Zürich, Switzerland

At the beginning of March, I visited my friends Tony and Stacy in Zürich. They had recently moved there from the US and were eager to show me around.

I was really impressed with the famous Swiss efficiency; especially the traffic reports that you can receive while driving. Whether you're listening to a CD or the radio or nothing at all, the traffic report channel will turn on (whether you like it or not) and tell you where there are potential traffic problems. It's really helpful. The only drag is that it tells the traffic situation in all of Switzerland and isn't specific to your exact location.

I was also really impressed by the quality of the food. Of course, everything is outrageously expensive (to insure that the best food is being sold), but at least it tastes good!


We took a walk around the city and along the beautiful Lake Zürich (Zürichsee) that goes through the center of the city. We also stopped at Sprüngli's Confisserie to have some Luxemburgerli. They are these tiny hamburger-shaped desserts that come in a variety of flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio, strawberry. Truly unique and delicious.

We also went to see 'The Reader' (Der Vorleser) at the movie theater. It is about a young man who meets an older woman and they become intimately involved. Her sudden disappearance and his discovery years later that she worked as a Nazi guard in WWII is something that he struggles to deal with for the rest of his life. It was a good movie and it sparked some interesting conversation afterward.


(This building-above- is the Centre Le Corbusier)


The next day, we went to the mountains. It was really beautiful. The weather was great and it was quite warm. We had prepared by wearing several layers of clothing and ended up taking almost all of them off right from the beginning because the sunshine heated us up. The best part was the way we got down, which was by sledding. I've downhill skied before, but this was something entirely new and was so much fun. Sledding down a mountain, not something I do very often.


I had a really nice time in Switzerland. I sort-of wish I were Swiss. The lifestyle is so healthy and it is a beautiful place. Oh well, maybe in my next life.

Finnish Winters

I was walking outside today and it felt surprisingly warm. It was -2 degrees Celsius (around 28 degrees Fahrenheit)! Last weekend it was -10. Those 8 degrees make a big difference.

The key to survival in cold climates: long underwear. I've been wearing long underwear for a long time... at least the last 4 years. Almost every day, I wear 2 layers of pants, plus 4 layers on top (including my jacket). But, when it gets to -8 or lower, that doesn't cut it. 3 layers of pants and 5-6 layers on top is needed. And a good 15 min in the sauna before I go out. If only my dorm's sauna were heated 24/7.

Honestly, it's not that much colder here than it is in Ann Arbor, Michigan (where I was for the past 2 years). BUT, I had to walk much less when I lived in Michigan; not only because I had a car, but also because it's a small city and the music school was only a 15 min walk from my apartment. Therefore, although Ann Arbor and Helsinki are similarly cold, Helsinki seems colder since I'm constantly walking outside.

To geographically orient those of you who don't have a map of the Nordic countries on your wall, Helsinki is at the same latitude line as southern Alaska. It's 5 hours away from St. Petersburg and a third of Finland is north of the Arctic Circle. Fortunately, Helsinki is at the southernmost tip of Finland and is surrounded by water.
The worst part about the winters in Finland is the lack of sunlight. In the beginning of November, the sun started setting much sooner than I expected. At it's worst, the sun would come up around 9 AM and set by 3.30 pm. Before getting to Finland, I thought experiencing the darkness would be an interesting experiment. I thought it might be fun. In actuality, it was difficult and depressing. Finns have explained to me that they get much more introverted around Nov/Dec because of the sudden lack of sunlight. Plus, even when the sun was 'up', it was oftentimes cloudy.

But, there are things to do when it's dark and dreary in Finland. One of which is ice skating. There is a nice ice skating rink centrally located next to the train station and I've been there several times. On weekend nights, music is played on loud speakers. I noticed that a lot of people seemed to know how to skate really well while I was crawling around the rink at snail speed. A Finn told me the other day that in elementary school, kids have to go ice-skating about once a week as a part of gym class. That would explain it. She also said that she preferred skating on the iced-over sea rather than at ice-skating rinks.
Take a good look at this picture and you'll see that there are people walking across the lake. There must have been 20-30 people walking across it at the same time. I am not so accustomed to cold climates that I can tell when it is safe or not to walk across a lake. On the day I took this picture, I even saw water at the edge of the lake, indicating to me that walking on it would be a bad idea. I trust the Finns know better and can gauge when it is safe or not to walk on lakes. Nevertheless, I didn't have the courage to take the shortcut across the lake that day.

Even though it's cold in Helsinki, seeing everyone else endure the weather gives me the motivation to keep moving along, even when the temptation to stay in my warm bed all day is particularly strong. As well, a plethora of cafes in Helsinki keeps me going, allowing me to make a pit stop for a hot drink whenever I'm especially cold or low on energy.

Encountering anti-Americanism

An incident occurred several weeks ago that has happened many times while I've been abroad-not only in Finland, but also in England, Germany and Morocco.

A Finnish man noticed I didn't speak Finnish and asked me where I was from. With renewed confidence and pride, I replied 'the US' and, right on cue, the guy started ranting and raving about his hatred for the US. Yes, he did say he 'hated' the US. I responded 'Well, maybe that will change in the future', inferring that Obama would change things. He ignored the comment and said that Bush had ruined the US's image. He then made an interesting statement, that he 'liked the US.... but hated it'. By this, he meant that he thought the country itself was OK but that he disliked the government .

(For simplicity's sake, I will be referring to the US as 'America'. I do, however, know that America technically includes all of South, Central and North America.)

I don't understand the logic in this stranger's form of communication. Did he want to make me feel bad in hopes that it would change US foreign policy? Did he think I didn't already know that people felt this way (including myself)? And ultimately, by dropping insults without leaving room for dialogue, isn't he acting in a way that is similar to how he perceives the US (by making unfounded assessments of other people and countries and acting on them in a way that is uncompassionate and self-serving)?

I don't disagree with some of his statements. But, it never ceases to amaze me when complete strangers walk up to me and tell me how much they dislike where I am from. Perhaps they don't realize the impact of their statement, but it feels like a personal insult. It also makes me wonder: if a random person thinks this about my country, then does everybody else think this but just has the tact not to say it to me? I've also encountered anti-Americanism in small, jabbing comments from acquaintances. This is once again jarring, considering that these people know very little about me and have already taken liberty to insulting me.

The situation in reverse might go something like this. A Finn is waiting at a subway stop in NYC and an American asks "Where are you from?". When the Finn responds 'Finland', the American says "Hmm. I heard you have a binge-drinking problem there. Most be those cold, dark winters. And wasn't Finland allied with Nazi Germany in World War II? Weird place."

Because this has happened to me a number of times, I have the sensation that it is somehow socially acceptable to go up to an American and openly insult him or her but that behaving that way towards someone of another nationality would be unacceptable.

It may seem that I have developed a victim complex about my encounters with rude strangers. Perhaps I am being too sensitive. But, it is disheartening to go to a new country, a place where I have a genuine interest in getting to know the people and culture, and to then encounter statements that send the message 'I don't like you'. The US needs more of its citizens to visit other countries and have a broader world view. It would be nice to be complimented for living abroad rather than be insulted for where I come from.

Of course, in some ways, these comments are but a small gesture. Perhaps European countries that disagree with US foreign policies could decide to kick out all the American ex-pats or students. Or maybe they could make it more difficult for Americans to obtain work visas (if this hasn't already been done). The logic in all this being that the US has done so much wrong lately (conducting wars that are unjustifiable, torturing people at Guantánamo and elsewhere, bullying other nations to go along with its policies), that a small insult is nothing in comparison.

Regardless, we are all affected by our local media, whether it is Boston-based, Helsinki-based, or Shanghai-based. Yes, Americans are 'brain-washed' with American news reporting, but the same is true for citizens of all countries. News reporting is subjective, no matter how much we try to make it objective.

In addition, I've noticed that people tend to say and think what is popular. Obama's popularity is one example. He is an inspiration and millions of people around the world are in awe of him. This popularity is backed up by valid reasoning, however many of the people who supported him during the campaign didn't actually know that much about him. They didn't know his Senate voting record or the details of his health care policy..... But, they joined the bandwagon and cheered on anyway. I think the opinions that non-Americans have of the US are made in a similar. Of course, the US has obviously done some things that are difficult to agree with. But, I think many people have not delved deeper into understanding what has been going on in the US for the past eight years. They don't know what happened right after 9/11 or what policies the Bush administration put into effect. They simply have a negative view of the US.

I have traveled quite a bit in the US and Europe, and I do so to experience other cultures, encounter people with different ways of viewing the world and even to change my opinion about a few things. I understand that we're all humans and humans everywhere act in ways that are hurtful and stupid, but also logical and wonderful. So, when I encounter someone who is from a country I don't know much about, I try to sit back and see what this person will offer. There may be questions I want to ask about controversial topics or current events in that country, but I try to restrain myself. I've had very little luck getting people to open up when I confront them with prying questions or opinionated comments.

Regardless of whether I like the US or not, I am an American. I cannot escape that fact. My family has lived in the US for many generations. So, I accept my background and embrace it. My time abroad, living in Helsinki and also in Germany during my undergrad, has taught me to appreciate the great things about the US as well as the countries I've been able to live in and visit. The more people I meet, the more I realize that our differences have nothing to do with where we are from. They have to do with our values and how we view the world. And anyway, focusing on our differences is much less productive than focusing on our similarities. If that same stranger had said 'Oh wow, a lot of Finns live in the northern US states. Maybe the climate is similar', we could have had an interesting conversation and learned something about each other. Instead, we both left the situation even more firm in the belief that our opinion was right. This is how wars get started- both sides refuse to communicate constructively and insist that they are right.

I can't change those people who are going to come up to me and insult the US. But, I hope others will keep this experience in mind next time they meet someone new to their country. Sensitivity, open-mindedness and compassion is immensely appreciated and leaves a warm impression that stays with the newcomer for a long time.