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.