I was invited to celebrate lunar new years but the party was canceled? To me it sounded like I wasnt wanted so I planned to celebrate new years alone. I was soo tired today and just wanted to sleep. I felt like baking a cake with the extra bananas I put in the freezer. I found this recipe online and it was for a giant cake that feeds 16. Risky for a first try but I think it came out great. I think you can cook anything you want to as long as you have directions and a basic knowledge of cooking. Or maybe its just the Ong cooking gene again. Anyway I was sooo sooo proud of my cake.
I went to the market the last minute and even prisma was closed but I waited until someone came out of the automatic doors so I could run in. I was desperate to buy oil and baking dishes.
I made the cake and brought some over to michelles. I wanted to share my cake but to be honest I could hear her new years celebration going on so i thought I’ll sneakily bring something over and maybe she’ll invite me too. lmao She did invite me in. I was able to have chinese dumplings and hot pot that night. My cake was a hit. They kinda devoured it and several girls asked me for the recipe afterwards.
Also there were several chinese boys I’d never met before and one of them was hella eyeing me. hahha I was talking to them and found out they’re just visiting but go to a different university in another city in Finland, Forssa. Then it occured to me, the guy who kept eyeing me. I asked him. “when did you come to finland?! September 1st?!”
He said yes. I said “you were at Helsinki Vantaa airport werent you?” He said “yea with this other guy right?” I said OMG you came up to me asked me if I was chinese and started talking to me in chinese!!! Michelle was like “you’ve met?” I said omg “high five dude!” That’s a real small world situation, or more like fate. I was so surprised this was the same guy that I talked to the first day in finland we were trying to catch busses to take us to another city and we both went to different Universities in different cities in Finland. I know finland is not that big, but the chances you meet someone at an airport and then end up being at a party and finding out they’re you’re neighbors friend is really interesting. He and another girl and boy are all studying in Forssa and go to the same home university as Michelle in China.
This small world situation was the first that didn’t bother me. It was actually kinda cool.
what do you think?
Day after snow survival I was so drained but Instead of sleeping I baked banana bread. I have issues…hahah
It was my first time making it but it came out well i think. Ong cooking gene?
I love this yellow sweater-not mine tho haha
i made this noodle soup the next morning.
I signed up to do Snow survival on wednesday. I decided to skip classes to go to this. We get the ultimate experience. Build quinzees(which i’ve already done) , sauna, eat by the fire and sleep in the quinzees overnight.
No one realized how extreme this was going to be. I got there late, of course. It was at lake Jyvasjarvi and we spent the morning piling snow. We were told we needed to build 11 quinzees to accompany 4 people each. Thats ridiculous and many people quit before the end.
I was pushing snow over the hill down onto the frozen lake below. At this point the snow is like powder soft, so as we inch farther to push it many people fell straight into the pile. I did that so many times in the beginning. I ended up thigh deep in the piles and had to angle the right way out or Id lose my boot in the giant snow pile. I even had new friends dig my leg out one time. It was fun, and tiring.
I was doing hella work in the morning but as the sun went down it was getting super freezing cold. I as usual, wore the least amount I could get away with and eventually told Tomi, the coordinator that I was cold. It was around lunch/dinner and he lived right next to the lake. He let me come up to his flat to warm up. He and his wife had lunch/dinner and I waited with them and then went back to the lake.
We continued to work and dig into the quinzees. I honestly never dug. I piled snow, and I help clean but I hate digging. I have no real snow pants and hate feeling wetness around me. To lay down on snow in regular pants with sweats over them isnt fun to me. The sun was going down and they started a fire.
Many of us were really feeling the cold by now. We had professionals around to help out. Some boys, a french guy, and danny, my vie friend came in jeans. Totally wrong attire, so their jeans froze in place and they were dying. Danny got a ride back to his place to change clothes and the french guy stuck it out for a long time. We were told not to stick our shoes in the fire, but taking off our shoes and putting our feet near were a better idea. I did that and we all had painfully cold feet. The pro building the fire said its good if it hurts. Once it stops hurting and u cant feeling anything thats when you have a problem. The french guy said he couldnt feel his feet. Thats when the pro guy took action. He told him to sit down on the snow. He pulled off french guys shoes and socks and them I watched him stick his feet under his shirt onto his bare stomach. Thats when I thought “holy shit, this is extreme….We’re dealing with extremes(frostbite?)” I took a picture because he looked like a hero, and it was such an epic site to see that.
We started cooking sausages by the fire and had tins to cook pea soup. There were corn cobbs, sandwich making stuff, bananas etc.
Everyone was waiting around for sauna. We were freezing to death. when it finally came 6 o’clock I was grabbing my shit and getting running to the sauna.
On the way there I was talking with this finnish girl. There were actually many and mostly finns there along with exchange students of course. Someone said “this is going to be the best sauna of our lives” I completely agreed. We were basically standing outside working in snow all day long with breaks for lunch to get out of the cold for an hour or two, but after all that freezing cold work, frozen toes, and wet clothes, I could appreciate sauna more than a million dollars(or anything really) at that point.
My mentality in this weather is now, when I sauna I should stand any temperature of heat, because theres no way I’d ever sweat or be that warm in finland anywhere else. Girls went first. I got into this giant sauna. it had more than enough space for the 15 or so girls there. First time I went to sauna with that many naked girls.
Sammy walked in at one point said “moi, whats the dress code?” She got a response of “Nothing!” haha it was cute. We chatted in sauna, and I talked to a new friend Elena? from estonia. We talked about tats and hair, and then again my semi automatic popularity once people hear Im american. Dont know why but people become very curious or find me very interesting if they know im from the states. Happens pretty much every time.
After we got out of sauna, everyone was gathered for a serious talk. I hesitantly walked over wondering what it was all about. There was a finnish man, some professional ex-police/military guy. He had pictures drawn of the quinzees. He gave a speech and I cant remember word for word but heres what he said
“Theres issues about security. I called you guys today and suggested you cancel the event because of the weather today, but obviously you didnt listen to me(we laugh)….so if you are going to sleep in the igloos tonight we need to give you the warnings. There are 3 things that can happen. “
1. “the roof will collapse on you. “
“if the igloos are built well this should not be a problem. There should only be 30 cms of snow for the roof so just punc out and clear the space to breathe,…..but I’ve checked every igloo, I dont think they are built well..” (LOL dude) Theres still much snow that can be cleared away from the tops…but its so cold today the roofs should be very well frozen and we can walk on top of them”
2. “You will be cold”
“this is the least dangerous problem. If you wake up in the night and you cannot feel your legs, start to move them and massage your legs until you start feeling pain, then you’ll be fine. ’Its happened to me hundreds of times’ its not a problem; If you ignore it and dont react immediately then it’s a problem” Pasi told us it may fall to -25 tonight and it will be worse if theres wind, if the wind isnt bad then its not so bad, but it’s cold enough that we will most likely not be comfortable. Also, the temp inside raises from the body heat sometimes to above 0 degrees so it may start to melt inside, but since it was such extreme cold today that might not be an issue (yay? lmao)
3. “You will suffocate in the night”
“If there isnt any air in the quinzee you can suffocate in the night, so for this we will create one ventilation hole in every igloo just a punch through the roof will be good enough. Also we will light a candle for every igloo and if the candle goes out, we’ll know that there isnt air inside ” Tomi’s response ” or its just a bad candle is more likely the issue” (laugh again)
Pasi( the serious guy) gave us all his number to call in case something happens that night. We asked him if he was sleeping in quinzees with us. He said “I’d really rather not, because I think they are not built so well, but yes I will be sleeping in the igloos with you” Pasi was hella funny with his serious tone and honest opinions.
After that serious talk we all felt like he was trying to convince us to go home. Me, and others felt it would really be a shame to have built 7 quinzees (only 5 were ready tho) and be able to sleep in them tonight.
We ate more bread, almost frozen bananas, snacks inside the building where the sauna was. We were at the 15th floor and looking out down from the windows we stared at the lake not knowing what to expect in the night. The girls had a bottle of wine and we shared it toasting to sleeping in the igloos that night.
We went back to the lake and people were digging some more to prepare the quinzees better. Myself, and others stayed by the fire feeling useless. I was so cold even standing by the fire. I didnt want to move from there and was the last to retreat into the quinzees for bed.
At some point police came by and we all got a bit quiet. The quinzees were really hard and frozen now. One cop walked along the top of the roof until we watched his leg suddenly crash through the top of the quinzee. I thought “Now, he’s totally gonna kick us out.” he pulled his leg out and eventually they left. One of the guys said he wanted to warn the cop, but found it rather funny so didnt say anything” haha
We had around 25 people staying in the night and we had to pack 5 into the one I was staying in, We set up the tarps, mattresses and the sleeping bags inside and then when everyone got into the quinzees we were packed like sardines in a row of five, myself and Elena the two girls in the middle. It was really fucking cold and we had military grade sleeping bags with the tinest hole the size of a fist to breathe through. Even with that tiny hole, cold air got in and it was fucking cold. I didn’t get much sleep and borrowed Elenas extra hoodie. She left during the night around 1in the morning. She lives somewhere nearby and i think about 3 people left during the night.
We woke early around 8 and tore down the quinzees. My group were the last to leave our quinzees. haha I wasnt sleeping but I was too cold and didnt want to leave the sleeping bag. I remember wanting to record a video before bed to look like bear gryls and so in the morning I could show I survived or at least have video of my life before dying in an igloo, but it ws too cold to hold a camera at night.
We all made it to the morning alive and I went home wanting to sleep but with my personality, once Im awake Im not going to go back to bed. I baked banana bread and even went to finnish class in the afternoon.
who0o what an experience. Again, something I had to do just so I can say I did it and feel like a hardcore girl lmao. :D
