In the comfortable confines of Helsinki and no longer facing the prospect of packing up and traveling somewhere I've had the opportunity to scan the journal. As anyone who has traveled and kept a journal knows, one sacrifices good grammar, spelling, etc., for the sake of getting thoughts and observations down on paper before they become stale or are lost. Just ask Lewis and Clark. I am indebted to the many libraries that provided a free 15 to 20 minutes of internet time. I felt like I was back in the newspaper business hammering out stories under deadline. Unfortunately, I did not have a rewrite person or a copy editor on the other end to clean things up. Many of these entries were made after I had ridden 50 to 80 miles over bad roads and through storms. I did my best to compose properly, but with the meter running while trying to decipher computer instructions in Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian at various times I wasn't always successful. The keyboards here are different, containing the additional letters, ä, ö and a few Norwegian ones that aren't on this Finnish keyboard I'm currently tapping on. I read a few of the back entries and am slightly embarrassed (but not too much) by obvious errors, the tenses that switch, bad spelling, etc. But because I recorded these impressions as soon as I could I think I've captured the essence of the trip in its naked truth, as well as my state of mind at the time. I really was going mad in North Karelia after being pounded by incessant storms and seeing nothing but forest for weeks, but it's hard to dredge those feeling up now in the comfort of a Helsinki internet cafe nursing a beer, a comfortable hotel room awaiting me a few blocks away. When I return home I will clean them up. But not too much.
And one last thing. I did learn some Finnish. I can probably recognize at least 100 words or so, days of the week, road signs (warning you are entering a military bombing range). I still can only count to one, which is rather limiting. In the time remaining I plan to continue my studies and I hope to be able to count to two by the time I return home.
And one last thing. I did learn some Finnish. I can probably recognize at least 100 words or so, days of the week, road signs (warning you are entering a military bombing range). I still can only count to one, which is rather limiting. In the time remaining I plan to continue my studies and I hope to be able to count to two by the time I return home.
5 comments:
Hi Robert: I've followed your remarkable trip from start to Finnish. And I've enjoyed it all the way. I've noticed the various typos etc., but they were minimal, and detracted nothing from the content. I could understand, as anyone should, that the blog was in the nature of a rough draft created under less than ideal conditions. You certainly captured the atmosphere of this long, beautiful, and grueling adventure. The physical demands seem to me to have been extraordinary. I look forward to further communication about it. And if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.
Congratulations.
Hi Biff,
Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the account. The blog captured the highlights, but much of the story remains untold. I hope to write a book about the trip, but, of course, that will take some time.
Dear Bob,
I've been following your blog and printing out copies to share with my friend, Pam, at work, whom you met at Folk Life. She has been as attentive to your account of the trip as I have. We're both looking forward to seeing this experience in book form. I'm glad you had a safe trip. I hope to see you next week at dance!
Kathy
Hi Bob -
Hope you are enjoying a sampler of Finnish brews....on our behalf PLEASE DO!! Brian and I will want to hear more from you when you grace our presence shortly here in the Emerald City. We'll buy the drinks. CHEERS ~ Bill & Brian
Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the Massagem, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://massagem-brasil.blogspot.com. A hug.
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