I am three fourths of the way through exams. I’ll be done around 4 pm on Thursday, after what I’m told is a rather easy Chaucer exam. After that, it’ll be a little more than a week until my departure, and I couldn’t possibly be more ecstatic. After all, I’ve been waiting for this since January, and practically chewing my fingernails to their cuticles in anticipation. If I can only make it through this last exam (and ace it, I hope), it will be as if I’ve already arrived in Finland. That is, of course, barring the myriad disaster scenarios that might delay me. But Rami frequently tells me not to worry about that sort of thing, so I think I’ll heed his advice.
Speaking of Rami, we were talking about music today (as we often do), and he inadvertently introduced me to a famous Finnish singer from the 50s called Olavi Virta. Although I’m typically not a fan of 50s crooners, this guy’s voice is really exceptional, and I can’t help appreciating the subdued passion and apparent melancholy of the Finnish tango. I take it that Rami is not exactly a Virta groupie, but he describes hearing some of these tunes as a child. I think a fresh pair of American ears might help enliven what is, for him, quite stale, and I’ll get to learn more about Finnish culture in the process. This is the fun of transatlantic relationships, folks. I don’t recommend them, per se, but they certainly have their advantages.
Suomi Summer 