Sauna tips from a rookie

If you visit Finland and are invited to a Sauna, just say yes.

Before:

- Eat something substantial. Salty.
- Drink some water.
- Wash your hair and face.
- Blow your nose.

Immediately before Sauna, it's good to jump in the shower. Heat is milder in humid conditions - so don't towel off before you go in!

During:

- A cold beer is nice.
- Same goes for cold water.
- Don't yell.
- Talk, or don't.

I offer these tips, as I just learned a couple of things the hard way. As it turns out, stepping into a 70-degree steam room (158 degrees Fahrenheit!) will make you sweat faster than you have ever sweated before. If your hair is oily, your eyes will burn as sweat drips down your face. And if you are congested, (though you soon won't be) it is very difficult to breathe hot air.

So, I discovered two things: first, Sauna can be somewhat intense if you can't breathe and can't see well (and simply aren't used to the heat), but it's also quite relaxing and cleansing to sit, talk or meditate, and sweat from all of your pores simultaneously for however long you can stand it.

Though a hot tub might be a similar physical experience, Sauna is quite different psychologically. It feels calmer, cleaner, healthier, purer.

Final tip: Part of the tradition involves cooling off outside, then going back into the sauna, outside again, back inside, etc. (bringing your beer with you the whole time) - so if you plan for many cycles of this, you'll be fine.

Also, on an unrelated but also cultural note, I agree with Lee that Mämmi is delicious.

Buttoning Up

Preparation involves practice and practice leads to perfection….

Team Kansas will be delivering a presentation to every Rotary Club it visits in Finland. A significant portion of our preparation has been dedicated to developing the content, theme and layout of the presentation. The goal is to educate Finnish Rotary clubs about Kansas & how Rotary makes an impact locally.

Thanks to the brilliant work of Erika Eden and Sarah Graham, the presentation is in final form. Here are a few pictures from our last practice run before our presentation at the Village West Rotary Club in Kansas City, Kansas.

Karl is also our fashion representative, trying on the Blazer that will become part of our signature outfits

Sarah, Erika and Lee working on translating words from English to Finnish. All of us have a great appreciation of the complexity of the Finnish language. Using Google translate, we were able to figure out that none of us would become fluent prior to the trip. (P.S. Mashed Potatoes)

This is Adam explaining to Sarah Graham the reasons why Kansas is better than Missouri. More specifically, Adam is outlining the 10 reasons why the Jayhawks will defeat the Tigers this weekend at Allen Fieldhouse. OK, OK....this was Adam practicing the introduction of our presentation. Adam will cover details about District 5710 and introduce the group.