Sunday, August 14, 2011

Haloo Helsinki!

I am finally updating my blog for the few readers who even check it anymore. I'm pretty sure I have not written in almost two months. So much has happened that I don't know where to begin! I left Fargo last Saturday for the next year to live here in Iisalmi. From there I flew to Chicago, Frankfurt and finally Helsinki. I then went to a week long language camp. I could write about the Language camp but I would be at the computer for several hours which I don't think my host family would appreciate. So in the way that everytime I unsuccessfully start a diary I start in a completely new book, I am going to skip the Language Camp for now and maybe write about it later.
Yesterday my Host-Father Keijo picked me up from the Language Camp in Karkku Finland and we drove five hours until we reached Iisalmi at about 18:30 ( I am thinking in 24 hour time already). I was excitedley greeted my my Host Mom Mervi and my little Host Sister Annariina. They showed me around their gorgeous home and I settled into my room and unpacked all my stuff. We had supper of some sort of mushroom and chicken pasta, and Annariina made me a delicious chocolate cake. As usual we had coffee with the cake. Then I went for a bike ride around the town with Mervi and Annariina. They showed me my new school and some other sights in Iisalmi. Then Annariina made berry smoothies and it was time to go to bed.
This morning I woke up at 9 which was a very restful sleep considering I have been getting up at seven every morning and I had to sleep on a one inch thick cot at camp. I had breakfast which in Finland is yogurt, a sandwich, and coffee. We picked berries and took them to Mervi's mom's house because she makes mehu (juice) out of them. We had the finnish version of crepes for lunch with strawberries and whipped cream. We also had Amerikan Pekoni (American bacon). It was a relaxing sunday spent in the country. Then we came back to Iisalmi and I finally got connected to the internet.
A little about Finland in general. It looks like northern Minnesota. No lie, I can't tell i'm in finland because of the nature. It is maybe a little cooler, but it is still nice out. They eat so many berries here! They are really intense about their Everyman's Right which means you can go on anyone's property and just pick berries. They also constantly drink kahvi (coffee). I have drank about as much this week as I have in the rest of my life. It is really great though and so far I love it here. The language is getting easier even though I understand very little. Mervi and Keijo speak english, but Annariina doesn't as much and neither does Mervi's mom.
I labeled this post Haloo Helsinki because it is a band that has a song called Maailman toisella puolen which describes my life right now exactly. Youtube it, because it is great regardless of whether you understand it or not. Bye for now, I'm going to go be Finnish.

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