Encounter with locals

I usually have 1-2 hour walk everyday with Tiuku and so did we yesterday also. As we were walking down the village road an elderly couple approached us on the street. As it often happens, they also started to speak something to Tiuku. That something sounded like baby talk and at least term small dog was mentioned in it. Tiuku stopped politely to listen with the tail waving and as often happens when the movement stops, her hind legs started to shake slightly.

This shaking makes people generally think that the dog is either cold or scared. Being cold is a pretty funny idea especially in the summer heat and with moderately hairy dog. But of course, you never know. Terriers shake, often it is said that it's kind of being prepared shake, a way to stay warm and ready for example to go after a rat at any time without danger of ruptures or other damage. When Tiuku was younger she also had that kind of shake, a bit different than the one she is having now. According to several opinions I have received from vets and other professionals this is due to an old age and aging of the nervous system. It doesn´t affect on her movement and it does not seem to bother the dog any way.

From the dog's physiology, we go back to the elderly couple. When they saw the vibration in the legs, they were wondering if there was something wrong with her? I assured them that there is no problem. I told the dog is just old, 13.5 years already and that´s why she is shaking a bit. And now comes the most important thing: all this conversation happened in the local language, no English or any other language was used. However, my dialect hopelessly revealed them that I´m not local so they were eager to know where I'm from. The knowledge of me coming from Finland gave them a very positive reaction and they very much praised my language skills. They asked if I live here and I said I have been in the country for 1.5 years. They seemed very happy and with the big smile they reiterated that it was so great that I had learned the language so well. It seemed to be a big thing for them. We continued in our own ways with happy smile.

In the name of honesty, the level of my Croat language is still very much at the point of beginner basics. But yes, it is quite surprising how well I understood yesterday and I was able to understandably communicate back. However, the greatest joy came from the encounter itself. Its genuineness and warmth, the interest and positive feedback shown by totally unknown people. I smiled all the way home and even after that. And this was not the only time something like this happened in here. Once after a few minutes of conversation (that time in English) with a complete stranger I surprisingly was given a bunch of oranges straight from the tree. At the beach I often meet an elderly lady, with whom we are having discussions in Croat and with the power of body language in very good spirit. And many other joyful moments with different people.

All these encounters has one thing in common. I have never experienced a negative attitude because of my foreign background. Usually the opposite. Often at first people seem to think I´m local, especially during the winter season when there are no tourists here and more so if there is a dog with me. When it turns out I do not necessarily speak so fluently in the local language and if the language skills of the opposite party are not the strongest area of ​​expertise, then with a smile they will spin some words in English or maybe German or at least there is a lot of vivid body language if they have something to say. And I'm trying to understand and be understood.

Hope that today you will meet someone completely unknown, create contact and get a great feeling about that.

Winter came to Dalmatia but the Finn is disappointed

Attached picture will describe this week quite widely on European scale. However, it was taken a month ago, not in Croatia, but in Sotkamo, Finland. There were 60 cm of snow and about -15 degrees. Normal day during winter time. We walked through forest to the hut, grilled sausages on open fire and drank some hot rum from a thermos bottle. Normal winter day activity.

Now, during this week we have experienced, heard and seen something not so normal. On the other side of the Adriatic Sea, Italy has measured -40 degrees, in Rome people have been skiing on the grassy slopes of the parks, in Barcelona the F1 cars remained in the garage when the snow covered the track. In England ski resorts had to close due to excessive snow. Schools have been closed across Europe and the roads have turned to one huge bumber car track. Even in Finland instructions were given to survive in a freezing atmosphere although the degrees that are now experienced are quite normal especially in the north. Right now it is reported that Geneva airport has been closed due to snowfall. At the same time in the Arctic region there is a heatwave and the snow melts away. What a bizarre moment in time.

Also here we have been experiencing quite crispy days. The Siberian breeze finally reached Dalmatia after hitting the northern inland with up to a couple of meters of snow. Yes, in Croatia. Here on the coastline and on the islands we just got a thin white cover, somewhere a bit more than other places. It's been six years since the last time winter surprised the Dalmatians, therefore this was not exactly the normal situation. And due to that, it sure was quite a hassle around it. Already throughout the previous week the upcoming winter hazard was among the top news. The ten point survival list was published including important notes like beware of walking under snowy trees and make sure you have enough food and drink at least for elderly and children. It was advised not to go anywhere by car and better not to go by foot either unless you have proper shoes. As a Finn who just came back from very wintry Finland, all this fuss made me smile a little. 

On the other hand, I almost expected such a good armageddon just to see how it would go. But no luck in that. Here in our village in Podstrana it can not be said that the land even became white. We didn't get bura wind that was expected or at least it did not hit Podstrana this time. It has now been a few minus degrees for three nights, but that's it. The schools were open normally and the cars have been sliding only with sand that was sprinkled on the roads as precaution. Which in itself is quite funny. I did take out my winter jacket and beanie to make sure I stayed warm when going out during these few chilly days. Last winter in Murter I felt much colder when thermometer showed minus ten days nonstop and bura came down hard. There was no snow back then but it was really cold. Compared to that these last days have been just a little frosty bite.

Today is still a chilly day. It even snowed little bit earlier but it melted away and left a ground wet. However, this is at least here the last day of winter. Tomorrow I do not need to wear winter jacket anymore but I still hold on to my woolen stockings for now.

Year in Croatia: living life to the fullest

It was a little over year ago when we drove across Europe to the Adriatic Sea. We became emigrants, expatriates and immigrants.

The past 12 months has given us tremendously, so many new things and experiences. I just watched the pictures I have taken over the year and they made me smile several times when remembering all those moments. There are sunny walks on the new trails by the beach in Murter, our Christmas atmosphere a year ago, the festive atmosphere of the February carnival, wild asparagus last spring, collecting sea shells from the beach, a great sailing trip in the spring winds, trips to the nearby islands and southern coast all the way to Montenegro, the visits of the loved ones here, the concert road trip to Pula, wonderful evenings on the terrace under the vine, turquoise sea, ancient fortresses, all the wonderful flavours. Most recently, our visit to Zagreb to celebrate the 100th anniversary of independent Finland at the Embassy party. And much more.

It hasn´t been just moments of smile. I've chopped rock hard firewood with nearly handleless ax, encountered several meters of poisonous worms, trembled in freezing temperatures in the chilling embrace of bura wind. I have been afraid of losing our home and even for my own safety while the summer forest fires raged, cleaned the terrace due to the ash that came from the sky after the forest fires. I have got out of bed well before six in the morning in order to be able go out for the walk with the dog before the sun appears to the sky during the worst heat wave.

I have encountered people. People who have met us with open arms and sometimes welcomed us into their lives as well. Sometimes even in astonishing ways. Helpfulness and genuine warm harted attitude have impressed me, over and over again. When a neighbor's old man waits for us on his driveway in the darkening night as we return from our two hour walk just to give me a bag full of mandarin and pomegranate or when our landlady pops in with the bowl of hot freshly cooked shrimps. Or when the fishermen on the beach are greeting me happily and smiling at a funny little dog who is so excited about the fishing. Or when our local friend comes from her home village with vegetables grown by her mother and with a big chunk of cheese. Or when in a small Austrian village one night we are creating friendships that will make us return again and again. Or when the small hence close-knit Finnish community here understands the joy of getting some liver casserole as a present from Finland and also confirmed that the Croatian word really is one and the same for both cranberries and lingonberries.

The year has taught, demanded and rewarded. It has made me laugh and cry.

Day after tomorrow we will begin our road trip to Finland, it´s going to be our longest visit there so far: one and a half months with travel. What are we waiting for? Getting to sauna for sure, seeing the people we love, both family and friends. Hopefully a bit of fun in winter wonderland. Of course some of the good tastes we have not been getting here at least so often. Campfire in the forest with some good things to eat and drink, the atmosphere of the traditional outdoor sauna and from sauna to have a break from the gentle heat to chilly outside under the starry sky. Visiting Vuokatti area in the more northern part of Finland. After all that it is good to return home, back here on the Adriatic coast. Cause here our home is. At least for now.

When you got to go, you got to go. Even if you are a bit scared.

The image attached to this post is unrelated to the text itself. It is from Finland few years ago. Today 78 years have passed since the Winter War (against former Soviet Union) broke out. The image should be a symbol and a tribute to the determination and courage that the Finns at that time had when facing an overwhelming enemy and protecting our blue-and-white colors. As a result of that attitude, we Finns can today concentrate on totally different kinds of acts of courage. Like the one the actual text is telling about and which compared to the aforementioned event is absolutely insignificant.

***

I had postponed it way too long, but now it was time. No way to avoid it anymore, regardless how distressed it made me feel. No, I do not mean buying a new bra even though I can not deny it, that is something I probably also have to force myself doing sooner or later. Now it was about going to a hairdresser. Every woman knows the amount of pain caused by the idea of going to a new hairdresser. You give the big part of yourself to the hands of someone and that someone has scissors in his/her hands.

One challenge for communication is that often the other party don´t quite understand the message you have been given. That may happen unintentionally and due to earlier experiments related to the same kind of situations with different factors. Or they may understand it totally the other way around. Especially if there is no earlier background for your mutual communication, which usually gives shelter from bigger misunderstandings in long lasting customer relationships. What to another is a shade of warm brown might be some kind of rusty shade of copper to someone else. Situation gets even more trickier if either of the parties can use their native tongue. Then you really might be on thin ice, sometimes you can almost hear the cracking... And there I was, about to start communicating with Croatian hairdresser about what to do with my hair. 

I had never been to hairdresser here in Croatia. My visits to Finland had included some little trimming of the dry ends but nothing more. The last coloring was fairly a year ago before our wedding so the roots were about ten centimeters long. During the summer the sun, that delightful creator of positive mind and vitamin D had pretty much blonded the upper layer of my hair, especially the previously colored part of it. So mixed blonde on the surface, brunette with the roots below that. That was my haircut. Looked as bad as it sounds. So it definitely was time.

My hubby had been at one salon several times so I knew at least some of the staff spoke English in there. Luckily this housewife timetable of mine is so flexible so I got to the place outside the busy peak hours, at one o'clock. No customers were present, five members of staff did. I asked if they had time to do the coloring and light cutting for me. After that we began to explore the desired color. I wanted toffee brown, the main thing was that all the hair would be more or less same color. My hair was inspected by three different experts. Obviously the mixed condition also worried them. Finally the samples of the color map were reviewed and then they went behind the curtain to mix the paste. Saying I was a little bit nervous would be an understatement.

Two hours later I sighed out of relief. The result was exactly what I was after. All the three ladies who previously helped in creating this new look were again messing with my hair and they were also quite positively surprised at how well it turned out. I also proved the best blowdryer straightening so far. After it my naturally curvy hair was completely straight and smooth all the way to the ends and just with the round brush and the dryer. So we were all happy. I also liked the total price for this, 369 kuna so less than 50 euros. Perhaps this is the beginning of a beautiful and long relationship under which the ice is strong and without any sound of cracking.