Educational success?

I have been following the conversation about Finnish educational system for quite some time now. Finland scores high in the Pisa research every year, and has become famous for it. We now have educational tourism in Finland, meaning that delegations from different countries come to learn about our system.

Finnish educational system has been praised all over the world and our education minister has travelled for example to the United States to give advice on how to improve education. 

When asked which are the most important ingredients for success, Henna Virkkunen, minister of education, answered following:

1. All teachers have to finish Master's degree

2. All teachers are trusted and supported by strong unions, government and parents

3. Teachers are paid well and their well-being is cared for

4. All pupils get attention according to their needs: some are faster or more gifted than others, but no one is left behind

5. Not to measure success by competition with winners and losers, but with trust, teamwork and building good self esteem.

Having been raised and educated in Finland I find all these reasons basic standard for schooling rather than an exceptional way of educating. For me it was a huge shock to find out some countries actually don't value or trust their teachers. It seems absolutely stupid: the youth are the future, and their education should be a priority. Teachers are the most important ingredient to successful education. They should be supported, trusted and paid well. They should also be well educated themselves.

In the States it's actually very common for elementary school teacher to quit their job after five years or so. Only rarely do they stay until retirement. This is due to stress, low salary and not getting enough support by government, union or parents.

In Finland kids start school when they are seven years old and they attend the least amount of lessons and do least amount of homework in Western world; yet the results are outstanding.

We believe that hobbies, spending time with friends and having fun actually improve learning: you are not supposed to be studying around the clock. Also healthy food is important and schools in Finland serve healthy, homemade food for children instead of fast food (hamburgers and soda would never be served!).

I do not believe that my home country is superior to others nor do I believe our educational system is perfect or best in the world. But I am proud to having been educated in Finland: I know it will take me a long way. 

"Education is not the answer to the question. Education is the means to the answer to all questions."

-William Allin

Si, hablo espanol mucho well!

When you come from a small country like Finland, speaking multiple languages is pretty much self-evident. I've studied five foreign languages in my life, the most recent one is Spanish, which I started here in the Netherlands few months ago.

As a travelling journalist it's vital to know different languages. In many countries you can manage with English, but knowing the native language is always a huge advantage. You can read local papers, follow the news and understand the conversations in cafes and buses: it gives you more genuine image of the country.

Arabic has long been my passion to learn, and I've studied it for two summers in Egypt. At the moment, however, it's not possible for me to continue studying Arabic. So I decided to take some private Spanish lessons here, and I've really enjoyed it. I've always wanted to learn Spanish as well.

Before going to Portugal I knew I would probably not understand any Portuguese, but that the locals would understand if I spoke Spanish. Mostly that was not necessary since - much to my surprise - many Portuguese speak English very well. 

One night me and my friend wanted to go dance salsa - not that we are so great salsers - and found a Cuban place that we liked. Music was good, atmosphere relaxed and a lot of really good Portuguese guys to lead. 

Mostly all the guys behaved like gentlemen, but there was one man who after a while started making passes at me. I only wanted to dance, so I told him - in Spanish - that I have a husband. This statement, however, didn't have the affect I was hoping. He continued hitting on me. I repeated myself a couple of times more, but he just kept shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal.

Finally I just left him on the dancefloor and continued my night, not really giving it a second thought.

I remembered the guy today when I was having coffee with my friends, and I told them the story. One of my friends asked me to repeat what I said to the guy, and after doing so she started laughing.

So it turns out that instead of telling him "I have a husband" I had just repeated "I have a brother".

No wonder I didn't get the reaction I was expecting... It's also possible that he thought I was threatening him with my brother, implying he could kick his ass if he tried something (which is actually not so far away from the truth).

I will continue to learn Spanish and one thing is certain: I will never forget how to say "I have a husband" in Spanish (it's a useful sentence).


"Obras son amores y no buenas razones"
- Spanish proverb

Woman behind a wheel

Most people who know me would probably say that I can sometimes (or maybe more often than not) be a reckless driver. I have never denied that: yes, I can be a reckless driver. Nonetheless I've always claimed still to be a good driver.

Well, this week I crashed my fifth car and started thinking if I should finally take a hint.

Let me explain.

I was around 12 years old when I learned to drive: my brother taught me. We had an old Toyota, which was not suitable for traffic but perfect for cruising in the country side. Me and my friend used to car surf: the other one would get on the roof and other one would drive the car and try to get her off the roof (yes mom, I know. It was stupid. But so much fun).

So that's how the recklesness started.  

I got my driver's licence when I was 18 and my first car at the same time (bought for me by my brother, thank you very much. Although I know he did it because he was afraid I'd want to drive his). My first accident happened the same summer: I was racing on a small road, when a car appeared around the corner (the trees were on the way.. and yes, I was speeding like crazy) and I ended up driving in the forest 80 km/h. 

Second accident happened two years after. I was driving my friend's Saab (he sat next to me) winter time in Helsinki, cruising on the icy roads. It got out of control and we ended up in the gutter, almost vertical, tail lights pointing up. All I could say after a moment of silence was: "Go push". He didn't.

Now third, and my utmost favourite, is the time when I crashed two cars at the same time. That happened 2008. Both of the cars belonged to my boss. 

You might think how it is possible to crash two cars at the same time. Well it's very easy. You just take one car and crash it to the other. It helps a lot if you don't look where you're going. And remember to speed up to get a really nice bang. You'll be hearing the judgement day trumpets after that, and seeing your life flash before your eyes (not kidding).

So that's four cars down.

And I still believed I was a good driver. Reckless, yes, but still good.

Well this week a rental Mitsubishi Colt and a narrow Portuguese street made me do some rethinking.

My conclusion was following:

a) Women should never drive

b) I should never drive

I did some research and found out that men are actually three times more likely to be in a fatal car accident than women. Men from 16 to 25 are considered to be the most risky drivers. However women are more likely to cause small accidents.

How I see it is that men are more reckless and that's why cause more fatal accidents. Women are more insecure and cause small accidents. 

Well I'm a woman, reckless, and have caused five small accidents (small yes, because no one has died or been taken to the hospital. Thank God). So which one of my conclusions is correct?

If you have an opinion on this one, please write it down on the comment section. I'd love to hear how many people think I should never be allowed to drive.

p.s. Mom I know you're shocked. Dad, I know you already knew.


"If your wife wants to learn to drive, don't stand in her way."
-Sam Levenson

Ice hockey in Portugal

Yea, I know. It's been too long. I have been in Portugal the last seven days and to be honest, it's quite exhausting. No energy to update my blog, because that would require me to think ('coz my blog is so sophisticated.. yea don't say anything..).

Originally I had an idea to write about the bail-out and economy, that would be very journalistic. But I have to be honest (because journalists never lie): I have no idea what's going on with that. For me Portugal has been purely a vacation (and a well deserved one) and I have not been following the news.

But there is one thing I can mention that happened during this holiday: ice hockey. 

Yea, really.

For the people who don't know ice hockey is the national sport in Finland. Our self esteem as a country depends on how we do in ice hockey (and personally mine too). I love this sport so much and I have been quoted saying that I would give away my kidney if I could witness Finland winning the World Championship.

Well, anyone in need of a kidney?

It's quite difficult to watch ice hockey here in Portugal. Finally me and my friend put up a studio (which would be my laptop and a cup of coffee) in close-by McDonalds in Lisbon, because they had wifi. We watched the game online, in Estonian, getting all the looks from other customers (cause we were screaming and jumping and cheering). 

Later I got phone call from a friend in Helsinki. I don't really know what we talked about, because all I could hear was loud screming and shouting in the streets of Helsinki. But it didn't really matter. We were the champions. Awesome.

So sorry, but this is the best I can do now. I have two more days in Portugal and when I return to the Netherlands, I promise to go back being my smart and professional self. Believe it if you will.

"Ja sitten on kiekko maalissa, kiekko on maalissa, kiekko on maalissa, kiekko on maalissa kolmannen kerran peräkkäin!"
- Antero Mertaranta

Granny Air

I took a night bus from Sarajevo to Zagreb yesterday, so my sleeping was so and so. I had to wait nine hours for my flight in Zagreb, so I was feeling completely exhausted. But little did I know what kind of flight I was going to face…

At the gate we were only about five people waiting for the flight, so I thought wow, it’s going to be comfortable. But while the boarding time drew closer and finally passed I started to get anxious: no sign of the cabin crew.

How could I have known that I was actually about to board on the same flight with the Dutch Elderly Society, or whatever they call it (I don’t even know if the elderly have a society, but I would assume so). They came late, and they took over the plane.

How long does it take to board a plane-full of old people? Long. How many times can you get confused by which is actually your seat? Apparently many. How many people can get confused by their seats at the same time? Multiple. And what is the result? Chaos.

It was like the plane had been hijacked. I’ve never seen stewardesses so troubled. I felt like in the movie Con Air, only it would have been Granny Air.

Oh well, finally we were able to take off. Peaceful and quiet flight ahead of me, yea? Not so much for the cabin crew. You know what is so interesting about old people? They have lots of free time, and they like to enjoy it. Unfortunately sometimes it means people around them are running (I feel you, stewardesses!)

As that wasn’t confusing enough, suddenly I saw a woman at least twice my age winking at me. And not only once or twice, but three times. Not that I am not used to being winked at: sure people do it to me all the time despite their age or gender, but this time it caught me off guard.

How do you respond to an older woman winking at you?

Let me tell you how. First you look around, then you look back at her. You raise your hand and wave it a little. You smile. You might wink back.

And then you realize she was not really winking at you, but that you definitely have her attention now.

Oh well.

Eventually the flight was a huge pleasure for me, since the older lady next to me turned out to be me in fifty years. We started chatting over the meal about how she is a vegetarian, and ended up talking about our travels and adventures over the world. She has been all over: trekking in Tibet and Nepal, cruising on the Nile, adventuring in the Amazon… She had done everything that is on my list for things to do.

And she has had a Finnish boyfriend (at least that was my conclusion when after hearing I was from Finland she said ‘I love you’ in Finnish, giggled like teenager and added ‘that was a long time ago, when I was young and wild like you’). God bless her soul, she is a fisty woman!

Eventually we landed safe and sound. Guess what old people do when plane lands? They all yell “Jiihaaaa!” 

No kidding.

"The old are in a second childhood."
- Aristophanes

No hope?

My trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina has come to an end and I must say goodbye.

What a trip, what an experience.

Still my question remains the same: what to say about Sarajevo?

I have met many interesting people and heard at least as many interesting stories and viewpoints about Bosnia and Sarajevo. From each and every one of the people I interviewed I asked one same question: is there hope for Bosnia?

Unlike anything else in Bosnia, the answers were strongly united: No.

There is no hope for Bosnia.

No hope?

How to respond to that? I don't know. How could I understand what Bosnia has been through, how the people are feeling? 

Maybe I can't understand it, but I do care. That's why I am in journalism: because I care. Doesn't mean I can fix things, doesn't mean I can provide hope for people who seem to have none. No. But I do care.

I do realize that I am just another traveller, who passes this place by; just like many other places. I don't live here, I don't plan to live here. I don't have to deal with the trauma of the war or the problems of the government. 

But the people I meet and the stories I hear deeply shape me as a human being. They have much greater impact on me than I can ever have on them. 

But this is not about me, no. This is about Bosnia.


"This place is a black hole, with only small sparkles of light. We are still falling and eventually we have to crush."
- Danis Tanovic

The Three Monkeys

Two guys and one girl are walking on the street and eating bananas. Nothing special about that. Right?

Look again. 

They are painted as monkeys. They act like they are monkeys. People are following them, they are excited about this engaging art form that they have not been familiar with.

The three monkeys are actually three young artists from Sarajevo, who decided to start doing body painting and engaging art two years ago. They formed a group called "Color crew". 

They came up with the three monkeys act last autumn, right before the presidential elections.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina there are three presidents: one for each nationality (Bosniak, Croat, Serb). The presidency circulates between them in eight-month periods. The system, however, is not functioning at all. The three presidents can't agree on anything.

"When we started doing the three monkeys, people instantly recognized who we were playing. The reactions were very positive", artists said.

The artists argue that the presidents are exactly like monkeys, they don't do anything. By doing body painting and street art they want to make people think and talk about the impossible situation in Bosnia. 

"People vote for these monkeys! We want to make them think. If we can change the minds of even a few people, we're happy", the group told me.

But change in Bosnia might be quite difficult to achieve. Things are very complicated. The more I learn about it, the less I understand.

I interviewed a Bosnian writer and an art patron Melina Kameric today. She opened the world of Bosnia and Herzegovina for me in a way I hadn't entered it before. And when it comes to my last blog post, she disagreed with not talking about the war anymore.

Kameric argued that almost all of the problems they have as a country and as a government are because of the war, and that 16 years is not enough time to make amends with it - especially when most of the topics are tabu to talk about.

"We can not move on until we have dealt with the war properly."

The country is strongly divided between the three nationalities: there is no such thing as a Bosnian national identity. Five centuries ago people of Bosnia were called Bosnians; now they are either Bosniak, Croat or Serb - or Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox or Jewish.  

Building one common national identity is going to be key element in the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, if they wish to succeed in having a functioning country.

"War demands sacrifice of the people. It gives only suffering in return."

- Frederic Clemson Howe

Safe in Sarajevo

What to say about Sarajevo?

Or where to begin.. Maybe from the beginning.

I knew I was going to come to Sarajevo for a reporting trip already in February. So at times at casual conversations the topic would rise up. I was surprised to notice that the most common reaction to my news was: is it safe? Aren't you afraid?

Is it safe? Not once did it occur to me that it might not be safe. It has been 16 years since the war ended. Why would it not be safe? Really, is this the image that most people still have of Sarajevo, of Bosnia?

In Europe Italy and Spain are actually the most dangerous countries for journalists, according to Reporters without Borders. Organized crime in Italy and ETA in Spain make journalism sometimes a risky business in those countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina is not even on the list.

But still the first thing that comes to mind when talking about the Balkans is war. Well, I'm not going to write about the war. For two reasons.

First, I don't feel I have the right to write about the war. What do I know of it? I don't even remember it happening, I've only studied about it later. What could I, a 24-year-old Finnish girl, possibly write about the Bosnian war?

The second reason, and maybe more important one, is that I think enough has been said already and it's time to move on. Why talk about the past when the future is far more important? And this is what I've been hearing here as well: enough is enough, let's move on and make a better life for us.

There is a young generation of creative, intelligent people in Bosnia, who are more than capable of changing the path of their country. In only two days I have met many talented, friendly and open-minded people, who are aware of their history and the challenges still ahead of them as a nation; such are sometimes rare to come across with in my own country.

I came to Bosnia from Croatia by bus yesterday. I had a five-hour transit in Bihac, a city close to Croatian border. I had my luggage with me and didn't want to drag them around the whole time. Unfortunately the bus station didn't have lockers or any place to put my bags.  

So there I was, standing in the bus station with my bags, when a tall guy comes up to me and says: "hey, I have a cafe here. You can put your things there". Hmm, a strange guy in Bosnia tells me to leave my stuff at his place? Sure, why not!

I ended up having interesting conversations with him, listening to traditional gypsy music and learning something new about the people of Bosnia. I did take a tour in the city, about three hours, and when I came back my things were totally safe. 

I feel more safe here than I've felt some other places in Western Europe, or in Finland. Although people who know me might say that I always feel safe, no matter where I go.. But still. Sarajevo is really a fascinating place, and I've received nothing but kindness and generosity. 

There are multiple layers in this city, and the five days I have left here are not even nearly enough. But I will try my best to understand the diversity and function of Sarajevan art and culture.

With one of the greatest writers of all time, I will end my post and start my adventure in Bosnia:

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower; Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.”

- William Blake

Awesomeness at National park

Before you read any further, I have to warn you: this blog post is mostly about personal experience and not so much about journalism. It is also about bragging how awesome my life is. Sorry. 

So it happened that yesterday I went to the research center here at the national park to ask for an interview for my article that I'm writing. And who do they give me? This really sweet guy, who has been to Finland few years ago on an excursion to Lapland national parks. 

When he heard I'm from Finland he arranged to take time from his busy day to take me on a private tour around the awesome forests around the lakes. I got my interview all right!

But that is not all, oh no. Today he arranged two forest rangers (with a car of course) to be at my service (yea, sure, only at my service..) and take me to the restricted primary forests (not open to public). I can assure you that no plants, insects, birds, carnivores, humans or other living creatures were harmed during the tour (although I did scare a snail pretty badly).

My personal rangers together with Finland-loving researcher really made my day. I got more than enough material for my article - plus I got to spend my last day at the park with some awesome people. 

These kind of days make me really happy that I decided to pack my backs and leave Finland. Not that I have ever regretted it. But really, my life is pretty awesome (there, I said it). 

I will not bother you with my non-journalistic nonsense much longer. So, as always, I will end my post with a quote:


"Man tries to act like nature, but nature will always be more powerful than man."
Kresimir Culinovic

 

Year of the Forests

Seldom have I been made silent with something that is so profound and magnificent. I have travelled, but I have never been to a place like this.

I’m talking about the Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia.

I am very much of a forest person. I grew up in the forest and learned to love and respect the nature. My parents would often take me and my brother to the woods to have picnic, we would make a fire and fry sausages. I cherish those memories.

So when I was a little girl, my whole world was about the woods. Later in my life, after I started travelling, I fell deeply in love with oceans and mountains, but there has always been something magical about forests for me: they were drawn in my heart the moment I was born.

United Nations has declared this year the International Year of the Forests; a project originally initiated by Croatia.  This country has over 250 years of experience in forestry; almost half of Croatia’s land is covered with forests.

Forests are the lungs of the earth. It deeply concerns me how carelessly we live on this planet: we pollute the oceans, trash and cut down the forests, consume and destroy. With oil, island of plastic and radioactive water in our oceans, how can we face ourselves? Don’t we have responsibility?

Today I hiked around the most beautiful scenery, with the clearest lakes I have ever seen, and tall trees reaching for the sky. It is one of the rare places where the handprint of human is hardly noticeable. It felt like time had stopped. I wanted to dive in those clear waters, to make a fire, fry sausages and be a little girl once more.

I feel very privileged to have two more days to wander around in this magical place. And while I’m enjoying this Croatian jewel, I challenge you, my dear reader, to think what you could do for our beloved forests. Big things start with small steps and changes sometimes with only one person. Let’s not let our lungs die.

A famous classical singer, whose name I unfortunately cannot remember, used to say:

“The forests sing most beautifully.”

I hope they will keep singing for centuries to come.