Getting ready for our 1st visitor

Checking out the fountain on walk to the Seinajoki city market place

Getting ready to assemble these parts for some Finnish guacamole

Tower in Seinajoki

Our guacamole kit

Seinajoki City market place

This river is about a 10 minute walk from the apartment

Taking an evening stroll

Kuopio City Center Market--- where we picked up a newer coffee maker/pot for just 2 euros

The cloud formations here are amazing.

Another pic from Kuopio

Kuopio City Center

Kuopio City Harbour

Kuopio Marina

Today we did some errands and got caught up on some laundry and cleaning after our weekend away in Kuopio. I went with one of the guys from the Crocodiles management to a sports center about 30 kilometers from Seinajoki. We were there to discuss American football in Finland with a group of newspaper sportswriters from around western Finland. There were about 15 writers there including one female writer from Seinajoki. Our team rep. did a powerpoint for them and then answered a series of questions. All of this was in Finnish so I was limited in my ability to follow along. After the presentation, we went outside and did some coaching on how to properly throw and catch the football. Before we left, we got them involved in a short game of flag football. It was a good experience and something I hope to do more of during my time here.
Our management rep. said that the experience went well, but it was a bit of an icy reception at first. He commented that some people over here may tune out when it comes to anything American. In some respects, Finnish people as well as many other European nations, view Americans with a strong degree of skepticism and a dislike of our government policies. Also, we are sometimes looked upon as a nation of spoiled individuals known for gun toting, violent crime, and mega consumption. In general, the average American is keenly ignorant of how the rest of the world lives. In short, there is a degree of arrogance or feeling that we are somehow better than others. I am honestly bothered about these types of perceptions, but I also understand that these impressions are not without merit. One of the things that I want to try and do during my time here is to assimilate into the Finnish culture and not expect to try and bring America with me. I am not saying this is an easy task, but I do want to be a sort of ambassador. I am proud of my country and the fact that my grandfather risked his life half way across the world to make sure people from France, Holland, Belgium, etc... didn't have to all grow up speaking German and succumbing to the Nazi regime. Unfortunately, much of this seems long forgotten in many parts of the world. It is now imperative that younger Americans reach out to the rest of the world and educate themselves about foreign cultures. The best way to do this is to visit these places and get a taste of the way of life. If that is not possible, then one can still do research or pick up a book or newspaper to learn about the world
we live in. The only way we can improve relations with anybody or any nation is to open up our minds about them and walk a mile in their shoes.
Now on to another subject. We are preparing for a visit from a friend from the states. Mikey Moss is flying over to visit for a few weeks. He will be arriving early Wednesday afternoon into Helsinki. I have to be in Helsinki for a Maple League press conference to represent the Crocodiles team, so I will pick Mikey up when I am in the city. Many of you know Mikey. In case you don't, I will tell you a few things about him. Mikey is from El Dorado, Arkansas. He is very proud of his razorback roots. I met Mikey through coaching/teaching at Trinity and we have become closer over the years. He played four years of football for me and recently graduated from Trinity with his teaching degree. He enjoys sports, cooking, travel, and has a great way with children. We have enjoyed some good concerts together over the last few years including George Strait and Celtic Woman, and hopefully there will be many more in the future.
Mikey plans to do some exploring during his visit here in Finland. We are also making arrangements for a day trip over to Estonia with the Slivoskey family whilst he is here.