A widely smiling Robert Thompson seems like a typical American man at first. His sympathetic nature and interested attitude confirm the preconception. However, there are no traces of the stereotypes of superficiality and selfisness. Maybe this is the main reason for his willingness to come to the cold Finland for the whole winter.
Thompson and his family arrived at Oulu on the 5th of August. The father of the family is taking part in a teacher exchange and is teaching English at Haukipudas Senior High School for the upcoming school year. English teacher Anne Ontero from Haukipudas Senior High School is replacing him and will be teaching literature at the Medina High School.
Thompson is in Finland for the first time. The entire family enjoys living in Oulu. The center of the city and the marketplace are already familiar places to them. "Last night we went downtown and tried the Finnish pizza. I found out that I liked the Finnish thin crust more than the thick one that we get at home," Thompson said with praise.
The silence in Oulu has been something new to the family. "It has been so quiet everywhere that we have been tiptoeing and talking in whispers in our apartment," Thompson laughs.
"It seems like even your cars don´´t make so much noise as they do in our country. Even though we live in a relatively peaceful area in Akron, you can still hear the noise of the cars, sirens and horns. Over here you can even hear the wind."
Thompson thinks that Finns walk in a softer way than the Americans. "My son, for instance, jumps and bounces everywhere while he walks. The Finns walk in a more peaceful manner."
When the family arrived at Finland, the family knew the country would be cold and dark. The snow is not, however, a new thing for them. They have it at home too, even if the winter is not as long and harsh as it is in Finland. The rivers and lakes get icy in Thompson´´s homeplace too.
The family hasn´´t been able to avoid problems. For instance, they needed guidance to use the dish washer. Also, they didn´´t know where to put their garbage bags. One of the new things that the family likes is sauna, and the Finnish food has been good too. "Herring is something I need to work on though," Thompson said. "Rye bread, rieska and Carelian pies are tasty. Reindeer meat is something I´´m looking forward to having."
"Many things are familiar, which will help with home sickness. For instance the cars drive on the same side of the road and some of the traffic signs are almost the same. Shopping is familiar and one can find same kind of articles here as at home," he said.
The friendliness of the Oulu people has surprised the Thompsons. They have noticed that Finns are not as shy as has been claimed. "Everyone has been very friendly and helpful. You can get some help everytime you need it," he said.
Another thing that has been surprising is the Finns´´ language skills. "We had heard that everybody in Finland speaks English, but it surprised us anyway," Thompson states.
The Thompsons listened to some Finnish tapes already before coming to Finland. However, it wasn´´t easy to get a proper picture of the language that way. "After following conversations Finns have, I have now got a much better picture of how Finns use the language in certain situations. Earlier I didn´´t realize how different the Oulu dialect is compared to the language we heard on our tapes," Thompson said.
At the moment understanding is limited, and he can only recognize a word here and there. However, in addition to "yes" and "no" words, the teacher can say "Good morning," "Hello," and "Sorry, I don´´t understand," as well as ask, "Do you speak English?" Nevertheless, with a twinkle in his eyes he promises to give Kaleva another interview in a fluent Finnish in the end of the school year.
FACTS
- Was born on 4th August 1961 in Georgia, USA. - Father served in the air force and the family moved a lot. - Married Janet Bean in 1987. - Lives in Akron, Ohio, with his family. - His wife is a professor of English at the University of Akron. - Children: Addie, 15 years old; and Jackson, 12 years old. - Hobbies: guitar playing and writing. - Would like to try winter swimming while in Finland.