My best memories from the university of Helsinki are linked to various situations. Learning has involved not only the acquisition of new knowledge but also what research has brought to me personally. While conducting field work I have met a diverse range of people and unexpected things have occurred. An archaeologist’s specialty is long periods of field work in different corners of the globe. The most interesting moments have involved investigating surprising environments and places and the observations and finds that have arisen as a result. For me this has been in different parts of Finland, with Finno-Ugrian peoples and in the Middle East in a multidisciplinary Centre of Excellence project led by Jaakko Frösén in Jordan. They have enriched my world and helped me see how life is lived differently elsewhere.

My starting point is multi- and interdisciplinary. An example of recent collaboration is the Maritime Helsinki project, which is studying overlooked islands in the Helsinki area. The toponymy and archaeological research for the Vallisaari, Vartiosaari and Villinki islands is being conducted together with Terhi Ainiala and a group of students.