Even though I hate writing in English, I decided to write a short English version of my web pages.
Hate is not exactly a right word describing my relationship towards writing in foreign language – frustration is. I don’t like the feeling that I can’t find exactly the right words suitable for the situation.
I guess the writing is way too important way of expressing me and writing in English seems to be like half way doing it.
This Blog
The story of this blog started in year 2004, when I was 18. I started my first blog back then and soon I gave it the same name than my current blog has. In 2008 I restarted the blog in Blogger. The name of the blog Pohjalla helmenä pätöinen minä is deriving from the Finnish translation of my favorite poem by Russian poet Velimir Khlebnikov.
I would describe this blog as mixed salad, because its variable contents mixed altogether. Ingredients of this salad are for example my emotions, relationships, medieval re-enactment, needlework, embroidery and cooking. Sometimes this makes the blog not easy to follow.
This blog is like the title (Roughly translated as In the bottom of all the humble me) says about me and my personal experience of the world and its wonders. I travel sometimes deep in to my emotions, but I try to still remember that this is a public blog that anyone can read. Even in SCA related posts the personal experience is the key.
Sometimes I think that I should write part of my blog in English like so many medievalists do. But then I don’t know which parts of posts should I translate what not. Some of the postings are so personal that I don’t like the idea of translating them.
In Helmenä pohjalla section you will find more ideas behind this blog in Finnish.
My life
I’m Eveliina Korteoja, single woman living in Turku Western Finland. I was born in 1986 in Jyväskylä, the capital of the Central Finland region. I was the youngest of four children.
In 2005 I moved to Turku to study Latin in the University of Turku. In spring 2010 I got my master’s degree in Latin. My studies consisted also of classical Greek, classical archaeology and culture history.
My master’s thesis was about classical tradition reflected in the descriptions of the Roman bailiff vilicus and his wife vilica in the farming manual of Columella. I’m also interested in the ancient farming and household manuals being cited in the medieval ones.
When I was still writing my thesis, I started on a completely new field of study, multimediajournalism. I have studied in the new school for year and a half, but I don’t know if I will ever be journalist. I have actually been lately thinking just quitting the school because of mental reasons.
I absolutely love writing and I would like to work with writing and editing texts, but I’m not sure if the journalism is the right field for me. I think that I would do better with longer texts than just short internet news.
I’m working as culture correspondent for the year 2011, when my hometown Turku is holding the European capital city of culture title. Basically it means that I have my own culture blog in Turku 2011 website for a year. It has been a unique chance to meet interesting culture-minded people and some international artists.
I’m still carrying the dream of some day translating Latin literature in Finnish or writing popular history books. I’m also dreaming of museology studies or start a completely new life as chef.
In Eveliinan elämä section you will find more of my career and life in Finnish.
Ipatilli
I have a most lovely and wild cat Ipatilli. Ipatilli is now 4 four years old, I think. No one knows the exactly the real birth date.
Ipatilli was born as unwanted barn-cat in Central Finland near my brother’s house. During the midsummer in 2007, I heard of misused cats that were supposed to be killed if no one took them. So I became suddenly the mistress of Ipatilli. My brother became owner of Ipatilli’s brother Pekka.
At first, Ipatilli was in terrible condition. He was so skinny that you could see the bones trough. He was so small and weak that he couldn’t even climb to chair himself. After a few weeks he luckily became stronger and wilder.
At first, Ipatilli was in terrible condition. He was so skinny that you could see the bones trough. He was so small and weak that he couldn’t even climb to chair himself. After a few weeks he luckily became stronger and wilder.
Because of his unhappy childhood Ipatilli is having hard time of trusting the people and other cats. Some of my friends he likes from the first visit, but some people get claws and bites even in tenth visit.
Ipatilli is also a travelling cat. He has travelled in a car, in a buss, in a train and even on a bike. He truly has a super stomach that is not getting upset. We are travelling to central Finland at least once a month.
Ipatilli is also a computer nerd. He can update my Facebook status, download videos on YouTube and edit articles I’m currently writing. We fight over my lap top almost daily.
In Ipatillin kissan elämää section you will fing more information of my cat in Finnish.
Gytha Bielke
My medieval me is Lady Gytha Bielke, living in the canton of Unikankare, barony of Aarnimetsä, Kingdom of Drachenwald. Right now Gytha is working as the seneschal of the canton of Unikankare.
Gytha is 14th century Swedish lady that has spent most of her years in the distant forests of Central Finland behind the Häme region. So, even her Swedish has a strong Finnish accent.
I started the SCA in year 2002, when I was sixteen. I was in a historical dance practice being held by a local role playing society, when the scadians came visiting over. They were re-founding the local SCA branch and hunting over some fresh blood. So, I became hooked and the village of Hirvenkylä was founded.
For me the best thing in this hobby is the community. Together we can do splendid things – more grand than no one could ever do alone. In this society we have an extra special culture of helping each other during the hard times and giving the advice needed for free.
Another nice aspect of this hobby is the internationality. Drachenwald is a unique kingdom consisting of Europe, South Africa and Middle East. So many languages are being spoken in this area and yet the kingdom is working the best it can for the sense of unity and togetherness. It’s always nice to see the international guests in Aarnimetsä, even though I don’t currently have money to travel abroad.
Third favorite part of the hobby is the local group. For me the local hobby circles are the soul and spirit of the SCA. I’m dancing historical dances weekly and we are trying to re-vitalize the weekly arts and sciences gathering. People are really opening their doors for strangers willing to learn.
Third favorite part of the hobby is the local group. For me the local hobby circles are the soul and spirit of the SCA. I’m dancing historical dances weekly and we are trying to re-vitalize the weekly arts and sciences gathering. People are really opening their doors for strangers willing to learn.
I’m willing to work for serving my group. I have for example been the main organizer of some of the oldest sca event in Aarnimetsä, The Unikankare Midwinter Feast for couple of years.
In Gytha Bielke section you will find even more of my persona in Finnish.
Cooking
I really love cooking and even more medieval cooking. I have cooked a lot of feasts and I tend to spoil my canto populace during the canton meetings with food experiments.
Cooking the feast is far more than just cooking it. It takes hours of planning, counting the right amounts and finding the suitable recipes. It can really take your nerves, but is worth of all the trouble!
More and more I’m also doing my own reconstructions of the original recipes. There are so many centuries between that recipes are sometimes quite hard to interpret. My favorite original recipes can be found in The Forme of Cury and Maestro Martino.
For me the creativity is important in cooking as in life in general. I like to always add something extra for my recipes. My favorite spices are nutmeg and cinnamon. Those two ingredients you can find at almost every recipe of mine.
In Ruokakomero section you will find links to my feast menus, most frequently asked recipes and more food related stuff in Finnish.
Embroidery
Another great love of mine is the embroidery. I’m mainly doing the German counted embroidery in brick stitch.
I don’t exactly know whether I love or hate the technique. It can really take your nerves and cause serious frustration, but it’s also very rewarding to see results. You get hooked, and can’t stop when you get the inspiration.
You can do one project for years and really get mentally attached to it. I have been mainly doing pillows and bags with the technique.
I’m also doing the log-legged cross stitch. It’s even more addictive. Because you have to plan beforehand in which order you are completing the work to get stitches right, it’s like a mental challenge.
In Kirjontavakka section you will find pictures of my embroidery projects and other embroidery related links.
