The End

I have been home for a month and a half now. It still seems odd that I won't be going back to Finnish school in the fall, and that I am not on vacation in America. Adjusting back has been slightly difficult, but for the most part I am doing well. I have been quite busy this summer visiting family and going out west, and just catching up with friends and preparing for the new school year. I am finally in Driver's Ed with a bunch of underclassmen (not fun), and I had to go and choose my new schedule. Cross country running has also started. I am excited for my senior year and can't wait for school to start. I do miss Finland very much and especially all the awesome friends I made there. I can't wait to have a return visit someday.
    I just want to thank everyone who made this trip possible for me, and the people who supported me all through my year. I am so grateful to have had this oppurtunity, and it is something I will never forget.

Before

After

Test run of packing...

I am totally screwed.

8 Days Left...

Wow, the time really does fly. I know at times I felt like this year would never end, but now it seems like I'm in a time warp. The past few weeks have been chock full of all sorts of fun activities, so that made a difference as opposed to if I was just sitting at home.
A few weeks ago my host sister Oona and I went camping in Repovesi, the local national park. We just stayed one night, but I had a really good time.. We hiked around a lot, and cooked sausage.
And then that week my friend Maggie, who is also an exchange student in Finland from America, came to visit me for a few days. We hung out around town, and went to a band competition that some of my friends were in. On the weekend we met up in Helsinki and went shopping! There was some weird hispanic parade going on the whole day, with lots of singing and sequins.
And then THIS past weekend was Juhannes, the Finnish Midsummer holiday. It is ancient tradition for Finns just go to the summer cottage, have a bonfire, and get totally hammered. I didn't partake, but I did get to witness it when we went to check out a resturaunt. There were drunk people staggering around hugging random people and laughing. One of my friends told me that Juhannes is the reason so many Finns are born in March....
I just went to sauna for 2 hours and went swimming in the lake- best thing ever. We also went in my host dads homemade hot tub (which is heated by a wood fire). That was awesome. Basically it was a weekend of total relaxation, 10/10 would do again.
And now on Wednesday, I am having a baking and movie night! My friends wanted to see the "bowling Jesus" movie:D

Europaan Matka! Europe Trip!

As you all know already, I took a trip to Europe from May 19- 21. I am finally blogging about it. I just have to stay straight off that I had an amazing time, and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity by my aunt Shellie. She's awesome. Also, I am grateful to my parents for letting me go, even though sometimes I exasperate them to the extreme. Love you guys!

Plane from Turku to Brussels

Flying over Finland. It is really difficult to tell when you are over Finland and not just islands because there is so much water inland.

Random flying

Turku airport 

    To start off my trip, I took the train from Kouvola to Turku, from Turku flew to Brussels, Belgium, from Belgium I took the train to Amsterdam, and from Amsterdam to Paris, and then back to Brussels.

It was a fast trip, and we tried to pack in as much stuff as possible in the few days we had, but it was not nearly enough time. Months would be needed to really experience all the history of Paris and Amsterdam without living there. I think these pictures do the trip justice, even though we weren't even allowed to take pics in my favorite museum, which was the museum of the Jewish people in France. I also don't have any pictures of Brussels because I didn't do anything there. 

     I got to my aunt's hotel the day after I landed in Brussels because I misunderstood the shuttle schedules and took the shuttle from the airport to Charleroi instead of Brussels. So I waited in a cafe all night until 4.30 and then I took the train to Brussels. Trains are so cheap in Belgium! It was about 7,20 euro for an hour train ride! When I got to the hotel, Shellie and her friend Deb were still asleep, but Shellie and I ate breakfast and then we went to Amsterdam for the day while Deb went to Paris.

Name of the river in Amsterdam? Maybe the name of the bridge?

   In Amsterdam, we didn't really "do" much. We went to the Anne Frank museum (awesome, and terribly sad), and the market, and to this pancake cafe that my uncle Tom really liked. I loved Amsterdam. It was such a beautiful city, with flowers and canals everywhere. Dutch is an odd language though.

Me in the square of Amsterdam.

On the train to Amsterdam!

Pancakes in Amsterdam! Mine was apple and cheese

  In Paris we hit all the major stuff; Eiffel Tower, Arc d'Triumphe, Sacre Cour church. We tried not to have a major agenda though, so there wasn't any stress to get a lot done. We walked SO MUCH, just seeing the city and visiting little markets. We went to many cafes and drank probably gallons of coffee (Not as excellent as I would have liked). We didn't visit the Louvre Museum, because I chose to visit the Jewish museum instead. I did go see the inverted pyramids, but I didn't go inside. Next time!

Random river posing

   And there definitely will be a next time. Now that my exchange is almost over, it makes me just want to travel more and see more amazing places. But right now, I kind of just want to go home and be somewhere where I don't have to try so hard. I want to be actually working towards goals and continue with my life. This year was just treading water. So while I am extremely said to leave, I am looking forward to coming home.

River in Paris

Another river.

Street performer. There were street performers everywhere, and beggars.

Notre Dame's backside

Side of Notre Dame

Opposite side of the Notre Dame

Notre Dame park and garden

Me in the garden

Escargot! It was very good.

"Scandinavian" Store. A lot of Mari Mekko and swedish brands

Funnel Cake with Nutella.....

The bastille

Arc d'Triumph. Shellie and I walked all the way to the top:D

I thought this was funny

Pari

Metro Line. We used the metro a lot, so I am a total pro now.

Coffee with every meal. My idea of paradise.

Amsterdam river ( lining it are houseboats)

On the train back to Brussels:(

Flight back to Turku

Belgian! (To Belgium)

Today I am off to Belgium! Not nervous a bit, but I suppose by now I have a little experience with travel. First I take the train from Kouvola to Turku. Then I have to figure out how to get to the airport, but I don't think it will be too difficult. My train gets to Turku at 1 pm and my plane doesn't take off until 7.50, so I will have plenty of time. Of course, I have to allow time to get all my paperwork checked since I am not an EU citizen, and also just to go through security. But Finland is definitely not America, so no dictatorial TSA to grope me and make things difficult. So I fly to Brussels and then I have to catch the shuttle from the airport to the city center since I guess the airport is 20 minutes outside the city. So excited!! No definite plan as to what we will be doing, just some ideas, but I think it is better that way. This way we can walk around and explore the city a bit more. We are going to Paris on Thursday? So I am also super excited for that:D

Huhtikuu 27

Randomly felt like blogging, so here is an update on my host family and what I have been up to this week, and what I will be doing over the next month, just so that all you guys know what I am up to if I suddenly lose my motivation and never blog again.

   First off, I love my new host family. They are just awesome. It's not awkward at all, and I can just sit around and chill with my host siblings. The other night, Saana (15 years old), Oona (21ish) and I had an ice cream and movie night and watched " The Notebook". It was just so easy to just lay around hanging out. There is also my host brother Oke (24ish) and we also get along really well. He showed me the Finnish version of Reddit yesterday, and I was actually able to understand some stuff!
    All of the kids play underwater rugby, so on Tuesday they brought me with to play with Kouvola's men's team. I scored twice, but I struggled a bit with breathing through a snorkel while trying to wrestle with some old men underwater. I had a lot of fun though, and I am excited to go again!
     Good description video of underwater rugby

This weekend I have a district conference in Kuopio. I am not excited, but not dreading it. Just indifferent towards the whole thing.

On Monday I am selling tickets at the Vappugospel concert in Kouvola. It is just a music festival in honor of May Day, and if I work there I get in free. Kind of nervous, but I don't think it will be too difficult. Some of my friends are also working there so it should be fun.

Then on the 19th I am going to Belgium with my aunt Shellie! I have to take the train to Turku, and then I fly to Brussels. I don't really know what we will be doing, but I am so excited! We are going to Paris at some point which will also be awesome.
     
   

Main street in Kouvola "Manski"

Main street in Kouvola going the other way

Kouvola's theater company did "Hamlet" in finnish. One of my friends went and she said it was actually very good. I guess old finnish translates pretty well into old english.

A turkish guy that plays the accordion on the street every day. I wanted to get a better picture but I felt like a creep.

Kukkakauppa (flower shop)

Authentic Thai resturaunt! It is very delicious.

Weird statue in the park.

Uusi Perhe (New Family)

Yesterday I came to a new host family! They are super nice and I look forward to getting to know them. I was sad to leave my last host family, but I will still be able to see them before I leave. I will miss Rasmus very much:( There isn't a dog in this host family, but there is a cat. I don't seem to be allergic to her....I think by now I would have reacted, because last night she slept on my bed. Maybe I have evolved past allergies.
    In my new host family it is my host parents and their youngest daughter living at home. The two older kids live at home sometimes?(I am not totally sure about this) They all speak good english, but they are trying to speak Finnish with me. They have had 6 exchange students before me, so they already know what to do.

Pics eventually!
Edit: Pics Now!

"Courtyard" Behind garage

Front of house

My new address is Sammonkatu 7 45100 Kouvola Finland