maanantai:
Today was a super/insainely/crazy/great day. It started out with a ride to school. My music teacher still was sick and we had a different sub... so I kinda left. I had things to do! Picked up my portfolio from the art teacher, then walked to Tokmanni, last minute shopping and all... lost my mittens in the store so ended up going back in and spending a while retracing my steps. FOUND THEM!!! fuew! Then kept walking, to Kyröskoski book store to pick up my English book. They gave me candy too... Christmas time is candy time here! Then I followed all this candels to a kirpputori that I had no idea even existed... It was a really small one in the basement of a building... It kinda smelt like Hampsters... but not in a bad way... really hard to explain I guess. There I found the most ugly sweater... so ugly that I felt bad for it and just had to buy it! It's wonderful! Then the rest of my day at school. The last class was Dance class! We reviewed the 3 dances we already learned, then learned another one... I'm not sure why... we are going to be on break for about 3 weeks.... so are we really going to remember it? Well lets hope so! Then Susanna picked me up, then Roosa, and quick to the house, ate, and back to the car to be driven to the bus stop, I had my lesson! I was taking the 4:30 bus today instead of the 3:30 bus... It was way less crowded which was really nice cause of the horn! My lesson went great! Then hoped on the bus back... hehe And home!
tiistai:
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL THIS YEAR!!! SOOOOO GREAT!!! Everyone was so excited, and we had Riisi Purro (rice pudding) for lunch. In rice pudding, they put one almond in the batch and whoever gets the almond either: will get married in the year to come... get to make a wish... or as in school, go to the kitchen and get a present! I didn't get the almond, though I thought I saw it in my bowl... It must have slipped thourght the hole in the bottom of the bowl before I could spoon it up. I also gave my presentation on Christmas in America to my English class. I think it went really well... anyway I had fun doing it! And our last class was canceled, instead we all went to the auditorium for Kinkku Bingo! (Ham bingo) There were 4 games, 3 small ones where you win a box of chocolate... a big box of chocolate. Then a big game where you win a Christmas ham... I had bingo for one of the chocolate ones, but someone else yelled it out before me so... Oh well, Then I was really close to winning the Ham but nope. After school I was on a mission to go to my favorite Kirpputori! So I walked there... It's some 4 kilometers from the school, my friend Reetta walked a few of them with me to the Library. I finally got there, I was a bit chilled... I had a pair of snowish pants in my bag... But I was too lazy to put them on so I just got cold Catch 22 I'd say. I finally got there and looked around. Just as I remember, tons of cool stuff! I then realized that my cell phone is missing! Oh no and Susanna was going to call me in 45ish minutes to find out where I was to pick me up... So I freaked out a little, paid for the two things I'd picked up already, and headed on the search to retrace my steps... sounds a little like yesterday and my mittens. Plus I was kinda freaking out cause what would I do if I couldn't find it? Well I had a couple ideas... but my best idea was to find it. And I eventually did! It was just laying on the ground all cold and lonely about a kilometer and a half from the kirpputori. So we reunited and I headed back to the kirpputori.
keskiviikko:
Sleep time!!! Yeah LOMA! Break!!! I hung out all morning, Roosa and Juha went in to Tampere, and Susanna was working. She picked me up after work and we also went to Tampere to met up with Juha. Roosa was with some friends. So while Susanna and Juha were shopping for some last minute food items, like a cake shaped like an almond, and fish. I toured the city a bit by myself. It was sooooo busy! Everybody was out getting in last minute things! Wow! Then Susanna, Juha and I went to Prisma, a gigantic walmart like grocery store! And let me tell you, the food section was crazy!!! It felt like supermarket sweep mixed with black friday placed in Finland... so it was oddly quiet. I was shopping cart watcher, I found a place that I was mostly out of the way in, then stood with the cart while Juha and Susanna filled it. And I noticed something about these carts... now I don't know if it is just a Prisma cart thing, or all Finnish carts, but that bar that you put your foot on and then push the cart like a scooter... There was none! It was so annoying cause by habbit I kept raising my foot to rest it on the bar... and just air... I did that so many multipule times... Ugh! Then we escaped that market, picked up Roosa and her friend. Then Susanna and I went back in her car stopping at a Drive-Through McDonalds!!! Second Big Mac in forever, and First Drive-Though here! It funny here they only have like 6 different burgers to choose from and then the chicken nuggets, I'm so used to the two whole boards of options that It takes such a long time to read through, then deciding take just that much longer...
torstai:
No school again! Today we cleaned! Then around noon we went present giving... if that's even a phrase... Anyway, the cookies I baked with Roosa the other day, I packaged them up and gave them to my future host family, my last host family, and my Rotary man, Markku. I felt like Joulupukki! (Santa) It was soooo cold though! The few seconds that was spent out of the car, getting to the door, your hands almost frose off! And at my last host family, my snow man I made was still up! I've never had a snow man last that long cause it always ends up melting or falling over!!! But that one was like an ice sculpture now! I'd like to make another snow man, but the snow is now too cold and wont pack : ( The rest of the day was more cleaning and cooking, getting ready for the big day!
perjantai:
So today was Christmas Eve!!! Merry Christmas Eve, here Christmas Eve is pretty much, if not, bigger than the actual Christmas day. We started off with some last minute cleaning and cooking. Some Christmas tv programs and lots of Christmas songs. Later that day there was sauna and a great big dinner! It was great food! Lots of salads type dishes, casseroles, salmon (raw and smoked) then HAM!!! Yummy! After dinner we went to the cemetary where everyone in the town light candles for special people that have pasted. So the entire cemetary was compleatly light up with a billion candles... really something amazing! After coming back we opened presents and drank glögi... It was a great evening! Hyvää Joulua!!!
lauantai:
Hyvää Joulua! Merry Christmas everybody!!! Today was great. Around 2:00 grandparents came and we had another Christmas feast! Yum AGAIN!!! Then skyping with my family back home <3 After that, card and board games. What a great Christmas
sunnuntai:
Boxing day!!! Still not sure what boxing day actually means... but today we hung out. It snowed all day, we must have gotten at least 6-10 inches. And so we shoveled the driveway... a lot! It's weird cause I just realized that not many people here / noboday have plows to plow their own driveway... I guess that could be because not too many / hardly anyone have big enought cars to handle a plow. In the states everyone or their brother has their own plow! We also ate the Christmas feast again, we joked that we'll be eatting this for the rest of the year (which is probably pretty ture) but I don't mind cause the food is sooooo good!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Viikko Yhdeksantoista
maanatai:
Today the music teacher was sick again, making my whole morning study halls. After realizing how much time I had, I headed to Tokanni and K-Supermarket to look into some Christmas shopping... Once I got there I realized I must have forgotten my wallet at home... So like in America, no money (or card) no shopping. But I looked anyway cause I had the time. After school Susanna and Juho picked Roosa and I up. We then picked the dogs up and drove to their groomers. While we waited for the groomer to cut the dog's hair we went to Idea Park, one of the biggest malls around... it was big... but I'd say Colonie Center size. Hesburger for dinner YUM! Then went to pick the puppies back up and play with the other puppies that were at the groomers, so cute!
tiistai:
Today went back to Tokmanni, wallet in hand : P, and bought my super secret Christmas presents for some of my school friends... I mention that they are super secret because two of my friends, who were going to get that present, were there with me so therefore... not so super secret. Then we waited in the history hallway working on our hairdos and modle-walks... yeah they were all really impressive walks... and hairdos for that mater. At home my "10" minute talk on skype with Shelby turned into like an hour and 20 minutes... hehe, then I talked to Karah for maybe 20 mins! Ha!
keskiviikko:
Today... school, again had all study halls before lunch. I bundled up and went on another Christmas present expedition! On the way back I saw Eija in her car! It's such an odd thing to only sometimes see people that you used to see all the time... My music teacher was still sick, but in her place was a gorgeous man, so not all was lost : P (dad probably loves this line. hehe hi daddy!) Then after school I got ready for the Rotary Christmas Dinner. It was such a fun time. Glögi, christmas food, music, they had me play a few songs I'd prepared, then we listened to a recording of F.E. Sillanpää, a local Nobel Peace Price winner, I think where he was born is just a couple kilometers from my house... so. It was such a great evening! I really enjoy hanging out with all the Rotarians, I've decided I'm going to make a shirt that has on the back: Mä <3>
Today the music teacher was sick again, making my whole morning study halls. After realizing how much time I had, I headed to Tokanni and K-Supermarket to look into some Christmas shopping... Once I got there I realized I must have forgotten my wallet at home... So like in America, no money (or card) no shopping. But I looked anyway cause I had the time. After school Susanna and Juho picked Roosa and I up. We then picked the dogs up and drove to their groomers. While we waited for the groomer to cut the dog's hair we went to Idea Park, one of the biggest malls around... it was big... but I'd say Colonie Center size. Hesburger for dinner YUM! Then went to pick the puppies back up and play with the other puppies that were at the groomers, so cute!
tiistai:
Today went back to Tokmanni, wallet in hand : P, and bought my super secret Christmas presents for some of my school friends... I mention that they are super secret because two of my friends, who were going to get that present, were there with me so therefore... not so super secret. Then we waited in the history hallway working on our hairdos and modle-walks... yeah they were all really impressive walks... and hairdos for that mater. At home my "10" minute talk on skype with Shelby turned into like an hour and 20 minutes... hehe, then I talked to Karah for maybe 20 mins! Ha!
keskiviikko:
Today... school, again had all study halls before lunch. I bundled up and went on another Christmas present expedition! On the way back I saw Eija in her car! It's such an odd thing to only sometimes see people that you used to see all the time... My music teacher was still sick, but in her place was a gorgeous man, so not all was lost : P (dad probably loves this line. hehe hi daddy!) Then after school I got ready for the Rotary Christmas Dinner. It was such a fun time. Glögi, christmas food, music, they had me play a few songs I'd prepared, then we listened to a recording of F.E. Sillanpää, a local Nobel Peace Price winner, I think where he was born is just a couple kilometers from my house... so. It was such a great evening! I really enjoy hanging out with all the Rotarians, I've decided I'm going to make a shirt that has on the back: Mä <3>
torstai:
Today in English class we had a listening test... I soooo did really badly! I don't understand how they expect these kids to know the answers, expecially if I can hardly do it (and a lot of the time can't do it) wow!!! I know if they tried to get me to do anything like that in Spanish... man I would have just bombed... Oh wait : P Then for lunch we had Christmas food! Ham and mustard, samon (that was really good, unexpectedly) and lots of other things that I forgot, but all really good!!!
perjantai:
Today... went to Tampere! After school with Sanni and Laura (Laura soon ditched us : P) But Sanni and I had a blast! McDonalds!!! My first Big Mac in FOREVER!!! And I missed their fries and ketchup... Hesburger's ketchup, just isn't the same... too sweet, not enough salty I think. There was a Joulu Tori (a Christmas Market) in the city center, a bunch of little shed-like selling booths all decked out in Christmas cheer and lights all over, there was a Santa Claus too, but we stayed away from him cause they're kinda creepy... Then we hit up all the Sales in the other stores, I restrained myself cause you can't buy too much for youself before Christmas. That's just the rule, but after Christmas I'm going back there for sure!!!lauantai:
Today I sleep in! Around noon we went to go pick Roosa up from a sleepover she was at. They dropped me off at Tokmanni and KSupermarket to do some last minute baking supply shopping. Then Roosa and I baked the rest of the day! It was sooo tireing... but fun too. Then just a relaxing day!sunnuntai:
Today was a lazy day too. I didn't have to do anything, except for the last Christmas concert. That was at 6:00, so that was fun, It was the same concert as last Sunday, only in a different place. I liked it at the Church last Sunday better, but it wasn't as cold here! Juice and buns and cookies and marshmellow when it was over. It's funny. They do have marshmellows here, but they are usually colored, a bit flavored, and they eat them just like skittles... or m&m's... hmmmm. Once home Roosa and I realized that it was Sunday night and that means Monday morning is really soon... meaning school. : ( but only a couple more days then LOMA!!! (BREAK!!!)
Monday, December 13, 2010
Viikko Kahdeksantoista
maanatai:
Happy Independance day Finland!!! So I've heard that what everone dose on this day is stay home and watch this program on TV, of the president shaking hands with everyone coming to a speciall ball, all dressed up in beautiful outfits, then some finnish war film... the war film part reminds me of the Christmas Story, and how we always end up watching at least some of it on Christmas Eve. But for Independance day we were on a Rotary trip in Lapland with all the other rotary exchange students currently in Finland, and some even from Estonia. It was a busy day today. First we went to a reindeer farm and learned about the history and present reindeer farming culture. Then we got to feed some reindeer, and rope/try to rope fake wooden reindeers. Then we went to a small meuseam and watched a film on the seasons, plants, and animals of lapland. Then we headed back to the hotel, but on the way we took a detour over the bridge to Sweden!!! Where we promptly turned around, and the bus stopped to let us get out. I dug in the snow until I found a small rock that wasn't frosen to the ground! Ha now I have part of Sweden too!!! Then headed back for real. It surprised me how little security there was to cross the boarder. There was an offical looking building, but it didn't look like anyone was there and the bus didn't stop for anything, just crossed then crossed back... Well maybe it had to do with the fact that it was the Independace day today and everyone was home watching TV... or maybe that's just the way it is. After lunch we went snow shoeing to this place where they had a teepee set up and a reindeer sleigh ride!!! The reindeer behind my sleigh was crazy and kept trying to run our sleigh over, but the ride was awesome. Then we walked back and took a dog sleigh ride! The dogs were much smaller than I thought they would be, but that didn't stop them from pulling us! and running us half into a ditch : P So after dinner they had a man in traditional dress sing to us, he had four songs and they all were so beautiful, the last one he sang was expecially special. It was written by a man who spent a lot of time in jail and missed the sound of the wind, so in the song, he sang high-pitched squilling noises that did sound exactly like the wind howling!!!
tiistai:
Today we were leaving Lapland... sad. So got packed and on the bus, five hours later we stopped at Rovaniemi, where Santa's tourist home is (he really lives on, Korvatunturi, a mountain in Lapland, or at least that's what the Finns belive, but they will fight you if you say he lives on the North Pole... no joke!) But Rovaniemi was a cool little touristy place where you kept acidentally saying 'anteeksi' to the people you might bump into, EVEN THOUGH you knew they all didn't speak finnish... haha. Still a lot of fun taking pictures, buying random touristy things, hanging out with friends, searching for Santa, (our group never did find him...) Then a lunch and goodbyes to everyone not on your bus : ( It was so fun to be around all the exchange kids, it's crazy pretty much everyone have had pretty similar problems, experienses, ect. And we were able to help eachother out, whether it was how to find your favorite TV shows on the internet, or how to deal with home sickness, it was just amazing! The bus ride home was again around 14 hours, this time I got no sleep cause I was talking too much with everyone around me. Another girl from the states and a girl from Germany living in Tampere now, a boy from Canada and Japan also in Tampere. Then a girl from South Africa who has almost been here a full year now, she is leaving in early January, and another boy who lives in Tampere, from New Zealand and he is also leaving in January. But talking to the Oldies (the kids who have been here way longer than us) was also really cool, asking tons of questions, hearing how well they spoke finnish, it gave... i'm not sure of the right word, maybe... oh now i'm forgetting words, I know what word I want. ENCOURAGMENT, if that's spelt right than that's what I wanted, encouragment to keep working hard at learning this language, cause it didn't come easy to them either, and they can now talk it!
keskiviikko:
Around 2 this morning I gave hugs to the bus and said good bye cause I was back in farmiliar territory, the Hämeenkyrön SMarket parking lot! Once getting home I quickly fell asleep, not waking up until 12ish. Obviously I wasn't planing on going to school today. Roosa wasn't either, she was sick, so we watched movies until I had to go to my Puhallica concert. That was good, and two/three rotary men showed up. I say 2 or 3 because one of them I didn't recognize because he said he hadn't been to a meeting since I have started coming. But of course I recognized the other two. It kind of feels like I have a bunch of Finnish grandfathers now.
torstai:
School... again... waking up early wasn't anything close to fun, and the thought of having to go wait at the bus stop in the freezing cold wasn't helping at all. Luckily Susanna brought me to school on her way to work. That just means that I'll get to school half and hour earlier, but if it means I don't have to wait in the cold for the bus, I'm okay with it! After school Roosa and I watched Zac Eefron's 17 Again movie... surprisingly, pretty good.
perjantai:
FRIDAY IS HERE!!! It so did not feel like Friday, probably because it's 'my' 'tuesday'... idk. First class of the day was Vanhojan Tanssi Kurssi. We were told that we will have to learn six different dances. And today we learned one of them. We are actually moving pretty quickly, unless this was just the easiest dance they taught to get out of the way... After lunch my music teacher was sick so I had free time untill the bus came. I went to the library, and later Laura and Sanni caught up with me and we went to SMarket to buy CHOCOLATE!!! I got Fazers Dark Chocolate. Yumm!!! (and might I add, it didn't last very long at all) After school Roosa had a friend over and we rented a movie The Mist, a Stephin King based on novel, movie... It was so freaky and the endding just made me so sad. I'm not gonna give it away... they all died... sorta. So it was a late night.
lauantai:
Sleep!!! Very long. Then hung around, after lunch Roosa's friend went home and we piled into the car to go see the grandparents. They were so cute, and reminded me sorta in weird ways of John and Alice, their house did too... maybe it's the Norwegian/Finnish thing... we had coffee and buns and cake then watched skiing competions that are going on, on the TV... I don't know what they are called but they are happening! Then headed home to Skype with the family and Sauna!
sunnuntai:
Slept late again today. When I got up (around 11:00) the sun was gracing us with it's first presents of the day. I sat in the sun trying to soak in the D... I don't know if it actually worked or not... Then I hung around, walked the dogs with Susanna, TV, ya know, stuff, untill I had to go to the church for rehearsal and concert. It was a Christmas concert. We would play a peice or two, then they gave everybody booklets of Christmas songs and the crowd would yell out numbers, then we'd sing those. It was so cute! We must have sang around 20 christmas songs!!! And Anssi and Eija came! It was so awesome to see them again! So then we went home and got ready for another week of Christmas cheer.
Happy Independance day Finland!!! So I've heard that what everone dose on this day is stay home and watch this program on TV, of the president shaking hands with everyone coming to a speciall ball, all dressed up in beautiful outfits, then some finnish war film... the war film part reminds me of the Christmas Story, and how we always end up watching at least some of it on Christmas Eve. But for Independance day we were on a Rotary trip in Lapland with all the other rotary exchange students currently in Finland, and some even from Estonia. It was a busy day today. First we went to a reindeer farm and learned about the history and present reindeer farming culture. Then we got to feed some reindeer, and rope/try to rope fake wooden reindeers. Then we went to a small meuseam and watched a film on the seasons, plants, and animals of lapland. Then we headed back to the hotel, but on the way we took a detour over the bridge to Sweden!!! Where we promptly turned around, and the bus stopped to let us get out. I dug in the snow until I found a small rock that wasn't frosen to the ground! Ha now I have part of Sweden too!!! Then headed back for real. It surprised me how little security there was to cross the boarder. There was an offical looking building, but it didn't look like anyone was there and the bus didn't stop for anything, just crossed then crossed back... Well maybe it had to do with the fact that it was the Independace day today and everyone was home watching TV... or maybe that's just the way it is. After lunch we went snow shoeing to this place where they had a teepee set up and a reindeer sleigh ride!!! The reindeer behind my sleigh was crazy and kept trying to run our sleigh over, but the ride was awesome. Then we walked back and took a dog sleigh ride! The dogs were much smaller than I thought they would be, but that didn't stop them from pulling us! and running us half into a ditch : P So after dinner they had a man in traditional dress sing to us, he had four songs and they all were so beautiful, the last one he sang was expecially special. It was written by a man who spent a lot of time in jail and missed the sound of the wind, so in the song, he sang high-pitched squilling noises that did sound exactly like the wind howling!!!
tiistai:
Today we were leaving Lapland... sad. So got packed and on the bus, five hours later we stopped at Rovaniemi, where Santa's tourist home is (he really lives on, Korvatunturi, a mountain in Lapland, or at least that's what the Finns belive, but they will fight you if you say he lives on the North Pole... no joke!) But Rovaniemi was a cool little touristy place where you kept acidentally saying 'anteeksi' to the people you might bump into, EVEN THOUGH you knew they all didn't speak finnish... haha. Still a lot of fun taking pictures, buying random touristy things, hanging out with friends, searching for Santa, (our group never did find him...) Then a lunch and goodbyes to everyone not on your bus : ( It was so fun to be around all the exchange kids, it's crazy pretty much everyone have had pretty similar problems, experienses, ect. And we were able to help eachother out, whether it was how to find your favorite TV shows on the internet, or how to deal with home sickness, it was just amazing! The bus ride home was again around 14 hours, this time I got no sleep cause I was talking too much with everyone around me. Another girl from the states and a girl from Germany living in Tampere now, a boy from Canada and Japan also in Tampere. Then a girl from South Africa who has almost been here a full year now, she is leaving in early January, and another boy who lives in Tampere, from New Zealand and he is also leaving in January. But talking to the Oldies (the kids who have been here way longer than us) was also really cool, asking tons of questions, hearing how well they spoke finnish, it gave... i'm not sure of the right word, maybe... oh now i'm forgetting words, I know what word I want. ENCOURAGMENT, if that's spelt right than that's what I wanted, encouragment to keep working hard at learning this language, cause it didn't come easy to them either, and they can now talk it!
keskiviikko:
Around 2 this morning I gave hugs to the bus and said good bye cause I was back in farmiliar territory, the Hämeenkyrön SMarket parking lot! Once getting home I quickly fell asleep, not waking up until 12ish. Obviously I wasn't planing on going to school today. Roosa wasn't either, she was sick, so we watched movies until I had to go to my Puhallica concert. That was good, and two/three rotary men showed up. I say 2 or 3 because one of them I didn't recognize because he said he hadn't been to a meeting since I have started coming. But of course I recognized the other two. It kind of feels like I have a bunch of Finnish grandfathers now.
torstai:
School... again... waking up early wasn't anything close to fun, and the thought of having to go wait at the bus stop in the freezing cold wasn't helping at all. Luckily Susanna brought me to school on her way to work. That just means that I'll get to school half and hour earlier, but if it means I don't have to wait in the cold for the bus, I'm okay with it! After school Roosa and I watched Zac Eefron's 17 Again movie... surprisingly, pretty good.
perjantai:
FRIDAY IS HERE!!! It so did not feel like Friday, probably because it's 'my' 'tuesday'... idk. First class of the day was Vanhojan Tanssi Kurssi. We were told that we will have to learn six different dances. And today we learned one of them. We are actually moving pretty quickly, unless this was just the easiest dance they taught to get out of the way... After lunch my music teacher was sick so I had free time untill the bus came. I went to the library, and later Laura and Sanni caught up with me and we went to SMarket to buy CHOCOLATE!!! I got Fazers Dark Chocolate. Yumm!!! (and might I add, it didn't last very long at all) After school Roosa had a friend over and we rented a movie The Mist, a Stephin King based on novel, movie... It was so freaky and the endding just made me so sad. I'm not gonna give it away... they all died... sorta. So it was a late night.
lauantai:
Sleep!!! Very long. Then hung around, after lunch Roosa's friend went home and we piled into the car to go see the grandparents. They were so cute, and reminded me sorta in weird ways of John and Alice, their house did too... maybe it's the Norwegian/Finnish thing... we had coffee and buns and cake then watched skiing competions that are going on, on the TV... I don't know what they are called but they are happening! Then headed home to Skype with the family and Sauna!
sunnuntai:
Slept late again today. When I got up (around 11:00) the sun was gracing us with it's first presents of the day. I sat in the sun trying to soak in the D... I don't know if it actually worked or not... Then I hung around, walked the dogs with Susanna, TV, ya know, stuff, untill I had to go to the church for rehearsal and concert. It was a Christmas concert. We would play a peice or two, then they gave everybody booklets of Christmas songs and the crowd would yell out numbers, then we'd sing those. It was so cute! We must have sang around 20 christmas songs!!! And Anssi and Eija came! It was so awesome to see them again! So then we went home and got ready for another week of Christmas cheer.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Viikko Seitsemäntoista
maanantai:
No school again! Man I'm getting too used to this! I watched the season finale of Finnish Big Brother. Eetu didn't win, he was the one I wanted to win... oh well. Then I hung around until 3ish when I had to go to the bus stop to go to my lesson in Ylöjärvi. The bus was full again so I had to smush in with my horn and some people. Oh well. I took my time getting to my teachers house. Waited in the park/playground thing next to his house and discovered that they had turned the once soccer feild into a ice feild! It was rough ice but I'm sure they weren't done with it yet. My lesson went really well. And after I was picked up by my host parents who had been out. The whole ride back we watched the thermeter in the car at one point it was -25 degrees! At our house it was a bit warmer, -21.5, but still!
tiistai:
Today I caught the bus in the morning because Sanni and I were going to Tampere later that day! Sanni had a test in the morning so I walked to Anssi's work to return the house key. It was cool to see him again. Then I wandered SMarket then headed back. We waited for lunch, cause why pass up a free lunch? Then caught the 11:30 bus to Tampere. We were on a mission! HARRY POTTER!!! We got there with tons of time to spare, the movie was at 2.30 and Sanni had pre ordered the tickets and seats so we would definatly get good seats. It's weird, here, they have exact seat numbers on each ticket so you have to sit in that seat. It was so weird to walk into movie theater looking at your ticket and trying to find the right seat! That just dosen't happen where I'm from. Anyway we couldn't help but notice that everyone in the line waiting for the Harry Potter movie was speaking english! (Well including us sorta) Some had a british accents, other's were maybe other exchange students, but they must have been with a different program cause I didn't know them from Rotary. The movie was really good! I didn't realize a couple times I was full out screaming cause some parts were so startling! After the movie we did some more "shopping" It's in quotes cause I don't think either of us bought anything... Then we ate at RAX, a pizza buffet, the closets to American pizza I've gotten my whole trip, but still different. And we ate a lot! Then waddled to the bus station and headed home.
keskiviikko:
Today I was on a mission to go to the Kirputorri! It was about a 5 kilometer walk (50mins) I started off coldish, but by the end I was soooo hot! And I had missed the kirputorri and it's many wonderful treasures! I bought the ski coat I had my eye on for a while, before it was 20€ but today it was 15€! And I needed it for Lapland! Then I headed back, my friends from school Iina and her boyfriend past me, stopped and asked if I wanted a ride. Okay! The rest of the day I chilled, then went to band practice, concert next Wednesday!
torstai:
So back to school today. Roosa and I took the bus that comes 20mins earlier because it is less crowded and we get to sit together. I wasn't feeling the best, but wanted to stay in school so badly because today we started the Vanhojan Tanssi practices (sorta similar to American prom but they actually learn the dances beforehand, Waltzs and fancy dances like that) My partner is my friend Emma since my other partner backed out on my last minute. But what ever. I'm dancing the guy part cause I am taller and offered. Dancing was so much fun, I'm not even sure what kind of dances we did but nothing like I've ever done before! After that class it hit me again that I was feeling pretty sick so I asked Juho to pick me up, he did then stopped at the pharmacy to get head cold medicine. Then I just chilled the rest of the day trying to get better, I can't be sick! I'm going to Lapland tomorow!!!
perjantai:
So I didn't go to school today either cause I needed to get better, it worked cause by mid to late day I was feeling better. The bus was picking me up at SMarket around 9:00 so after dinner and packing we headed off. It felt like the first time in Kindergarten getting on the bus... I wasn't sure who would be there, only knew that 5 am next morning my friend Janet from Nebraska would be getting on, then 11 am we would finally arrive! But I got on, sat down and quickly made friends with the girls around me, two girls from Mexico and a Rotex (as Finn who has been on exchange before) she had been to Brazil. Then we made some pit stops, I talked to even more people. SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT!!! We ALL have something/many things in common so it was really easy to talk. I also discovered some really cool people who live really close to me! So I'm thinking we'll be hanging out at some point. I think I got some sleep on that bus. I crawled the floor, a trick anybody who has been on any long bus trick before has learn, and got maybe a couple hours.
lauantai:
Days get so confusing when you don't sleep that long and you aren't in your own bed! 5am and Janet got on the bus! So crazy I haven't seen her in so long! She looks so different, one cause she dyed her hair, and two (like everyone else) we are all now super pail! We ended up just laughing for hours until we fell somewhat asleep. 10 we were pretty north and the sun was trying to come out but we kept running away from it heading even more north! Soon it caught up to us and the at 11 we arrived. We all jumped out of the bus and quickly gave hugs to all the other exchange students who had arrived on earlier buses. It was awesome to see everyone!!! Then the mad rush to get our luggage and rooms. There were 3 to a room and it was sorted by bus, then home contry, then alphabetically. I was gonna say random, but it really wasnt. Then greeting the last bus to arrive, lunch and getting ready to go skiing. We finally got to the hill... That was kinda disappointing... But we suited up. The snow was pretty icy, there was really only one run down it, and it was super cold. Needless to say we only lasted a little while before heading in to warm up and wait for the buses to bring us back. Then it was a late night of hanging out and talking.
sunnuntai:
Woke up, breakfast and chilling with random people. Then a bus trip back to the slopes to let people who wanted to ski that day off. I stayed on and we went back to the resort to learn the fine art of ice carving! First a trip through the igloo, that was super cool! Then they lead us to small collums of snow that they made, gave us a bunch of randoms tools and put us to work. My group made a penguin. We named him Isosolies. Then we took a bunch of pictures with Isosolies and then had lunch outside on reindeer pelts. My group didn't last too long out there and soon went to the couches in the lobby of the resort, I think they hated us there! Well I think I would hate a bunch of wound up teenagers in my resort too! Then we went up to the TV room and just chilled and talked for hours. They broke out the ginger bread house they made last night and we ate it! YUMMY!!! Sauna was warm but I and the people I was hanging out with, didn't really feel like bothering. Later, after dinner they took us to a near by school where the kids of the school put on a show with dancing and music. Then each of our countries did something special. My favorite part of the night was just dancing. That and after they brought us outside these two local boys light balls on sting on fire and did a sorta dance with them. That was cool. Then on the ride home they told us that someone has been diagnosed with Mono... It was one of my room mates... great. But there is no way I'm getting sick so I'm not even gonna worry about it. The rest of my Lap land adventure soon. My favorite day was Monday so stay tuned! : P
No school again! Man I'm getting too used to this! I watched the season finale of Finnish Big Brother. Eetu didn't win, he was the one I wanted to win... oh well. Then I hung around until 3ish when I had to go to the bus stop to go to my lesson in Ylöjärvi. The bus was full again so I had to smush in with my horn and some people. Oh well. I took my time getting to my teachers house. Waited in the park/playground thing next to his house and discovered that they had turned the once soccer feild into a ice feild! It was rough ice but I'm sure they weren't done with it yet. My lesson went really well. And after I was picked up by my host parents who had been out. The whole ride back we watched the thermeter in the car at one point it was -25 degrees! At our house it was a bit warmer, -21.5, but still!
tiistai:
Today I caught the bus in the morning because Sanni and I were going to Tampere later that day! Sanni had a test in the morning so I walked to Anssi's work to return the house key. It was cool to see him again. Then I wandered SMarket then headed back. We waited for lunch, cause why pass up a free lunch? Then caught the 11:30 bus to Tampere. We were on a mission! HARRY POTTER!!! We got there with tons of time to spare, the movie was at 2.30 and Sanni had pre ordered the tickets and seats so we would definatly get good seats. It's weird, here, they have exact seat numbers on each ticket so you have to sit in that seat. It was so weird to walk into movie theater looking at your ticket and trying to find the right seat! That just dosen't happen where I'm from. Anyway we couldn't help but notice that everyone in the line waiting for the Harry Potter movie was speaking english! (Well including us sorta) Some had a british accents, other's were maybe other exchange students, but they must have been with a different program cause I didn't know them from Rotary. The movie was really good! I didn't realize a couple times I was full out screaming cause some parts were so startling! After the movie we did some more "shopping" It's in quotes cause I don't think either of us bought anything... Then we ate at RAX, a pizza buffet, the closets to American pizza I've gotten my whole trip, but still different. And we ate a lot! Then waddled to the bus station and headed home.
keskiviikko:
Today I was on a mission to go to the Kirputorri! It was about a 5 kilometer walk (50mins) I started off coldish, but by the end I was soooo hot! And I had missed the kirputorri and it's many wonderful treasures! I bought the ski coat I had my eye on for a while, before it was 20€ but today it was 15€! And I needed it for Lapland! Then I headed back, my friends from school Iina and her boyfriend past me, stopped and asked if I wanted a ride. Okay! The rest of the day I chilled, then went to band practice, concert next Wednesday!
torstai:
So back to school today. Roosa and I took the bus that comes 20mins earlier because it is less crowded and we get to sit together. I wasn't feeling the best, but wanted to stay in school so badly because today we started the Vanhojan Tanssi practices (sorta similar to American prom but they actually learn the dances beforehand, Waltzs and fancy dances like that) My partner is my friend Emma since my other partner backed out on my last minute. But what ever. I'm dancing the guy part cause I am taller and offered. Dancing was so much fun, I'm not even sure what kind of dances we did but nothing like I've ever done before! After that class it hit me again that I was feeling pretty sick so I asked Juho to pick me up, he did then stopped at the pharmacy to get head cold medicine. Then I just chilled the rest of the day trying to get better, I can't be sick! I'm going to Lapland tomorow!!!
perjantai:
So I didn't go to school today either cause I needed to get better, it worked cause by mid to late day I was feeling better. The bus was picking me up at SMarket around 9:00 so after dinner and packing we headed off. It felt like the first time in Kindergarten getting on the bus... I wasn't sure who would be there, only knew that 5 am next morning my friend Janet from Nebraska would be getting on, then 11 am we would finally arrive! But I got on, sat down and quickly made friends with the girls around me, two girls from Mexico and a Rotex (as Finn who has been on exchange before) she had been to Brazil. Then we made some pit stops, I talked to even more people. SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT!!! We ALL have something/many things in common so it was really easy to talk. I also discovered some really cool people who live really close to me! So I'm thinking we'll be hanging out at some point. I think I got some sleep on that bus. I crawled the floor, a trick anybody who has been on any long bus trick before has learn, and got maybe a couple hours.
lauantai:
Days get so confusing when you don't sleep that long and you aren't in your own bed! 5am and Janet got on the bus! So crazy I haven't seen her in so long! She looks so different, one cause she dyed her hair, and two (like everyone else) we are all now super pail! We ended up just laughing for hours until we fell somewhat asleep. 10 we were pretty north and the sun was trying to come out but we kept running away from it heading even more north! Soon it caught up to us and the at 11 we arrived. We all jumped out of the bus and quickly gave hugs to all the other exchange students who had arrived on earlier buses. It was awesome to see everyone!!! Then the mad rush to get our luggage and rooms. There were 3 to a room and it was sorted by bus, then home contry, then alphabetically. I was gonna say random, but it really wasnt. Then greeting the last bus to arrive, lunch and getting ready to go skiing. We finally got to the hill... That was kinda disappointing... But we suited up. The snow was pretty icy, there was really only one run down it, and it was super cold. Needless to say we only lasted a little while before heading in to warm up and wait for the buses to bring us back. Then it was a late night of hanging out and talking.
sunnuntai:
Woke up, breakfast and chilling with random people. Then a bus trip back to the slopes to let people who wanted to ski that day off. I stayed on and we went back to the resort to learn the fine art of ice carving! First a trip through the igloo, that was super cool! Then they lead us to small collums of snow that they made, gave us a bunch of randoms tools and put us to work. My group made a penguin. We named him Isosolies. Then we took a bunch of pictures with Isosolies and then had lunch outside on reindeer pelts. My group didn't last too long out there and soon went to the couches in the lobby of the resort, I think they hated us there! Well I think I would hate a bunch of wound up teenagers in my resort too! Then we went up to the TV room and just chilled and talked for hours. They broke out the ginger bread house they made last night and we ate it! YUMMY!!! Sauna was warm but I and the people I was hanging out with, didn't really feel like bothering. Later, after dinner they took us to a near by school where the kids of the school put on a show with dancing and music. Then each of our countries did something special. My favorite part of the night was just dancing. That and after they brought us outside these two local boys light balls on sting on fire and did a sorta dance with them. That was cool. Then on the ride home they told us that someone has been diagnosed with Mono... It was one of my room mates... great. But there is no way I'm getting sick so I'm not even gonna worry about it. The rest of my Lap land adventure soon. My favorite day was Monday so stay tuned! : P
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)