27th- 29th

On Thursday we didn't do much. we stayed inside and chilled. At night we watched the movie dictator which was really funny. On Friday we went to Vaasa and shopped. I hit up the sales and got some nice new clothes and shoes then we had kebab and watched the hobbit which was a really good movie. We came home, and played games and then watched the avengers. On the Saturday we all woke up late. I woke up at 11 and made mac n cheese. Then we just chilled all day. Essi the second eldest daughter left at around . Alexsi( brother), Jonas( cousin) and I have been playing games all day. At midnight we went and got kebab and are now playing black ops.

25th and 26th

umm well yesterday was Christmas and we went to Seinäjoki to have dinner with my host father's sister and her family. The dinner was great and we relaxed for a while then went sledding. That was an interesting experience for me. I ate it soo much. Today the 26th I went to my first family for dinner. It as fun and I got to see the whole family including the eldest daughters and there husband and kids. The eldest just has a baby girl a couple weeks a go and she is soo cute. Her name is Soma which means cute. I came home and have played xbox, and watched movies with my sisters and brother. I just got done playing SingStar( I failed). Now I am writing this and waiting to watch Star War with the second eldest daughter and my brother. Should be a fun night.

The weekend and Christmas eve

Ok umm on Saturday my package didn't arrive which made me sad. Yet I did go shopping all day in Vaasa with my host brother and Eldest sister. That was fun. Sunday I didn't do much. Cleaned a lot. Went ice skating by my house( I failed). I also helped make mustard( which went on the ham today). Today was Christmas Eve. Today is the big day in Finland. I helped clan some more, and also helped get stuff ready for the meal. At around 3 everyone started to arrive. There was of course our family, My host dads sister's family, grandmother and my host brothers girlfriend. We laughed and drank a Finnish drink called Golgi( the o has two dots over it). Then I read from he bible( tradition for Finns) then we ate. The food was good. Had a carrot and then a turnip casserole, cheesy veggies, salmon, baked ham with a mustard- bread crumb covering, potato's, and gravy. Then for dessert we had a like coffee chocolate vanilla dish my eldest host sister made. It was really good and tasted like jamocha almond fudge. Then we opened gifts. I go a lot so I wont name them, But it was a good Christmas. I did receive a lot of chocolate which will probably last me until next week( a normal person a year). Then we had coffee and people left. A little later on we went to the cemetery to put candles on the grave of my host father's father and brother. It was a beautiful sight with candles on every grave. There was even a place where you could put candles for family who has passed elsewhere. I wish I would have bought a couple to place for my aunt and nephew. Then came home and exchanged a couple more special gifts for us fam. Then watched a movie( brave) in Finnish and drank Swiss mix coco( a gift). Now I am getting ready for bed. Night.

Tuesday the 18th-Friday the 21st

Well I have been having issues with my blog so I'm sorry for being so slow. I didn't do much on Tuesday except have to sing in school. Wednesday day was a long day because it is my most full day of the week. Thursday was a boring day but good. I went and got a haircut so now I'm not a long haired hippie any more. Um Friday( today) was supposed to be the end of the world but it wasn't( what a shock) and It was a good day. Kinda slow but good. I wore off and on a st of reindeer antlers that light up and play we wish you a merry Christmas and a red flashing nose. I got home early today because we were let out early and Then I took a small nap. Awoke and found only my dad home. My mom and sister when to another town. So I made dinner( messed it up) and also helped his clear rooms and remove flooring( moving the dog into my sisters room and sister into the dogs). Skyped with my parents and now I am getting ready for bed. Tomorrow I have to go to the church to listen to a concert for school. Also my package from home should be here tomorrow so lets hope it does or else a bunch of people arn't getting gifts until after Christmas. Also it is currently -13 or -15( heard them both) degrees Celsius out side. which is either 8 or 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Monday the 17th

well today was a good day. School went fine( except I had to walk to school because my bike was messed up). Before school I sent some letters and post cards to the family( yes mom I sent you the SD card). I didn't have math because our teacher is sick which is a rarity. After school I slept a little then got ready for the Rotary Christmas party. That started at 7 and was very formal. I was dressed up with a blue dress shirt, blue tie, tan slacks, and my blazer. It was to formal for my liking but I enjoyed seeing all the Rotarian's. It lasted for two hours. We had some food, coffee and some entertainment. I got a lift home from one of the Rotarian's and had a nice talk on the way. Came home, showered and am now getting ready for bed. Good night.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Well I haven't posted because blogger wasn't working right but here I am now. Thursday was a pretty uneventful day except I accidentally slept in late and missed my math class. Friday was a good day. Was supposed to go bowling but instead we played floor ball because the teacher couldn't get buses. My feat hurt really bad after that. Got home , walked the dog, the later went to a concert that some kids put on. Was really nice. Saturday I spent all day in Helsinki shopping. Bought a flag, the book Kalevala, a post card and some American stuff.  I ate at the Fazer cafe and then later at Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut was different but really good. Then on Sunday I went and cut down a tree( which was awesome). Then later went to a concert and skyped with my family. I am currently writing this blog while also writing post cards and letters to family. Tomorrow is school( last week before Christmas) and then that night a rotary Christmas party. Kinda nervous but excited.

Tuesday the 12th and Wednesday the 13th

Well yesterday was good. Gave a presentation to the school about my life, and my exchange. Today was a really boring day. It started at 6:30 when I woke up. I didn't sleep well so I was really tired. I had math at 7:40 then a break. Two periods of history then music. Lunch was fish soup so I only ate a little. After lunch there was a debate but I didn't go because I wouldn't understand it. I instead read my history book( in English). Then I had two health classes and went home. I ate dinner with my host dad then we played pool. He beat me both times. Now I am gettin ready to shower and go to bed. Long boring day tomorrow. Wish me luck. Also if any of you would like to send me a letter for Christmas that would be great. Address is museonranntie 7. Laihia 66400 Finland.

Sunday he 9th and Monday the 10th

Ok well on Sunday I was shopping ALL day. We went to a huge store that is like Costco but you can buy individual products. It was incredible. Had almost everything. Key word almost. They didn't have Finnish flags or any cool snowmen. I got some new cloths which was nice. Monday was a school day. Was the first day of the new course I have been to because it started while I was in Lapland. It was an interesting day. Music class is gonna be fun though ha ha. I can't play guitar or sing and next week we have to sing Christmas songs... in Finnish.....ha ha. I came home and did laundry then tried to take a nap but failed. So then I started copying what I missed in History and then ate dinner and finished it. Then I made sure my PowerPoint I made was good. Tomorrow is a International day and I have to give a presentation about my life and my exchange. Should be interesting. But now I am off to sleep.

Saturday the 8th

Well last couple of days have been slow and boring and stress full. Got in a little trouble with rotary( no biggy). It's getting worked out. Then Other then that haven't done much except work on a PowerPoint for school. Today I was gonna go to a football practice then found out my insurance doesn't cover it so I was gonna go and get my pads, meet the kids, and watch but my councilor said I cant even do that. How I found this was first he told my Host mother via facebook then called her. Meanwhile I called him and he 1) didn't answer and 2) didn't call. That really really made me angry. But then my host mom and sister and I went to Vaasa and met up with some other family and went shopping. The rest of the day was devoted to relaxing and working on the PowerPoint. Also tonight( tomorrow morning for me) is the annual Army vs Navy football game. All I got to say is GO NAVY BEAT ARMY!!!!!!

Lapland Tour

Well I just got home from a week long rotary tour. All exchange students In Finland and Estonia( with a few exceptions) went to the North of Finland which is known as Lapland. It was absolutely amazing. It started off with a 10 hour bus ride to Muonio Finland where we stayed. Then on the day we got there we went skiing/ Snowboarding. I did cross country. The second day we skied. The skiing was great and I learned to enjoy cross country.We also went to a local school and watched a band play and some plays then each country presented an act. The Americans did Jingle Bell Rock. Then we went back to the hotel. On we split up. Two buses went to a museum/ national park along with a Lapp house and we got to feed reindeer. The national park was beautiful. Oh to tell you about the weather it was snowy and cold all week. But it made it look like a winter scene from a movie. Was breathtaking. At the Lapp house we learned about Lapp culture a little and fed reindeer. We learned that their are NO wild reindeer in Finland. then we all went back for lunch. During our lunch break a few of us decided to make colored water balloons( food dye, water, and balloons) then freeze them. They turned out really cool( pics coming later). Then we split again. My bus and another went to the huskies and reindeer. We got to go on a dog sled ride( which was awesome) then a reindeer sleigh ride. Then we snow shooed back. We ate dinner then chilled. We then went and had a little party and the Oldies( ones who've been here for a long time) passed down gifts. It was a really emotional time. Then we danced some more then slept. On Tuesday we packed up and headed for Santa land and Rovennimi. We got to meet Santa and see his elves then had an amazing lunch in Rovennimi. That was last time we will see a lot of the oldies and the last time we may see other newbies if they don't go on other tours. There was lots of hugging and some crying. The bus ride home was a lot of fun and felt fast. I got dropped off at Vaasa at 0:10 or 12:10 . Came home and slept. Then when I woke up I was sad. I feel closer to all these kids some of whom I've only known for a week then I do with a lot of people back home. It's life changing.

Wednesday the 28th

Ok today was a good day. It was my last exam( geography) and I feel pretty good about it.  I ate lunch then went home. I chilled for a while then grabbed my laundry. For dinner my dad and I made tacos:) which was great.  Then my last host dad came by and dropped off some stuff I left and a letter from my Finnish lessons that went there. Then I made coffee and just did some stuff in my room. I went out before I came to write my blog I was talking to my host parents about a scarf for Lapland and my host dad brought out one of those face hoods so I put it on. Well the dog didn't like it and kinda lunged at me so I ripped the hood off real fast. But now off to bed. Long day tomorrow.

Tuesday the 27th

Today was a pretty good day. I got up at 7:30 and went to school for my math exam. I was super nervous. I got into the text and the Englisher teacher Sisko had translated the test into English. As I'm looking at the test I was honestly thinking I was gonna fail. I went and ate lunch after and was about to go home when one of the first years in my class informed me I had to stay because we had o listen to Onni( the teacher) go over the answers. So I'm sitting there not looking at the screen and he's like ' sakari" and then says some other stuff and I tell him I don't wanna watch because I know I failed. So it gets over and everyone leaves. I was last out because I had to put my coat on. He starts talking to me about how I did 7 problems instead of 6 and then tells me my score. I was hoping for at least a 5 but got a 6-7. I was soo happy I skipped out of the class room hollarin and screamin. Then went home and had a great rest of the day. Now off to bed. Geography exam tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Monday the 26th

Well today was another Monday. It was good though because I didn't have school. I woke up at 11 this morning and lounged around. At 2:45 I walked to the bus station to catch a bus to Vaasa. In Vaasa I met my friend Jose and I went and got some stuff I needed. These included a book of math equations, a mouth piece, and some water balloons. Then we just chilled fora little. At 5 my mom picked me up and took me home. There my dad made a bacon, egg and spaghetti noodle dish which was really good. Then my parents went to my dad's moms house and I studied for my math final tomorrow. I'm REALLY nervous for it because I need to pass it. If I can at least get a 5 tomorrow I will be very happy. But not back to studying then sleep. Night

Saturday and sunday the 24th and 25th

Ok so Saturday I was tired and didn' post but I made my self post today.On Saturday my parents and I went to Ilmajoki to watch a greco wrestling tournament. I wanted to go because I heard that the U.S Marine Corps wrestling team was gonna be there. Well they weren't but I did meet members from USA wrestling. I also hung out with my friend Crystal. We stayed for a little while then Crystal and her mom along with my parents and I went to a store called Mäki. It was all American stuff. Mostly car parts but it sold some cloths( really stereotypical country cloths and designer boots) and some food. I bought some pop tarts, skittles, Hershey's and recess sticks. My mom bought skittles then bought me a 12 pack of Dr.Pepper. Then we left and went to Seinäjoki to get me winter cloths. I got everything I needed and we went home. The rest of the night was uneventful. Today Sunday I cleaned my room and then made Mac-n-cheese for my family.They liked it which made me happy. Now it's late and I am going to bed.

Friday. the 23

Well today was a good day besides the fact I had to be up at 7:30 to be at the school nurses office at 8:30. She asked some questions that are about how I am feeling. So I told her everything is good then went home. When I got home I went straight to bed. I woke up at hour or two later, went down stairs and let the dog out and watched TV. Then after bout an hour I went up stairs and finished getting all the information I wanted to talk about for my presentation. Yet I got stuck on a name. That lasted all day until I skyped with the name " Oregon: Definitely not Jersey Shore". which made me laugh. Then I went down and hung my laundry and showered. I also found out that tomorrow in a town near by the United States Marine Crops wrestling team will be there wrestling. So I asked my parents to go and they said yes. We will also be going shopping in Senäjoki. Now off to bed. Early and a exciting day tomorrow.

The last three days

alright I have been lazy and haven't posted in three days. Sorry. Tuesday was my last full day before exam week. So I went to school. No biggy. Wednesday I stayed at home all day and had a nice relaxing day. I was gonna go workout but I convinced myself that it was gonna be a long 3 km walk if it seemed like it was gonna rain. So I didn't go. Thursday( today) was my first exam. It was philosophy. It was pretty easy and I put a lot of fluff into the essay thing I wrote. Then after the exam I went and had a nice easy starting workout. Then came back, ate lunch( pea soup and pancake) and then waited for a little while for a girl in the upper English class to ask me questions because she missed some lessons. After that I went home and slept. I was awake when my dad yelled for food and I came down and ate a noodle( spaghetti) and sauce dish. The sauce tasted ti me like gravy and I thought it was turkey but it turned out to be tuna and I was really surprised. Then my dad took my little sister to practice for her play which the rest of us went to watch at 6:30. It was pretty cool. Then we came back and ate some pulla and talked. I then went up to my room( door open) and started writing down facts about Oregon and found some pretty cool facts. A little later I watched the " Mentalist" with my dad then went and showered. Now I'm about ready for bed. Tomorrow I have my nurse appointment( have to go) at 8:30. I really don't wanna go but I have to.

Monday the 19th

Well today was Monday. Yay...... not. It went fast though. After school I planned on working out but I didn't because I was so tired so I came straight home and slept. I woke up at 4 and went downstairs and ate kebab( meat pile, small salad and fries) which my mom brought home for us( each had one expect mom who had a pizza). I only ate maybe half because it was a lot of food. Then I went upstairs and changed for Rotary. Today was my first Rotary meeting since my Finnish lessons started. It was someones birthday today so there was coffee and cake( which were good). While there I asked about playing football and the insurance part of it. We are still trying to work things out. They didn't give me a definite answer about the insurance because they weren't completely sure. I also told them about how my experience so far is going. Then they talked about some matters including my football( still undecided). Then the meeting was adjourned and I went home. I got home and finished my meal and then went to work putting pins on my blazer. That took me about an hour. After word I showered and got caught up watching the bone collector. Now though I am writing my blog and getting ready for bed.

Christmas season

Alright well I know the tittle will seem a bit early for you folks in the states but it's on time here. How you ask? Well I will tell you. Today in the morning was really slow.  The two eldest daughters were here ( one since Friday) and so we talked and I had one try and help me with math. Was really confusing. Then my host mom's niece came over with her little kids and were over for a little while. Then they left and the rest of us ate. Then we sat and chilled for a little while and the second eldest daughter told me about her chocolate .addiction and then also her Star Wars themed party she will be having sometime soon( I don't get to go :/ ) Then She put some Tabasco in hr chocolate milk to See how it is. I tried it and didn't taste any different but maybe that's because I'm use to Tabasco. Then the second eldest left to catch her train back to Oulu. The rest of us just kept chilling. At 5 my mom, little sister and the eldest daughter went to Vaasa. We dropped of the eldest daughter a her place and she ran in and got me her extra calculator which is nice. Then my mom, sis and I went to the center to look at the fireworks and Christmas decorations. In the center were a bunch of booths especially candy so of course I took pictures. I also got pictures of everything. Now on to yesterday. Yesterday I went to Seinäjoki for a rotary Christmas party. I brought cookies I made for food. There was about 15 of us and a ton of sweets. We played Wii and sing star and then a couple of us( including me) went and played on some toys outside. The one toy we played on was kinda like a marry go-round. So of course we spun on it and made challenges. Well I kinda fell down after one of my times on the thing and it was funny. Then the rest of the people came out and we walked around and talked. Now off to bed. Tomorrow is a long day. School early in the morning. Workout after school, then Rotary at 5.

Got to get down on friday.

Well today was Friday. I got up at 6:30 as usual and went to English.  English was super easy and then I went through the rest of the day. Today's lunch was soup with rolls:) was really good. Then I got to leave an hour early because the English teacher said I could go home because they were only doing grammar. I came straight home and slept. I was soo tired. Then I got up, ate and my little sister and mother went to a dog class thing so my dad and I were left home. We ended up cleaning the house and then playing pool. He beat me. Then I watched finding nemo in Finnish! It was awesome. when my mother and little sister came home I made cookies for the rotary district 1380 Christmas party tomorrow. But now I am off to bed. Oh before I go I need to tell you about my great mom. She went to an American store and bought be a Cherry Coke. It was amazing.

Thursday the 15th

So today is an important date for two days. One it means I have two weeks until Lapland, and two it is also the half way point in no shave November. Now I don't wanna brag but my beard is coming a long nicely. Today was a pretty good day. School went good( boring as usual) and then I went home. As soon as I got home I took the dog for a walk. That dog likes to smell EVERYTHING. It is also a really strong dog. If I was any weaker it would pull me. Then my mom came home and brought dinner. It was from a burger place called 55. It was pretty good. Then we went to Vaasa for my little sisters play. We dropped her off to get ready( after picking up my dad at his work) then my mom and I went across the street to a store called MiniManni. It's like Wal-Mart.We bought cheese to make my Mac-n-Cheese, and Tabasco( chipotle and jalapeno). Then we tried to find an American isle( I heard there was one) but couldn't( wanted to make brownies) so we bought cookie mix. Then we checked out and went back. We waited for a half hour then watched the play.  It was pretty good. Then we went home and now I am getting ready for bed. Night

Tuesday and wednesday(13th ja 14th)

Well not much happened these last couple of days. Tuesday was a typical Tuesday and I got to Skype with my parents. My mom let slip that they bought my friend who moved 88' jeep Comanche and its running which made me happy because now I have a truck for when I get back. On Wednesday I woke up and had a HUGE headache. It lasted all day and never went away. Might have slackened a bit but never went a way. The classes were boring. Didn't help I was really tired haha. Only had classes until lunch then went home. I put my stuff away then came down stairs wand watched TV with the dog. I watched the Disney channel and watched a couple shows in Finnish and a couple in English. The Disney channel here is pretty inconsistent haha. Then I slept for a couple hours because of the headache and guess what. It still didn't go away. Came down stairs ate with the family then did some homework. Family did there stuff. Then came down for a shower, talked with the fam and now am getting ready for bed. I really think I'm gonna like it here.

Halloween pics

  Anna and Saara as devils and Katariina as well A spider thing.

 Front door decorations.

 Ohhhh scary stairs haha

 Board in the break room.

 Fortune Teller. 100% accuarte

 Juuso the Mummy and his sex face.

 Noora the hippie

 Veera as a fallen angel

 

Outi as well just dressed up.

Paula the Princess

Tuuli as Minny













A mummy and a cowboy. New movie idea.

Tommi as well I dont really know












Anku as a pirate

Mia as something scary( amazing costume)












My favorite drawing from the drawing contest.

First monday with new fam

Well today was my second full day with my new family and so far everything is going great. I woke up at my normal time(0630) and got ready for school. Still had a massive headache this morning so I took some pills and it went away and I had a good day except for the weather. It rained right up until I left for the bus stop. So on the way home from school I got soaked( took me longer to get home because of a head wind). I got home home and played with the dog a bit then went to the stop. Today was my last Finnish lesson which made me happy. Then I got home and did some Psych home work. Then ate with the family and then did the first night questions. Which was pretty easy. Now I am getting ready for bed. Long day tomorrow.

Sunday the 11th( fathers/ veterens day)

Well today was Veterans day as well as Finnish Fathers Day. It was also a very bad day.I woke up feeling fine and Finnish unpacking and putting stuff away. Then I started feeling sick. Even the sight of food made me feel sick so for breakfast I only drank juice. Then I did my laundry( was shard but I did it) then went and slept. I slept or like 2 or 3 hours.  I was awoken by a knock asking if I was well enough to eat. I went down stairs and made myself eat a little steak and potato's( what was for dinner) and all I drank was juice. Then I took my laundry out and hung it up to dry. Went back up stairs and layed down. I just layed there. Well I started to think I was feeling warm so I went down stairs to get a thermometer. I tried o use it and it didn't work. So I went back upstairs.I checked my email, and am writing my blog. Soon I'm gonna shower and go to sleep( its only 5:30). I really wanna go to school tomorrow but if I feel like this tomorrow I am not going to school or my lessons. So goodnight everyone and Happy Veterans? Fathers day.

Saturday the 10th

Well today was a big day for two reasons. First it was moving day (  moved to my second host family) and Second it is the 237th Marine Corps birthday. The Marine Corps thing is pretty self explanatory. Now The moving thing is a little more interesting. I woke up around 9 ( after waking up at 4) and made sure everything was packed up. Then I commenced cleaning. I cleared my bed of pad cover, sheets, comforter, and a extra blanket. Also took The pillow cases off the pillows. Then I chilled for a little bit and then helped my first host mom cook a meal. We ate ( host mom, older sis and myself). Then I waited some more. After a little my host dad and little sister came home from some volleyball games. They ate and then my host parents and I went to my new family. There I met the family's eldest daughter( was an exchange student to Cali in 02) and all of us( new fam and old host parents) sat and talked then had coffee and some food. Then my old parents left. I teared up a little but pushed them back. Then came the arboures task of unpacking. I'm mostly done but have some stuff to do tomorrow. Tonight I watched journey 2 the mysterious island which was really good. Then showered, ate some food with the fam and now am in my room unpacking some more trying to minimize what I do tomorrow. While walking to go upstairs I passed the TV and on TV was bochy ball. I couldn't believe bochy ball was a sport. But anyway night everyone.

Friday the 9th

Well today was an uneventful school day because everything went normal. After school I came home and did the rest of my packing. I left some things out for tomorrow( deoderent, computer, camera, tooth paste, etc.). Then later in the night around 8 my host parents and i made joluutorrtut(spelling is probally wrong) which is a christmad food. It's crust reminded me of arby's turn overs and when I made one of them it looked just like a turn over ( there were three design we made). Inside was a home made plum jelly which was amazing. It only took them 10-15 minutes to cook and then we ate them. They were delicious. Now I am off to bed. Tomorrow is gonna be a long stressfull day. Tomorrow is the day i move to my new host family so I am execting a lot of tears. So good night everyone.

Thursday the 8th

So today was Thursday the 8th which was International Hug an Exchange student Day. I got like 15 hugs. Made me really happy. The Day went really usual and boring until after lunch. My first period after lunch is English but today I gave a presentation to a class of 8th graders about my home and let them ask me questions. Then I took my free period and did it again for another class. After that I came home, sat for a little bit and started packing. I didnt realize how much stuff  had. But i got most of it packed and will finnish up tomorrow. Now off to the shower and bed. I have a philosophy test tomorrow. Wish me luck. I'll need it.

5th and 6th

Well nothing interesting happened on the 5th so I didn't write about it. The 6th however was different. The morning started out like any morning. Cold and I was tired. There was snow on the ground which was cool. I got to the main school building and put my stuff away then walked to the c building for psychology. We had two periods and a break in between so during the break I went to the main building( which is across a big yard) to get some coco. Well it was slushing yes slushing. It's that rain snow mix we all hate so much and I walked through it with no jacket. My hair was soaked. So I got my coco and went back to the class ( it stopped slushing) and had a good period. Then went to geography, philosophy, and English, then lunch. I didn't eat lunch because I wasn't feeling good so I went home. I relaxed until 2:45 and walked to the bus and went to my lesson. I met Jose and we went to a couple of sports stores and chilled. We went to McDonald's to eat( was cheapest) and as I was ordering I ordered in Finglish( all Finnish except the word medium) and I kinda joked with the guy and said " sorry I speak Finglish" he's like its ok I do to and we laughed. After we ate it was only 4:30 so i showed him some more stores. The lesson was  good and it went fast. Next Monday is my last lesson. On the way home I was chattin with the Rotarian's and listening to the radio. Over the radio came an add for tickets to Swedish House Mafia which is a really good group and I was all excited. Then I got home, checked my mail, downloaded some pictures for the presentations I am giving tomorrow to some younger classes and got caught up watching coke adds. All were really awesome. Now I am getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is International Hug an Exchange Student Day and I am determined to have a good day no matter what.

Another monday ugh

well today was Monay the 5th. It's a monday so I automatically hate it. Todays school was really boring seeing as I was really tired. I left school and came home and chilled for about 45 minutes then left for Vaasa for my lessons. I got there at around 4 and had to wait for my friend Jose for half an hour. His usual bus was late so made him late. We then ate at Subway( was just like the states) and then went to our lesson. Lesson went fast which was good because I was tired and I had a skype appointment withmy parents. We skyped for about two hours( didn't seem that long). Talked about a lot of things. Those include the election, Finnish school an cops, my school next year, and talking to rotary about hosting a student next year. I just showerd and am ready for bed. Hopefully I can actually sleep tonight. See everyone tomorrow.

Sunday the 4th

Well today was a good day. Went to Vaasa with my family and wen to the museum. It was cool because it had a lot from early Vaasa and then animals, rocks, plants, and  coins. Was the whole deal. After that we went to a mexcian resturant called " Pancho Villa". That should have been my first sign. We get in there and we seat our selves. It had a very Taco Time feel to it. So then I had to ask for an english menu because the others were in Finnish and Swedish. As im looking at the menu I get very disapointed. Only a small section was mexican. The rest were burgers, and other assorted meals. The only mexican foods were burritos, quesadilas, and fajitas. Even the deserts wernt mexican. So I orderd a burger called the  Hot Hot. It came and was good sized and had a good amount of fries. I took three bites and my mouth was ablaze. It was to hot and had little flavour. Also this resturant didnt even have tapitio. It had tobassco. granted I love tobassco but a mexican resturant should have tapitio. So i get donewith the burger and some fries then we go home. I go to my room and start relaxing and looking thourgh my thing. Why you may ask. Because This upcoming Saturday( the 10th). Kinda excited and kinda sad. Goodnight everyone

Friday the 2nd and Saturday the 3rd

Well I kinda forgot to post yesterday so here it is. Nothing really special happened yesterday except I hung out with Sirke and her friends and we watched a chick flick called "lol" and I'm ashamed to admit this but I liked it. We also ate homemade bread( which is amazing) and a homemade fruit cocktail with peaches, mango, oranges, bananas and apples. It was really good. So on Saturday( today) we were gonna go to the Vaasa museo( museum) but it was closed so my host parents and I went to a bird reserve place which was really neat because of how open it was. Sadly we didn't see any birds but met some really nice folks. We came home and I helped my host dad wash the car which was interesting because the soap made little soap balls. Then I relaxed a little and started doing homework( math) then had a nice dinner. After dinner I tried doing math again which I finally gave up on because I suck at it and that's the point in time I decide I'm gonna work at McDonald's. I tried reading a Finnish kids book and failed at that which set my hopes of learning Finnish even lower. While trying to read the book my host mom went for a walk and when she came back I asked how it was and she told me it was nice and she went or a walk through the cemetery because it was Halloween which I forgot about. Oops. Now I am showered and ready for bed. Tomorrow we are going to Vaasa for the museo and dunno what else.

November 1st

Well today was a boring day at school as usual. Today though we had a class meeting( every class did) and talked about examine week and some graduation stuff. I had to stay a Little bit longer because my mandatory nurse visit which everyone has to do was changed from the 6th to the 13th. I also had to fill out some questioner's . One about my life and feelings and the other about my drinking habits. I  filled them out so I seem like a depressed drunk haha. I have one more to fill out tomorrow but it is in Finnish so Jukka the history teacher and my class advisor will help me fill it out tomorrow while he interviews me for something. I'm pretty sure he has to. Anyway I came home and did laundry then relaxed and rested because I was super tired. I learned this when I was at school on a free period laying on the couch and I was half awake/ half asleep. My friend Miika came and rubbed my cheek( dunno why) and i didn't feel it. I opened my eyes for some reason and looked up and he said " you shaved" and then explained what happened. Yea was kinda embarrassed. Now off to bed.

Halloween!!!

Well today was Halloween! one of my favorite holidays. I Dressed up as a cowboy and had a pretty good time at school. The first years and student government decorated the school( was cheap yet good) and wore costumes. I helped give ideas for decorations an even helped make a play list for the day( out in the classics from the movies). I got some pictures of the decorations and people in costumes so I will upload those later. The classes were boring as usuall. My walk to the lesson was really cold today but I survived. I didn't wear my costume because i took it off when i got home. Jose didnt meet me today so i had some time to kill and went to a store called Dressman which is an all guys store. I Finally found my pants size. I had to go a size bigger because the jeans here are made a little tighter. The lesson was boring but i learned a little bit. The way home was kinda sad. The guy who took me home had a 6 year old german sheperd. She had cancer so she was laying/ sitting in the back and would wine and make noises like Devo did( Devo was my familys first police dog). So made me a little sad but i hid it. Now i am off to shower and sleep. Got math in the morning. Yay.

Tuesdaty the 30th

Well today was a normal day besides the fact it was cold, windy, rainy and icy on the way to school. I learned the hard way that there may be ice under the slush. Anyway school was kinda boring today like most days because ya know it's school. It was fun though hanging out with my Friends. Phsycology was kinda interesting because we talked about values and had to write about what we think American and Finnish values are. What we think a value is and what our values are. My friend Juuso wrote McDonald's as an American value. Kinda made me laugh. When I got home I went to my room and did home work, Listened to music and skyped my friend Alex in Thailand. I also Showed my friend Alex and my host mom how I looked in my cowboy costume. It is so cheesy yet funny. I have a really bad cowboy hat, bandanna, mustache, and a holster. I also have a broom handle horse:) it is gonna be a lot of fun. Now I am off to the shower and then to bed. I am very tired and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

Monday the 29th

Well today was kinda a bad day. Started off with me having to run home to get my phone and wallet then a boring lesson of phsycology. Went on with the day and saw one of my friends had some posters to let people know about the Halloween stuff going on Wednesday. I asked to help and she said no and told me to ask the first years since its their gig. So that kinda made me  little upset but I was able to help the first years with decoration ideas and a music play list. As the day went on I saw a drawing on one of the posters. The drawing looked like it had be altered a little with the person having bushy brows, long eyebrows, hairy cheeks, a messed up nose, and having a fat face. I thought it looked like it was supposed to be me( I'm the only one with facial hair, messed up nose, and is a big guy) so I asked a couple of guys what they thought and they said nah it looks nothing like you after a couple seconds so I told them to stop sucking up. I have an idea who drew it( not gonna name names) but that made me even more angry then I as before. After lunch I had one period and then went home. I skyed with my friend Alex in Thailand for a little bit then walked to the bus station. It was snowing on my walk and I learned even if you have an umbrella snow will still hit you. I got to Vaasa and met my friend Jose and we walked to our lesson. The lesson today was actually a good one and went fast. Upon walking outside I saw it was snowing fairly good and was pleased. On the way home it was snowing hard and when I arrived home it was snowing hard still. I suspect we will have a good amount of snow in the morning. Now I am off to bed.

Friday and saturday

well nothing interestin happend on friday except i finally got a partner for the big dance in febuary. Today I went to a shoe maker and had him fix my cleats and it only cost me 5 euros. On the way there I passed a field and up flew three pheasant roosters and then one stayed place just making noises at me. I called him so many names and told him hes lucky. I  had to pass by the political booths while looking through all the stores in town to find some ideas to help decorate the school for halloween. There was my mom and one host sister. They were in a red booth which turned out to be liberal and the conservative booths were blue. was kinda shocked haha. So I grabbed some makkaras( sauseges) and talked with people and then went home. I had to come back to town at 2 to pick up my cleats which were in great shape. When I got home i helped my host dad make mac-n-cheese from home( following my mothers recipe) and we made meat and meat less types( both were amazing). Then later I made the suana for my parents and watched the last half of " No Country for Old Men" which is a really weird movie. Now I am going to sleep. Tomorrow I plan on running in my cleats then later at night going to a classical music thing with my family. So good night everyone.

Sunday the 28th.

Today was an alright day. Woke up at 8, went down stairs and had a breakfast of pancakes and chocolate milk. When I heard my parents down stairs I went down and joined them. I had two cups of coffee and then helped my father change the tires on one of the cars. That took a while seeing as the standard floor jack didn't want to work so we had to use a scissor jack instead. After we switched the tires I took the summer tires and put them under the porch. Then came in and waited for a little bit then we had dinner as a family. Tonight's dinner was moose loin, Potato's, Cold broccoli, a cucumber pickle salad, and the mushroom sauce my host father makes. It was really good. Then I relaxed for the end of the night. My parents went to a classical music concert. I would have gone but i had homework and i would have fallen asleep if I would have went. Now off to bed.

Thursday october 25th

Well today was an interesting day. Well school went as normal with a ok lunch. Thursdays are one of my more busy days with four classes before lunch and to after. I went to my classes and in my last class( helping in the advanced English) I left at 2:50 for a haircut. I was nervous of course seeing as its my first hair cut in country but it went ok. The lady who cut my hair spoke excellent English even though she hadn't spoke it in 5 years. She even knew I was coming because the lady I talked to on Wednesday( when I made the appointment) told her I was coming. The cut cost 22 euros but the lady gave me a student discount so I got it for 20. As I was paying I gave her a 10 and she said she couldn't it was to much( they don't tip in Finland) and I said take it. She has two little boys and she only gets like 3 or 4 euros per hair cut because of taxes on the money. She and her husband were also trying to buy a new car and winter tires for the two they have so I figured I would help. Then as I'm leaving it starts snowing. It snowed I think twice today only leaving a little but enough for me to be excited( I got pictures of it snowing). But to tell you more about the hair cut. The thing she used looked like an old straight razor. was kinda cool.Well that was the extent of my day besides doing homework and reading. So peace out everyone.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Well nothing special happened on Tuesday that's why I didn't write about it but I will give you a quick summery. Woke up, went to school, left early because of a two hour presentation about politics that I wouldn't understand and the principle said I didn't have to go. I went and tried to get a hair cut but couldn't so I made an appointment for Thursday at 3. Today I woke up, went to school and left after lunch. Nothing interesting happened. Lunch was carrot pancakes with applesauce( yum) and makkara. It was a good lunch and I ate well. I went home and relaxed until it was time to go to Vaasa. I went to Vaasa and on the bus talked to a couple of my friends who were going for music lessons. My friend Jose didn't go to lessons so he didn't meet me. I went to a store called Fantoy and bought some stuff for my cowboy costume( i'll take pictures). I went to my lesson and it was same as usual. I learned a little bit though which was good and we got a questioneer to fill out on the class and school( i don't know yet how to answer it weather good or bad). The guy who picked me up didn't speak much English so it was a pretty quite ride. I got home, got stuff ready for tomorrow( gonna be cold seeing as right now its 0 degrees cel outside) and now ready for bed. Goodnight

Monday the 22nd

Well today was alright. I went to school in -3 Celsius( 26 f) and I didn't have gloves so my hands were in pain by the time I got to school. Despite that I started the school day very peppy. That changed as the day went on. I got a feeling of loneliness. I tried to shake it and couldn't. After one class I was leaning against a pillar in the middle of the main hallway just chillin and the whole time I was there only 2 people talked to me. Some others Smiled at me like they usually do and that's their hi but the rest just walked by. Didn't make me feel any better. Then went home, got my stuff, went to Vaasa for my lesson and hung with Jose. The lesson went as usual. Frustrating because I wasn't getting it. I'm gonna ask my family's and friends to help me. I came home and found that my dad had picked up my package for me from the Vaasa customs. I opened it and was very happy to find a lot of the things I needed like football cleats, two pairs of football shorts, soap and some gifts. Now I am showered and ready to sleep. Gonna read for a little bit though to help relax. Night everyone

Helsinki and Estonia

Well this weekend( Thursday to Sunday) I was in Helsinki and Tallinn Estonia. On Thursday Sirke and I took a train to Helsinki. We met up with Milija and Riisto and the kids. Then I went and hung out with some of my exchange friends. It was weird because half the group was kids through AFS and i knew none of them. We walked around and had some Ben and Jerry's( sorry dad ) and then we went our separate ways. On Friday Sirke, Milija, Riisto, Hymy, Hymy's friend and I went to Tallinn Estonia which is the capital. It is Beautiful! Half of the city is medieval. We First went to the new part of town and went to some very nice( and expensive stores) for Riisto and Milija. Then Riisto and i and the kids went to a cafe and Riisto had a beer and i a coke and the girls juice. Estonia was different for me because the drinking age is 18 but nobody cares! I got asked by Waiters if I wanted a beer wherever i went,  and me being the good exchange student I am kindly declined. After the cafe we all went to the old part of town which was the medieval part. While there we hit the gift shops and i bought some small things and I saw a guy with a sign that said " need money for beer and vodka" so I took a picture and gave him some coins because he was honest. Throughout the whole trip i saw him 4 times! So we wondered around for awhile and found a great view of the entire city then went to have dinner. We ate at a medieval restaurant where the only drinks were water, juice, beer, and wine. I had water. For my meal i had three types of sausages( bear, moose, and boar) with kraut, horseradish, and three types of jam to pair them with. Then we went to the ferry which is how we came over to. The ferry's are soo big! and they go slow on purpose turning a half hour trip into a two hour trip so you will buy stuff because they have stores on board. Then Saturday i went and hung out with some exchangers again and we watched the movie Taken 2. I wanted to see Paranormal Activity 4 but it was a good movie. I saw a preview of a scary movie called Sinister which i have to go see. Made us jump even in the previews. Then today we woke up and went to the center area and hung out. At 2 everyone left and I was alone( Sirke was at the other sisters house) and so I wandered around some stores. One of the stores I entered was a music store. As I'm looking at the Cd's i see hard rock and hip hop and Finnish music but out of no where I see Zac Brown's newest CD. I was really shocked. Anyway train ride back was boring and now I am putting stuff away, waiting for my laundry to finish so I can put it up to dry and then shower and sleep. Pictures will be coming later( I know I keep saying that but its hard to post pictures here) anyway night everybody i start school again tomorrow.

Tuesday and wednesday

Well today is about Tuesday the 16th and Wednesday the 17th. Well yesterday was interesting. I met my next host family and it was a little awkward. We Talked a little and they showed me the house which is very nice. They have two cats and a very energetic friendly year old Finnish Lap Dog( from Lapland) and I will be living upstairs which is cool. Next to my room is a pool table, TV, movie player and PlayStation 3. So it will be fun if I have friends over. I also found out my ride to school will be creepy because half of it is unlit. And today was a very boring day. I woke up and cleaned my room a little bit. Went to Vaasa for another boring lesson and came home and packed most of my stuff. Tomorrow I leave for Helsinki and on Friday i go to Estonia. I will not be back in Laihia until Sunday. So no laptop so no blogs so see everyone on Sunday.

Monday

Well today was a very boring day. I didn't do much at all until I walked to the bus stop and went to Vaasa. My normal bus didn't come today because its holiday so I had to take a later bus which was rather weird. I didn't think I would get to where i needed to go because it kept making turns at places I didn't know. Anyway I bought the book I ordered from the book store then hoofed it to the lesson( I was half hour early). Lesson was boring and it felt as if time was going slow. But now I am back home and realizing. Oh something I forgot to mention yesterday was while at the zoo I got to pet a HUGE bull moose and it licked my hand. Kinda reminded me of dealing with horses except this thing is bigger and badder with its huge rack. Anyway going to bed. Night

The weekend

Well this weekend was pretty great. Went to a rotary camp for inbounds, and rotex( aka rebounds) and it was fun. We did a lot of talking and chilling and even went to a zoo. Saw some wolverines and bears and even a snow leopard. Was soo cute! We also took a tour of where we were staying which was a school for people to learn how to manage foresters and how to best get products.  A lot of the times I was kickin it with my bros Jose and Juan Pablo or my Aussie friend Kaitlyn who's pretty chill. Learned about a great military surplus store from a kid name akseli who went to Germany last year. Gonna have to check it out when I'm in Helsinki later this week. But I haven't been all fun and games lately. My bad arm is acting up again. Its all sore. So wish me luck in making sure it doesn't get worse. So I iced it tonight using a bag of frozen green beans now about to go heat it in the shower. see ya'll.

Thursay the 11th

Well today was a ok day I woke up and 6:30 and got ready. I then discovered that my bike was still at school and had to walk and was ten minutes late to class. Anyway math went good and I even did a problem on the board and got it right. Other then that school was boring. Lunch was good. It was pea soup and really good rolls. I came home and pondered around a little and read. Later I got news that I was being charged a late fee on my pictures because I didn't know when where or how to pay for them but my host mom is covering it and I am paying her back. Now i am packing for the rotary camp this weekend with all the inbounds and rebounds. Anyway off to bed now

Wednesday the 10th

Well since I skipped yesterday I will do a short cover of it. Yesterday the 9th was a bad stressful day. Yet I was happy for awhile because I got a 9.5 out of 10 on my history exam. Now on to today. Today was good. I had one lesson today then both second and third years went to Vaasa to the university to learn about the majors and classes there. It was very nice and it gave me a college to think about. Then after it all I went to the city center and met Oliver and his brother and talked about Football and Oregon. I took them to meet Jose and then they left. Jose and I went and ate McDonald's, shopped some and got what we needed. Then we went to the lesson and it went good. Also while at McDonald's I found out you have to pay to you the bathrooms. Kinda strange

Monday the 8th.

Well today was a very long day. Got up at 0630(6:30) and went to school for psychology. Then went through my other classes and had a really great lunch. I had one class after lunch which was Maantiede(geography) then I went home. I was home for maybe an hour then walked to the bus station. I went to Vaasa and met Jose like normal and we had McDonald's. While at McDonald's I saw they had a Mcchicken meal. It was 6.80. That's for a Mcchicken fries and a drink. That is CRAZY. So we ate and we went to some stores and browsed because we had like an extra half hour. So then we went to the lesson. It was boring and it made me frustrated because half the things I had written down were wrong. I have never been this frustrated with a language before. Anyway I am home now and getting ready for bed. Might read a little from the new book I bought( A Game of Thrones) while in the book store getting/ordering books. Anyway off to bed another long day tomorrow.

Saturday the 5th

Ok well today was an off and on day. For starters it is the second full month of me being in Finland which is kinda bittersweet. Secondly I made home made mac n cheese more my family and everyone liked it which made me happy. Yet I didn't really feel happy today. I guess maybe the weather is getting to me or maybe its the fact I'm NOT really getting out of the house. Everyone here is so busy with sports and school that they really don't have time to get together except for the occasional girls night or party( which I usually never know about). Hopefully that changes soon. I really wanna go shopping with a couple of my best friends( girls) because I need a new style. I'm gonna try to look like a Finn.( doubt it will happen but I will try). Also hopefully I can attend some of the football workouts and camps and make friends as well as get in and stay in shape for football/baseball season. Maybe that's another reason I'm so sad lately. Lack of sports.Two seasons with out baseball and a season without football. Sports are part of my life. I might not be good but I sure play with heart. Last year when G Whit told me I wasn't making the team I lost something of myself and I don't know if I will get it back until I'm back on the diamond. Anyway gonna shower and sleep. I have a headache. I am gonna try and watch a couple of volleyball games but ya never know what is gonna happen. See everyone tomorrow.

Sunday the 7th

Ok well today was a really good day. I slept until almost 9 and then I got up and ate breakfast. Around noon I was picked up my one of mailis's friends dads to go moose hunting. Well it really wasn't hunting but  got to see how the dogs worked and i got to see two moose( a young moose probably last years calf and then a cow). I also ate makkara and hung around with some other hunters. Then we went to the guys house to meet his second dog( both are Swedish elk hounds) and saw his rifle. The rifle looked like one of those competition rifles all decked out and awesome. It was a 9.3 mm( weird caliber) and he was shooting 325 grain bullets. That's huge. He also gave me a hat from the hunting club and told me i am now a official Finnish moose hunter. I was pretty happy. Then he dropped me off and i had a great dinner of hamburger, potato's, salad, and a mushroom cream sauce my dad always makes which is amazing. I waited a little while then went to the volleyball game which laihia lost but i still enjoyed it ;). Now i am home getting ready for bed. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

Friday the 5th

Well today was an ok day. I got to sleep in( which wont happen a lot) but it was raining when I woke up and continued to rain all day(still raining right now) and it wasn't your typical light rain it was a in you face I'm raining hard rain with wind to match. I got home and slept a little bit after checking my email. When I got up my dad asked me to help clean the house for the arrival of my mom and the second eldest daughter and her kid. So first thing was to hold a rope while he climb on the roof and caulked some areas. Then I vacuumed the down stairs area with a vacuum similar to the one I used at Denny's( even ran like it haha). Then my mom and eldest daughter arrived and we talked a little then Mailis Sirke, Iris( the second eldest daughter) and I went to the Vaasa folk music festival. Well it was uhm.... interesting ha ha and now I am home and getting ready to shower and sleep.Gonna try and go workout tomorrow but it depends on how the weather is and if I'm being lazy. So see everyone tomorrow. Night ya'll

The 4th of october

Well today is the 4th of October and almost my second full month in Finland which is crazy. Today I went to school and it went good( except for lunch it was fish). I came home and slept a little because is was poring down rain even when I left school( yes i rode home in the rain). I did a little bit of Finnish that I could and did the English homework( which was a piece of cake). So when I was bored I checked my email and updated some rotary stuff which is good because I had to. So I just showerd and am thinking about going to bed because I might or might not get up at 6:30 to help in the high level English class which the teacher gave me the choice to go to or not so I might sleep in for once this week and go next week. I will have trouble sleeping tonight because I was dumb enough to look up slender man at the wishes of my friend Alex in Thailand. So a little background on slender man. Slender man was originally a German myth which its a being of other worldly traits( weather alien or demon no one knows) and it abducts children and either kills them or takes some place no one knows. So learning this I was freaked out. Riding to school I was freaked out because there are a lot of wooded areas and Fields between me and the next place where people are. The rumor gos that if you are scared of him you are even more likely to see him also that if you have a dream or nightmare about him you will see him. So hopefully my pattern of not dreaming or remembering my dreams stays true because I don't wanna die haha. Anyway going to bed night everyone.

Oct. 3rd

Well I have been kinda slacking on my posts lately so I am sorry. Well since I didn't post yesterday I will tell ya about it. Didn't do anything really. Went to school even though I didn't have classes and got my classes basically set up( got them finalized today). My classes are social phycology, philosophy, geography, two English classes( one I'm gonna translate and the other I'm a helper), math, and I think that's it. I also talked to my principle about attending the EYP regional event in Espoo in November. She said its OK with her as long as rotary and my host family are OK with it. Now EYP is European Youth Parliament. It is a European group started out of France that teaches young people democratic processes such as parley pro( parliamentary procedure), Political discussions and group work. So sounds fun and my friend Karina is going and I think a few others are so it will be a chance to see other exchangers and meet new kids. Now today was the first day of classes for the next period( 2 out of 5). Woke up at 6:30 and it was pitch black but I got dressed and went to school. Everything went good and I left after lunch( no classes after lunch on Wednesday). I relaxed then went to Vaasa. In Vaasa I met Jose in the book store in the Rewel Center. They did not have half the books I needed so I will have to write down the names of the books and have them order them( luckily rotary covers books). My lesson went good and I felt like I was learning a lot. Now I am home and getting ready for bed. Yup early again tomorrow for math. Wish me luck.

sept 30th/ oct 1st

Well I am going to combine both September 30th and October 1st because for some reason it wouldn't let me save my work. So for the 30th I went to Senajoki with the family and went to a museum which was pretty cool( pics later). Then ate at a Asian place called Asian diamond. Was a mix of Chinese, Thai, and Indian food. Was OK but not great. Then went home and relaxed. Today I took my history exam which was long( two 2-4 page essays) but fairly easy. Then came home, did laundry, and went to my lessons in Vaasa. My friend Jose couldn't meet me today so I chilled with Sirke and my mother for a little bit then they left, I got McDonald's, then went to my lesson. Today was a good lesson because I actually felt like I was getting Finnish so I was happy. Now home and getting ready for bed. There is a chemistry exam tomorrow which I don't think I will be taking because I would fail in every meaning of the word. Also tomorrow I should find out my scores for my Bio and History exams as well as pick my classes for the next semester. Wish me luck.

Saturday the 29th

Well today was a weird day. I did very little( worked on a little Finnish) and slept. I had NO appetite until dinner when I ate quite a bit. I also slept like 2 hours. I felt really weird. This comes after last night feeling sick. Anyway no big plans for tomorrow either. As of right now my mom is making juice and dried apples( probably for more great food) I'm chilling in my room probably gonna shower soon. Also for all of you who saw my homecoming rant last post I edited it because homecoming is next week. So I'm about to go to bed while listening to it rain really hard so night everyone.

Friday the 28th

Alright well today was the first day of the week that I did anything school related and that was taking my bio examine. I was extremely nervous about failing and still am ( seeing as I do not know my grade yet) even though I don't need the class. After the examine I went to S Market( another food store) to try and find Cheddar. Of course they don't have it. But I asked a guy who helped me find a last resort if I couldn't find Cheddar in Finland. Then went home and relaxed cleaned tried studying a little. Now I am showered and ready for bed but for all of you back home who are complaining about it being cold in the mornings. Today it was 2 degrees Celsius( 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit) so don't complain.

not much

Well today is thursday the 27th and i did not do a darn thing. I was gonna go to school and sit there while other kids took exams but i decided not to after it decided to rain like no other. So i stayed at home, watched old cartoons( tried finding donald duck in finnish), did some finnish homework( going to have my mom look over it). I also took a very nice nap( naps are great) I have tried studying for my bio exam tomorrow( i am soo nervous it isnt even funny) i really dont want to fail but i probally will becuase ya know its in another langauge. I also learned that elvis aka the king was in the army until 1960. He was in a couple of armoured units and served as a regular solider. Even was awarded some awards for marksmenship.

Wednesday the 26th

Well today was a pretty boring day just like yesterday( didn't do anything yesterday). Today I did not have school again so I stayed in my room watching GI Joe cartoons all day until I had to leave for vaasa for my lessons. The lessons and pre lesson stuff went pretty normally. I am really happy though because I might be playing football for the Vaasa Vikings. The kid I have been talking to also was in Klamoth Falls last year. Anyway off to bed.

Another day, Another lesson

Well today was Monday but not a typical Monday. Today I stayed home all day except when I had to go to lessons. this week is the start of the exam period so if you don't have an exam that day you stay home which I did. It was extremely boring and I was very happy to go to my lessons where I hung with a couple of my friends. Then lessons were really boring as usual and now I am at home getting ready to go to bed. I am going to go to school tomorrow to just sit there and do work. OH by the way today I had what I call Finnish apple pie and it was good!

This weekend

This weekend was pretty fun. I went to a summer cottage on the coast( about 20 minutes from Vaasa by boat). There with me was my parents, Sirke, and the eldest daughter Milija and her man Riisto and daughter Hymy. While there we pressed berries to get the juice as well as pick them to eat. I tried fishing but failed miserably. I also saunaed and then waded into the Baltic ocean( that was cold). Now I am home getting ready for school tomorrow. Yay

Thursday the 20th

Well today was a pretty normal Thursday except I was unusually tired because of the rotary event last night. School went good, I even took a test in English( missed one). Then came home and did laundry and relaxed. I wont have wifi this weekend seeing as I am going to the coast this weekend to pick more berries( and sauna next to the ocean) so I will post what happened on Sunday when i get back. Until then hei hei.

Good day

Well today was a good day. Had a nice easy day at school then went to a in bound meeting and hung out with some of the coolest kids every( including three from Australia) and then went home and had a Nice talk with my parents about a problem I was having at home. I really hope it gets better. Now off to bed so I can not be tired for school tomorrow.

Another bad day

Today was another bad day. School went good, and even my workout went good( hard but good) it wasn't until I came home that it was bad( wont say why because it would make it worse). So I am still in the sad/ really angry stage where I cry which sucks. so waiting for some cloths to dry so I can shower and go to bed.

Another monday another lesson

Well today was the second week of Finnish lessons and they are slowly getting better. There is starting to get stuff I don't understand. That's good and also I am meeting way for people. I talk every lesson with a guy from Scotland and a guy from England. I also started talking to a cute french opare who wants to learn English. so of course being the nice rotary student I am I gave her my card. But now I am off to shower and go to bed. Tomorrow I start a new work out regimen.

Sunday the 16th

Today was another normal Sunday. Woke up, Ate breakfast and chilled at home. I did go to the store today to get stuff to make mac n cheese but couldn't because I didn't have cheddar. And also my sister Mailis reinforced my faith in the fact she doesn't like me. I asked how something went and she said " I don't know, Don't talk to me I hate" and I didn't catch the last word. But I didn't let it phase me and had a good rest of the day rexlaing in my room. Now off to sleep.

saturday the 15th

Today was another typical Saturday. I woke up and miranderd around the house. I also went to the stores to buy my family some gifts. Yet today was kinda bad. I had this feeling all day that my host sister Mailis doesn't like me and I am the reason she is always in a bad mood. I know I am overreacting and my mom even said its not because of me yet I still cant shake it. Dinner was really good tonight. Was mashed potato's, salad, poro(rein deer) and a mushroom sauce which is amazing. After that I went to sauna and as I was cooling off outside I looked at the stars. They were soo clear because of the lack of city lights. It was goregous

Another day

Well today started out pretty normal. Got up, ate breakfast, went to school. While at school I made some of my friends try peanut butter and got mixed results. On the way home I stopped at the store to get some stuff and realized I didn't have my wallet. So I raced home to see if it was there( it was) and as I was coming up a hill my foot slipped off the pedal and caught the tire causing me to fall. In the fall I scraped up my hand, elbow, and tour my jacket. Then I got home relaxed and just got done watching a movie with Sirke and her friends. Now off to bed. Might go watch a volleyball match tomorrow;)

another good day

Well today was a good day. School went pretty normal and even coming home was normal but tonight i went to the theater in Vaasa for school. We watched a comedy play which I didn't understand but it was good. Then we came home and I bought a box of candy from Sirke to help send her to Germany. I think I made her night because the box was 7 euros so I handed her a 10 and let her keep the change. She was so surprised. But now I'm gonna shower and go to bed.

lesson two

Well today at school was pretty easy and went fast which was good. I came home for a couple hours then walked down to the bus station to catch a bus to Vaasa at 4. Well I got to Vaasa and had to wait a little while for  Jose and decided to go to the book store to get my lesson book. Well it cost like 45 euros. And I bought some other stuff and the total was almost 60 euros but i got myself a membership card for free which brought the total down to 45. Then we walked to the lesson and sat there for an hour and a half. That class makes me mad because the teacher sucks, I swear she hates me, and she usually only talks about Vaasa. Anyway now I am at home getting ready for bed.

Today 9/11

Today was a good yet interesting day. It was  a normal school day aside from the fact people were testing yet today was special. Today is the 11th year after 9/11 and Finns were impacted to. I found this out today because one of my friends Saara asked my if I remember it and of course I said yes because I do. and we started talking about it. The Finnish people actually have documentaries about it. I asked why they care and her reply was simply thus. We hate terrorists. Other then that it was a normal day

Finnish lessons

Well today was pretty good. Went to school which was boring because there was a bunch of exams so everything was quite but then I left two periods early (  of course after I ate lunch of spinach pancakes with a applesauce covering) to catch a train to Vaasa for Finnish lessons. Well the train didn't have wifi and my ticket was on my Ipod so that scared me and even in the train station in vaasa it was so slow that the guy just said next time have one. But I met my friend Jose from Brazil there and we hung out for a couple hours until his mom picked us up then we met his dad who I recognised from the magazine coastline which is about the Finnish region ostrabothinia which is where I'm at. And then we went to the Finnish lesson which Jose has with me. And the lesson was easy because we already knew like everything she told us. All in all a good day

Argg

Well today was a frustrating day. First I didn't hang out with the people I was supposed to because they didn't figure out the plans. Then my older sister Mailis has been in a bad mood all day so I like tip toed around her. Then I had to decide whether I was taking the train or bus to vaasa tomorrow because I got the wrong impression that rotary was taking me to and fro the class( only fro). well we(mom and I)decided on train because it was cheaper even though I have to miss two classes and get to vaasa three hours earlier. But I am gonna chill with my friend in Vaasa from Brazil. All in All I'm pretty frustrated. So I'm gonna wait till my mom gets home, book the ticket, and then shower and sleep.

Helsinki!

 Me being Weird

 My Train

 Hey look a casino lets go

 My train again

 Taxi!

 sooo pretty!

 Looks like New York

 My bank

 Breakfast of Puuro( porridge) berries, OJ and cold smoked salmon

 the sickest bike ever, a brompton

 hey look Estonia

 Me

 Me again

 Im king of the worled!

my squishy

 Any one need a countertop?

 Awsome store( got two new dress shirts for 50 euros)

Flak!

 Helsinki skyline

music hall












parliment

 Tri athalon












World design capital 2012

 Hey i know that!

Brompton two

 Budwiser!

 Cool statue

 soo many people

Mmmm Coke

 Yea buddy McD's

 That weird building is a church

 Nike!

 VR mascot

 cool buildings

Yea buddie

 Hippies!

 America!

 Hey looks familiar

 Yup were everwhere:)

Pepsi cola came to town