Already feeling the autumn sting of falling temperatures? If you’re like me, maybe you’ve turned up the heater, are wearing layers, drinking tea and choosing to stay indoors more often than not. 

I did all of this until I remembered, I have a choice: …

Not trying to give you a lesson on navigating cold temperatures in Finland, rather, I think this is a perfect metaphor for possibility: where to look if possibilities feel restricted and how to expand…

Sometimes when I talk about how learning Finnish can be joyful, awe-inspiring, fun, people look at me as if I’m an alien with 3 heads. I stand by it because observing how my brain has adapted to Finnish, has been one of my most awe-inspiring life experiences.

But if you’re reading this and thinking: “Yeah okay but what if this reality feels far off for me?” Here’s what I want you to know…

A recap of the past month’s posts, all in a handy format!

This year, two themes have stood out for me as we head into the fall: 1) fall is the best season for a new perspective and 2) it’s a time to intentionally slow down. Symbolically, fall has long been celebrated as a time to reflect on: balance (between night and day), impending darkness, change and transformation (and how foliage reminds us of the beauty, alongside the death, of transitions)…

Do you struggle from one of the five most common Finnish struggles? You’re not alone! These are so common, but so seldom discussed, they’re mainstream! Here they are, along with a new perspective to consider…

I recently met an Italian woman who asked me what I do for a living.
“I help people learn Finnish.”
“Oh, so you’re a Finnish teacher?”
“Sort of, not exactly. I teach people the process of learning Finnish.”
She looked at me quizzically, “But why would I need the process? I can go to classes to learn Finnish.”
In an ideal world, you would go to Finnish class and – voila! You’d speak Finnish.
If that were the case, you wouldn’t be reading this…

What do you I want to learn before 2019 comes to a close?

If taking another Finnish course comes to mind, but you’re hesitating for whatever reason, read this first.

Many people equate taking a Finnish course with learning Finnish. But there are many ways to learn Finnish; a course is just the most traditional way. It may or may not be what you need right now.

Listen to YLE’s series ‘Kanadan kasvatit‘

My episode deals with multilingualism and multiculturalism and experiences in Montreal and Quebec that shaped my view of these. You can listen in on YLE Areena by clicking here.

Amy and I talk about learning Finnish, languages and learning in general – a common interest we share, seeing as we’re both married to Finns. We had so much fun that we ended up doing a 2 part episode (under 20 mins each!). So here’s what we covered in part 2’s episode:

I recently sat down with Amy Leo from the What We Should Have Learned in School podcast to talk about learning Finnish. (My heart swooned when I heard the title of her podcast for the first time!!) We had so much fun that we ended up doing a 2 part episode