tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39154512951801981532024-03-14T02:32:36.627-07:00F2FF JourneysFaces of Finland Around the WorldIreenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915451295180198153.post-85442281416043316702011-02-19T12:23:00.001-08:002011-02-19T16:47:04.738-08:00Fabulous Friendship Clubs!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuDNQSnsOeCo1x9bNVKz3npbkDeEYBv7kc6XZaJm0xwnj-Qhdv_j1FdsQ_2dMpaV_YK5dbVCK9GIPQdfqHXA9zjP-2qWVmQwKue3s_KR8QWaBavkPSXiosC6E3fA9B5oGuxs2MhsLsz5o/s1600/Leila.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 119px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuDNQSnsOeCo1x9bNVKz3npbkDeEYBv7kc6XZaJm0xwnj-Qhdv_j1FdsQ_2dMpaV_YK5dbVCK9GIPQdfqHXA9zjP-2qWVmQwKue3s_KR8QWaBavkPSXiosC6E3fA9B5oGuxs2MhsLsz5o/s320/Leila.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575513032949495586" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">SPOTLIGHT!: TUSCON, ARIZONA (USA)</span></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">There are friendship clubs of all types and for all peoples around the globe. Finns, although not particularly renowned for their easy acceptance of strangers, do have "friendship" clubs as well. Generally, one doesn't have to be a Finn to become a member of one of these clubs; one can simply be a "friend" - meaning "interested in the people and the culture"- of Finland.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The Finnish American Club of Tuscon, Arizona was founded in 1966, and has "over 80 families or individuals as members."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><p class="MsoNormal">The first president of Tuscon's Finnish American Club was Hilja Saari. Her daughter, Laila (<i>photo: left</i>) and husband Ralph McPheeters (92) are owners of the Catalina Heights Nursery, well known to many Tusconians.</p><p class="MsoNormal">What does the club offer? Check out their brochure (download <a href="http://www.tucsonfinnishamericanclub.org/join-our-club/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">here</span></a>), and join the club for lots of fun, friendship and fabulous food !</p><p class="MsoNormal">The average age of a club's membership varies from town to town and country to country, so don't let your age keep you from adventuring out there! You'll find what you're after, if you take the time to look!</p></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Ireenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915451295180198153.post-13079825777789874452009-02-05T21:46:00.000-08:002009-02-06T17:20:32.830-08:00How does Turkey Fit into the Finnish Picture?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.profindsearch.com/Img/turkey_map.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 312px; cursor: pointer; height: 235px;" alt="" src="http://www.profindsearch.com/Img/turkey_map.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">“Turkey </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">acknowledged Finland on the 21st of February 1918, during the visit of the Finnish delegation searching support for the <a href="http://www.histdoc.net/history/itsjul.html"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">new state</span></a>. A member of the delegation, professor J.J. </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Mikkola described the reception the delegation received in the following words : "The hospitality and friendliness was as from a fairytale. Everyone from the</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> sultan to the journalists treated us Finns as dear northern relatives of the Turks, whom they met again after separation lasting for thousands of years." This despite the fact that officially Finland, as an ex-grand duchy of Russia, was still at war with Turkey.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Finland were established on the 29th of May 1920 and there were negotiations on developing their mutual relations. First, Finland was represented in Turkey from abroad, either from Rome or Bukarest. Turkey appointed the first ambassador to Finland in 1926. For the first 20 years, the Turkish ambassador resided in Stockholm.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">A trade agreement between Finland and Turkey was signed in the 1920's. In 1937 Finland established a post of commercial attaché in Istanbul. In August 1940 A.S. Yrjö-Koskinen was appointed as a special ambassador to Ankara.” (<span style="font-style: italic;">excerpt, <a href="http://www.finland.org.tr/public/default.aspx?nodeid=37343&contentlan=2&culture=en-US"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Embassy of Finland</span></a></span>)</span> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ><br /><br />Are Finns related to Turks?</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJXmo8voXZiRnI9CSJRyIMFepv92oRKmhHI7f01E0JX8aD0YoR2eDgS2BzM7l7PLOj1gbIeMJM3nqUXWG1aV0AYjTcsoOIAmF13WhUAzbWUlAtU24DAoL9yU7fslxiGo33rEXUlr34GlY/s1600-h/mariaserenius.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299565834358322322" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 167px; cursor: pointer; height: 133px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJXmo8voXZiRnI9CSJRyIMFepv92oRKmhHI7f01E0JX8aD0YoR2eDgS2BzM7l7PLOj1gbIeMJM3nqUXWG1aV0AYjTcsoOIAmF13WhUAzbWUlAtU24DAoL9yU7fslxiGo33rEXUlr34GlY/s200/mariaserenius.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Interviewed by the <a href="http://armenians-1915.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Armenian Genocide Resource Center</span> </a>(July 19, 2007), Finland’s Ambassador to Turkey (2004-2008) Maria Serenius said that she and her husband Tapio “ like the idea of bein</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">g <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/9548/history1.html"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">related</span></a> to the Turks as an unproved theory claims.” </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">The interview continues with the observations that “for them there are similarities between the languages too. The Serenius couple love hiking and skiing, but they wish there was more environmental protection in Turkey. Mr. Serenius admires the service mentality of the Turkish people, as well as some of the nation’s universities. The ambassador thinks that the best way to get to the heart of understanding the Turkish Republic is to ask a citizen where their grandparents come from. Within her work Mrs. Ambassador says her primary principle in diplomacy is trying to understand the reason behind the thought.”<br /><br />For an<a href="http://www.mankindquarterly.org/samples/niskanenbalticcorrected.pdf"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> alternative theory</span></a> on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_people#Theories_of_the_origin_of_Finns"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">origins </span></a>of the Finnish people proposed by Professor Markku Niskanen (Oulu University), and the scholarly <a href="http://www.kaltio.fi/index.php?359"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">debate</span></a> over this issue, click here.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEk6klc1pdMcmqOK4LR3XFBVQL8Vlsv7ZxER8_dqyBByRcsv-7aQddj_vLwAHLQYTfnz7ratGz3qzbHzf_bdtImTNX1YlbDSdAssMlISzg1Lk9gW5_mWGJoubSE-jDw5XUD9n1Z9mc9oe/s1600-h/ebruhin.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299558626515311618" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 165px; cursor: pointer; height: 220px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEk6klc1pdMcmqOK4LR3XFBVQL8Vlsv7ZxER8_dqyBByRcsv-7aQddj_vLwAHLQYTfnz7ratGz3qzbHzf_bdtImTNX1YlbDSdAssMlISzg1Lk9gW5_mWGJoubSE-jDw5XUD9n1Z9mc9oe/s320/ebruhin.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span><span><span>Ebrufin</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">, our guest blogger from Anatolia, Turkey, is a world traveler. Her work for a non-profit company took her to Turkey, where she fell in love with, and married a Turkish man. They are the parents of “two wonderful half-Turkish children”. Eventually, "Ebrufin" became a Turkish citizen. She has lived in Anatolia 16 years, and been married almost as long – for “love,” she says,“is everything!”Our guest blogger’s interests include weightlifting, taekwondo, design, spectator sports (football & taekwondo), going “green.” We selected a 'political opinion' post for this page, but Ebrufin's blog (in Finnish) is loaded with interesting information about her adopted country - its traditions, sights, sounds, culture, food...the joys and challenges of daily life. Click <a href="http://www.ebrufin.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">here </span></a>to visit and enjoy!</span><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">posted 28/1/2009<br /><br />Vaalien lahestyessa (The Election nears...)<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">Kotirouvan viela sumpliessa poliittisia paatöksiaan, Herra Yrittaja on aikoja paivia sitten paassyt vauhtiin aattellisessa hurmiossaan. Tanaankin HAN oli tietyn puolueen pippaloissa *****-tahden hotellissa.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Meno oli ollut vallan railakasta keskella paivaa, ja kansan mielia megapositiivisiin faareihin nostattavia puheita oli pidetty; AKP- puolue tosi toimissa ja hyvissa ajoin. Tama on JUURI SE islamistinen puolue, josta olen meuhkannut muutamana kertana ainakin Wanhassa Blogissani.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />He ovat paattaneet tulevissa maaliskuun vaaleissa napata vallan CHP:lta, jonka suosio nykyisen kaupunginjohtajan takia on kadonnut kuin pieru Saharaan. Eika puolueen johtohahmo Deniz Baykal puheillaan paranna asiaa yhtaan.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Minun valintani taitaa olla sittenkin DSP. Pikku pakkokin, silla en tahdo nykyisen kaupunginjohtajan missaan nimessa jatkavan. MHP on turhan kansallismielinen, ja AKP ei passaa missaan nimessa. Olen siis sosiaalidemokraatti?</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Vasemmalle kallellaan olen ollut poliittisesti vahasen aina (työlaisen puolesta- tadaa!), joten asia ei ole kovin mullistava. On aika unohtaa CHP, joka ei enaa meikalaista miellyta. Baykal & Kumppanit ovat pilanneet Atatürkin perinnön;)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">Meidan perheessa puhutaan nykyaan <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Turkey"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">politiikkaa</span></a>. Perheenpaalla on paljon sanottavaa, ja minulla vahemman. Jostain syysta kaipaan niin kovin Bülent Ecevitia- patevaa poliitikkoa ja entista paaministeria, joka nyt *pilven paalla* huolestuneena seuraa taman Turkkimme tapahtumia.<br /><br /><br /></span>Ireenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915451295180198153.post-49932238671755908202009-02-02T21:07:00.000-08:002009-02-06T17:19:08.056-08:00Finns Around the World: Turkey<span style="font-family:georgia;">I have been surfing the 'net a good deal this past week, looking for fellow Finns around the world. This exercise has led me to a most extraordinary group of Finnish women living fascinating lives far from their native land.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Over the next few weeks, I will be introducing you to some of these people, and talking about what took them to foreign lands and why they stayed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coming today</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">Guest Blogger</span> Ebruhin (Turkey)<br /></span>Ireenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915451295180198153.post-10670317433721623282009-01-18T22:56:00.000-08:002009-02-12T20:03:44.676-08:00Muslims at Home in Finland<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.yle.fi/linnanjuhlat/2007/galleria/10/imaami_khodr_chehab.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 216px;" src="http://static.yle.fi/linnanjuhlat/2007/galleria/10/imaami_khodr_chehab.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><b style="font-family: georgia;"><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a> was introduced to <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland" title="Finland">Finland</a></b><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:georgia;" > </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">by </span><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-family: georgia;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Tatars" title="Baltic Tatars" class="mw-redirect">Baltic Tatars</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:georgia;" > </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">at the end of the 19th century. Since the late 20th century the number of Muslims in Finland has increased rapidly due to immigration. In 1999, there were an estimated 20,000 Muslims in Finland. In 2009, the number is estimated to be 40,000.</span><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;">The Baltic Tatars arrived in Finland as merchants and soldiers at the end of the 19th century. They were later joined by other family members.</p> <p style="font-family: georgia;">The Finnish Islamic Association (<b>Suomen Islam-seurakunta</b>) was founded in 1925. In practise, this society only accepts people from Tatar origin (or Turkish origin in general) as members, excluding non-Turkish Muslims.</p> <p style="font-family: georgia;">The Islamic society of Finland (<b>Suomen Islamilainen Yhdyskunta</b>) was founded in 1987, <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khodr_Chehab&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Khodr Chehab (page does not exist)">Khodr Chehab</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">above left</span>) is the <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imam" title="Imam">imam</a> of it. This society allows all Muslims to join their society.</p> <p style="font-family: georgia;">There are many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque" title="Mosque">Mosques</a> (Masjids) in the Capital area. Some of them are listed below.</p> <ul style="font-family: georgia;"><li>Rabita Mosque (www.rabita.fi)</li><li>Masjid Al-Iman, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munkkiniemi" title="Munkkiniemi">Munkkiniemi</a></li><li>Pasila Mosque</li><li>Pakistani Mosque</li><li>Turkish Mosque</li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >(excerpted from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Finland"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Wikipedia</span></a>, the free encyclopedia)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Video Gem</span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">:<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ApQouNDR9w"> </a></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ApQouNDR9w"><span style="font-family:georgia;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ApQouNDR9w</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" ><br /></span>Ireenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915451295180198153.post-10115749934289360242009-01-11T22:14:00.000-08:002009-02-06T17:18:30.841-08:00Finnish Immigrant Story 1: Aatu Korhonen (USA)<span style="font-family:georgia;">A 2nd generation Finnish-American gives tribute to his grandfather who emigrated to the United States (Michigan)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >Video Gem</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">: </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6qSf0i0i3g"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6qSf0i0i3g</span></a>Ireenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915451295180198153.post-65908167022139674172009-01-11T22:05:00.000-08:002009-01-11T22:12:42.525-08:00Finnish Emigration 1893-1902<span style="font-weight: bold;">Video Gem</span>: click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ5qBnaX10g"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">here</span></a>!Ireenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915451295180198153.post-13107648805312418202009-01-03T09:40:00.000-08:002009-01-18T22:54:03.408-08:00"Canadian in Finland - Aaron Civitaresse"<span style="font-family: georgia;" class="main"><span class="font1b"><span style="margin-top: 0pt;">"I remember the first time I heard someone tell the joke in which different nationalities are asked to write an article about elephants. The joke describes that the French wrote about the love life of elephants, the British about hunting elephants in British East Africa and the Americans about how to breed bigger and better elephants. Then came the punch line; the Finns wrote about what elephants think about Finland. I remember trying to cover up my confusion by laughing politely, all the while thinking, “Huh, I don’t get it.”<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="main"><span style="margin-top: 0pt;"><span class="title"><span class="style2"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="main"><span class="font1b"><span style="margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(excerpted from</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="main"><span class="font1b"><span style="margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-style: italic;">the </span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="main"><span class="font1b"><span style="margin-top: 0pt;">Finnish-Canadian Society Newsletter</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="main"><span class="font1b"><span style="margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-style: italic;">)<br /></span>To read whole article go to <a href="http://www.suomikanadaseura.fi/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">http://www.suomikanadaseura.fi/</span></a><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="main"><span class="font1b"><span style="margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you would like to comment on this post, please do so on Finn2Finn Chat (right sidebar).</span>Ireenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915451295180198153.post-47046923174221354012009-01-01T21:10:00.000-08:002009-02-06T17:19:49.629-08:00Emigrating to America in 1945I was four 4 years old, my brothers 5 and 3, when my mom and dad packed up and shipped out of Finland. Father was coming to America on scholarship, to study engineering at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston.<br /><br />The ship we boarded was the SAS (Swedish American Line) Gripsholm, bound for New York. The year was 1945 - just after World War Two.Ireenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155834184322022215noreply@blogger.com0