CHAFF Meetings: Ildikó asks: When?

Posted on the CHAFF Blog and my Jacob's Blog

This is an email that Ildikó Hámos-Sohlo has just sent out to CHAFF participants. For those not yet familiar with CHAFF, it stands for

CHAMBER FOR ASSISTANCE OF FINNS AND FOREIGNERS

Your sincere reply to her would be greatly appreciated:

Dear CHAFF members!

First of all, let me introduce myself to all of you who do not know me yet:

I am Ildikó Hámos-Sohlo, a Hungarian with a Finnish husband, who has settled down in Oulu some two years ago. I have started working for the SINNI empowerment centre soon after my arrival and at this moment I am managing a project there. In my work, I am concentrating on internationalisation of the Finnish work life, but the joys and pitfalls of leading a life in another country are never far from my heart.

Since my arrival, Jacob Matthan has involved me on issues of immigration and expat life of Oulu. We all, who have been more or less following and attending the CHAFF-life, value his work very much. In this way, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for Jacob, who always has the time to listen, the heart to understand and the hands to tackle problems.

Jacob has dedicated much of his time and energy to setup an amazing network that has helped a lot of people. Now, I am being asked to continue this work. The footsteps Jacob would like me to step into are several numbers too large for me. I think CHAFF has reached a point where we all are being asked  to take the lead. I can try to coordinate and function as some kind of focal point, but I already know that I won´t be able to be what Jacob was for CHAFF.

I challenge and ask you all to help build the life of CHAFF, because - as Jacob has said so often - not I, but YOU ALL are chaff.

Naturally, Jacob will not disappear. I hope that the CHAFF Blog will still be produced by him in the future as well and that he will attend the meetings.

As a first step, let me open the discussion about continuing to have CHAFF meetings. As Pailin and Unnop will sadly leave Oulu, I agreed with Miriam Attias that the meetings could be held at her and her husband Said Zahaf´s Restaurant Marrakech .



Marrakech has a homely atmosphere, great food and very friendly staff. Also, it´s in the centre of Oulu. As soon as things are getting more concrete, the Zahaf-Attias family will kindly present a special deal for our meals in their restaurant.

Now the question at hand is: when we want to have these meetings? At the last CHAFF meeting we were discussing the possibility meeting on other weekdays. The advantage of having the meetings on Sundays is that complete newcomers will have a place to go and spend time on a lonely day.

Yes, Sundays can be very lonely and depressing in a new city, without friends of social nets. On the other hand, already settled-down internationals often feel that the Sunday is a bad meeting day, because it´s the only day of realxation and possibility to e.g. go for a trip somewhere. In accordance with Miriam I now propose three possibilities and ask you to think it through, make a decision and let me know, which of the three would suit you best.

Option A: Some weekday evening. Please indicate which weekday and time would suit you best.
Option B: Saturday around noon, please indicate what time suits you best.
Option C: Sunday at 13.00, the traditional CHAFF meeting time as it was so far.

The CHAFF meetings continue to be a platform for networking, making friends, sharing stories and asking for help and support. I cannot possibly tackle
all problems Jacob had done alone, I´ll need your help, dear CHAFF members!

Have a nice Monday evening!

Best regards

Ildikó

Thanks for all the nice things you have said about me, Ildiko.

But the truth is that I am a generation gone by and CHAFF is for the generation of today and tomorrow.

Let me make some suggestions for discussion.

The CHAFF Blog will continue and can be used for networking. (It is possible for me to add additional authors for the Blog.)
There is a CHAFF Group Site which already has 42 registered participants. This can be expanded.
I will continue to attend the meetings if it does not clash with the time that Annikki needs my physical help in looking after her mother.
As noted by Ildikó. Sunday was an excellent day for newcomers to Oulu. (This can be solved in several ways. CHAFF members can invite a newcomer to their homes and hearts. I know several who have been doing that for the last two years (not necessarily Sundays) and that can be expanded.)
Ilari's suggestion of Friday evening is excellent , but the time must be carefully thought out.
To make the meeting's more rewarding experience, a 20 minute talk by someone on something important to all of us will certainly help.
Responsibility for each week's meeting can be rotated so that no one person has to take all the responsibility on his/her shoulders.
The price of the meal/refreshments should be not too high to scare off the student/unemployed participants.

I hope all the CHAFF Blog readers will contact Ildikó as soon as possible. Your inputs will be most important in developing CHAFF to suit YOUR interest and NEEDS.