Alright, so it's been exactly two weeks since I arrived in Finland. It feels like forever ago, in the best way possible (except for the fact that I have no idea what people are saying when they talk to me).
On Sunday, Eija and Amar Jit took me for a tour of Turku, which was absolutely amazing.
I met with Juha, my YEO, on Tuesday morning and we went to pick out my schedule for this period. In Finnish high schools, there are (I think) 6 periods of approximately 6-7 weeks each with classes changing each period. This period my classes are: French, English, Health, Gym, History and Math. I'm also taking a Finnish for Foreigners course every Wednesday. As a side note, Finnish students must buy the books needed for the classes each period. Approximately 20 euros/book X 6 books X 6 periods = lots of $$$.
After picking the classes, we went to meet up with Safire to go to the Rotary meeting. We both did our presentations, which was nerve-wracking since there were about 40 or 50 people in the room, but I think they went well.
I started school on Wednesday morning with French class. Though I originally went to the wrong room and ended up being late, the class was great and it was nice to be able to understand some of the lesson. I met some really really nice people and some rebound exchange students too.
I got to know part of Turku quite well when I got lost on Thursday trying to find my gym class. The class was supposed to be held at a rec center about 10 minutes from the school... I spent an hour trying to find the place and never made it. I think I'll have some explaining to do on Monday when I see the teacher again. Oh well. I guess I have a decent excuse :)
I embarrassed myself again on Friday when I missed the first half of my history lesson by going to lunch at 11. Apparently on Fridays, and only on Fridays, the history class starts at 11:10, breaks for lunch at 11:40 and starts again at 12:10... Guess who didn't know about it....
Friday got better when I went to the sauna with Eija and Amar Jit :) :) The public sauna is located in a national park, right beside a lake. We changed into our bathing suits then went into the sauna. After about 5 minutes, we ran and jumped into the lake to cool down, then went back to the sauna when we started to get cold. (the process was repeated 4 or 5 times). The extreme difference between hot and cold temperatures increases blood circulation and makes you feel so relaxed and refreshed afterwards (hungry too). In the winter, the lake freezes over and a hole is cut into the ice for swimming. Not sure whether I'll get to try that... My Canadian skin might not be tough enough...
I had my first Irish dance class in Turku a couple of hours ago. It felt really good to be exercising again and just made the whole week so much better. Stress, gone!
It's been a crazy week! I still can't understand most of what people say, but I'm starting to recognize some words (mostly food-related hehe). Hopefully my Finnish improves soon because I hate having to speak English and I want so badly to understand what's going on during conversations.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Tortinmäki
Moi!
I just recently arrived at my first host family's house in the village of Tortinmäki, Finland. Their house is absolutely beautiful, or 'kaunis' as they say in Finnish. It's made pretty much of wood inside and there is a sauna too! There is also a smoke sauna outside.
The orientation camp at Karkku finished today! I have officially learned how to say my name, age and phone number, as well as the colours, days of the week and months of the year. Don't ask me to put any sentences together though... The only thing I can say is that Finnish is a very logical language. eg. the word for knowledge is 'tieto' and the word for machine is 'kone' .... a computer is a knowledge machine: 'tietokone'. The same goes for airplane. We'll have to see how school goes on Tuesday :)
We went to Tampere at the camp on Wednesday and it was great seeing how Finns actually act. So far, the lessons have been: no looking people in the eye on the street, no loud conversations, no sitting next to people on the bus unless absolutely necessary, no talking to people on the bus if you don't know them, very little conversation with cashiers/bus drivers etc..... Sounds pretty cold eh? It's not, surprisingly. For me, from the little I saw of Finnish society, it is extremely polite! People seem to be hyper aware of their effect on other people (hence the no talking on the bus for fear of disturbing others). Also, Finns value silence, thank goodness! There is a motto that if you have nothing to say, don't say anything. It is better to say nothing than to talk a lot about nothing, if that makes sense. I also learned that if you break on of these unspoken rules of society, it is assumed that 1) you are drunk, 2) you are crazy or 3) you are a foreigner. Guess which one I am.
Oh, side note: Finns love their forests. Is is legal for anyone to pick berries or mushrooms from any forest in the country, so long as the person is not on anyone's back or front yard. At the camp, we were told that one guy from Italy actually started a business selling mushrooms from Finland back home since they are so expensive there. Pretty smart guy since he picked them for free. Some more Finnish: blueberry is 'mustikka' and they grow wild everywhere, like in Newfoundland. You'd better move to Finland Niki! Berries are eaten with everything. :)
I just recently arrived at my first host family's house in the village of Tortinmäki, Finland. Their house is absolutely beautiful, or 'kaunis' as they say in Finnish. It's made pretty much of wood inside and there is a sauna too! There is also a smoke sauna outside.
The orientation camp at Karkku finished today! I have officially learned how to say my name, age and phone number, as well as the colours, days of the week and months of the year. Don't ask me to put any sentences together though... The only thing I can say is that Finnish is a very logical language. eg. the word for knowledge is 'tieto' and the word for machine is 'kone' .... a computer is a knowledge machine: 'tietokone'. The same goes for airplane. We'll have to see how school goes on Tuesday :)
We went to Tampere at the camp on Wednesday and it was great seeing how Finns actually act. So far, the lessons have been: no looking people in the eye on the street, no loud conversations, no sitting next to people on the bus unless absolutely necessary, no talking to people on the bus if you don't know them, very little conversation with cashiers/bus drivers etc..... Sounds pretty cold eh? It's not, surprisingly. For me, from the little I saw of Finnish society, it is extremely polite! People seem to be hyper aware of their effect on other people (hence the no talking on the bus for fear of disturbing others). Also, Finns value silence, thank goodness! There is a motto that if you have nothing to say, don't say anything. It is better to say nothing than to talk a lot about nothing, if that makes sense. I also learned that if you break on of these unspoken rules of society, it is assumed that 1) you are drunk, 2) you are crazy or 3) you are a foreigner. Guess which one I am.
Oh, side note: Finns love their forests. Is is legal for anyone to pick berries or mushrooms from any forest in the country, so long as the person is not on anyone's back or front yard. At the camp, we were told that one guy from Italy actually started a business selling mushrooms from Finland back home since they are so expensive there. Pretty smart guy since he picked them for free. Some more Finnish: blueberry is 'mustikka' and they grow wild everywhere, like in Newfoundland. You'd better move to Finland Niki! Berries are eaten with everything. :)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
First Couple Days
So, after about 9 hours flying time, I am safe here in Karkku Finland at the Language/Orientation camp. As I was landing on the plane and driving from Helsinki to Karkku I realized how much Finland looks like Canada. It's really humid here too but I love it already.
There are about 130 people here, all inbound to Finland with about 6 that are inbound to Estonia. It is so crazy with the number of languages being spoken all around me.. Finnish, Spanish, French, German, Japanese .. And those are only the ones I recognize. There are people here from Mexico, Germany, France, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Canada, the States; it's amazing how many countries have come together in this place.
I am rooming with a bunch of girls also from Canada and one of them is also going to my district. We have language lessons every day and it's great to have the Finnish language explained simply for once. As they say, "it's not bad, just different." ... I learned today that the longest acceptable Finnish word is 61 characters long ... and pretty much impossible to pronounce. There is a trip to Tampere on Wednesday, but other than that, it's a whole lot of Finnish language learning. I can't wait for Saturday, when we get to meet our first host families. Oh, it turns out that people wear bathing suits to the sauna at this camp :)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Departure
Ok, post #1.
After almost a year of planning and anticipation and excitement and nerves, this is it. Tomorrow I leave for Finland and I can't believe that it's only starting to feel real. My flight's booked, I have my passport and visa. The suitcases have been packed.. or should I say that they have been packed and repacked about 10 times. Thank you mom and Niki!
The plan so far is to go to a language/orientation camp for the first week with all of the other Finnish inbounds. On the agenda is the sauna...... According to the internet, it's rude to wear a bathing suit in a Finnish sauna, so it should be an experience. But hey, when in Rome.. :)
After the camp, I'll be picked up by my first host family and driven to Turku, the area where I'll be staying. I think Turku is about the fifth largest city in the country, with a population of roughly 200,000 and the original capital of Finland. Soon after I get to Turku, school starts.
I guess that's it for now. It's off to Finland! :)
After almost a year of planning and anticipation and excitement and nerves, this is it. Tomorrow I leave for Finland and I can't believe that it's only starting to feel real. My flight's booked, I have my passport and visa. The suitcases have been packed.. or should I say that they have been packed and repacked about 10 times. Thank you mom and Niki!
The plan so far is to go to a language/orientation camp for the first week with all of the other Finnish inbounds. On the agenda is the sauna...... According to the internet, it's rude to wear a bathing suit in a Finnish sauna, so it should be an experience. But hey, when in Rome.. :)
After the camp, I'll be picked up by my first host family and driven to Turku, the area where I'll be staying. I think Turku is about the fifth largest city in the country, with a population of roughly 200,000 and the original capital of Finland. Soon after I get to Turku, school starts.
I guess that's it for now. It's off to Finland! :)
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