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.

Farewell to the Enchanted City

It was with great fortune that my group was treated by sun (and considerably less wind) on our second morning in Tallinn. With some early free time, my friends and I went around the city, searching for cool things to purchase since Estonia is so cheap (10 Estonian Krooni to a dollar), and retaking some of out photos from the previous day so that they would look nicer. This is what Tallinn actually looks like, perfect clouds and all.

Later that morning we visited the Occupation Museum, which described the process by which Estonia became part of the Soviet Union, what the 50 year occupation was like, and how Estonia became an independent state once more. There were pictures showing Estonians rejoicing when the Nazis entered the country, and there are stories of Estonians joining the German army. At first, this seemed absolutely horrifying. But placed in context of the Russian occupation of the Baltic states, it makes sense. Which is worse - Nazis or Russians? People were so opposed to the Soviet occupation that they were fighting it in many different ways. For some men, that meant in a German uniform. After World War II ended, the Soviets remained in control until the collapse of the union in 1991. For a country that is younger than I am, Estonia still has an impressive structure, an active economy, and a unique sense of pride and joy in their recently obtained freedom.

The picture to the left is of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedrall in Tallinn. The church is Russian Orthodox, and it is like nothing that I have ever seen before. As beautiful as the building is on the outside, it is even more so on the interior. The main sanctuary was dark, and services were occurring so the room was filled with an eerie and beautiful chanting. The walls were decorated with elaborate gold moldings, and beautiful icons. I found one that depicted the last of the Romanov dynasty, among many other images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and the saints of Orthodoxy.

This church is located in the Old Town of Tallinn, directly across the street from parliament. Our tour guide on the previous day's walking tour explained that it makes an interesting juxtaposition, with Russia still looming over the Estonian government. This seems to reflect Estonia's place in the greater framework of Europe. As one of our previous guest lecturers explained, Estonia is a middle man. It is stuffed between Europe and Russia, and it is a point that connects the north of Scandinavia to the rest of southern Europe. It is the center point in drug trafficking and human trafficking routes. It is also a locus in the rising HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. It seems like Estonia is still coming into its own as a country, feeling the pressures of nationhood from every direction.

After a second lecture on Tuesday, our group left the hotel and caught a ferry to Helsinki, the capitol of Finland. The ferry ride was smooth. I wanted to go outside on deck, but it was very cold, and windy, and the sea salt breeze was not as poetic as I hoped it would be.

Once we reached Helsinki, our group checked in to the Holiday Inn (which is much nicer in Finland than in the United States). We had a night on our own, so my friends and I wandered around, exploring the city and finding our way around. The architecture was interesting, a strange mix of modern and old-fashioned, with a splash of art noveau. It was pretty cold, so we found a bar/cafe (or baari as the Finnish like to call them) where we could sit, get drinks, and embrace local culture. We did not get a chance to mingle with any Finnish people since normal people are not out late on Tuesday nights, but we we did figure out the Metro, get to know the city center a bit, and figure out how to walk back to our hotel. Everyone was excited to explore the city further in the morning, and to see what makes Helsinki such a unique locale in Northern Europe.

Of Castles and Legends

It has been a long week, but indeed an incredible one. As part of my core class, Healthcare in Northern Europe, the 27 students in my track traveled to Estonia and Finland for 6 days. Our trip was a mixture of academic visits and sight-seeing, as well as plenty of free time for exploring on our own.

We arrived in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, on Sunday night after a short but shaky flight. The plane was wobbling for awhile before take-off, which was not a great start considering how much I hate flying. But the flight was smooth, and I took a great nap. After checking in to our hotel, the group ventured out to Olde Hansa, a medieval-style restaurant. The decor was exactly how you would imagine an old castle to be - long wooden tables, lots of candles, and intricate tapestries. The waiters and waitresses wore medieval costumes (pointy elf shoes and all), and even the bathrooms had old style sinks and toilets. My food choices were a bit limited, but the point of the meal was the atmosphere, to introduce us to the culture of old Tallinn, and to allow the group to bond and relax together on the first night of our long study tour.

Jonelle and me with a waitress from Olde Hansa

Estonia is the farthest north I had ever been (though later this trip Helsinki would claim that title). At a latitude of 59°22'N, Tallinn is on a close line with Alaska. The weather promised to be colder than Copenhagen, but we did not expect to walk out of our hotel on Monday morning and into icy rain and gusts of wind, just in time for our walking tour of the Old Town. We walked through the cobblestone streets of the oldest portion of the city, taking in the view and learning about different sites.

As you can see, it was rather gray outside. This picture was taken at a dry point. But the wind was whipping around so strongly, picture-taking got a bit difficult. This was a particular problem for girls - half of the group pictures made everyone look like Cousin Itt. But despite the unfortunate cloud coverage, it was easy to see that Tallinn is beautiful.

The rest of our day was taken up by two academic visits. We went to the Terve Eesti Sihtasutus (Estonian Health Foundation) to hear about their work with the rising HIV epidemic in Estonia. According to the WHO, Estonia has one of the highest prevalence of HIV in Europe, with an estimated 1% of the entire adult population being infected. Though the epidemic is still concentrated in the Russian-speaking injecting drug-using population, the numbers are enormous when compared to the total population of Estonia. The Health Foundation that we visited targeted programs at employers and various companies, since an HIV-positive workforce is rising. We are not quite sure what the organization does or how it is financed since our guest speaker did not reach that point in her presentation, but it definitely got the group thinking about the consequences of infectious disease in Estonia and the rest of Eastern Europe.

Our second academic visit was to a general practitioner's office in Tallinn. Though our group got the feeling that the doctor did not particularly want to lecture to us, we tried to be open-minded and listen to her insights to the Estonian healthcare system. There is a shortage of doctors in Estonia, as well as a shortage of nurses. There is an increasing trend of medical workers leaving the country to seek higher wages (Finland is a popular choice of destination). However, the remaining doctors do what they can to provide adequate service and keep costs down. The clinic that we visited served 10,000 patients in the Tallinn area. There were exam rooms, a conference room, and a lab, as well as a salt chamber for respiratory ailments. Though there was no evidence, common belief in the area was that salty air was good for the respiratory tract when your illness was acute enough. Some members of the group were doubtful of the salt room's effectiveness, while others were captivated by the taste of it. (Yes, one student scooped up a small amount of salt to sample.)

The rest of the evening was free. Unable to bear the thought (or the price) or another medieval Estonian dinner, I went to dinner with my friends Caitlin and Allie. After dinner we wanted to go somewhere cozy, so we met up with a few of our other friends at a restaurant called "Peppersack." We sat for awhile in comfy chairs at wooden tables, sipping warm drinks.

After we finally left Peppersack, we tried to find a bar or pub so we could mingle with Estonians, but alas it was Monday night and normal people were in bed since they had class and school in the morning. We walked past the White Bar, which might have been trendy, but looked rather tacky without anyone in it. We also passed a bar devoted to Depeche Mode, but it was already closed at midnight. After failing to find any place that actually had people in it, we ventured back to the hotel, happy to have found some hygge and simply thrilled to be in Estonia.