Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Faces, Billnäs, Snappertuna, and Helsinki All Night Long






Faces Etno Music Festival was absolutely wonderful. I have never been there before (I wonder why), but now I have decided I will go there every year.

Even though I was working there. Selling books. A lot of books, I am happy to tell. (Can you believe that? Working again. I never have my holiday. I don't even know what to do on holiday as I never have them. But I think Ms. Funnybunny is to change that soon.)

My little toddler girl Funnybunny visited me and my colleagues on Friday evening, but then she had to leave for her grand parents. Again. But I don't think she enjoyed the festival and its vivid and funky afro/cuban/midlleeastern/ rhytms surrounding us so much, as she grabbed my shoulders and said "Mummy, I want to go HOME. I think I am a little afraid of this".

I showed her little babies and said they are dancing, too, and, as she loves babies, that seemed to calm her down.

But now it will be only us at home for days and weeks to come. Except that in two weeks we will go to Estonia, but we will do that together.

*****

What surprised me, was that partly it was not just ethnic music, but also like jazz. I love jazz. And punk. (And yes, I love that too. How strange and divided a person I am.) Jazz, actually, it used to be quite ethnic, not mainstream at all, in Northern America only a few decades ago. Punk on the other hand... well, only if you think the young unemployed British hooligans in the 1970's and '80s were an ethnic minority. But that was not mainstream either, it was mutiny. Very healthy for the stiff and dusty English post-war society.



The first night I spent in Snappertuna, in a "Vandarhem", ie. hostel. You guys who speak Finnish, check out the meaning of "Snappertuna" in the book "Elimäen tarkoitus". Snappertuna is a beautiful and very traditionally Finnish little village, but I just kept thinking about... Oh, never mind.

Than the second night I spent with my new friends Toni and Mia with my friend T. Thanks a million! Lovely apartment you have. T., not Toni, said I should not mention the vast amounts of beverages of various contents in this context, especially consumed by T. (as some people had to work on the next day!), and probably I shouldn't mention that we all stayed up until 5 am and talked about architecture worth saving, mutual friends (as in Finland we all do know each other, even when we don't know that we do), mutual enemies (now that was even more fun!), and Paul's dog in Meilahti. What was his name, by the way?

I have never been to Fiskars, either. (Some people were quite shocked when I admitted with lots of embarrasment I have never been there. As if it was the center of the universe. ...but what if it is? How should I know? But if it was, why should I visit it) So, soon I will pack Funnybunny and lots of juice and raisins and we'll go to Fiskars to see our old old old friends. Nowadays quite a bunch of them lives there.

Best wishes and many happy and sunny days to all of you! (And some rain to the dry Finnish nature - but at night, preferably.) I am looking forward to seeing you soon again: Pekka, Hans, Simo, Toni, Mia, Eriikka, Harto, Kaisa, Krisse, Aino, Tuomas, Lassi, Julle, Teemu, Anu, Maisa, Henri...

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