My Finnish lessons continue, with my instructor Mimmu showing patience above and beyond the call of duty. By the end of the hour and a half we spend together, I feel that I am making progress, but after a couple of weeks, the next lesson feels more like a remedial class.
However, some of it sticks and I was able to identify colours by their Finnish names whilst touring Ikea today. Punainen is red and Valkoinen is white - those are easy to pick up from a wine list, of course. Today I also recognised Keltainen (yellow) and Musta (black).
I also learned in this week's lesson the origin of the name of the area of Helsinki where I live, Kruununhaka. It apparently dates back to the days when Finland was part of Sweden and this was an area populated by the nobility. Kruunu means crown, the haka part refers to a fenced area where the horses are kept. So, I live in the King's paddock. I feel rather more posh now!
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