The Finnish education system is a surprisingly well-known topic in Latin America. It’s everywhere; it’s on the newspapers, it’s on tv, it’s on social media and it’s been on documentaries. Just by googling the Spanish words “Sistema educativo de Finlandia” you get 784 000 hits, and by changing the order of the words a bit, the amount doubles. In fact, after hearing that I’m from Finland and after asking me all the basic questions, many people want to know the following: “Sissi, what’s so great about your education system?” Here’s what.

Un post sobre el sistema educativo en Finlandia, traducido por César Sanchez en thelemongroup.net. El post original en inglés se encuentra aquí.

Some time ago, I wrote a post on the Fundamental Art of Leaving. Today, I’m inspired by two people. Both of them women I barely know – one of them I’ve never met in person, the other one I’ve met only once a couple of years ago. Yet, at the moment, both these women are going through the rocky road of getting back “home” after a long time abroad. And even though I’m not physically present and I know nearly nothing about them, I feel I can relate to their feelings more than to those of many others.

What to pack on a long-distance cycling trip? This is the one thing that kept banging in my head before leaving for South America. And after talking to other cyclists, I’ve noticed this seems to have been the main concern of many. Believe me, most things won’t seem that important anymore, as soon lay your feet on your pedals (meaning: if someone steels your things it’s won’t be the end of the world). However, before you go, it feels good to know what to take with you. So, here’s what it is.

In the province of Tucumán, lives a family that I have come to consider my own, although it is not. A family, which has showed me such love and affection that I can hardly believe anyone ever would towards a “stranger”. This family is the Family Gonzalez, a group of lovely people bound together by name and history — a family whose warmheartedness I shall never forget. 

The Calchaquí Valley (Valles Calchaquíes) is no doubt the most emotional place that I’ve been to so far in South America. The view towards the valley from any of its multicolored mountains is beyond impressive, and the stories of locals bring the whole landscape into a deeper context which makes the experience even far more intense than the mere sight of it. Yet, the tragic history of the valley is present in every rock on the ground, in every ray of the sun, in the look in every local’s eyes. And at the same time, it all feels sacred — which to its inhabitants, it is.