Continuing in the jungle of bureaucracy

This is (again) an update on where I stand with all the paperwork here on the other side of the pond. (Last update was from 3 years ago.) There has been less paperwork, but even more waiting. And yes, patience is still not my strongest virtue, as we all probably (still) know, lol, but right now the waiting is not that bad since I get to work and travel outside the US.

I have received my SSN and my belongings from Finland back in 2016. I have also already had two jobs (still working for the second employer).

Visa and Green Card – in process (still)

I got my green card back in December of 2016!

Two years later it was time for me to apply for the removal on the condition on my green card, meaning, that we needed to send an application and evidence that our marriage is of “good faith” (that’s really how they word it in the application process). Meaning, that I moved to the US because of my husband and not the states (well, obviously). So off went the application with attachments consisting of the house deed, bank account statements, insurance papers (house, car, health), car payments, credit cards and not to forget the birth certificate of the little one (should be evidence enough that small piece of paper right there, huh!?). We also had some family and friends write affidavits, which are letters where they tell our story from their perspective (thank you!).

The application was sent almost a year ago. I did receive an 18 month extension on my current green card in February (that is 18 month starting from when my green card expired, which was in October, so my current visa expires in May 2020). The 18 month extension is due to the estimate amount of process time that is required for my type of visa. 18 months, oh boy.

Summer in Finland

I have been able to visit Finland during the past 3 summers, which is awesome. The Finnish summers are so special and I prefer the climate over there compared to the burning fires of hell that we’re experiencing right now ( day temperatures up to +42°C!!). We did have a small thunderstorm pass by the other day, that cooled down the day temperature to +38 (So cool and refreshing. Or not). I will be posting separate post on the Finnish summers later, I do have a lot to share about them.

That’s where I’m at right now. Hoping for my visa to be processed swiftly. People keep on asking me when I’ll become, or am I already, American (as in citizen), no, I’m not, can’t be until I have a permanent permanent residence status. And then we’ll see about that. At least I would get to vote, if it would make any difference…

Anyway, over and out for tonight! Have a good weekend everyone!

CC

Kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa

is Finnish and means more or less “to circle like a cat circles hot porridge”. In Swedish it’s the same “gå som katten kring het gröt”. In Enligsh you would probably say “beat around the bush”. This is a great idiom, because it in many ways explains what the Finns are alike.

We usually don’t circle like a cat circles hot porridge. (Which we do eat a lot in Finland. The porridge I mean. Not cats. That would be wrong!!! lol) If we have something to say we say it. Upfront and without sugarcoating it. So for you Texans, this can come out as strange, since the American way is to always be polite and considerate. And don’t get me wrong – so are we Finns. We just don’t want to waste a lot of time, when we can give an answer in 2 seconds instead of 2 minutes. I’ve even had conversations with my own husband (when we still did the messenger calls because of long-distance), in which he thought that I was offending him. He realized at some point that it was due to cultural differences. 😆 Now, that we’ve been married for 3 years (wow, time flies), he still sometimes has issues with my non-sugarcoating side, when he is asking a question (expecting a conversation) and my answer consists of one simple word. Here’s an example of what one of those “conversations ” can look like:

Him: Hey, there’s this awesome new movie out. Do you wan to go and see it tonight at 10pm?

Me: No. (It’s not that I don’t like the movies or the movie, it might be coming very sudden, last minute babysitting issues, I’m probably alreay tired, yada yada yada)

Him: It’s really interesting, I think you would like it! Yes?

Me: No.

Him: Are you sure you don’t want to go?

Me: Yes. (Saying ‘no’ here would mean I wouldn’t be sure.)

Him: So you want to go?

Me: No! (I should have just kept with to the “no”.)

Him: So you don’t want to go?

Me: No. (Although technically ‘yes’ would probably be the proper way of declining at this point, but it would end up having the wrong effect. )

Obviously our conversations are not always like this, just mostly when I’m tired, hangry (hungry and angry) or for some reason showing my very Finnish side. (Usually I’m the one that won’t shut up, I do have a lot to say… which might not come as a surprise to you. 😂)

I am not saying that either way is right nor wrong. They are just different. And of course Finns are aware and don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings on purpose. So to my new peeps in Texas – I probably won’t sugarcoat things for you. I’ll be upfront and honest about my opinions (which I tend to have in quite a big quantity, lol). Just bare with me.

And btw, if you have something to tell me, please, don’t be afraid to speak your my mind. Approach me and let me know. Don’t beat around the bush. 😉

CC

P.S. This is also one of those posts that I had started writing in 2016. Funny how it still is relevant. I guess I haven’t changed that much. 😂

Back to school

Today is the back to school day for many kids in Finland. In Texas they still get a week off or so, although their teachers had Convocation starting today.

Convocation are all the meetings teachers have before school starts.

At the college, we don’t have Convocation until next weeks Wednesday and classes start the Monday after. That means that I’m still off for another 1.5 week! 💪

Anyway, back to back to school.

Every year there are posts in social media that encourage people to take extra care in traffic when school starts, due to kids walking to school (at least in Finland). There aren’t usually many incidents per year, but unfortunately they do happen – those sad situations when kids are injured in traffic. So if you’re getting behind the wheel, please keep an extra eye out for small kids, since they know less of traffic than you do (hopefully.. if not, maybe you should take a couple of driving lessons).

In Finland kids can walk to school as young as first graders or take the local bus (which means that there’s a working local traffic system). Here in Texas, kids are mainly driven to school, there’s not much of transportation. There is a school bus system (the famous yellow busses from all the movies). A fair amount of kids are still getting dropped off by parents and needless to say, the rush hours around the schools can get pretty craaaazy. Finno people, you ain’t seen nothing!!

The police in Finland is doing a fairly good job at making themselves visible in the traffic, making sure crossovers are safe. They should be, but unfortunately drivers don’t always give the right away to pedestrians and this is sadly where a lot of the accidents take place – the one place where you should be safe crossing the street.

Right now, there has already been five different posts on the Helsinki police facebook page, promoting carefulness in traffic.

So, slow down and let the kids pass safely!

Another thing that I wanted to point out now that school is starting, is bullying.

D O N O T B E A B U L L Y .

If you see someone get bullied, report it and help the victim. There is no heroism in bullying, but there is heroism in interfering.

The police in Finland has also had big campaigns in the past years about bullying, reminding that it is against the law.

Lastly, I want to talk about a really sad aspect of school start (like the previous two weren’t depressing).

Bulletproof backpacks for kids.

You read that right. And from what I saw, the sales have increased a lot due to the past weeks events. What a sad world we live in, that these kind of items need to exit. Our children should be able to go to school feeling safe, not wearing bulletproof backpacks and have lockdown drills.

Regardless of these depressing aspects (sorry), I want to wish all kids a good school start, and best of luck to all you educators out there! You are doing an amazing job, that you are not paid nearly enough for, nor do you get as much credit as you should, but without you, our society wouldn’t be what it is.

CC

Texas sunsets

One thing that I love about Texas, are the stunning sunsets it provides. We are lucky that the sunset is most of the year visible in our backyard (some weeks the neighbors house is in the way, dang neighbors, j/k). During the past years I have managed to catch a few of those beautiful moments. Capturing them is not always easy, since the sun sets fast here (you can ask my mom, if you don’t believe me). Below are a few pictures.

To the left on the horizon you can make out a known landmark in the area, called the sleeping lady. Or maybe you can’t. I can, but I also know what to look for. Maybe it’s easier to distinguish in this picture:

Anyway, moving on. This one is from the gym, where Hector teaches tumbling and martial arts.

And so is this one:

We’re not often out by the lake during sunsets, but we happened to pass once. Oh, and it was that time when my friend came down for new year and it ended up being colder here, lol. Well, we did have sunshine at some point!

Then to our backyard. The following pictures are all from different occasions.

As you can tell, we have our very own Corcovado in the backyard!

Sometimes Corcovado is inhabited. 😉

These pictures have all been taken during the “winter months “, December-March. Now that happens to be some of the better months to visit, for Finns at least, so if you’re planning a trip, you might get a chance to enjoy some of these beautiful sunsets!

Have a good one everyone!

CC

Combating the heat and staying sane

Changing from a comfortable +20°C to the fires of hell (106F, +41°C!) can be a bit of a struggle. Especially if you love being outdoors, like I do. Adjusting from Finland to Del Rio has not been easy. I got to spend a lot of time with family and friends back in Finland and I’ve been pretty homesick to be honest. And mentioned above, the heat is quite rough here during the summer months. In order to stay sane, what I’ve been doing, is getting out in the mornings.

Due to the fact that the little one gets up around 6-7am, because of jetlag, it’s been easy to be out of the door by 8am. So we’ve taken the time to go on “refreshing” morning walks. Or not so refreshing, since I come back all sweaty due to a lovely +28°C (82F, that one is easy to remember, the rest I still have to google. Sorry, not getting used to Farenheit…) But still, we are getting out, getting a bit of sun and Vitamin D, which helps keep my sanity. (Not the Vitamin D, but being outdoors. But who knows, maybe Vitamin D also helps with sanity? 🤣)

Anyway, I can’t sit indoors the whole day. We’ve also taken the time to play outside in the backyard in the baby pool and slide.

Trying to make the best of the situation. The summers here are kind of like the winters in Finland – the time of the year that is spent mostly indoors. Fall, winter and spring are awesome here. No snow and ice. Except that one New Year when my friend came down from Finland and it ended up being colder here than in Helsinki. 😂 So typical. Part from that incident, winters are awesome! Anywhere between October and April are good months to visit, if you’re planning a visit to Texas!

Right now, kiddo needs her oatmeal and then it’s bedtime for her, and probably me too. Still jetlagged and she still gets up at 6-7am! No wild Friday night for me!!

Good night everyone!

Update on Saturday morning:

This week we’ve walked a total of 11.2 miles! My friend google tells me that is 18km (honestly, the empirical system is so confusing). Fairly good in my opinion, for being morning walks and with a heat advisory in effect.

Today it was partially cloudy, which made it “nice and cool”. Don’t get me wrong, it was still hot to be working out (my walks tend to more of the power walk sort, few people like walking with me because of my pace).

I want to point out, that with the heat advisory in effect, I am taking proper measures to keep myself and the little one safe. We are both wearing 50spf, I have a bottle for each so we’re staying hydrated and she’s mostly in the shade thanks to the stroller. Just an fyi, if someone would be doubting it.

Have a good weekend everyone and stay safe in the heat! Hydrate!

CC

It’s been a while, huh.

Time sure flies. My last entry was 2,5 years ago. So much has happened, I don’t even know where to start. First of all, I don’t yet know if I will be writing on a more regular basis or if this is just a sporadic “let me write some shit down” event. We will see I guess.

So much has happened in our lives in the past 2,5 years. Oliver is still with us, doing awesome. Everyone that meets him loves him. He is just the best dog, ever. Except when he licks your hand or legs, or wants to sit on your foot or sniffs your crotch. Man he is a crotch sniffer. 😂

Moving on from Oliver. During my 2,5 year silence, I have been pregnant and I am now the proud mother of a beautiful little baby girl, that is honestly not so little anymore. She is almost 15 months, growing by the day and busy exploring the world around her. We just got back from Finland a week ago, where her and I spent 6 weeks, and her father joined us for the last 10 days.

As for work, I’ve been working at the local junior college, teaching biology for the past 2 years now. The road to work is only 5 minutes, which is awesome. Also, as faculty, we work 30hrs/week, 18hrs teaching and 12 office hours, which gives me more time to spend with my little one.

That’s a (very) short summary on what’s happened in the past years. As I said, I don’t know if I will be writing more regularly or not. I often have a lot to say (no, really, me!?) and since I don’t have that many friends to talk to on a daily basis here in Del Rio, I might as well get my thoughts out some other way.

CC