MIKKO - LIFE IN FINLAND RIGHT NOW

Life in Finland has also changed. Until now the crisis has brought out the best part of human nature: people are helping each other – especially the elder people. This is good. Humour also helps a little bit. We tend to believe that this is what Finns have rehearsed all their history: be quiet, don’t talk to anyone, keep a distance of 3 meters to the others...

For the moment there is a spirit of coping like during the Winter war (though the circumstances...ok). I am afraid that economical and social problems will arise soon. Maybe also the criminal side will raise it´s head.

In my personal life all is well. I lost my job (at least for the moment it is impossible to work). My wife Hannele works for the TV-news and funny enough she manages to do it from home. Though she has been a foreign correspondent so she is used to work by herself and can edit her stories.

The challenge comes from the kid numero 5. Our teenager still at home. After having been glad for a day the tone changed when she realised that she can’t meet her friends and spend her time with them in the local shopping center. But being a compute-native she has no difficulties in doing her school from home.

The good side is that there is a lot of space in Finland. Even more than average in our family because we live on a farm outside the cities.

There is a lot of normal farmwork to do but I try to help also my community. I am working with Faktabaari (an organisation checking fact in politics, journalism etc. and helping youngsters to find the correct tools in navigating the net and social-media). There is a bit of work to be done in correcting misinformation, disinformation and malinformation about the virus.

I have to add Brizzo here. Brizzo is a German Shorthaired Pointer. The Terror and king of the Forests (after the elk, bear and wolf – but we don’t count them here). Spending a couple of hours every day in the forest keeps people healthier; not to mention boosting morale.

Personally I am afraid of the situation – who wouldn’t be? I still try to keep both feet steadily on the ground and not let the despair invade my soul. Together we will cope.

The other big dark cloud has been a little bit forgotten. The climate-change. I hope that when this is over politicians will put the same energy in resolving the threat – the one that can be even more serious than this one. 

Hugs (virtual),

Mikko  -   Finland

Also EU-citizen and proud of it.