My very first host family

At roughly 4:00pm today, I was picked up by Mrs. Eriikka Kalliokoski from the Musta Kissa (Black Cat) Hotel in Lahti and transported via a Volvo to spend the following nights with my very first host family: Friday April 12 to Thursday April 18.  During our "road trip" Eriikka, a physically beautiful mid-forties woman, shared with me what she does as a profession and a bit about her husband Jukka and their 20 year old daughter Ella and their soon-to-be 18 year old son Emil.

Erikka's Profession

As the third generation to continue her family's owed business, Eriikka became (in 1987) the managing Director and Partner (along with her slightly younger sister) of Messua Oy, Finland's leading exhibition and event services company.  Messua Oy employs roughly 30 persons throughout its offices in Lahti, Tampere and Oulu.  This company offers its customers a single source for all arrangements from design to implementation, including international events, for example in Flordia, USA.

Eriikka's Husband Jukka

Upon entering the both internally and externally lovely dwelling that is to be my temporary home for almost a week, I was warmly greeted by Jukka (see tiny picture above).  No doubt, like most Finnish persons, I imagine he loves his kahvi (coffee).  I was then shown to my quarters.  Their son Emil was gracious to donate his room to me.  Upon entering this room which is about one third the size of the smallest bedroom of my Cali home, it immediately reminded me of Ikea...functional Scandinavian modern style furniture.

After storing my luggage, I returned to the "Ikea" kitchen where we made what the Finnish would call "small talk"--what Americans would call "getting to know each other"--about our professions.  Thereafter both Eriikka and Jukka, as partners--reminding me of cooking with my boyfriend Michael back home--prepared a scrumptious dinner of salmon (luckily because it is the only fish I know I like), risotto, and a simple salad of butter lettuce (one of my favorite kinds of lettuces) red bell peppers (one of my favorite vegetables) and cucumbers.  I will definitely adopt this salad for meals at home.  Of course dinner was accompanied with white wine, perhaps to "break the ice."  With American English music playing in the background, dinner was just the three of us as Ella is in Germany and will still be there by the time I leave "my new family" and Emil was not yet home.

I sincerely enjoyed starting to know both Eriikka and Jukka, however I needed to get some work done and wanted to call both my boyfriend and best friend since I had yet to do such since I left LAX.  Luckily for me, both "parents" were understanding and allowed me to "retire" to be a hermit in my "office."