We had an early start this morning to celebrate International Women’s Day with our Helsinki 5W friends. After a lovely breakfast of muesli and yummy Finnish flat bread, we slipped and slid over to the bus stop and took the bus into town. Before lunch we toured a residence of two prominent Finnish supreme court members and learned many fun things about Finnish life. During the art deco era, many of the wood stoves found in Finnish homes were converted into colorfully decorated tile stoves that stood in the corner of rooms. We also learned that the Finnish language doesn’t use prepositions, rather it adds varied endings to it’s nouns. Therefore, Finns often mix up his or her when speaking English. We found ourselves slightly gender confused as our tour guide spoke of the married couple that lived in the museum house. Luckily one of our alert 5W friends kept us on track during the tour.
Later we had a “ladies lunch” at a lovely restaurant in downtown Helsinki filled with salmon, laughter, and getting to know one another. The 5W women discussed ways that they could improve membership throughout Finland. The 5W organization plays a significant role in our journey as it provides us with the opportunity to travel safely with direct personal connections to the cultures we visit. We are ever so grateful that this organization exists, and that we are having the chance to meet so many wonderful people through it!
Here is a little bit about the 5 W organization: http://www.womenwelcomewomen.org.uk
5W (or 3W, as it was then called) was founded in 1984 by Frances Alexander in High Wycombe, UK. It was first envisaged as a European organization and publicized by the EEC bulletin "Women of Europe". However, as friendship knows no boundaries, 5W now has members in every continent except Antarctica!
5W is an organization with few rules - just those of general courtesy, consideration and common sense. An essential condition of membership is to sign the promise of confidentiality on the application form. This is to protect all members. Its infringement is an offence under UK law.
5W helps women become more self-confident. After experiencing other countries and ways of life from within private homes, members return to their own with greater understanding and a broader vision. Members in a number of countries do not have the option to travel, but they tell us how much they value the contact of women visiting them.
"If only people would learn that experiencing a different lifestyle is interesting, enriching and mind-opening. Too many people regard different as threatening. This suspicion and mistrust causes wars. Women have a gift for making friends, and I know 5W has in its own way made the world a smaller place. It pleases me that ordinary women travel the world, discover the joy of befriending people from very different cultures, and learn about themselves at the same time in our web of international friendship." Frances Alexander, Founder
"It is the people I've met - friends now - from across the oceans, over hills, in valleys beside rivers; the conversations I've had. I've learned to listen and to understand. Frontiers, borders mean nothing when women get together. I have gained the confidence to say what I feel, without embarrassment, to stand tall." SM, England
We spent the early evening back at our hosts, Liisa and Aarne’s home with the gaggle of 5W women. We shared a few traditional “blues” tunes, and learned some traditional Finnish songs from our new 5W friends.
We closed the day with a traditional sauna and homemade soup! Our host Aarne also treated us to a brief history of Finland, and Finnish people.
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