Conference turris::scandia

  Don't know how long you are with DEC; there are quite a few Finnish
  DECies outside Scandinavia (including myself...). A few, obviously,
  in Valbonne; the only one I know in US is Timo Kuosmanen (just
  checked in ELF, there seems to be a Timo Kuosmanen in Helsinki
  too, but as both are still listed in ELF with different badge
  numbers I don't think it's the same Timo who has moved to
  Finland...). And there was Harri Rautiainen working in Acton,
  but he's left DEC a few weeks ago (but not the States).
  
  And, if you take the corporate phone book (or stroll around any
  of the New England facilities) you'll bounce to some Finnish
  family names, mostly n-th generation immigrants.

  Oh, I forgot to mention, there are three (3) Finns in DEC Munich
  alone... (and only two Swedes, as far as I know!)

    Yes, there are Finns out here!  Not me, but my wife Mailis is from
    Suojoki.  I speak a little Finnish, but the Finns (who are always
    so polite about it) must wince when they hear how I devastate the
    grammar.
    
    The Finnish population in this area (Maynard, Stow, Acton, etc.)
    is quite high compared with other parts of the country.  Looking
    at the phone book, I see many Finnish names.  Our mailman's name
    is Mackey and he says that his parents are from Finland.  Mackey
    I guess is the americanized version of Maeki (sorry for ae).
    
    There is also a rather large chapter of the Finlandia Foundation
    in Boston, with many members living in this area.  They have monthly
    meetings and many of the meetings feature guest speakers or performers.
    If anyone is interested, I can put them in touch with a local coordi-
    nator.
    
    Peter

	I too am of Finnish ancestry.  My family Palomaki (umlaut on a),
	but anglicized unfortunately when greatgrandad immigrated,
	comes from the village Palonkyla near Isokyro near Seinajoki.
	I'm 3rd generation Finn from SNOMA, South Dakota which is a 
	Finn settlement.  Both my great-grand-parents are from the
	Isokyro area, but did not know each other until here in the
	States.

	I speak very little Finnish; I have visited Finnland once and
	plan to go back.  Hopefully I'll get to meet the Finns in Munich
	as I am actively pursuing a transfer there next year.  (1st step
	to Finnland!)

	Tervesin

		Rik (Risto) Palo [maki]
		BLITZN::,COMET::,{COORS,LITE}::PALO

		Colorado Springs, Co

	Ps  I want to make a point on Finns...  I have been told that
	when I picked up X-C skiing a couple of years ago, that I was
	a "natural Finn",  question is "is there a Finn who cannot ski?"
	Goes to show why they constantly are in the top rankings for all
	x-c races in world standings and olympics.

    Welcome to Munich!! DEC Munich currently employs three Finns, and
    Munich is a nice place (well, I love Finland, but wouldn't want
    to live there...  :-)
    
    Any, BTW, there is at least one Finn who cannot ski, that's me.

Hello, someone mailed me a note from this file about Finns at DEC, so here
I am.

Both of my parents came here from Finland (I can't remember from where), but I
was born in Vermont. Then we moved to Maynard Mass.  Now I'm in Merrimack
New Hampshire working with Networks and Communications diagnostic engineering.

I can speak the language, and understand others who speak, but I can't write
it, and I can sort of read it (10 seconds per word).

I went to Finland once, I think in 1970, I was little kid, but still remember
parts of it.  I have relatives in Ontario Canada and a friend of mine here in 
Merrimack is also Finnish, neither work for DEC, but we can all still speak
Finnish, although we usually end up speaking English.

Ken

Greetings, or Hiva Paiva as I recall. Yes I am another Finn out here in the
Taxachusetts country-side. My family hails on my mothers-side from
Kristinakaupunki (Kristinastad in Swedish). I am 1st generation this country
but I have been "home" to Finland and I so much want to go back again.

Saddly my finnish is poor thru dis-use, but I am working on changing that
rapidly. My family was bi-lingual (Finnish/Swedish) until they came to the
U.S. I can "read" some Swedish but not speak any (yet!)

I am really glad to have found this conference, it may provide me with
all the more incentive to relearn my "native" tongue. I found the earlier
note on pronounciation great.

I've yet to peruse all the notes in this file so you'll be hearing from me
more either in this note or another.

Ed

    While I myself am not Finnish I did grow up with quite a few
    Scandanavians in the Mid-West.  There are huge numbers of Finns
    in Northern Minnesota and several small towns there still speak
    Finnish in the streets!
    
    So If you want to brush up on your Finnish, go to Northern Minnesota
    for a fishing trip!
                                            
                                            

    I just stumbled over the SCANDIA notes file so I thought I introduce
    myself.  I am Helena Flanagan (Moliis) and I was born in Helsinki
    and came to Massachusetts in 1969.  I have been working at DEC in
    Marlboro, MA, for five years in the High Performance Systems/Clusters
    Group as a secretary in the Program Office.
    
    I just came back from Finland a couple of weeks ago.  I hadn't been
    there in seven years.  It was really SUPER!!
    
    Just thought I say Hello!
    
    Helena Flanagan
    HYPER::FLANAGAN

My grandmother is also a Paananen.  Her name is Lempi Alina (Aho) Paananen
and she lives in Maynard, Mass.  From what I remember, Maynard has a fairly
high population of Finnish descendants.  

Is there a translation for LEMPI or ALINA?  I believe her parents came
over from Finland and had their name changed from Reussaho (probably
spelled wrong) to Aho and they did their part to spread the Finnish
influence across America by producing at least 9 children.  The only
names I know offhand are Johanna, Urho, Sylvia, Waino, and Helmi.  

The only Finnish I know is a few lines from some childrens' songs and
"Hausta napa?" which I believe is "How's your bellybutton?"  Any explanation
for that one?

    'Lempi' is a somewhat poetic word for 'love'.
    

                   HAUSKA NAHDA SUOMALAISTA TEXTIA
    YES, AN OTHER FINN FOUND THIS ,TO DISCOVER THAT A AM NOT ALONE HERE
    MY NAME IS RAINER KARKMAN,DON'T SOUND LIKE A FINNIS NAME BUT IT
    IS. I WAS BORN IN HELSINKI FINLAND AND BEEN HERE IN THE STATES 
    FOR 13 1/2 YEARS.
    I BEEN WORKING FOR DEC 12  YEARS AND I LOVE IT, I SPEND SOME TIME
    IN FINLAND THIS SOMMER 3 WEECK'S I HAD A GOOD OLD TIME THERE IN
    H:KI IT NEVER CHANGES IT IS THE SAME OLD  "STADI"
    I DID STOP AT ESPOO PLANT AND KEKKONEN SHOWED ME AROUND THERE
    BIG OPERATION YOU GUYS HAVE THERE I WAS IMPRESED.
    I AM GLAD TO FIND THIS I BEE AROUND.
    
    
                NAKEMIIN RAINER KARKMAN

    HI, YES THERE ARE LOTS OF SCANDINAVIENS IN THIS AREA.I WAS BORN
    IN KARLEBY,KOKKOLA,FINLAND AND CAME HERE TO THE BOSTON AREA VIA
    STOCKHOLM IN 1966.I BELONG TO SEVERAL SCANDINAVIAN ORGANIZATIONS
    SCANDIA,FINLANDIA FOUNDATION TO NAME A FEW.THIS TIME OF YEAR THERE
    ARE MANY THINGS GOING ON IN THE GREATER MAYNARD AREA[XMAS PARTIES
    FAIRS ETC]SO IF ANYBODY IS INTERESTED IN MORE INFO.LET ME KNOW!!
    CHARLOTTA

    Hello there.
    I have a very keen intrest in Finland. This being due to my wife
    being Finnish. Could you tell me something about Digital in Finland
    
    Matthew Hanwell

    Try the HSK01::FNO conference - and there's also a VTX database
    on HSK01. All of that is in Finnish, though...
    
    Hit <SELECT> etc. etc.
    

    
    Hi.  I come from a heavily Finnish populated area in Michigan, but
    I'm only 1/4 Finn.  If anyone's interested, here is some info.
    The Finn's that still speak the language are almost all gone and
    I'm told that its not the same as modern Finnish.  All you'll find
    these days are recipes for Nissua, some of the best smoked fish
    in the U.S., and phone books full of Finnish surnames. The area 
    boasts the only Finnish college in the USA (Soumi College).  The
    area is called the Copper Country because of the copper mining but
    these days the are also trying to get people to call it the Keweenaw
    because you can find that on a map.  If you look at a map of Michigan,
    it is the Peninsula that sticks up into Lake Superior far to the
    west and as far north as you can go.  Its part of Michigan's Upper
    Peninsula, its the lower peninsula that looks like a hand. 

    Hi --
    
    I very recently discovered this Notes file, and had to add my few words
    when I read that Charlotta Olsen (note 24.15) had been born in the same
    town as my father.  Curiously, though, he always used to refer to his
    birthplace as "Gamla Karleby".  If I remember any of the Swedish that I
    heard in my grandparents' presence, "gamla" means "old".  I wonder if
    "gamla" was being used as an adjective, or if that was perhaps --
    earlier -- the name of the town.  Any thoughts anyone???  (He was born
    in 1909 and emigrated to the US in 1911.)
    
    My father always steadfastly referred to himself as Finnish; he spoke
    and wrote Finnish with his family, and would often attempt to teach my
    sister and me Finnish (not very successfully, alas).  My mother's side
    of the family all considered themselves to be Swede-Finns -- they had
    been Swedes who lived in Finland, and spoke Swedish at home, so I have
    learned just a little of that language. 
    
    So here I am, and enjoying this file very much.  Thanks for having
    it!
    
    Regards,
    Joanna Olson

    
    Re .-1
    
    	Gamlakarleby is the name of that town in swedish as most of
    the people there speak that language at home. If you like to know
    where it is try finding the name Kokkola in our map of Finland.
    It is at the west coast near Oulu.
    	Tapio

How much Finn equals "Finn"?

I am 50% Finn and come from Maynard, MA  My father is 100% Finn, his parents
came over from Finland (I now my father was born here - the house on the
corner of Waltham St and Elm St on the left of Elm).  I don't speak any
of the language, my father did when my grandparents were alive, but he has
no one to speak to and since has lost the tongue.  My maiden name is
Wuorio - but it is the americanized version of the original - which, of
course, ends in "nen".  I will get the correct spelling and maybe even
some heritage details.  I asked my dad this stuff so long ago I had 
forgotten most of it.

Maynard is a very big "melting pot" of various ethnic backgrounds.

I'll continue more later gotta run...

--sandy

    
   Hello out there, fellow Finnish DECies.  I am a 1 1/2 generation
   Finn.  My mother immegrated here in 1948 and my father is a first
   generation Finn.  Finnish is the first language I learn and did not
   learn much English until I entered the public school system.  Now
   however, my Finnish is poor becaue of disuse.  But I do enjoy the
   chance to speek Finnish whenever possible.
    
   I was born and raised in Clastskanie, Oregon, located half-way
   between Portland and Astoria.  This area has a strong Finnish roots.
   I currently live in the Seattle area.  Seattle is the home of a
   strong Finnish organization, the Finlandia Foundation Seattle Chapter.
   FFSC even sponsors a quite popular Finnish language class which
   is quite popular.
                   
   I'd love to hear more from you other Finns.
    
    Matt(i) Jolma
      
   
    

    
    
    	Even in such exotic (exotic for Finns) place like
    	Puerto Rico is one finnish. My name is Antti Ripatti.
    	I am working here in San German Plant at least until
    	beginning of April. 
    
    	I am participating to International
    	Student Exchange Program and that's the reason why I am
    	here and not in Finland like usually. I am working in
    	the Personnel Deparment helping the with the Data Systems.
    
	Anyone who want to practise finnish in Caribbean can
    	contact me from DTN 721-2273.
    
    	Antti Ripatti
    
    

    I was married to a 2nd generation Finn for 10 years, with the last
    name of Mattson.  His father was born in Helsinki, and came to America
    with his family when he was only 3.  They all spoke Finnish at home,
    and he learned English at school.  My husband knew some Finnish,
    mostly swear words.  My husband was born in Michigan and was named
    Mitch, because his father pronounced Michigan as Mitchigan.  His
    mom thought that was cute, and named her son (my hubsand) Mitch.
    Now, I have a son, and I have been trying to teach him about his
    Finnish ancestry.  If anyone, has any information about Mattsons
    in Finland, I would love to hear from you.
    
    Becky

    Hi there...both of my Grandparents came over from Finland from around
    the Helsinki area. I don't speak Finnish because my parents only
    spoke it when they didn't want me to understand what they were talking
    about. ;-) My father is a Saarinen and my mother's maiden name is
    Ahola.
    
    I was wondering what Saarinen meant in Finnish. I heard that it
    meant "Man with Long Spindly Legs"...if that's the case, it fits my
    to a 6'3" Tee.                    
                                             
    I also heard that I have some distant relations to the archichects
    Eero and Elial Saarinen.
    
    I live in Somerville, Massachusetts and work in Bedford, MA as a
    creative illustrator for Computer Images.
    
    -Arthur

    re .25:
    
    >I was wondering what Saarinen meant in Finnish. I heard that it
    >meant "Man with Long Spindly Legs"...if that's the case, it fits my
    
    Well not exactly...
    
    Last names ending in -nen are very common in Finnish (see my
    username...). The body of the word usually means something (saari =
    island, j�rvi = lake); the ending -nen can be used in some cases to form
    a diminutive (like tytt� = girl, tytt�nen = little girl) but no one
    would call a little island saarinen. So actually your name doesn't mean
    much...
    

    On could also argue that the word "saarinen" migh have a similar
    pattern to:
    
    	===========================================
    	English			Finnish
    	===========================================
    	sleep - sleepy		uni - uninen
    	stone - stony		kivi - kivinen
    	hair - hairy		karva - karvainen
    	island - ???		saari - saarinen
    
    	etc.
    	===========================================
 
    I don't recall enough of my grammar to be able to say what the above
    is in "official" terms, but I think you get the picture.
    
    ...Petri

    	I'm a second generation Finnish-American, born here in Maynard,
    Massachusetts, married to a Finnish girl from Karjala->Kuopio. 
    I've been at DEC for 13 years, all of it here at the Mill except
    for 11 months in Boston, and my wife has been working here at the
    Mill for over 21 years.
    
    	I am a Fenno-maniac and have spent the last forty years trying
    to spread knowledge of Finland and things Finnish to anyone who
    has been willing to listen.  I write for "Raivaaja" the Finnish
    weekly here in New England, belong to Finnish American Club Saima
    in Fitchburg, MA and the Boston Chapter of Finlandia Foundation,
    Finnish Cultural Center at Fitchburg State College.
    

   Greetings from British Columbia, Canada ! My name is Arvo Ikonen
    and I have been working for Dec in Victoria as a Field Service Engineer
    for five years.  I immigrated from Finland to Canada in 1982.
    Originally I am from Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala and lived also in
    Helsinki, Lohja, Riihimaki, Iisalmi, Alavus and Jarvenpaa, in other
    words various places in Finland. There are not any official records 
    about finnish population in B.C. but estimates are about 6000. On
    Vancouver Island where I am, there may be about 400 and most are
    old, noticable finnish immigration doesn't exist anymore.
    Anyway there are 4 Finns working for DEC in B.C. Field Service.
    Finally to those Finns, who are reading these notes on the other
    side of Atlantic Ocean, I want to say that 80% of all things worth of seeing
    in Canada are west from Rocky Mountains.  Some Easterners may possibly
    disagree...
    
                                    Arvo Ikonen (Mr.)