I could do it if I wanted to. So, here it goes:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I've been progressing Finland-image once again, in addition to promoting some weird ideas about pesäpallo to a Japanese guy some time ago… As Finns know, life isn't easy, especially not in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Finland. You just have to deal with it. It's sometimes hard for foreigners to grasp this basic nature of Finns to life, so accidentally I've created so called you die-ideology to depict the seriousness of living in Finland. Suo, kuokka ja Jussi, you know. Here are two examples about how the ideology got started.

The first thing was a discussion about coldness. It isn't actually cold in Scotland, not according to Finnish standards anyhow. Probably – 2° C at worst, usually something around 5 – 10°C so basically pretty nice, like April in Finland if the sun is shining. What makes it cold is the wind and the rain. Another factor is that people don't know how to build houses here, for instance not using double-glazed windows seems a bit funny… it can be below zero here still, but who am I to say how they should build their houses;) And apparently the state of house building isn't much better in New Zealand either, as it turned out in some point of the discussion. As a Finn I had to point out that hey, stop whining, it's not like is -30 ° C there… and got a reply that the Finns don't tolerate cold any better than anyone else, "you just wrap up in your goretex and go inside to warm…" you got that right, it's called common sense. I continued the situation by explaining that you pretty much have to know how to build properly insulated houses in Finland because otherwise, well, you die. Either know how to protect yourself against the cold or die. Natural selection.