Well... I really think I may be in the running for the world's worst blogger. I genuinely suck at keeping this updated :( Currently, I feel like it's all a little overwhelming... I don't update it regularly enough, so when I have a sudden burst of motivation and do decide to post something after all, I have to attempt to consolidate my mental miscellany into something worthwhile. I mean, there's no hard evidence to substantiate the claim that anyone might actually read this, anyway, so I'm not sure if I should bother :(
Luckily for you, I am Australian ja minulla on suomalainen sisu, so I am going to write this with all the optimism and charisma that I can muster.
Okay, well, I'll start at the beginning, a very good place to start.
Early in May, we went on a trip to the Fazer company in Helsinki. There was all the chocolate you could ever dream of and more... I swore I would never eat chocolate again, following the tour (although, strangely, I seemed to be able to eat some just two days later... keeping the exchange student dream of achieving eternal fatness alive, ha ha!) It was so great... I hadn't seen many of the exchange students since Karkku and I just loved hanging out with everyone and catching up, just like the good old days. It really is amazing to see how everyone has changed in such a short time, already. I came with two of my exchange student friends and I really loved just talking and bonding (and eating, of course) on the bus ride home.
Another exciting event to happen was our trip to St. Petersburg, Russia. It's one of those places I've always wanted to go, and it certainly didn't disappoint. While the visit indeed confirmed a lot of the Finnish preconceptions and prejudices about the Russians. I still found the city incredibly beautiful... even the dilapidated buildings and houses had their own kind of enchanting appeal. I loved seeing some of the historical sites that I had learnt about in school, it was really special. I also turned eighteen on the final day of our tour, which was fun. On the last night, all of the exchange students hung out together in the lobby of our hotel and counted down until midnight and everyone sang me 'happy birthday'. One of my Aussie friends even bought me a cake on the way home, which was so nice. I guess turning eighteen was also quite a turning point for me, as an exchange student. I didn’t realise it would be so difficult being away from my family on an important milestone and was a little taken by surprise at my first real feelings of homesickness. Still, all of my friends and family did their best to make my day special and I certainly had a day I'll never really forget.
Another big change that took place during the month was my first move. I was really nervous about changing host families, as I felt as though I had become a part of my first host family. Still, it’s been really great experiencing another family’s way of living and I know I’ll always be welcome at the Ylönen’s. I get along with my new family well. My host parents do speak English, but not astonishingly well, so lately we have been communicating almost entirely in Finnish. I have already noticed a dramatic improvement in my Finnish and I hope to be able to speak relatively fluently by the time I leave. My host Mum is so lovely and kind. She seems to be more open to the idea of human contact than most Finns and seems really gentle, which is nice. I’ve missed that sort of maternal love. My host Dad is so nice and I think he enjoys my attempt to try almost everything. We seem to have a mutual respect for each other, which I think is most probably derived from his inability to speak entirely comprehensible English, and my inability to speak entirely comprehensible Finnish. I really like my host sisters. I have one sister the same age and she has been so kind and is always inviting me to join her when she leaves the house. I’ve had so much fun here already. On Saturday I went to a Finnish rap concert with my host sister and some of her friends and we just danced and had fun all night. I had no idea of exactly what they were saying, but I understood the general themes of cars, girls, their breasts and backsides, so it seemed as though Finnish rap was no exception to the almost universal lack of quality lyricism in the rap music world. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was so lively and passionate... I had a really good time. My younger host sister is fourteen and really funny. She doesn’t have that sort of shyness and timidness that most Finns tend to have and is so outgoing and fun to be around. I feel so youthful! Having studied English at a higher level than everyone else in the family, my older host brother is always interested in spending time with me and trying to translate everything, along with correcting all of my mistakes in Finnish (which, I assure you are plentiful). While this is endearing and I know he is a nice person and means well, it has become a little frustrating for me at times, as it is distracting when I am still talking. I am trying so hard to learn the language and some days, especially now that I am aware of all the mistakes I constantly make, I feel really insecure and inferior. Still, so far, I am happy living in the family and feel quite at home already. I am also a regular source of amusement, especially when I make mistakes while speaking Finnish (which is pretty regularly).
Since moving with my host family, I have experienced so much already. My host Dad is interested in rally driving, so I went in the rally car with him one afternoon, for a test drive and I also came with my family to a rally competition one weekend. We have been visiting their kesämoki, too, which is just a slice of heaven. It is just so beautiful on the lake and you feel as though there is nothing else but you and nature, which is really empowering.
Another great thing about this month has been hanging out with the exchange students. I have two exchangee friends, one from Germany and one from Brazil that I see quite often. I feel like we know each other fairly well by now and I could tell them just about anything, so it's really nice to have people close to you that you can trust so entirely. A couple of days ago, we had an unofficial picnic in Mikkeli with the exchange students from my district and I had the best day. It was beautiful and sunny and I was in the best company. I will be truly sad to see the exchange students currently in Finland leave in two month’s time... many of them have supported me unconditionally, with complete understanding and compassion. Not only is this exchange program a fantastic way to experience the culture of your host country, it is a wonderful way to experience the rich vibrancy of so many other cultures, too. One of the Rotarians observed during one of our trips that ‘there was so much life’, which I find to be incredibly true... the passion and excitement fuelled by our mutual understanding is almost uncontainable, you can’t help but feel more empowered and alive just by being with such amazing people.
I can't really think of what else to say, other than that I am so happy right now and can't wait for more exciting adventures. I am heading off for our Eurotour on Sunday and I am so excited...I can't wait.
Until next time,
Heippa!
