We left the land of the midnight sun and have returned to Helsinki for a few days before we fly back to Atlanta—the land of the midnight gun(fire). Our new, west-side hotel is a ridiculously opulent, top-floor, balcony affair that will likely dip unfavorably into my 401k and force an unfortunate reduction in future nursing home amenities (like food), but I just don’t care. I sense a red tide looming back home, so it’s time to take profits and enjoy. Hail to the petite bourgeoisie!
Today, we walked up to the Ooli library and, among other things, paused in silent awe over the way the Finns value education and the fundamentals of reading over just about everything else (even smoked salmon). The place is un-frikken-believable! When I was a kid, I used to feel the same way about the Detroit Public Library across from the DIA. Now I just feel embarrassed across the board.
The Ooli is a free, state-funded, three story mall dedicated to intellectual discovery. (Seriously, 3D printers in a library? In Tennessee, I have to pay a quarter and provide ten minutes of free tech support just to get them to shit me out a streaked, Xerox.) We spent considerable time with a Finnish librarian there, and I got a first-hand feel as to why the Finnish education system is both revered and (poorly) emulated all over the western world. Here, primary school educators are treated (and compensated) with the same respect as doctors or judges because Finns generally agree with Whitney Houston and actually believe that their children are the future. As an aside, they also agree that crack is whack.
Later, while sitting in a cafe near the southern ports, we bumped into a freshly minted, 22-year old, MIT grad and had an engaging conversation. He was as pleasant as he was measured and articulate, and I left our encounter comforted in the fact that the US is also capable of educational excellence, albeit at an access point that will never be remotely mistaken for egalitarian.
You know, Patty and I travel mainly because we like to and because we can, but we are also infinitely curious and open to the changes it affects upon us. To avoid plagiarizing, I guess we basically concur with Mark Twain’s words from a hundred plus years ago:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
Our current travels are coming to an end in a few short days, and as we contemplate returning to our polarized and MAGA-merized little corner of the earth, I wonder if a broadened, world view is really even an asset anymore.
Oh, Whitney. Where are you when we need you most?
The Hillbilly Viking 
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