Pickleball in Finland

Playing in Kera

I like playing sports involving a ball. Some time ago I discovered pickleball and two courts available in Kera sports complex in Espoo. I'm very familiar with the ball used in pickleball as it is similar to the ball with holes as in floorball. Also having some background playing with rackets it was easy to have good one to one match with my brother. I preferred pickleball over padel which I tried for the first time in Spain. I would like to try playing pickleball also 2 vs 2.

The sports complex of Kera is going to be demolished this summer so lets see if there will be courts dedicated to pickleball after that. The calendar of the pickleball courts were quite empty so pickleball has not yet become popular in Finland.  My understanding is that pickleball has been growing fast in USA.

Interactive sports games

Sutu in Tahto sports museum

I have visited activity parks called SuperCorner Tahko, Duudsonit Activity park Espoo, Tahto sports museum and Hoplop Tripla. I have had chance to try out different kind of interactive sports games. I have tried iWall, SlamIt, cycloBEAT, runBEAT, tapWall, ValoClimb, ValoJump, KickIt, Lappset Sutu interactive ball wall, Superball and SuperTouch. Then there are plenty of more interactive sports games what I would like to try. My favorite have been kicking the ball to an interactive wall. Also Supertouch is a fun competition of pushing the light buttons as fast as you can. The ones that I have liked the least are runBEAT and SlamIt. Interactive ice hockey doesn't work equally well as football because the puck doesn't bounce back from the wall like football does. runBEAT is after all just running but still more fun than just running on a basic treadmill.

2000 day streak achieved in Duolingo

My screenshot

My earlier over 1000 day streak got destroyed by accident but I decided to start a new one and reached today 2000 day streak. I had already finished all the Spanish lessons at one point but developers of Duolingo added a lot more Spanish lessons which I have been going through. Duolingo has gamified language learning very well as I try to keep my position in the diamond league and take advantage of double or triple points by completing lessons. As I have spoken a lot Spanish in real life for me listening and story lessons are the easiest. The lessons where I have to write full sentences can cause me frustration as I might make spelling mistakes or use different expressions. Though those are good lessons to correct my mistakes and improve my grammar. I'm planning to keep on going with Duolingo and hopefully I will write my next update when I have completed the Spanish lessons.

Top Post 2023 - 2024

The Christmas was not white in the capital area of Finland in 2024

Below listed the top posts from the last two years.

1. Awesome book by Author Lotta-Sofia Saahko and I ended up reading her other great books too

2. Buying a house is not necessarily the best investment of your life

3. Insight to real estate investing in Spain

4. Finland is one of the top tax collectors of the world

5. My self improvement tips for sleeping

Top posts from previous years 2021 - 2022, 2019 - 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010

Learning the local language

Helsingin Sanomat has published two essays (Language discrimination drives away foreign professionals from Finland and Elite is handicapped by speaking English) within two months how highly educated foreigners are struggling to learn Finnish and to integrate to Finland. I have personal experience working abroad speaking the local language in Spain and not speaking the local language in Poland. I think that knowing the local language is the key for adaptation to any society. I have witnessed how foreigners can adapt to a new country by getting to know other foreigners who speak the same non local language. Also friendships are formed with locals if they speak that foreign language. Then a foreigner might even feel that learning the local language is not necessary.

On the other hand if you oblige the locals to speak a foreign language with the foreigners then locals are handicapped depending on their level of fluency in the foreign language. Is it fair to make 10 locals speak foreign language to accommodate one foreigner to the group? Or would it be fair for the foreigner to learn the local language in order to join the group of 10 locals? Either way language learning effort is needed.

If you end up moving to a foreign country and learn the local language you are still likely going to be seen as a foreigner because of the accent in your speech. 

Early winter

24th of November in Kauniainen

Last April I wrote how winter never seemed to end. This year the winter arrived early on November and the landscape was fully covered with snow but two days later the snow is gone. I had a reunion with a Spanish exchange student friend from Ankara. 12 years had passed since we said good bye in Turkey. She came for a holiday to Finland and was lucky to witness the landscape fully covered with snow.

How to recognize a Finnish backyard

Market place of Kauniainen as a backyard

There are two classical pieces what you see especially in the backyards of old apartment buildings and row houses in Finland.  One of them is a rack for whipping rugs and other is a drying rack for clothes. These are not completely forgotten in the new buildings but they are not always part of the backyard. I believe these pieces are not used much nowadays but you can still spot the rusty metallic structures in the backyards. The space could be used for something else or be made more esthetic by removing the old rusty racks.

Nature destinations in the capital area of Finland

During the summer and Autumn I have visited four nature destinations inside the capital area. In Finland you can find nature reserves inside the urban areas which are worth visiting for tourists and locals. All the destinations listed below can be easily reached by public transportation. 

Autumn view from Kasavuori

Kasavuori is a nature reserve in Kauniainen. The name means mountain in English but in fact it is just a hill 66 meters above the sea level. In the highest spot you can find a view over the highway leading to Turku. The forest is mostly pines and spruces but you can find also trees with leaves.

The Glims river

By the river of Glims there is a path following the river surrounded by trees all the way to an old house museum with some farm animals. The 3 kilometers long path starts from the recently renovated old mansion of Träskända.

The view spot in the central park of Espoo

Espoon keskuspuisto - The central park of Espoo is the biggest area to be explored out of these four destinations. You can find areas with trees with leaves, swamps, areas with pines and spruces. Especially I like exploring the area by following the small paths.

The wooden path in Laajalahti

Villa Elfvik is an old mansion surrounded by a forest where you can find cafeteria and exhibition about Finnish nature. The mansion is inside the nature Reserve of Laajalahti which is by the sea. The area is especially interesting for bird spotting and you can find a bird tower on the shore to look over the bay.

My previous suggestion to visit in the capital of Finland: Roihuvuori

Reading list 2024

Below listed the 23 books that I have read since publishing my previous list. I have highlighted 5 books which stood out the most in my opinion.

Bregman, Rutger - Humankind: A hopeful history

Casanova, Giacomo - Elämäni tarina 7 - 8

Diaz, Hernan - Luotto

Epstein, David - Range how generalists triumph in specialized world

Foster Wallace, David - Tennisesseet

Herrera, Yuri - Kartellin trubaduuri

Ibrahimović, Zlatan - Adrenaliini: ennenkuulemattomat tarinani

Itkonen, Juha - Ihmettä kaikki

Itkonen, Juha - Teoriani perheestä

Kahneman, Daniel - Noise: A flaw in human judgement

Kwik, Jim - Rajoittamaton: päivitä aivosi, opi nopeammin

Manson, Mark - Kaikki menee päin helvettiä: nurinkurinen kirja toivosta

Manson, Mark - Will

Mykkänen, Erkka - Sellainen mies

Pilecki, Witold - Vapaaehtoisena Auschwitziin: vastarintaliikkeen solouttautujan uskomaton tarina

Pulkkinen, Riikka - Raja

Pöppönen, Hannu - Nippu pesoja ja muita kertomuksia Argentiinasta

Saahko, Lotta-Sofia - Koti kulttuurien välissä

Siltala, Juha - Keskiluokan nousu, lasku ja pelot

Torkki, Juhana - Dion prusalainen onnellisuudesta

Torkki, Juhana - Plutarkhos mielen tyyneydestä

Vahvanen, Pekka - Kone kaikkivaltias: Kuinka digitalisaatio tuhoaa kaiken meille arvokkaan

Ypi, Lea - Vapaa: kuinka kasvoin aikuiseksi maailman luhistuessa

The previous list from 2023

The king's oak and The great field

Street view from Kuninkaantammi

I have visited recently two new neighbourhoods in the capital area of Finland. the one in Helsinki is called Kuninkaantammi in English The King's oak. and in Espoo Suurpelto in English The great field. Both neighbourhoods have been criticized for being isolated because there is no short distance train or metro connection, lack of parking space, lack of services nearby and empty plots which are still under development. The positive sides are schools and day care centres for families. Moving inside the both neighbourhoods is designed for walking or cycling. I liked a lot the overall look and atmosphere of Kunikaantammi, the round shapes, green areas and the architecture gives vibes from the medieval cities. As Suurpelto is more like typical square blocks with modern buildings. Though Suurpelto is attractive for English speakers because there is an international school where studies are in English. You can also find one of the three Angry Birds playgrounds in Suurpelto.