Jalo Monivilja: From reality to fiction

Cover image credit: Shot by the author when she was in Espoo, Finland. That’s not an ahma (wolverine).

“Ahma. That’s what it’s called in Finnish.” He was my first Finnish colleague and the first person I think of when I think of Finland. He didn’t like being called kiddo, and he was uncomfortable with how comfortable I was with constant change. “You keep moving so much. So unpredictable and unafraid. Too much energy. Would it hurt you to stay put.”

We didn’t collaborate much and so lost touch, but his kindness and bluntness always stayed with me.

Remembering Patrik

Feb 2021: It was my first trip to Finland before the relocation in May with my dogs. I was returning the temporary laptop that I was given when I saw him reading a fat book on radar engineering. Didn’t expect a long conversation with him, but it was such a pleasant surprise. He told me that my pet name, Letty, means pancake or omelette in Finnish!

During this conversation, I asked him why is a software developer reading such a fat book on radar engineering and not some quick reads on its application. He said that he wants to be a true practitioner and see the foundation as the experts in the field do. He wants to understand the world of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) through the lens of those experts. Why is it hard and what makes it so?

He wasn’t keen on switching domains, so going deep made sense. “Going deep takes time and patience. And I have all the time in the world right now.”

Farewell, my friend

Feb 2024: I was still coming to terms with Frazer’s loss and creating a fictional story in his memory, but I had no clue that one of my main characters, Jalo Monivilja, had become a memory as well. Jalo means noble and gracious. Don’t know about the first, but Patrik was definitely gracious.

I was unable to say thank you and goodbye to him, but I’m glad that our paths crossed three years ago. And I am glad that Jalo Monivilja, a character inspired by Patrik, has all the time in the world to go deep.

Morjesta Monivilja

Jalo is a geologist from Finland and an alumnus of the Frazden School of Boundless Joy. He specializes in eclogites, their protoliths, and the taconian orogeny. His first job took him to Newfoundland and Labrador, which became his home nine years later.

Due to his groundbreaking research on lawsonite eclogites, he is asked to lead a decade-long research on the eclogites found in the Canadian Cordillera. The first site is the Pinchi fault area in Central British Columbia, which is where Jalo meets his schoolmate, Aaranya Susipetonen, and learns about Prof. Scamander’s rescue effort to release Ouroboros (the professor’s pet occamy) from the muggle brain.

The chosen rock

Prof. Scamander’s rescue effort will unfold in a series of audiobooks with a thematic focus on the geology of the Canadian Cordillera, including references to Newfoundland and Labrador, Québec, Finland, and a part of the Western Ghats in Goa. This is a non-commercial project and a work of fiction, so everything herein is imaginary with some dangling facts.

Note: This entire endeavor, including this website, my podcast, and the fictional story, is dedicated to my Frazer. The first audiobook, which is an aspect of this entire endeavor, is also dedicated to my first Finnish colleague and friend, Patrik Vilja.