Yesterday morning I was happy to meet Kannan at the bus station. He has come down from Rauma in south-west Finland to collect his car, the SAAB. 
He took the steering wheel and drove me and Unnop around town, very ably, considering this was the first time he was sitting and driving such a powerful monster.
He went to attend the local Adventist Church and shared in the lunch there.
While Kannan was at church I took the opportunity to go and see Soda play a football match.
With each match the Tervarit Musta team he plays for is getting stronger, even though their maturing players are being picked up by the next Tervarit side up the chain. Despite losing three of their best players, Soda's team cruised to a 3-0 victory against Kemppa, a side of players a year older than them.
What was interesting about the Kemppa side was that it had two girls playing in the side!
Soda played in the second half. I must admit Soda played extra-ordinarily well and is getting more focused into active team play. His passing was immaculate as he put his team mates through more than a couple of times. Soda is a completely unselfish player, and that is what will make him a possible great.
Soda still has to improve on the way he tackles and defends, but that will come as he improves his physique, a programme he will start next week with the help of my former personal trainer, Päivi Hytinkoski.
Then I took Kannan shopping to Stockman - the Harrods of Oulu. He bought a few things for himself including HOT Mango Pickle, Lime Pickle and Madras Curry Powder.
Kannan was insisting that he buy Annikki and me dinner. As Annikki was stuck at home, we went to the Pailin Restaurant and ordered some good take-way.
Before the food was served up, Kannan went through a formality. As a way of saying thanks to his elders, he had brought us beautiful flowers and some exquisite gifts. For Annikki he brought an absolutely beautiful work of art, a silver lace jewelery piece. This was a cross on a beautiful silver lace chain. It is known as the "Face on the Cross". Rauma is very famous for this type of jewelery.
He brought me a Titan watch, a neat purse and a pen and letter opener, truly lovely set.
He asked for our blessings for his future. We are both so happy to share in his success, which is entirely of his own making, because he is such an honest personality. We are so happy to see all our wards, and we count Kannan as one of them, do well.
Kannan is such a lovely young man. He considers Annikki and me as his guardians in Finland. Here, far away from his family, we certainly consider him as one of our family and we are pleased that his work and studies are going so well.
Like Soda, Kannan's health and general being are of immediate interest for us. We hope that he will keep up the moral standards he has set for himself. That itself will ensure his good health.
Kannan is an exemplary person. In today's world it is difficult to find a person of such unique moral values. Whoever gets this young man as a husband will find him a person of great integrity and loyalty.
We enjoyed a great dinner and we chatted for a short while on matters of interest. He gave me a copy of his latest work in which he credits me for mentoring him.
Having hardly slept the previous night on the bus, he must have slept well last night.
We have a busy day ahead. After the CHAFF meeting which he is hosting, I will drive with him a little more than half way on his return to Rauma.
I will catch the train back from Seinäjoki later today and will probably meet up with Ilari who is returning from Helsinki on that train.
Annikki was supposed to put the fish in the pond yesterday, but she is so concerned about them, and as frost was forcast for the night, she did not put them out.
Today?
Or is she so attached to the goldfish she cannot bear to put them outside. Let us wait for the developments of today :-)!
No comments:
Post a Comment