Dec 28
Alien in my own land
I spent the Christmas week in Finland this year, came back last night. It was quite nice, photographically a bit of a downer but I was expecting it and only had the Canon G10 with me and it turned out to be the right decision.
I had been most anxious to see my mother. She had her spine operated two months ago and now she has to wear a special back support and walk with crutches and the doctor gave her a long list of other complications to normal life. I was happy to see that she was coping fine now, but she’s obviously frustrated with the situation and she’s only half-way towards recovery, provided there’s no setbacks. And we can still only hope that the surgery fixed the problem. Fingers crossed.
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This visit confirmed one thing that I’ve felt for a few years now. Every time I visit Lappeenranta, something has changed there. For one thing, the city is growing, and secondly, the Russian tourists are taking it over. There is very little left from the time when I lived there, it seems like our house is the only thing holding steady (minus a few trees in the garden). Everything’s changing – houses, shops, streets… it’s not my home town anymore. From now on, when people ask me where in Finland I’m from, I’ll tell them that I’m from Savonlinna. And it’s also true – I was born there, I spent all my childhood summers there, and it was also my home for five years when I studied there. The best part is that Savonlinna won’t change in any such extent that it would feel alien to me. Its geographic location makes it impossible! So Savonlinna will be my safe haven in Finland, unfortunately this time I didn’t have time to visit the town other than a quick cup of coffee at my aunt’s but she lives outside the centre and a visit to Savonlinna without seeing the Olavinlinna castle doesn’t really count.
All these years I’ve lived abroad are really starting to show. It’s not just Lappeenranta, but it seems like the whole country is changing. The most familiar thing left is the language, although some new words have cropped up of course, like the skräppääminen word monster (from “scrapbooking”) that I came across in a book title. The language is shaped by the people who use it… the Research Institute for the Languages in Finland can’t keep up anymore!
No, I can’t see myself moving back to Finland anytime soon. I’m proud to carry my Finnish passport, but moving to Finland would be like moving abroad all over again. I’m at home in Sweden now.
5 comments
I can agree with the changes in lappeen Ranta (that is how you are to spell it, if student in LUT). But I would guess that now that the center parts over there are changed, I think they are not to change it so much further any more. Hard to tell.
Changes in Savonlinna then… Well, nothing changes here. People get older, and that is visible. A real pensioner’s paradise to be? Or nightmare? Don’t know which; nice place to visit but heck no would I stay here (excepting summers maybe).
I have been once in LPR, and that was quite enough
We spent our holidays up in Lapland and it was nice, no pictures though..but I still carried my gear there and back. Some quick snapshots with old 105/1.8 manual focus lens wide open -looked usable 
Intressant artikel i DN ang. relationer till ryssarna och ryska turister som strömmar till Villmanstrand: http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=3561&a=875268&rss=554
Synd att de stavar Villmanstrand fel. Det ska stavas med ett enkelt V!
I live in Oslo and visit Helsinki twice a year. I love to see places a bit like a tourist. Started visiting the zoo and even the amusement park. There’s no zoo here and I especially like to photograph the tigers and other big cats. I go to receive new year on Senate Square and climb to Ullanlinna on Vappu, neither which I used to do living there.
Just today I found out that ‘a cookie’ as on the net is ‘eväste’ in Finnish. A funny word!
You’ve a great site. I must start writing on my website again!
Hi Sirkka! I have also noticed that after living abroad for many years, I see my old home town quite differently. Do those touristy things that never interested while living there.
I saw on your homepage that you’re also a translator! Well I’m not really a translator, but I studied to be one. My career just took another turn, but it’s safe to say that without those linguistic ambitions I’d never have gotten where I am now.