Conference: Art Educators Unite.

Greetings from the land of no night –

I am going to be writing about the INSEA conference as well. Sorry this blog is out of order from the rest. Just to clarify the INSEA conference came before the Arctic Ocean.

The conference was actually pretty interesting. The best part about it was being around people who are like minded. So many times it is difficult to find those others who share your views or who actually understand what you’re talking about.

The conference took up four days (Monday-Thursday) this was one of the only times that we as a group did not have a scripted schedule where every detail is planned out for us. We were able to come and go as we pleased. We could attend any symposiums that we wanted to see or that had some special significance to our research or interests. We were given the option to ride the bus every morning at 8am and take it home around 5pm...needless to say we did not take the bus....ever.

The entire congress was in English but it was hard to understand most presenters. I am assuming that this a cultural difference but in the U.S. we have presenters who have engaging power points and they make eye contact and if they’re using notes it is done in a professional and secretive way. Not here. It was so different seeing how each person presented their information. Majority of the sessions I went to the person sat at the desk in front of us and just read page after page after page of notes with no images on the screen. We are art educators therefore we are most likely visual learners. We need visuals for us to be engaged.

As a group we presented on Wednesday morning at 9:30am. Our presentations went really well! They put us in a super small room and our entire group (35 ppl) took up the entire lecture hall. Our group was first (cultural sustainability) and we set the bar high. The other two groups took the stage and their presentations were equally as awesome. In comparison to all the other presentations and symposiums I attended, our was beyond unique. We told narratives and actually looked at the crowd (in contrast to the others that just read from the paper) and we also had engaging images....after our presentations there was a lot of interesting commentary that was vital. Not to toot our own horns....but TOOT TOOT!

Enjoy the photo-montage.

Part of our conference experience was spent at museums hob-nobbing with all the art folk. Mainly i was most concerned with when the food was going to be served but enjoyed the complementary champagne while waiting for all the speakers. long speakers = a lot of champagne.





This is from the opening of the conference. A traditional Suomi folk singer. She will make an appearance later.



These are traditional Finnish children during the opening ceremony for the Congress.



This is Rebekah looking thrilled at the first Keynote.



The small Suomi woman makes an appearance again!





These are the strange small fish that had bread crumbs on them.



These are the ladies who thought it'd be fun to the small breaded fishies.



This is the face of a lady who regrets her daring decision.



This is the introduction to our presentations! Yippie!



This is an image from sara's group. notice what is at the top of the slide show.



This is what happens when we are cooped in the same building for 12 hours a day.



Passing time at the conference...the usual.



fyi: Blueberry soup stains your teeth.



once again. stained.

ok that's all. moi moi. megan

Arctic Circle: The Land of Three-Legged Men

Moi fellow followers! We apologize for the lack of blogging as of late...we have been traveling all over Finland and have now finally settled in our last stop of our whirl wind tour of the land up north.

Speaking of traveling...our past weekend was spent spending 27 hours in a charter bus touring the sights and sounds of the Arctic Ocean...oh wait we spent so much time in cramped quarters that we could only see the Ocean for two hours.

We were on the bus for 14 hours on Friday and about 13 hours on Saturday. And I know you're wondering, "But Megan, how did you entertain yourself on such a long bus ride?" Good thing I will be providing a brief glimpse into how we piddled away a mere 27 hours.

1.) I was given the opportunity to listen to an assortment of traditional Finnish music. (The unfortunate thing is that the speakers above our heads had blown cones so it sounded like the traditional Fins were in a heavy metal show)

2.) I figured out a way to sleep while the gentle rocking of the bus lulled me to sleep. (Finnish driving is a bit different than U.S. driving. There area few things to note: a.) The hills of Norway are quite treacherous and have sharp turns. Imagine the hills of Tennessee or the Carolinas only much higher, colder, and you can't read the street signs. b.) Our driver was plowing through these hills and if we were in a charter bus race we totally would've taken the gold. c.) Reindeer and sheep are everywhere in Norway so just when you think you are almost asleep, BAM, you are hitting your head on the seat in front of you due to Santa's favorite pet walking across the street.

3.) We made friendship bracelets out of handmade yarn by the Lappish students.

4.) My DS provided a good hour or so of fine entertainment. In case you are wondering we are not Smarter Than a Fifth Grader.

5.) We played cards for hours. I was able to teach everyone Kemps, the up and coming popular card game most played by middle schoolers.

6.) Sara learned how to play hearts. It took a while but homegirl finally got it.

7.) Lots of chocolate.

8.) Sleep.

9.) Complain about the trip.

10.) Ohhh and Ahhhhh about all the sights.

11.) Complain about the trip.

Putting aside the fact that the trip consisted of far too many stops to souvenir shops and the limited time actually at the Ocean, the bus ride through Norway was truly beautiful. There really isn't a way to describe how clear the skies were or how surprisingly green the grass looked or how cold the water was on our feet. I just wish we could've spent more time there...

There is nothing else I can say to describe our trip so enjoy the photo montage below.

Watch out people! This is reindeer country!



Finally arrived at Alta, Norway! Walking down to the Ocean.



Fish smell = close to Ocean.



Falling rocks in Norway.



I'm on top of the world! Seriously though...at the top of the world.



This picture was taken around 1am. Sunset in Norway.



Marina.



Dave: The PhotoBomber.



Somehow the idea that swimming in the Arctic Ocean came about and the U.S. students were a little shy...so the Lappish tour guide showed everyone how a real Fin takes a dip. She literally just stood there and took off her clothes and jumped in. Nudity is not a concern in Finland. Obviously.



On our tour of Norway we also visited two museums, one on the way up and one on the way back. On the way back we stopped at the museum of rock carvings made by ancient Norwegians. This museum was actually quite interesting.



This was our 'rockin' tour guide....bwhaha.



This is a carving of a reindeer 'plussing' (+ing)



The inspiration for the blog title. The tour guide kept talking about the male and female carvings and the way to distinguish the two is by looking for the male's "third leg". Essentially all the men look like pitch forks.



Sara at the Arctic Ocean by the rock museum.



The last picture of Norway....

The trip was really fun and exciting. We were able to see some great pieces of nature and experience part of the world I never thought I would be able to see. I just wish we could've spent more time there. Two hours is definitely not enough time in Norway.

Kippis,
Megan

Its sauna (sow+nah) time

Sorry, no naked pictures!

So the mystery of the sauna time has been solved. my first encounter with the idea of sauna and the importance of it to the finnish culture stemmed from taking a shower and noticing a small ´memo´on the wall beside the light. it was a picture of santa (cartoon santa, of course) and he was running with a towel barely covering his "knochel-raisins". anyways, the memo wanted to inform me of the importance of remembering to bring a towel to the sauna (which is located on the top floor and is open between the
hours of 5-8). So if santa uses the sauna, i think it is only appropriate to use the sauna as well.

I like to think i had a legit sauna experience. If i was Jessica Simpson, and i was thinking of an episode for Price of Beauty (i know only like 15 ppl in the U.S. watch that show, but hey-thats what u get for summer tv) I would go to sauna in Rovaniemi.

We (as in 30 Finnish and American students) rented a sauna cottage for 4 hours. it was 300€ but it was a helluva relaxing experience.

This was to be the order of operations:

1. shower

2. sit in sauna til u can barely keep your head up

3. shower

4. dip in the river (the Kemijoki river)

5. shower

6. sit in sauna until your bones are finally warmed from dipping in the river

7. shower

8. dip in the river

(repeat as necessary)

I know that in the States it is like 80-90 degrees and this sounds like no big deal, but here in Rovaniemi where it is 5 miles from the artic circle, it is a bit brisk at times. So, the idea of dipping into a river kinda makes me feel like a bad ass. And to all the Buckeyes out there... I felt like i was well prepared to dip into frigid water thanks to our Mirror Lake adventures during Michigan Week.

Overall, the experience of the sauna was liberating, and it helped to clear my sinuses. My skin felt softer and I was very, very relaxed. Naked or not, I can see how this ritual can become a part of a weekly routine. I was very pleased that I restrained my desire to have a beer or two while enjoying the sauna, but I am pretty sure I would have thrown up due to dehydration. I mean if I am literally sweating so much that I am convinced that jumping into a river is the only way to cool myself off, I can only imagine what non-sober Sara may think is a good idea. I am glad i stuck to water.

Fierce & Reindeer,

Sara Christmas

The Weeping Willow War

Greetings from the land of no night! As a group we have decided to play news anchor and we have divided up the adventures that we will be writing about in the future. My current assignment to is speak about the engaging weekend at the willow workshop.

How do I start describing this past weekend...well our first taste of the University of Lapland was a 2 kilometer walk through the woods. Now, this is not a bad thing but keep in mind that we do this walk twice a day in the sun, rain, and mosquitoes. We have been making this walk for almost a week now to attend the INSEA conference...anyway.

The start of the willow workshop was rather confusing at first. There were about 35 of us standing around in the University waiting for the Lapland students to start directing us. There was a short presentation on the history and meaning behind willow sculpture making and then we were set free. It was decided by the Lappish students that we were going to be making bears out of willow. Giant, man eating, bears not to be confused with a teddy graham.

We were quasi divided into three groups which really meant that people who did not want to do heavy labor were in one group, the brains and heavy laborers in another, and the lack of decision makers in the final group. Rebekah and I ended up in the lack of decision group and Sara situated herself in the anti heavy labor group. Rebekah and I were instructed on how to make rope out of willow. Being it was 9am (2am your time) I was not all that keen on making rope out of willow plus I am not that good at it. So, for a while I was the official rope holder for Rebekah as she tied the branches together.

This was our first glimpse of what would be the most challenging task Rovaniemi has to offer.

This is the rope making station...Plenty of time was passed under this tent of mosquitoes.

NOTE: Willow branches and the Weeping Willow branches are different. We are speaking about the willow that can be seen in the Harry Pottery movies commonly referred to as the 'Womping Willow' not the Weeping Willow that is shown in Pocahontas. There is a fine line when speaking about willow and as we soon found out that the offensive mark it can leave on a Lappish student.

But I digress. The heavy labor do-ers made the wood structures for the bears. The anti-heavy laborers pulled the leaves off the branches which looked quite dreadful. I was just happy making rope...at least for the first three hours.

This is what the bare bones structure looks like.

Hour five came and went of willow making and by this point all of us were fed up. We were jet-lagged and were being eaten alive by those gosh darn mosquitoes. In many cases there were far too many cooks in the kitchen so us passive people were booted out to the outskirts of the area. The bears started to come together and in some cases even started looking like bulls, but that is not the point.

Exhibit A: Bull or pile of sticks. You decide.

The point is we willow-ed for five hours a day for two consecutive days and by the end of this willow workshop the group morale was rather unpleasant. Oh did I mention that it rained on the second day? Awesome.

Note that everyone is wearing a rain coat with their hoods up. Rainy, rainy, Finland.

The willow workshop was extremely unpleasant but the end results are quite incredible. I did have fun laughing with everyone and this is where the strong US and Finnish bond started forming. And this is where I realized I cannot go to another material workshop where I am being instructed by someone who does not speak English very well.'

I do have to give credit to Sara who started a journey while in the workshop that was inspiring. In this workshop there was a caste system that was unspoken of but everyone was aware that it was there. The leaf pullers were the hard laborers and they were at the bottom. The rope makers were a little higher on the totem pole because we had coverage from the sun and rain. The structural builders and designers were at the top, looking down upon us all. Sara was able to start at the bottom and slowly but surely gain the respect of the class directly above her and start working on their projects...once she had mastered their craft then she was able to gain the respect of the highest class and start actually building the willow bears. This took time and a lot of effort but eventually she did it, she worked at every station despite the glares and disapproving words she may had received. Great Job Sara! You make us all so proud!

Did I mention that while Sara was reaping the benefits of being top dog she was told by a Finnish instructor that what she was doing did not look "right" so she had to leave? I personally giggled but I think homegirl was silently offended. haha.

On a lighter note, Sara and I were able to pass the time by having "willow saber" wars. This passed the time and was simple entertainment for those delirious students around us.

Exhibit B: Sara pretending that she is the wicked witch of the west and flying on her broom. Note the action shot of the leaf pullers behind her.

Finnish Willow Saber Wars...

Overall, willow could possibly be interesting if:

a.) I was not suffering from jet lag.

b.) It was not raining while working.

c.) If I was not the main course for numerous mosquitoes.

On the bright side we did learn a new craft and got to bond with our Fins...sooo all in all a great learning experience.

xoxo,

Megan

Conference Commentary

InSEA, InSEA, where art thou InSEA?

In case you haven't picked up upon conference information yet... the theme of this years European Congress, InSEA 2010, is SUSTAINABILITY.

Besides learning a great deal about all kinds of theoretical and pedagogically inspiring information regarding the aspects, questions and practices regarding sustainability. We have also managed to enjoy the not-so-professional ideologies around the sustainability theme.

These themes include, but are not limited to:

1. Plusing and minusing (which has been previously mentioned in an older post).

2. The fact that every particle of left-over food at lunch is composted and then our non-disposable dishes were washed = less landfill waste.

3. The numerous conversations I have had over how to create sustainable art projects such as willow sculptures, recycling the entirety of a reindeer, carrying around congress bags made of recycled bed sheets/curtains.. and of course decorating them with more reindeer parts.

4. The lights in our hotel can only be turned on if you put your door key in a special little slot... thereby decreasing the amount of wasted electricity that occurs when you leave the room and forget to turn the lights off. This DOES NOT come in handy when you room key has become suddenly de-magnetized however.

5. Biking biking biking everywhere and by everyone. Everyone except us that is. If a bike rental shop opened up in Rovaniemi, I can guarantee you the owners could strike it rich.. but there isn't... so we walk. And walking is still sustainable.

Things that aren't sustainable...

1. The LONG days we have experienced thus far in the trip. Every day so far has been go go go... and it is easy to loose track of time and have difficulty sleeping when the sun never sets. Sustainable energy will not exist for me if I remain here much longer without a day off and a nap.

2. And although we are composting our food at lunch... I can't seem to find a recycle bin??? What that is all about, I cannot explain.

3. The number of times I have heard confusing, theoretical jargon such as the words: problematize/problematic.

And one last congress-related, sustainability themed, problematized question for you: while we talk about sustainability during the conference... as art educators seeking to teach in more economically, socially, culturally, and environmentally sustainable ways... (the majority of, at least) the speakers continue to lecture and read from papers, using powerpoint as the main tool for visual experience. It doesn't take long to figure out that sitting in this way for hours upon end is not a sustainable way to present information during a four day conference. This can be evidenced by my plan to go take a nap as soon as I finish this post.. instead of going to the last few lectures. But again, I'm just problematizing about sustainability people.

Signing off - R.Gray

Blogging: No "Original" Ideas are Safe Anymore

    I am writing this on a European keyboard so be patient because I do not know where any of the keys are. Here is the proof öäå€ whoa.

    Anyway it was brought to my attention today in a subtle yet not so subtle way that we have copied off the idea of three delightful undergrads. I was quite open to the fact that we were inspired by these three brilliant people and we were using their ideas of blogging about Finland. All in all this is a fun and interesting way of journaling while abroad and I commend the "South of No North" blog for it´s breakthrough advances in travel blogging. We can only aspire to be as intriguing and engaging as you have been.

    As the true humanitarians as we are here is the official blog page for our forefathers.    

  http://southofnonorth3.blogspot.com/

   In all seriousness, their reflections are truly interesting and we are glad that we have had the opportunity to be inspired by their travel blog : ) Kiitos!

Highlights.

My first post: Highlights from the trip thus far.
6-23-2010

Jet Lag – Couldn’t sleep at all during the plane ride, when my options were a comfy chair, plenty of familiar, soothing music, a darkened plane cabin, sleep mask, etc. Nope. Nothing. Bright eyed and bushy tailed I sat upright for the entire 7.5 hours. Of course, by the time we got to the Helsinki airport I was so dog-tiered I don’t remember a good portion of it. And by then, during the 2.5 hour layover, my only sleeping option was a coffee tabletop in the middle of the airport, in the middle of a café, in the middle of our 17-person group. So did I take it? You bet I did. Out I went – trying not to drool on Megan’s laptop case – for a whopping 45 minutes.

Kebabs I know = not Kebabs that I ordered in Finland.

Our first full day included: A gorgeous run around the river and across the main bridge called Jätkänkynttilä (pronounced something like: Yacht-can-koon-tee-la), a visit to Santa, and meeting with our Finnish counterparts for the first time.

Visiting Santa! Creepy maze, picture with the OH-IO, and the abounding touristy gift shops. Exciting! There was one letdown… such as a sitting on Santa’s lap ride, which was out of business. Other important updates: it IS actually colder when you cross the latitude line which separates the rest of the world from the arctic circle. CRAZY. Also, when you send your letters to Santa, he actually gets them. He just doesn’t read them, or keep them. Instead, your envelopes get packaged and sold as souvenirs, to art teachers! However, sending mail from the North Pole was a huge thrill... I cannot deny it.

Ounasvaara, one of the bigger hills in Rovaniemi. You can climb up the hill to see a view of the entire city of Rovaniemi. You can also bring fabulous company with you and roast your dinner over the fire pit. And that’s what we did. In addition to the lovely sights and conversations Ounasvaara has to offer… it also offers some unique wildlife viewing opportunities. One such example was a giant rabbit, or what was at first thought to be a deer, that a small group of us observed while hiking back down the hill. We cannot be sure, but it may or may not have had an eye patch, ugly grimace, and been involved in a potentially felonious crime (see facebook photos for a mug shot). But to be sure, the rabbit is now Courtney’s new spirit animal.








The 1.5 mile walk to and from Lapland University and the Hotel Santa Claus, which is normally beautiful, charming, and good exercise… just not in the pouring freezing rain. This is apparently June in Rovaniemi.

This is what I was told when inquiring abou the weather. June in Lapland = 13 degrees and raining. “Oh well, that’s just summertime in Finland!” says the front desk attendant. Why did I not check this before I came with shorts and sandals!?

Foods and menus are, for the most part, labeled gluten free, lactose free, and low-lactose. Thank you to the allergic Finnish culture that came before me.

The words we have learned. For example: Moi = hi, Moi moi = goodbye. Why can’t everything in language-learning be this simple?

Knochel-raisins. Another attempt at learning Finnish. Unfortunately it’s not as simple as adding raisins onto Aaron’s last name.

What we like to call, “Plusing and minusing.” Minus is for the most frequent trips to the bathroom. Plus is just simply for larger loads. Simple as that.


Sauli helping us to pronounce “Suffeli Puffi,” a kind of Finnish candy we can only describe as, “cheese puffs, minus the cheese, and covered in chocolate… trust me, it’s good.” One bummer: I am allergic to most of the awesome licorice they have here. Dang it!

All the conversations and wonderful people we have met thus far. Plus the amazing roommates I have. (Here we are at one of the functions for the congress... there was singing dancing, and MANY speeches. PLUS a bunch of performance pieces including wish embelished snowflakes fluttering from the forth floor... onto my head.)

Joo joo, ihan sama… which means: Yeah yeah, whatever. Ha! Awesome.

Not so sure fancy museum events are my gig. The Arktikum, Rovaniemi’s cultural museum, was beautiful, and the exhibits were really interesting… but I think I shall pass on the deep-fried fishies with eyes still intact. PLUS… during this shin-dig.. Sara found my first gray hair. WHHAAT!? Apparently I’ve hit the hair-crest and it’s all downhill from here. On the bright side, I have somehow managed to further legitimize my married name. There’s a plus side to everything.

Finishing our presentation, and having all of our professors, advisors, dept. chair there to cheer us on. It felt like the proud little Art Ed family from OSU, C-bus, Ohio, USA. Warm feelings inside.

The name plates we crafted out of Elk bones… the buttons I created today, and the congress bag made out of recycled bed sheets that I pimped out with reindeer antlers. I’m feeling very sustainable right now.

Round two of the Kebabs that I’m still not entirely sure about.

Last thought of the day – Finnish sauna is AMAZING… seriously. I want to know why I never learned that you could go in and out in and out of the Sauna multiple times, or that you were supposed to. AND… how come I never had an ice-cold river to jump into between sauna sittings? Did you know that your skin can actually tingle when you get back into the sauna after a quick jaunt in a 10 deg. cel. river? I did not. You can also pass out if you make the transition too quickly... so if your every in Finland sauna-ing and you don’t have a Finn to tell you otherwise... walk slowly from the sauna to the river and vice versa… or we’ll have to not let you sauna anymore.

Signing off!
-Mrs. GRAY

Ounäsväärä: Full of Hills and Thrills

Welcome to the walk to Ounäsväärä. Along this walk you will see numerous sites. One being the gorgeous water mass that is a dark crystal blue as well as numerous Fins cross-country skating. The lovely bridge below is called Jätkänkynttilä and is referred to as the lumberjack's candle. This is one of the best words I have learned yet because it sounds like "yacht count chocula".

Below you can also see the watch tower that we were able to go up into and look out over all that Rovaniemi has to offer. It was very wobbly once you got to the top.

All along the Watchtower....

Watch out hikers this is mosquito season!

The view from the watchtower...this is our little group. If you're wondering what was on the grill it was reindeer sausage and veggies. yum.

The mosquitoes are quite awful in Finland. They are not the large mosquitoes that we sometimes have in Ohio so they are the small little black buggers that just swarm you every time you go outside. In short we have been bathing in mosquito repellent and I have gotten used to the taste of the chemical. haha. As you can see in this picture Rebekah was doing a fine job protecting herself from these persistent bugs.

As you can clearly see on Sara's forehead that she did not do a very good job in applying the protection shield.

While we were up on the big hill we discovered that animals are not trained by actual languages but by the sound of the command. We were taught how to tell dogs to sit and lay down in Finnish. To sit sounds something like, "e-stoop" and to lay down sounds like, "marrvvvvv". I am not quite sure how to spell these. obviously.

After a long walk up the hill one needs a refresher. Apparently Olvi is the last name of a person and it is the Miller Lite of Finland. Not only does it hold a lot of Finnish value but it is also quite tasty also.

Moi Moi,

Megan