Daily Loaf

Helsinki, metropolis?

Coming back to Helsinki after an uninterrupted month outside Ring III, especially when arriving by train, was a pleasant shock. Walking through the halls of the Central Railway Station made me, for the first time in my life, think of Helsinki as a multiethnic city! In fact, I'm still giggling sotto voce when I think of my first reactions after stepping out of the 23.30 Pendolino from Oulu. My eyes must've been glowing with joy, I remember feeling slightly dizzy - although that can be partly attributed to gorgeous Airborne Ranger Guy who was sitting within my view for the better part of the journey - and very, very happy, now that I was home again.

A shower and a hairdo later I was at dtm, where I met Heikki and his new bf. Jaakko again all too well predicted my tardiness, and Hakkis showed up a tad later with Reima, a new acquaintance to me. A gay night, altogether, but paling in comparison with Saturday evening, which Jaakko, Heikki, Nooh, Matti, Eila and I started queerishly promptly at 15.00 with wok, wine, and "community" movies: Sorority Boys, The Broken Hearts Club, Priscilla and, a reprise from last year's De Coteau festival, Voodoo Academy! Fans of Huntley Ritter may join his Yahoo! Group. Seriously. I did.

Some of us continued to the usual place, where plenty of fun was to be had and friends were met and chatted with. I remember dancing with Janne and A-P to all the embarassing hits from the time I was in Upper Elementary, like Ace of Base's 'All That She Wants' and Aikakone's 'Odota'. Whenever they're around I always end up doing things that should be permanently erased from my dance vocabulary.

Sunday's Trinity was even more solid entertainment than usual. Too bad I had to wake up at 4.00 the next morning. The city was serene but full of rubbish after the Tuska festival.

So that's the place I'm now calling a home. Compared to Osaka's 4,6% or Tokyo's 3,1%, we're pretty much on par with our 4,2% (1999, Fennica.net) - but Japan isn't exactly known for , but compared to 9,7% in the US, or 9,0% in Germany, we have a long way to go yet. Haapajärvi stands tall at 0,4. As long as we manage to steer clear of ethnicity-related violence, I think southern parts of Finland might develop a pretty decent atmosphere of multiculturalism. My biggest fear: that Finnish media will go the way of others in whipping up fear of Islam to such heights that violence might become an acceptable option for us as well.

Freaky details of the day: Airborne Ranger Guy was on the same train back up North. In the same wagon. Across the aisle. The corporation I work for makes the metallic frames for his diving / extreme sports watch.