Good Citizens

Our last days in Helsinki were filled with Finnish culture and art. On Thursday morning we went to our academic visit at the Institute for Health and Welfare. We had a lecture, but had to leave early because employees of the Institute were staging a walk-out to protest governmental budget cuts. They were all wearing black and holding signs, and were preparing to walk to the parliament as we left.

That afternoon we went to another sauna - this time, it was the oldest wood-burning sauna left in Helsinki. All of the girls in the group piled in together to sweat it out. After about 45 minutes in the 100 degrees Celsius room, I called it quits. I went back to the hotel, took a shower, then primped before going out again.

Allie, Caitlin, and Me: Outside of the Finlandia Opera House

Our evening activity was a trip to the symphony, to watch the Helsinki Philharmonic perform. The show was lovely, and set everyone in the mood for a night out. After the show we found a restaurant where the hungry crowd could eat, and where we could sit at a big table and enjoy each other's company.

After lasting the last metro and getting impatient waiting for the bus, we decided to walk back to the hotel. On our way we passed by what seemed to be a hopping bar - there was a lot of noise, and a ton of people outside. As we walked, some fellows said, "Americanos? English?" Of course we said yes, and it turns out that they were with another DIS group. The bar was a karaoke place, and the best find of the entire trip.

Finnish people love slow songs for karaoke. My friends and I signed up to sing a Backstreet Boys song. While we waited, we witnessed a ton of odd choices. Some random Finnish man sand "Space Oddity," which turned out to be pretty good. There was also a rousing rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody," plus some Finnish songs. But we were easily the best performance of the night. My friend Allie gave her camera to some locals in the bar so they could photograph our rousing rendition of "I Want It That Way," but I guess they got distracted since they ended up taking pictures of themselves. But we did get a few winners out of the night.

Our last day was pretty quiet. We paid a visit to the Chiasma Art Museum, where we saw the exhibit Elixer. It was pretty trippy, but the museum as a whole was very interesting. In the book store, I saw a book that I had worked with when I was an intern at HNA. That was a really cool feeling. But the day was quiet, and after a short lunch we went to the airport and flew back to Copenhagen after a wonderful week in the Baltic states.

As a whole, the trip was pretty incredible. It was a great opportunity to get to know my classmates and to bond with friends. But aside from the socializing and having fun, our group did some amazing things. We went to two countries that I would never have visited on my own. We immersed ourselves in culture, and got to know the feeling and flavor of each locale. We learned about healthcare, and the plight of real people in the post-Soviet era. We had a unique experience, a gratifying experience, and an enlightening experience - but most of all, it was a positive experience.

Architecture in Helsinki

Our first day in Helsinki was disgusting - there is no way around it. It was cold and rainy, and the wind would gust by and make you feel like you'd been slapped in the face by a giant. I considered taking Mary Poppins pictures, with me blowing away with an umbrella, but the umbrella kept flipping inside out, and I just wanted to go find a warm cafe corner.

Our first stop was the Temppeliaukion Kirkko, a church in Helsinki carved entirely out of rock. It was impressive to see, and it was nice to just sit inside quietly without and wind or rain.

After the church we went to the University Helsinki Museum Arrpeanum, a museum about the University of Helsinki and the medical school there. There was an enormous collection of old medical equipment and other medical oddities. It was really interesting to see what medical school, tools, and techniques were like a long time ago. There was a wall with models of babies with various illness that were used as teaching tools to help identify symptoms of different conditions. The building itself was beautiful inside and out, with a giant wrought-iron staircase and old-fashioned exterior. It was situated on the side of a square with a huge cathedral, sculpture, and fountain. The entire area was beautiful and the museum was interesting, but I would have enjoyed them more if I hadn't been soaking wet and and the weather hasn't been so dreadful.

We had free time, but the unanimous group decision was to hide in a cafe or some other warm place to avoid the horrible weather. After some free time for lunch and coffee, we jumped on a train to the Health Center of Kirkkonummi for another academic session about Finnish healthcare.

In the United States, we go to general practices with a few doctors and nurses who make up your primary healthcare. We see separate specialists at our own discretion, sometimes with a doctor referral and sometimes without. We jump around, and access healthcare in many different ways. In Finland, you would be a patient at a health center, a unit designed to meet widespread medical needs. In the office there would be dentists, ophthalmologists, and physical therapists, in addition to general practitioners. There is also a small hospital wing, with beds and nurses. All of these things are located in one building that is fairly close to your place of residence. The idea is that by making primary access to these services available, patients will be able to access care more easily, and prices will be kept down for everyone involved. The idea seems brilliant - make these treatments convenient and cheap with little to no red tape, and keep everyone happy. There are obviously going to be downsides, and the Finnish health system is far from perfect, but it was interesting and impressive to see how many services people could access at such a low cost.

The rest of the night was relaxed. Our group went out to dinner in what was aptly described as the Applebee's of Finland. We were slated for a "traditional Finnish meal," which consists of cream of mushroom soup, fresh salmon, and then a blueberry dessert. The place looked like it catered to American tourists, and the atmosphere was ruined by the jackhammering from construction next door, but we still shared a pleasant meal together.

After dinner the initial plan was to go out to a roof top bar. But I was cold and tired. SO some of my friends and I opted to use the sauna in our hotel. Saunas are an enormous part of Finnish culture - for five million residents, there are close to two million saunas. There are saunas everywhere - in even the Parliament building. We wanted to experience true culture, so we put on our bathing suits and went it.

Saunas are hot, usually kept between 60 and 100 degrees Celsius (between 140 and 210 degrees Fahrenheit). Our sauna was around 80 degrees Celsius. There were hot stones, upon which we poured water to create more steam. We took turns pouring the water and the stones and saying silly things (it felt like we were introducing an episode of Iron Chef). After about 15 minutes, you are supposed to get out, jump in cool water, then come back inside for a second round. By the time you're ready to get out, you are happy for the relief - you sweat like crazy inside. I have never been so sweaty from just sitting around in a towel (though I suppose that is good considering how often I do that).

Even though it was torturous at points, I felt incredible after going in the sauna. It felt like I had just exercised, and I felt like the toxins in my body had just melted out and evaporated. I went to bed that night feeling refreshed and much warmer than I had been earlier that day.