Home Sweet 'Talo'
- Cat
- Feb 10, 2017
- 5 min read
Finally! We made it to our new home!
Our apartment is perfect. Furnished almost exclusively in Ikea, it's a small, but wonderfully functional 2 bedroom, one bath unit on the 2nd floor. Our building has a lift which I used to bring the luggage up that first day, but other than that have not stepped foot in again. The lift is up one flight of stairs, so it's actually awkward to use - once I've gone up one flight, I might as well walk the other two. However, with the luggage, it definitely made sense to use it! Like most European elevators, it is small - fitting only one person and one large piece of luggage.
The apartment is modern, airy, and white - since we have such long, dark winters most interiors here are white with large windows to take advantage of getting as much light as possible.
There is a surprising amount of storage for a small place, and it is greatly appreciated - as it would be annoying to look at our empty luggage in a corner all the time. Even though the last minute change of apartments was annoying and gave me some anxiety, it really worked out for the best. I know having the extra bedroom will be nice (now if we could just get G to stay in his own bed all night it will be even better!) for visitors.
The master bedroom has two single beds, pushed together and overlayed with a double coverlet. Underneath the coverlet are two separate duvets - very European. It has a large closet wall with plenty of space for all of our clothes and room to buy more. There is also a desk in the room where I work from daily. I am working remotely a few hours each day still which is nice - it sort of gives me a chance to connect with adults and I can do this as my schedule allows. Currently, I work in the mornings from 8-10 and because it's so dark still, G is actually asleep most of the time. He typically wakes up around 9:30 here and it's still pretty dim outside. I feel the weight of the darkness as well, it's very difficult to get out of bed when it's so dark.
When we first arrived, we were getting about 5.5 hours of daylight. This is increasing with every day that passes and it's really something to watch the days getting longer before your eyes. We are now at about 6.5 hours of daylight and the difference is drastic (and welcomed!). So far, we have only had a few sunny days though, so even during the day, it is still dim and grey. I can see why Vitamin D flies off the shelves here. There are ads everywhere reminding the Finns to take the tablets every day and SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is not uncommon.
Back to the apartment - The second bedroom has two single beds and an ample closet wall identical to the master. The room itself is small, but not claustrophobic. The entry hall has a coat hanging area and shoe rack. We have learned that is is HIGHLY frowned upon to wear your shoes into the house - this is not a bad thing. The dirty melting snow is not something you want to clean up daily inside your home.
The bathroom has a shower head and curtain, sink, toilet, bidet and a washing machine. The shower has no frame and the water covers nearly the entire floor while showering. We squeegee the floor after every use. It gets tedious, BUT, the floor gets a basic clean every day. The water heats almost immediately and so far, we have not had an issue with multiple showers and lack of hot water. The bidet is attached to the sink near the toilet. G thinks we have a microphone in the bathroom. We can't fault him - it DOES look somewhat like a microphone. However, if he knew what it actually was, he probably wouldn't hold it so close to his face!
I tried it. Either our water pressure is ridiculously high, or the use of a bidet is supposed to blow you off the toilet seat! Needless to say, I don't think we will be getting used to this European custom anytime soon! Not a pleasant experience.
The kitchen has all the standard appliances, and a HUGE refrigerator/freezer. The biggest I've ever seen actually in a European kitchen. I love having an electric kettle to make tea and hot cocoa quickly and easily. We had a hard time figuring out how to use the stove and dishwasher, and resorted to attempting to read and translate the manuals (written in Finnish!). Eventually, we figured things out but the language is seriously difficult and unlike anything we've seen before - the words do not visually relate to any English words so unlike Latin based languages that have similar prefixes, bases, etc. Finnish isn't even close. To use the dishwasher, you have to turn the water ON by turning a knob to direct water from the sink to the dishwasher (same with the washing machine). We've learned that the Finns turn off and unplug EVERYTHING when not in use to conserve electricity - more on that and trash/recycling in another blog post.
We also have a small dining table in the kitchen area with two chairs - we bring the desk chair in each day to eat dinner. The living room has a small sofa, coffee table, arm chair and TV. We get about 15 channels, most all in Finnish. The English shows that do come on are mostly British or Canadian, and we have caught several American shows (but they are about 3-4 years old). Not to worry though, we have Netflix and we don't watch much TV anyway. We have an enclosed balcony, but we have not yet used it. I think it will get more use in the summertime.
Part of the excitement of traveling is learning about different cultures, ideas and customs.Do you have any customs or traditions in your country? We'd like to hear about them!
Things we've learned about Finnish homes and customs so far:
1. Take Vitamin D daily. You can immediately start to feel the difference if you don't take it due to the lack of sunlight.
2. DO NOT forget to take off your shoes when you enter a Finnish home! Seriously, it's a major faux pas and downright dirty.
3. Bidets are in nearly every bathroom you'll find. It's just the way it is. But we won't likely be getting used to this custom anytime soon!
4. The Finns turn off and unplug everything when not in use. This is a hard habit to break as we are used to leaving things plugged in.
5. Reading Finnish instruction manuals is HARD!
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