Contrary to my previous posting, I will be able to read On Chesil Beach while in Finland. The children's librarian that I volunteer with very kindly made a simple phone call and the book is on it's way, despite my blundering. I simply must get a grasp on this language when I return in the fall!
Kindness is everywhere I turn, here in Finland. I've been very lucky. I've met all sorts of helpful and generous folk.
I've also met a few characters. It's a small place. The other evening I went jogging on my own. I went to a local hill (which has a look-out tower and a playing field perched on top) and is wooded. Trails intersect and encircle the entire area, so if you pass a person jogging once, you are bound to pass them a dozen times. When I returned home to my partner, I informed him that I was checked out quite a few times on my run. I was being cruel, just trying to inject him with a motivator for joining me on the occasional evening jaunt. "Oh, by who?" he asked. "Um, some really serious runner, and Italian maybe, in short shorts," I replied. "Oh, that's the same guy that was checking you out at the grocery store when we were shopping a few weeks ago, his name is ---." As an afterthought he added, "He's a real horn-dog."
Oh, okay. Well, anyways before I get too full of myself.
Anyhow, the interpersonal weirdness just keeps on coming. In my first week here, we met a sprightly blonde German girl that dutifully showed up at every gathering where a certain friend of ours was bound to be. I was new, lonely, and eager to make new acquaintances. I tried to engage her in conversation a few times and really didn't get very far. She just wasn't interested in making friends...her gaze kept being averted. Let's call her "Tiffy" - because that's the kind of name she has. When the apple of her eye left town for an internship, Mr. Apple, I thought we wouldn't hear from her any longer. This was true, until two weeks ago. She ran into my partner while out shopping. Twice. Consequently we have been sent a text message to join her and friends for drinks, as she will being going away for three weeks. Well, I really haven't seen her in two months, so I don't know about this three week thing. Does she think that Mr. Apple is back, and he'll be coming along with us? Oh well, regardless of the motivators I will head out and take one more stab at friendship. Sometimes it is exhausting being in a country were all the people you socialize with are new acquaintances. I miss the lack of effort it took to hang around with old comfortable friends!
By the way, Tiffy has a watch that trains her. It has a programmed training schedule and gets her out the door and furthermore, if her heart rate is below target, it commands her to run faster. No wonder she's got such a great figure. I need one of those.
Image from Mati Rose, a Californian artist.
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