When I arrive in Finland it’s sunny and bright. Unfortunately it doesn’t stay that way. Sun and rain are playing ping pong on Friday. It are 5 – 10 minute rain showers over here and the sun shines vigorously for 15 minutes. The fins are quite used to this kind of weather and have the saying: “Kesä kuivaa minkä kesä kastelee, “summer dries what summer wets.” I see this more clear on Sunday when I’m in the park. The sun shines and then there is a short light rain shower. So everybody stays where they are, puts something over their head and continue what they are doing, like Yuma who’s drawing a beautiful moment. His mother holds a jacket above him to keep the drawing dry. After maximum five minutes the sun shines again. If it rains harder people hide under the trees and continue chatting happily.
Although drawing moments isn’t an outside activity, rain affects the collecting very much. Up to now the parks have proven to be an excellent gathering place. If you have a light rain like Sunday you can continue, but if it get worse the cards will get wet and the colours will spread. If it rains ofter, there is just nobody in the park. So on Friday afternoon I’m seeking a different place to collect. The people in the street point me to the shopping mall. That’s where everybody is today. Indeed this shopping mall built in the eighties is very crowded. People could really use some cheering up here, but they are not always open for it. With Russians I encounter the first language barriers. A group of youngsters isn’t into it at first. They come back after a few minutes and then start drawing everything which has to do with sex. But is not all too bad at the mall. A woman draws moment 300 in which her husband reveals his plans for their aniversary.
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