CHRISTMAS EVE
'This is your captain speaking. I gather quite many of you are from a far-off country with plenty of sunshine and warmth. Soon you will experience something that you will never forget.'
And he takes a short pause to let the message sink in and then continues,
'High up here we can see the sun but it's darn cold outside; the temperature is 50℃ below zero. We are now beginning our descent into Rovaniemi, which means we will lose sight of the sun even though it is now around 9 o'clock local time in the morning. Amazingly the temperature is warmer down there. It is - 18℃ but the downside is that you'll lose this bright light. Fortunately there is a relatively thick, white snow cover on the ground, which makes this dark season much brighter. When down there, you can see the marvellous blue light reflected on the white snow, painting the scenery breathtakingly beautiful. However, if you are lucky, you might see a glimpse of the sun during your stay in Rovaniemi because Rovaniemi is at the Arctic Circle. If you go further north, above the Arctic Circle, you won't be seeing the sun at all, which, on the other hand, increases your chances to see the Northern Lights. Enjoy the sights in Rovaniemi and further north to your heart's content.'
The plane lands soon after this announcement and taxis to its apron. The passengers are asked to stay seated until they are given the right to gather their belongings from the overhead compartments and proceed to the main door leading to the apron and through it into the baggage reclaim.
The anticipation of something new, something never experienced before, can be read on the Chinese passengers' faces. But unlike the Finns in similar situations, who probably wouldn't strike up a wordy conversation, the Chinese burst out talking this and that to relieve their excitement.
So there are many Chinese who keep on talking and talking. But soon they stop to observe their immediate surroundings and realise there are no busy crowds, not even any big crowds, to be seen exiting or entering the airport, or, not to mention, being inside it. And there is a good reason for this; the airport is not big at all. This is the first noticeable difference between Rovaniemi Airport and the airport in their multi-million beehive of a city.
The second surprise is creeping in while they are collecting their luggage. They can't point it out yet but once they have stayed out in the open air for a couple of minutes it will hit them like a hammer on the nail.
But right before this, the third surprise is becoming evident at the corners of their eyes because the ice-cold air starts glueing their eyes together. Luckily Santa's keep-you-warm team has just clothed them in warm clothes inside the airport so there is no real risk of frost bites. However, their eye lashes are rapidly freezing closed.
What finally hammers the second surprise home is that there are no honking horns, no wailing sirens, no noisy crowds to be experienced here. Only a few passing cars cannot do anything but emphasize an all-embracing presence of... silence.
To most Finns this could be called more positively as peace and quiet, something that eases up the tensed nerves. But among the Chinese this results in an eruptive outburst of chatting to fill the disturbing silence with some noise.
YOU ARE READING
Weigh Out Way-In
General FictionThere is an unexpected turn in the story that drastically changes the course of events and, in the long run, even the lives of those involved. Magpie, the first to be involved, suddenly finds himself in the world so unlike his own. Will he find his...
