The Finland Adventures: Part Three

Welcome back for part three of the Finland adventures!

6.16

We had the morning to ourselves before lunch with author Mab Segrest. To prepare, we listened to a podcast where she talked about her latest book, Administrations of Lunacy: Racism and the Haunting of American Psychiatry from Georgia’s Milledgeville Asylum. Meeting Mab was incredible. She’s an absolute firecracker and a delight. We talked about her writing, her decades of activism, and navigating the current state of the world. 

Around 4, we met Kris Clark, a professor of social work at the University of Helsinki. We talked about Kris’s social justice work and 30 years as an immigrant in Finland. Afterward, many of us went to see some folk dancing at the Esplanaadi to kick off Midsummer celebrations. After that, we watched Love Island. 

6.17

We visited a youth substance abuse center during the day. Then Coligny and I found a cat café and made some feline friends. In the evening, we met with a student organization at the University of Helsinki. 

6.18 

We met with a guest involved with the Naisten Linja (Women’s Line) organization, which provides services for women dealing with violence. Later in the day, we visited the Helsinki City Museum to see the exhibit “Trash!”, which was all about human consumption, waste, and sustainability. Afterward, we got to sit down with the museum curator and discuss the exhibit in depth. 

6.19

We went to visit Karkilla, a town about an hour away from Helsinki. We met Professor Kris Clark there, and she showed us around. We also got to meet her new puppy, who was absolutely adorable. We started the day at the historic Kino Laika movie theater, where we watched a film called “The Fabulous Cow Ladies” which documents the story of a cow herd taken care of by three women. It was an incredibly moving piece on nature, impermanence, and connection. After the film and to our great excitement, the director came into the theater and we got to meet them! 

Most of us packed lunch and ate outside, because the nature at Karkilla was absolutely stunning. We visited the Ironworks Museum and the Workers Museum before heading back. 

6.20

Finally, the long awaited Midsummer holiday!! We were given the morning to shop for the weekend prior to the city shutting down. At 4:30, we left Töölö Towers for the Juhuannus Festival on Seurasaari Island. We all dressed in white, as per Midsummer tradition, and Gigi made flower crowns for anyone who wanted one. Upon arrival, we had a couple of hours to explore before dinner. We wandered the island and stumbled upon a maypole performance, dancing, and a parade. We filled our flower crowns with daisies and wildflowers. One Midsummer tradition we had heard of involves finding seven flowers and putting them under your pillow before you sleep, which is supposed to result in dreams of your future love, so we dutifully searched for our seven flowers. 

We had dinner at Juhlatalo, and then it was time for the main event: the bonfire! Once the bonfire was lit, the singing and dancing began. There was a live band and folk dancing for anyone who wanted to join. We danced for what felt like hours. It was utterly joyous and freeing, this is still one of my favorite memories from Finland. 

6.21

With the city closed for Midsummer, I had a relaxing day at home. A lot of us cooked and brought our dinners to the terrace, then went to the sauna and watched more Love Island.

6.22 

After breakfast, I headed to the beach, where I ran into Diana. We spent a lovely afternoon chatting and crafting. 

See you next time for the fourth (and final) installment!