Dancing and the First Sight of Snow

Well. A good amount has happened lately actually! I must mention first, that this might be the last blog that I will write for a little while, because next week is Syysloma, or Fall Break. I am going with my family to the Canary Islands! I am so excited. It will be nice to be somewhere that is warm! Speaking of weather... I was sitting in my room today and I looked out my window and I saw that it was snowing! Not like a blizzard or anything, but it was lightly snowing. I think the temperature is about thirty-five degrees fahrenheit today. I was so excited though! I love the snow. Only bad thing is, is that in an hour from now I have to walk to my Finnish lessons in this cold weather!

School has been really good lately. I like the classes that I have. I am taking this dance course (I think I might have mentioned this before) to learn the traditional dances for the ball in February. The dances are fun, and actually a little hard to learn considering that I have never formally danced before. Haha. But I am really looking forward to the ball in February. I just have to find a dance partner first. There are literally a shortage of guys in Finland...

Also in February, I will be attending a national session of the European Youth Parliament! I just found out today. The delegation I am in from my school got chosen to go to nationals! That is really amazing.

Wow. Maybe not as much is going on as I thought previously... Haha. Well I got accepted into college! University of Pittsburgh. But I think do not think I want to go there. I am going to apply to the college I really want to go to, and that is the American University. And at least if I do not get accepted at AU, I still have Pitt to fall back on!

Ahh.
Syysloma on kohta!!
Fall Break is soon!!

:D

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European Youth Parliament

This past weekend I attended a Finnish session of the European Youth Parliament. These sessions are to simulate what happens in the European Parliament, and to discuss and learn about the issues the European Union faces today. I went through my school, Lahden Yhteiskoulu, along with seven others. The session was held in Tampere, which is about a two hour train ride from Lahti. We arrived on Friday, and after the opening ceremony we met with our committees for the first time. Before going to the session everyone had an assigned committee, and each committee had a topic. There were eight committees total. My committee was the Committee on Human Rights. There were also the Committee on Constitution Affairs, and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs, just to name a couple of others.

So, we got into our committees, and got to know everyone. I had a really nice committee. All girls! There were probably between ten and fifteen people in each committee. We got to know people in other committees too, of course. There were a little over one hundred students there, which consisted of about fifteen different nationalities! The majority was Finnish though of course. Everyone there was so nice!

Then, Saturday was the work day. We woke up at 7:00 am, had breakfast, and met with our committees. Each committee also had two chair members, to help the committee form a resolution. So, like I said, our topic was about human rights. The problem dealt with minorities in the European Union and equality. We had to come up with a resolution to this problem. We brainstormed and debated all day Saturday with our committee, and after about eight hours, and numerous coffee breaks, we had come up with a resolution. I won't type it here, that would be extremely long. Basically we wanted to guarantee more rights to minorities, and we thought of ways to do so in our resolution.

Next came the time to assign roles for the General Assembly (GA). The GA was held on Sunday. I will try to describe the GA as quick and clear as I can. Hopefully I can do that! Well... All of the committees met in a large room, with the president and vice president at the head of the room. The main point of the GA is for the committees to present their resolution, and have it either pass or fail by voting. So, we have a committee. Someone in that committee begins by reading the operative clauses. These are the ways which the committee believes the problem can be solved. Then a defense speech is made by the committee, then an attack speech from another committee (if someone has an attack speech), and then the floor is open for debate. The debating lasts about twenty minutes. After the debate, one or two people from the presenting committee give their sum-up speech. This speech contains answers to open questions from the debate and then some emotion to persuade people to vote for their resolution. Next, people vote, and the resolution is either passed or failed...

I had the job of giving the emotional part of the sum-up speech. I thought that would be difficult, but it actually wasn't. I was a little nervous because our committee had to go first (this was decided at the last minute!) and no one knew what to expect. We did very well, I believe. Our resolution passed. Of course! The GA was very long. It lasted around seven hours. So, all in all, this past weekend was very hard work. Lots of politics, brainstorming, and debating. But I also made many friends and learned A LOT about the European Union. It was exhausting, but it was completely worth it and I feel like I gained so much.

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Tänään on keskiviikko...

Well this week has been good so far. I had my Math exam yesterday, and my English exam today. Math was a little frustrating, mostly because it was in Finnish. I had an easier version of the test, a version that didn't have all the word problems. But it did have one word problem, and I did not understand it at all. Then English was pretty good today. It was mainly reading comprehension... So I had to really think. Tomorrow I don't have any classes or exams, but I have to go to school anyway to meet with the other students that are going to the Finnish Youth Parliament this weekend. We are going to prepare for our topics.

So, I don't know if I have mentioned this or not, but it is getting so cold here! Yesterday morning it was around 35 degrees Fahrenheit. When I came out of school at 2:00, it was hailing slightly. Today I wore heavier clothing, because I knew it would be cold. I left early this morning to walk with Saara, my little host sister, to her school. Then I stopped by the book store and went to a café for a little while before my exam started. I love that there are actual places I can go to. Like back home the only place I could really walk to was a gas station...

Last evening after mostly everyone was home, I played this word game with my host family. You have a card with a noun on it, then you have to describe it to your partner and your partner has to guess it. My host mom, Marjo, described the words to me in Finnish, to Veera in Swedish (she was studying for a Swedish test), and to Saara in English since she is learning English. It was fun though, and actually helped me with Finnish! It is cool that Finland has two official languages. I guess the U.S. kind of does, like English and Spanish... But at the same time that isn't really true. Anyway. It is interesting to see all the Finnish products in Finnish and Swedish. So I know a few words in Swedish, just because I see them all the time!

Well.

Nähdään!

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Viikonloppu

This past week, and weekend, has been pretty good. On Thursday I went to the Sibelius Hall for the first time, which is a famous concert hall in Finland... It is in my city. I went and listened to a really good violin and cello concert. Then during a break in the concert, I ate some really amazing pulla! I had my first exam on Friday. It was French. I studied for it, so I think it went rather well. Some things I did not know, since I was learning French through Finnish. But I did my best! It is funny though, because we had two hours to take the exam, and it only took me one! I have the rest of my exams next week. I have English and Math. Then I have to start studying and researching more about my topic for the Finnish Youth Parliament.

I had my Rotary District Camp yesterday and today. That was fun. It was really nice to see people again. There are about twenty-five inbound exchange students in my district. Yesterday we hung out for a while, ate dinner, played games, had sauna, and then went to a campfire. The sauna was nice. We went swimming too, and it was so dark and the water was sooo cold! When I went underwater it took my breath away! Then I would run back to the sauna! The campfire was really nice too. The view of the lake at night was so beautiful...and the starry sky! It was cold though... Haha, I am in serious need of warm clothes. I actually was in need of some wool socks! But anyway... At the camp fire we made these Finnish pancake/crepe things. They are so good. You put like a load of butter in this little pan with a long handle, then put in the batter, then cook it over the fire. Once it is done, put the crepe/pancake thing on a plate and put some jelly on it. SO good. Then today, we just hung out with everyone mainly. So, the Rotary weekend was fun. I cannot wait until Lapland. That will be ALL of the exchange students!!

This evening, I am going to a musical at the theatre in my town with my youth exchange officer. We will be seeing Oliver! the musical. I am excited! It will be fun and interesting because it will be in Finnish!

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Minua ilahduttaa, koska puhun suomea.

So, I am taking a harder Finnish course, and I am so glad! I will learn so much more this way. I do have to catch up a little, so I have been studying really hard! But I feel myself learning more. I am actually thinking in Finnish a lot. Not things that are too complicated though, of course. I do need to speak more Finnish though. I can understand it quite well, I just need the confidence to speak it more! I am always afraid to make a mistake. But, I think I am speaking way more now than I did when I got here. People are always surprised at how much I know. A lot of Finns think Finnish is impossible for foreigners to learn. I don`t think so!

Ah! Tomorrow I am leaving for Sweden! I am going with my host mom and host sister on a weekend cruise to Stockholm. I am so excited. First though, we have to take a train to Helsinki. I can`t wait for that, because I have never been on a train before! I am so weirdly excited for the train ride! Haha...

So, I have not been up to too much lately. Studying mainly. A lot of Finnish, but some school stuff too. We have exam week the week after next week. Then we will start the new period, and have totally new classes. I think I will be taking English, Geography, Math, Religion, Photography, Cooking, and Sports. I am excited for the next period because I have some really interesting classes. It is really different because religion can be taught in schools here. I thought I would take it to see how it is, like how they learn about that. I just thought that would be interesting. Oh! And photography... Ah! I am really excited for that class.

Something that is really awesome... I get to go to a Finnish Regional Session of the European Youth Parliament. I got involved with it at school through a friend. This session takes place in Tampere and it is basically a weekend of debating European Union issues and trying to solve them. I will have a topic (which I do not know quite yet) that I will research before the session, and that will be my topic to debate. There will be 90 people my age, from all around Finland I guess (I am not sure if it is other countries too, but maybe), and there will be eight groups to represent the eight topics. Then each group will debate and come to a resolution... Then present it at some point. I am looking forward to this. Also, it is nice because everything will be in English!

Well, I need to go and get to bed. I have to get up early.
Ah! Ruotsi huomenna!
Sweden tomorrow!
:)

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I'm beginning to really like it here...

Well, this week has been good so far. I can't believe how cold it is getting though. Usually it is around twenty degrees Celsius, but then it is so windy. I do like the cold weather though. I can't wait until winter, especially because of the snow! I think I am going to have to buy more warm clothes though, because I really don't have that much. In the wintertime I will still have to walk to school, and I really don't want to freeze!

So, I drank this hot tea yesterday... And it was probably the best tea I have every had. Sounds silly, but it's true. It was some type of grey tea, but it tasted like pulla! Haha, seriously. I love hot drinks like hot tea, hot cocoa, and coffee! And I drink a good amount of those here. So, I was at the dinner table the other night, and my younger host brother was eating this t.v. dinner. It was reindeer and mashed potatoes! My host mom said her sister's husband (I think?) will make reindeer for me sometime. So, that sounds very interesting! I would think that it would taste like deer, but who knows...

I had my first Finnish class on Tuesday. I was a little bit disappointed though because I think it is way too easy for me. It was a basic Finnish course, but I didn't really think much about that. Our next lesson, for example, will be on pronunciation and the alphabet. I learned that quite a while ago, because I started studying Finnish basically as soon as I found out I was going to Finland. Which was in January, I believe. So, I am trying to find a harder Finnish class. I really want to learn more, and not start over again at the beginning. I hope I find a harder class!

School has been good lately. I think I am getting to know people better. I am beginning to realize though just how different school is here. I mean, I knew it was before, but... I don't know. Maybe it is because I am learning more about the Finnish culture. I have asked a few students at school what they do after school, like on school nights. Most of them said homework and studying. School really is their lives. People usually have a hobby though too. Maybe a dance class, music lessons, or a sport. Me, for example... I have my Finnish lessons once or twice a week and then I have badminton lessons on Sundays. But hobbies are separate from school, since there aren't any sports or clubs at school (which is what I miss about American high school).  There isn't as much student socialization at school it seems, compared to back home anyway. No Football games every Friday, things like that. My host mom said that a girl is likely to have one good friend. It is different. 

I am beginning to think that Finland is the perfect country for me though. I notice these things about their culture that are so like me, and I find it funny. I will try to think of all of them. 

1. The food is very healthy and that is how I try to eat at home 2. It is a very clean country and I am a neat freak 3. People are reserved and like their alone time, which I am used to, since I am an only child 4. It is a colder country and I do not do well in hot weather 5. School is mainly academics and I take my academics quite seriously.

Then I just love the language, it is so different and unique. It is challenging sometimes, but definitely worth learning. Oh, and I love pulla and sauna of course...

For me, I think Finland is the best place I could have come to for an exchange.

:)

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Fall in Finland

Well, things have been pretty good here. It is getting fairly cold, and it is only the beginning of September! Today has been an exception though, because it is so nice and sunny. But, it is autumn now...which is a little weird because autumn starts earlier here than back home. The trees are beginning to lose their leaves and it is cooling down already. It is also very windy! I like the weather right now, but I know it is going to get a lot colder and it will probably rain more often...so I have heard anyway.

I have a lot of free time right now, since my school schedule is not jam-packed. But next week, I will be starting my Finnish lessons. I will have them on Mondays and Thursdays. I am so glad for that!! Listening to people helps me learn Finnish, but I think a class will do so much more for me. Then I will be starting my badminton lessons this Sunday. I think that will be a lot of fun. I play badminton sometimes with my host mom and sister and I really like it. The excercise will be good for me too...

I think I am making more friends at school, or at least I hope so anyway. I have a handful of people that I talk to regularly and they are really nice. It is just harder to make friends here I suppose. People just have to get used to me. Also, I do not think that some people even know that I am one of the exchange students. This is because the school has gotten 100 new students this year... So it is hard to tell I suppose. But, hopefully they will know me over time. I am trying to talk to more people... It is hard because they are a little bit shy, and so am I sometimes. It is getting easier though.

So, nothing else has been new really. I have been spending a lot of time with my host family. I do a good amount of things with them and their church. Their church is a little different from the churches I have been to, but it is interesting to go to. It is nice because there are a lot of people my age there, and they are all extremely nice.

Well, other than that, I am going to Sweden in two weeks!

:)

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