Today marks a starting point of my life in Finland : Ensilumi - The first snow.  But more importantly, I had my first cup of coffee. Just a plain black coffee. I've been able to manage without it so far thanks to a healthy diet of tea. Lots of tea. And ruisleipä ( dark rye bread). It's the core of the Finnish diet, I think, along with some added toppings of voi (butter), juusto (cheese), and kurkku (cucumber).

( Maasa taking a walk in the Finnish countryside)

Although I still feel a bit guilty about updating so infrequently, I am using my time to its fullest extent, trying out new activities and adventures. Thinking back on it, there's always so much I want to tell, but by the time it gets up on my blog it's so edited that the original sentiments get lost. But enough melancholy! I really am enjoying myself in Finland, and I am my best to fulfill my duties as an American representative to Finland as an individual to everyone I meet. My Finnish is slowly improving, and I have had quite an experience, coming to terms with learning a language that is most definitely in a class of its own.

I've done several things of worth in the time since I last updated, not least of which is changing host families. I've also gone abroad (from going abroad!), begun my third period at school, and grown up (if just a little).

Estonia was amazing. Last month I was able to go there for my fall break, and I absolutely loved it. I was researching the country over a long term project last year in school, and it was such a rewarding feeling to be able to see what I had studied for so long. Of course, I still prefer Finland, but it was such a fantastic feeling, taking my first extended ferry ride and seeing both the new and the old of the city. It was a mixture of medieval architecture and Soviet apartments, of huge music halls and hidden beaches tucked away between near empty docks.

So, to give you a better idea of what went on, here's a ridiculous amount of pictures. 

That's all for now. 

I just wanted to post a short blog entry to let all who read this know that this account is still active, and that I'm doing well. I'll continue the rest soon. Hyvä Yöta! (Good night!) 

Ramblings About School

Sorry! Many apologies to all those who read this site! I’ve really had no good reason to delay posting for this long, and I’ll do my best to manage a much timelier schedule in the future. All I can say is that I’ve been trying my best to adjust to my school, Kauhajoen Lukio. Speaking of school, the Finnish school system might be the biggest difference from Colorado that I’ve come across so far.

Children in Finland don’t start school until the age of seven, at which point they attend elementary school from first until sixth grade. From seventh to ninth grade they attend middle school, and then they have a choice for the tenth through twelfth grades.* They can either choose to attend the lukio,** more or less the equivalent of high school, or  ammattikoulu,*** the vocational school system.  The student is split quite equally between the two, with a 50/50 percentage on both side, with a difference of maybe one point or two.

*The upper school isn’t mandatory, but most people choose to do it because it’s much harder to get a good job without the extra education. Personally, I think I would just get really bored.

**Lukio is literally the “reading” school, because its name comes from the word Lukea, which means “to read.”
***In a vocational school the students do have subjects like Finnish, math, and other languages (though less than in a lukio), but in addition they are trained to different trades, such as electricians, hair stylists, plumbers, car mechanics, nurses, and so on.

I’m not too sure about all of what goes on in the ammatikoulu, but in my lukio the school year is divided up into six periods. There are others that I’ve heard about being split into five, but most seem to stick to three grading periods per semester. In order to graduate (at least at my school) you have to pass at least 75 courses. This seems hard, but seeing as you take about five new courses every six weeks, it’s not too difficult to get the required amount of classes finished. In fact, it’s not that out of the ordinary to see older students who are in their fourth year of school.

The classes themselves are taught in a totally different manner than back in Colorado (at least at the schools I’ve attended). Because of how short the classes are, there’s lots of new information every day at school, so it’s easy to get behind on what we study. There is no set curriculum for the classes, so it’s up to the teacher to tell us what to study, but we have to buy books for all the classes. They’re quite light compared to the longer course books for a semester or year-long class, but we still cram lots of studying with the books towards the end of the period. The books can get a bit pricey, but luckily I’ve been able to borrow most of my books from my host sister, and the Rotary club pays for the new books I need to purchase.

Kauhajoen Lukio is divided into three years; first, second, and third (fourth years are included in the third year). Within each year there is three classes; A, B, and C. Each class consists of about twenty students. So as long as I’ve done my math correctly, there are about 180 students in my school. It may seem a bit small, but I like it. As a general rule, students stick with their homeroom class for all the classes they take.  I’m in class 1-B, but since I’m an exchange student, I have the opportunity to choose the classes I take.  I’ve taken a mixture of first and second year classes, as the third year classes are much more focused on studying for their matriculation examinations in the spring, and I mean, being a “first year” back in the US, I just don’t feel prepared for the difficult upper classes yet.*

*The Finnish education system has been rated one of the top educations systems in the world. Despite this, many of the first year classes (at least, during the first grading period) are what a typical American student may think of learning in middle school. The difference is that Finnish students learn seven years’ worth of material in three years, as most classes up to the ninth grade are simply the basics. How’s that for cram studying?

Here’s my first period Schedule (simplified):

	maanantai	tiistai	keskiviiko	torstai	perjantai
8	English 2A	History 1B	Biology 2A
9	English 2A	English 2A		Biology 2A
10	History 1B		Math 2	Math 2	Math 2
11	Biology 2A	Math 2	Math 2		Biology 2A
12	Math 2	Biology 2A	History 1B	English 2A	English 2A
1		Biology 2A	English 2A	History 1B	History 1B
2	Sports 1	Film Class	Art 1		History 1B
3	Sports 1	Film Class	Art1

I’ve clarified the classes by grade and class, and a blank on a class or grade means it’s mixed. I have quite a few free periods because I’m not taking a fifth core class (this is due to the fact that no classes that I would have a chance at passing are during that time slot). The film class* is open to all students, and all three of my “late” classes have no real final exams and I’ll have them for the entire fall semester. My history class was European history, and my math course was focused on derivatives (algebraic).

I was quite happy with my exam results, getting 10 points in English and history, and 7 points in biology and math. The Finnish grading system is on a scale of 4 to 10 points, and if you fall below 4 points, you have to retake the exam to pass the course.

*Concerning the film class, I’ll be going to Seinäjoki, the head city of my district of Finland, this week to see a musical about vampires!

Above: My friend Bence studiously coloring his picture 

Below: While Lassi... attempts to be... studious? Alongside Anna's head in English class.

Second period Schedule:

	maanantai	tiistai	keskiviiko	torstai	perjantai
8	Chemistry 1C	English 1B	Geography 2A
9	Chemistry 1C	Chemistry 1C		Geography 2A
10	English 1B		Physics 1B	Physics 1b	Physics 1B
11	Geography 2A	Physics 1B	Physics 1B		Geography 2A
12	Physics 1B	Geography 2A	English 1B	Chemistry 1C	Chemistry 1C
1		Geography 2A	Chemistry 1C	English 1B	English 1B
2	Sports 1	Film Class	Art 1		English 1B
3	Sports 1	Film Class	Art 1

Right now I’m feeling slightly over boarded with science, even though I only have two science classes due to the fact that my human geography teacher was also my biology teacher in the first period. Never the less, I’ve been having lots of fun in my classes thanks to my friends and much thoughtfulness on behalf of my teachers. So far, I have been able to have the classes I’ve taken translated into English, which helps to better understand the Finnish that I take notes on and listen to in class. My exams should be coming up in a week or two, so soon I’ll have another schedule. I am enjoying having a changing schedule, though it makes doing extensive, long-term projects for a class highly unlikely. Though concerning my biology class,  I did go on a backpacking trip in a national park with my school, led by the same geography/biology teacher. It was fun, and we walked over 20 kilometers through beautiful old forests.

Before I forget, let me tell you about the biggest difference between US and Finnish schools; Finnish schools have free lunch. And on top of that, it’s a healthy, hot lunch with lots of variety to choose from. When I go back to the USA, this is something I’ll miss sorely. You can even take seconds and no one minds! The cafeteria I go to is shared with the middle school students, the elementary students, and the Kauhajoki basketball team (this is both very cool and frightening, since they are one of the best teams in Finland, but when they walk past me on their way to the cafeteria, they all seem to tower ridiculously high over me). All the educational institutions, including the community college and library, are located in the same general vicinity, which happens to be conveniently placed near the center of town.

Looking back, I suppose that despite being taught in a different language and learning through a different system, school still feels like school. Not that it’s a problem, because I really have been enjoying school. I have to give a big thanks to my teachers, who have put in so much effort to help me succeed, and then another one to my friends, who inspire me to do my best. I’ve been quite fortunate to make friends, because my friends – all my friends, wherever they come from – are the ones who make school such a good experience. 

Kauhajoki & More: People, Places, and Events

Monday, September 12, 2011

On this day, I have been in Kauhajoki, Finland, for just over a month. I’ve become (somewhat) accustomed to where I am, in a town of just over 14,000 residents. Located in inland south-western Finland, Kauhajoki* is relatively quiet, surrounded by farmland and forests, but a beautiful place. It has cafés and a library, so I’m content.

*Interesting Trivia: During the Winter War with Russia in 1939-1940, Kauhajoki hosted the Finnish parliament.

What struck me the most when I got to Finland (and what set in once I got to Kauhajoki) was the lack of mountains. Wherever I go, I am used to being surrounded by mountains. Regardless of whether I’m in Colorado, Japan, Spain, or China, the mountains are always within reach. So being in the flattest part of Finland is a pretty big change for me. Luckily there are foothills spread out across Kauhajoki. But I’m not as bad off as I expected I would be, thanks to the trees. It may seem silly, but being surrounded by trees cheers me up. Before I came to Finland, I was worried that I’d feel a bit depressed by the lack of mountains, and that the land would feel barren, but all the trees make the land feel comfortable to me. Forests are one of my favorite things, and since four-fifths of Finland is covered by forests, that’s good for me.

Another thing that surprised me was how green everything was. Colorado is an arid place, so by August, most everything is already slightly withered by the sun and lack of moisture. But Finland is a whole other story. Even as the leaves are beginning to change colors here (which also makes for a very nice view), all around me there’s still plenty of green. It’s a nice change.  

On a different note, I’m currently living with the Oravamäki family. Following in the Rotarian ideals of gaining new perspectives on others, I will live with four families over the course of my year in Finland.* For now, I only know my current family and my third family, who both live in town, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens. My family consists of five people, though I’ve only met four of them. My isä (father) Petri, who works as vice president of Pinomatic, an independent company that designs and makes machines for other companies, both domestically and internationally.  My äiti (mother) Maisa, who works as a teacher at the preschool across the street from my lukio (high school).  Mira, 19, my sisko (sister), just graduated from Kauhajoen Lukio this spring and is currently living at home. She’s been a great help with my Finnish, and we get along well together. And lastly, there are the twins, 16, Henna and Joona. I haven’t actually met Henna in person, as she left for Indiana with RYE (Rotary Youth Exchange) a week or two before I came, but I have video-chatted a bit with her. My veli (brother) Joona is very athletic, and every day he seems to be practicing a new sport. He doesn’t go to my school, but the other high school in Kauhajoki, the kauppaoppilaitos (business school), which is a more hands-on school than the lukio which is more book based.

*This changes with every Rotary club, as I know some students have only one family throughout the year whereas in District 5450 (Colorado) each student typically has three families.

I have my own room, Henna’s room, which I think is quite cool. It has a light blue, silver, and brown pattern, and like each of the other bedrooms in the house, the wall is coated with wallpaper. I keep it pretty well organized, and (luckily) it has a bookcase. I hope that as my Finnish improves, I’ll be able to read the Harry Potter books Henna has. Other than a chair, a desk, a bed, a coat hanger, a brown box of winter clothing my parents shipped to me, a rug, and some cabinets, the most noticeable part of the room is all the sticky notes. These convenient little papers* help me to learn Finnish, and are also placed sporadically around the house.  The house itself is really nice, next to a hill and with trees dotting the perimeters. The house has a very open feel to it, and I’ve already taken the liberty of cat-napping in the sun room. It has an attic for sleepovers and videogames, a covered area for bikes connected to the garage, and while it has a shower room, instead of a bath there’s an electric sauna. As is customary in Finnish culture, we take our shoes off before entering the main house, and in the entrance room there’s a cabinet just for shoes.

                

            *Tietokone means computer.

About two weeks ago, we took a trip to Helsinki for the weekend, which was fantastic. It was a bit strange for me, because even though Helsinki is the biggest city in Finland,* and is said to be very spread out in comparison to other European cities, it still felt quite compact to me. Not that I have any right to judge, seeing as I was simply a tourist who spent her time in the city center, but when we first drove into Helsinki, it felt as if one moment we were in the forest and the next we were in the middle of an urban center. I guess it’s just because Denver’s metro area is so sprawling, and with the added traffic it can take hours to get from end to end. Of course, the trip was wonderful, and I had lots of fun going! We left on Saturday morning, and drove about four hours to reach Helsinki from Kauhajoki.  After a lunch break, we went to Suomenlinna (the Finnish Islands), where I actually met up with my classmate Thea** and her friends by chance! We also stopped by the dock market and got freshly grilled fish with mayonnaise, and watched a puppet show while walking back to our hotel, which was just across the street from the main railway station. In the evening we took a tram to an old amusement park (my favorite rides were the ones where I was upside-down) and went to a café where we watched partiers go from one club to another. On Sunday morning we went to a museum of Finnish history (very exciting!) and then headed back to Kauhajoki, making a brief stop in Tampere to visit family friends.

*Finland has a population of about 5.4 million people, the Helsinki metro area has a population of around 1.1 million.

**Thea was one of five students who I studied Finnish with in Colorado from January until May. She’s working on computer research at a university in Helsinki until December, and then she’ll be living in Sweden for a bit doing something similar.

Last weekend I went to Ruokamessu, a food festival with lots of traditional and modern Finnish food and handicrafts, with my friends Ida, Iida, and Anna.* What made the event even cooler was the fact that it was held on the property of a restored 200 year-old farm, and there was tons of people from out of town who had come for the event, so it was quite crowded in both the buildings and the outside stands. I stuffed my face with samplers, bought ice cream and chocolate and fried fish and postcards and ate more samplers, and then had a warm lunch of fish chowder!

             

            *Anna (from Germany) is the other Rotary exchange student in Kauhajoki.

From left to right it's Anna, Ida, and Iida

 This past weekend I went hiking in the woods with my host family, cooking makara (sausage) over a fire in the rain, and then hanging out in the evening at a basketball scrimmage* between a Swedish team and the Kauhajoki team with my friend Reetta. We ate pulla (sweet bread) and talked throughout the game. Sitting right next to us was Anna’s host mother, and directly below us was my host father’s sister and her husband. The night before I had actually gone to their house and went to the smoke sauna with her, and we jumped into their pool during the sauna breaks. And yesterday I just stayed inside, studying for my school exams, which start this Friday.

                

           *Kauhajoki won: 106 to 104.

Sorry for the long entry! I just want to get everyone up to date on what I’ve been doing and who I’ve been with. I’ve been avoiding the topic of school because that’s what I’ll be writing about for my next entry, but it’s a bit hard not to reference it at all, seeing as how that’s where most of my social interactions come from. I’ll do my best to be quick about getting the next blog up! Anyways, feedback is welcome. Please tell me what I can do to improve my blog and make it easier to follow. Currently, I’m toying with the idea of making short blogs, posting sections instead of a long jumble of information. I got the idea based off of Robert’s blog (Robert is a friend from Canada, look at the Karku Orientation blog for more details) http://exchangeyearinfinland.blogspot.com/. Much thanks to everyone who’s been reading this and for all of your encouragement! 

Karkku Orientation Camp

Thursday, September 1^st , 2011

Although a bit late, here’s an account of my adventures at the Karkku* Orientation Camp.

*Karkku is a small town about an hour away from Tampere, Finland’s third largest city and the largest in-land city in Scandinavia.

Hosted by the Rotary Club, the week-long camp was held at Karkku Evangelical Boarding School. Just more than 120 exchange students were there, learning how to speak Finnish, Swedish, and Estonian. It also helped us to make new friends and get comfortable with our surroundings, inform us of our responsibilities as representatives of Rotary and our countries, and get a feel of Finland’s culture. I think it was a great experience for all of us, and succeeded its goal.

Sunnuntai (Sunday) – After arriving at 11:30 pm, I dragged my bags up a muddy hill (the cabin I was at was one of the farthest from the main building) to meet the other five girls who were my roommates.  After brief introductions, we all collapsed and fell asleep.

Maanantai (Monday) – Consisted mostly of lectures by various speakers, lots of information and greeting new people. Everyone had a short language session, mainly to find out who had any previous knowledge of the language. Many students were still completely exhausted from jet-lag, but for the most part we were kept busy and stuffed with food. We had five mealtimes; breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and an evening snack. Luckily, this gave me an excuse to practice my Japanese.  Throughout the week, I used my Japanese quite a bit with the six others at camp who spoke Japanese; four girls and one boy from Japan, and a Finnish tutor who had gone to Hokkaido with Rotary two years before. It’s always nice to practice a language you know, and I was happy to help with translation during the week.  Monday is also the day on which I went to my first “real” sauna*. The sauna is one of the best-known Finnish traditions, in which you go into a dry wooden room, light a fire, and let the heat warm and cleanse you. About every ten to fifteen minutes, you get out and take a quick, cold shower and (if possible) you go jump into a lake. Even in the winter! You simply carve a hole in the ice, and jump into it. Rolling yourself in snow is also quite popular (or so I’ve been told…).

             

         *Sauna is the only word in the English language that comes from Finnish.

Tiistai (Tuesday) – I again woke up at 7:00 am (all the days started this way) and after a breakfast consisting of porridge with fruit jam and rye bread with butter, ham, and cucumbers, I went to my Finnish class. It was just going over the basics like olen lukiolainen (I’m a high school student) and minun nimi on… (My name is…). It wasn’t too difficult, but included many important basic phrases and words. There was probably about twelve or so different groups of students, with separate classes for the students learning Estonian and Swedish. (a combined group of ten kids). For me, the afternoon was quiet, consisting of a lecture about school festivals and free time, which I used to finish my Rotary presentation about Colorado.

Keskiviikko* (Wednesday) – Wednesday was an exciting day, because even though we still had Finnish lessons in the morning, after lunch we got to take a trip to Tampere, and use what we had learned! Or in my case, Puhutko Englantia? (Do you speak English?). After an hour or two of sightseeing in a bus, we were given free rein to explore central Tampere. Armed with my friends Christina (fellow Coloradan),   Chloe (Chicago), and Robert (otherwise known as Canada), we went on a shopping frenzy. First we went to Hesburger, Finland’s premiere fast-food restaurant, then to the dock (Tampere is in the center of two lakes) where we purchased fresh strawberries, consumed potato pancakes, and loaded down Robert with two bags of scarves. (With scarves being so in fashion, useful in winter, and priced at three euros, how can you not want to buy one!) For the next hour we just sort of wandered, looking at postcards, people, and shoes. After heading back to the bus stop, Chloe and I bought ice cream (using our new Finnish skills) and checked out a meat market before meeting back up with the rest of the group on the bus back to Karkku. After dinner, we again got on the bus, this time to Sastamala Church (an old candle-lit church in the middle of farmland) for a talent show, and some students were even brave enough to perform in front of everyone.

                

      

        *Keskiviikko literally means “middle of the week.”

Torstai (Thursday) – This may have been the longest day at camp for me. Because Thursday was a day  devoted to language classes from breakfast until dinner. Not that it wasn’t useful, because I really did learn lots of vocabulary and verb conjugations, but it’s just… it lasted so long. I think everyone was glad to see the evening free time come. I actually put this time to good use, talking to some of the Finnish tutors about their exchanges and asking all about what their daily lives in Finland are like. It was a nice, quiet evening, spent talking with friends and drawing with Brett (Idaho) and Chloe (Chicago).

Perjantai (Friday) – Friday was the last full day spent at camp, our last day of language lessons and filled with anticipation. When classes had finished, we went to our final lecture in the afternoon, one that again discussed how important it was that we represent ourselves well. It really helped me to think about my actions, and honestly, it still rings true to me. Of course, once that last bit of responsibility was placed on us, we had a party. Well, sort of. It was more of a world talent show, each country choosing representatives or going up as a whole to act out songs and dances. It was a little bit chaotic, but then everything involved with more than 120 teenagers from across the world is. I actually participated in three separate events (not including when everyone got up and danced): in the English and Finnish versions of ‘Brother John, Are You Sleeping?’ (Sponsored by Germany), the Finnish version of ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes’ (when Robert was doing some last minute preparations for the Canadian performance) and as a tech/translator/dancer in Japan’s show (the Japanese tutor had gone missing, so I was called in to make sure that the music would work from a Japanese i-pod, then asked to join in the dancing). All in all, it was a wonderful end to the week.

Lauantai (Saturday) – Saturday was the frantic, double-checking, exciting, tearful goodbye day.  We split up into our separate countries and then later into our districts, getting last minute information and hints of future events to come. Most people were packing, hoping that they weren’t keeping their host families waiting, but I had packed in advance, on Friday night, so when I ran into my host parents, I was all ready to go. I didn’t cry, even though I've made some great friends, because I know that when winter comes, I’ll be able to see all of them in Lapland. (But I will admit to a watery eye or two!)

I am so happy that I got the opportunity to meet others who have the same opportunities I have, and I can’t wait to see them all again. I was able to better learn how I am viewed as an individual and an American, and to discover more about other cultures. This week gave me insight on what I may want to do, how to go about to push myself in the right direction, and to strengthen my resolve as an ambassador to Finland. It was an extraordinary week, and I can only hope that others got as much out of it as I did.