Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Switched Placement

Well Graduation has come and gone, something that made my life hectic for a few weeks. Now all the parties are over, all the decorations down (almost) and all my thank yous written (yeah right!). The tuesday before graduation I got quite the surprise when I recieved my guarantee forms from Finland. For anyone who doesn't know what guarantee forms are it is a form that Finnish Rotary fills out, telling me my club/city/school/first host family etc. Well it was a shock to me when I looked at my town and it was not Hamina as I had been previously told, but actually was Iisalmi which though in the same rotary district is in a completely different part of the country. Hamina was on the shore of Finland, where as Iisalmi is in the middle of the country, lakes territory, something that makes it very similar to living here in Pelican Rapids. I don't have any complaints about the switch, the town is the same size, I get to live on the lake, and best of all Iisalmen Lyseo (my school) has Spanish, a class I have been taking for 3 years and am considering a major in. I've had contact with different members of my host family and I can't wait to meet them in person. I will arrive in Finland August 7, and from there will attend a week long language and culture camp. Then I get to go home with my family to Iisalmi. School starts the following Wednesday according to my host sister, and I will go from there.
Yesterday I attended a going away party for a foreign exchange student leaving my town. It was so sad knowing that I might not ever see her again, but I believe I will. It just made me start thinking about the fact that I am leaving in two months and will have to say goodbye to all of my friends, even though I'll be coming back to them. Most of them would be attending different colleges anyway, but it will still be really hard.
This Saturday I am flying out to California to spend a week with some family, something I am really excited for! Hopefully when I come back I will have a great tan and studied a lot of Finnish, something I don't do enough of.

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