A sparkle of light into the darkness...

Lately there has been literally no interaction on the English section whatsoever. I decided to envigorate the site and create a new venue for those of us who would like to keep up a conversation (on a regular basis) that can be followed and responded to on the international level.

First of all, I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year 2003! As the holidays will soon be over (I gather they already are for many), we could focus on something else than recipes, gifts or events. Otherwise, the arena is yours!

Sex, coming out, troubles in your realtionship(s), working out, job-related problems, private puzzles....share with us whatever you may come up with!

Hi John!

An excellent idea! I'm more than delighted to be able to discuss in English at this website.
Are you a native speaker or Finnish (not as that matters, really)? I'm Finnish, living here in Helsinki, but speak English as my domestic language (Scottish husband). Moreover, I've been working abroad for 6 yrs, speaking only English, so somehow I find it sometimes easier to express myself in English...

Pete

Yes, why not! But hopefully something more than just an online interpretation from the subjects discussed in the finnish part of this site.

What do you think by the way? Does this ice cold weather push the limits in a relationship? Do couples get more easily on to each others nerves becouse it's impossible to be outdoors for any longer than absolutely needed for daily routines?

Hi! It's me again. In reply to Pete's question, I was born in England, but I've spent most of my life in in the land of thousands of lakes (very unfortunately, though).

I identify myself as English and I have been able to maintain the English side of my personality amidst the Finns, which is perhaps due to my young age (18). Albeit, the encircling culture is nibbling the multicultural me by its chilling gales and stupefying asocial people. The remnants of the once glorious network of neurons in my brains tell a story of their own.

I totally agree with you in that it's at least a skrillion times easier for me to converse in English than in Finnish. I mean, English is such an expressive language compared to the blatant "minä rakastan sinua" gibberish.

Stop right there John! Now, we are not going to start another one of those anti-Finnish monologues you seem to enjoy so immensely. Ok...I'm back folks! Wait! For heavens sake, John! I'm going to have to use the whip on you if you don't hush straightway!

After finally lulling the wicked John to sleep, the good-natured decent John i.e. I can go on with his business.

You've got a point there, EvilS. This frost gets on my nerves to the extent that I'm willing to take revenge on anyone and everyone for having to endure such inhuman conditions. And just take a look at what the Finns are like! They're about as antisocial as you can get (if you don't count the gays, of course:) because they've lived in these rural freezing plains for millenias and haven't been able to develop any interpersonal skills during the six months when they could actually go out for a walk without the fear of catching pneumonia.

The key to a successful winter romance is to enchant your boyfriend by purchasing as much chocolate from the nearest market as possible, whipping up a luscious chocolate mousse and devouring it together while cuddling next to the fireplace. There are many other inside activities in which you can indulge, too. You can buy a book on yoga and practice together, or you could watch all those films that you've always longed to see...

Catch ya later boys!

Hey guys, I think I´m gonna invite myself into your conversation... First of all, I want to wish a very very hopeful New Year! And may all our cliché-dreams become true, at least some day ;)

This was actually just a short message, but I´ll stay posted for more in the future!

Greetings from Mexico anyhow! Shortly I´ll be back in Finland and freezing my butt off...

Hi there! I'm living in London, origionally from Scotland, I'm working for the Pink Paper and Boyz magazines and we have a worker from Helsinki, called Nina, she wants desperately for myself to have a Finish husband, so here I am boys, come get me!!!! By the way my name is Brian.

Finding this chat site took the deep mental freeze out of enduring outdoor temperatures of -22 here in Espoo.

I've lived in Finland since my late teenage years but am born and raised in London.

Can definitely relate to the frustrations of getting contacts and making friends in Helsinki. Believe me, it's MUCH easier in, say, Tampere or Lahti. People there are most definitely more content with their lives than here.

But how many of the brits on this chat site have bothered to learn Finnish? Cannot agree John's comments abt Finnish language(minä rakastan sinua). Finnish is a very rich language allowing those who really master it the opportunity to assemble the most complex but exactingly precise communicative structures - it can even be fun! (doesn't beat sex, though)

all the best from espoo.

Not really about the original subject but a thought we came up with my friend (who lived several years in the US), about the difference between these two languages.

English is more expressive with its' rich adjectives. Most of them have to be translated in several finnish words and still you can miss the point complitely. But on the other hand finnish is a much richer language with nouns. Many words for one meaning, but still they all have the special sound and special associations for finns.

Well, let me take a bit of a philologist's view on this. There is no language that cannot express everything. The point in most cases is whether the language in question finds it important to emphasize the same points that another. For instance, the words lumi, viti, nuoska, tykky etc mean all "snow" and for most of us who speak English as our primary language it is not important to make the differences the Finns find essential. On the other hand, one often reads that the Eskimo language has over 100 words for snow and surely would find the Finns really poor in this respect. On the other hand, try to explain to a Finn the difference between liberty and freedom - they will just not understand.

Cheerio

Michael

okay, somebody, explain me the difference between liberty and freedom now.. i'm perplexed

Well, think of the connotations. You are at liberty to leave this site at any time, while freedom of speech and thought, not to mention freedom from fear may not be defended in the USA today. Certainly you wouldn't be at freedom to leave and you don't often hear people defend liberty of speech, do you? Freedom is something noble, it impresses with its high moral spirit whereas liberty sounds more like a technical term of not being in captivity or enjoying rights granted by authority.

comments anybody?

I guess you keep track of what's going on in this forum, so this is for you Pete.

I personally find the situation in Iraq extremely complicated. Two democratic nations would not take drastic measures to overthrow a head of state in ordinary circumstances.

We tend to base our judgements on BBC's evening bulletin, when there's probably much more to a case than we could even begin to imagine. Of course, you are far more experienced than I am when it comes to the UN, but your military history must have given you a wide perspective on things. Not only is war always a tragedy, sometimes not having one ultimately causes the world an even greater loss.

The question is: Do we have the right to be strongly opposed to the war with our lacking knowledge (because the US will never reveal all its information on the alleged mass destruction weapons)? Or are we effectively supposed to stand by and let the "grown-ups" take handle of the crisis when there is clearly disagreement among them?

That's all for now.

Hullo John!

It's nice you responded. As you might understand already, I have a big dilemma concerning the war in Iraq, too.
I do feel very strongly about United Nations and it's integrity, and oppose any kind of operations not approved by UN being carried out by western, democratic nations against a sovereign nation which is a member of UN.

On the other hand, I have seen what the lack/delay of intervention can do to people and the whole nation in Bosnia, and because of my former (and future, I think) career and attitudes I'm tempted to prefer a military solution.

Hi! I am spanish guy, i am living in Oulu for a few months (I come back to Spain at beginning of September). I would like to meet some gay people in Oulu but I have been in the only gay place here in Oulu and it isn´t my kind of places to meet someone. I would prefer to meet someone to have a coffee or to go the cinema but gay people don´t dress with a paper that is written : " I am gay" ; )
so I cannot know who is gay and who is not gay. For this reason, I would like to write a message in a forum for gay people in Oulu but i think all of them are in finnish. I have found only that forum in english in Finland.
So, I would like to ask for help to some person that read this message, who could speak finnish and copy that message in some gay forum in Oulu or write to my e-mail or give my e-mail to gay people in Oulu.
I hope you will be able to understand my message because my english isn´t very good. i´m sorry : )

Bye!!

Is there no one else (English speaking) around this capital - Helsinki- , I mean it´s getting weird.. no one here!

I guess there's plenty of us about. It would be great to have a chat in one's own mother tongue about our common experience and other matters. But it seems the atmosphere here in Helsinki doesn't easily lend itself to frank and honest communication.(does it anywhere in gay circles?) By the way, any other Brits about?

I'm Canadian,cheking this site once in a while.

Greetings from California from across the pond!

I just wanted to add a little message because I think it's great that so many Finnish people are fluent in English. I'm moving to Helsinki for a couple months (starting 25.08.2003) and I found this website while surfing the net.

These doesn't seem to be much interaction in this discussion board, so maybe someone should start a new topic of discussion.

My biggest worry right now is being a minority of a minority. I'm non-white, non-heterosexual, non-native. Finalnd needs more diversity! Any comments on that? :-)

Hi Justin.
If you are in Finland now and want to meet english-speaking gay people in Helsinki, feel free to write here or Email me to: peteralander70@hotmail.com.

Cheers: Peter

Crikey!

There's NO ONE posting ANYTHING in the English section... Let's do something about it!

I was born in Helsinki and moved into London to study stuff... and am hoping to see a white Christmas once again, although this Christmas I'm stuck with family here in the UK. I don't know whether you have any snow yet, but if memory serves me right, white Christmas is guaranteed for you lucky buggers (... pun intended...) . In London if it does snow the whole city shuts down - the underground doesn't work, the buses get stuck due to insufficient gritting and people get very, VERY agitated... So count your blessings for living in that great white country!

-Max