The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

It's the little things that get to you. Either they add up and make you smile or they add up and make you all twisted, confused and angry.

Let's go through the list and see how you would end up at the end.

The Good

--Bread Board. I am not a serious bread eater, but the Finns must be because in every home there is the Bread Board Drawer. It is a drawer in your kitchen that you pull out to cut bread. It is pretty neat when I see people use it and we have one in our home.














--Kitchen Draining Cabinet.
"What's this?", you might ask. Well this is one of the things I think Finland got right which is the kitchen draining cabinet. I remember back home there were always paper towels down on my cabinets, draining hand washed dishes. Let's face it no matter what you have (stainless steal from Pottery Barn or not) a dish drainer on the side of your cabinet is not a pretty thing to look at. Well, here in Finland you can wash your dishes and hide them in this cabinet and it drains into your sink! It is nice to hide the the dish's existence during a dinner party.

--Cheap Transportation. Dave Ramsey (host of the Dave Ramsey Show, a financial counselor and with a Christian perspective) would be so happy for me, if he knew that I could get by in Finland without having to buy one of the biggest financial debts most of us Americans carry, the dreaded car. Right now, I don't need a car because I can get to and from work and any social event using trams, trains and buses, and oh yeah walking! All for 40 Euros a month! Think about it, 40 bucks a month for transportation! That is pretty awesome to think of the money I am saving this year because I am not driving and the limited carbon footprint I am leaving behind.


--Sauna. Yes, most Finns either have a sauna in their house or a communal one that the whole apartment complex uses, (a family would sign up for a specific time and would have it all to their self during that hour). There are five million people and over two million saunas in Finland - an average of one per household. Greg and I have one in our home as well. Taking a sauna begins by sitting in the hot room, typically warmed to 80-100 degrees Celsius (175-210 degrees Fahrenheit), for some time. Water is thrown on the hot stones topping the kiuas, a special stove used to warm up the sauna. This produces steam, known as löyly, which makes the sauna feel even hotter.

--Extra Fridge Space. Well not exactly a refrigerator but in the winter our enclosed balcony has become an extra fridge. It is perfect for the holiday season as I store my eggs, milk and holiday goodies out on our balcony!

Shot of our kitchen and dining area

The Bad
--Public Transportation. Yes yes, I know I mentioned it was a good thing just a few seconds ago. I have to tell myself it is a good thing, as I wait outside in the cold freezing wind and rain, and sometimes I tell myself this late at night when I am up against a wall, rocking and mumbling like Rainman "Good thing, public transportation Good thing"
But let's be honest here, it is public transportation! People hacking and coughing, drunks who smell like alcohol at 9:00 in the morning(you can smell them at least 5 feet away) body odor, and 99% of bus drivers can't speak English! Sometimes I have gotten on the wrong bus because of the language issue but the good thing is you can't get too lost in Helsinki.

--Sun setting at 3:00 pm


--Missing Towel Racks. Where is my bathroom towel rack to display all the pretty towels I have? I have to say I think this is one of the ugliest things in the bathroom because the towels can't ever be folded to look nice and you can't mix and match colors. You just hang your towels by pegs! YUCK

--Limited Closet Space. Where is my walk in closet!! Whoever heard of folding up all your clothes to store??!! How did this happen, that all places in Finland have such small places to put your clothes? Even in new modern apartments, the Finns can't seem to grasp closet space and make only a few inches for hanging up items. They need some serious intervention in home design. Yes, this is the extent to the hanging up closet space that I have!

The Ugly
--1 Computer Desk, 2 Computers


--1 Bathroom !!! need I say more

The fact is, that if I can complain about such small things then the big things must be really going well.