July 2nd-july 10th

Well the last week or so of my exchange.  I have done a lot. Been to Vaasa a bunch to see friends. Spent most of my money there haha. I also went to Seinajoki to see some football friends before I left. I've been to a Finnish baseball game and even bought a jersey. I've hung with friends and even had a small " party" with them. On Saturday the 6th I had a going away party for families  and rotary.  It went great. Food was good, people were nice. My first family sang to me and then all three presented me with a bracelet based off of Finnish folk lore. I absolutely loved it. Yesterday I went and saw 3 of my best friends for the last time for a while. Yet I didn't cry. I don't know why I didn't. I honestly don't know how I feel about this while going home. Because what is my home now? America or Finland?

june 2nd-july 1st

Well I woke up June 2nd  feeling pretty bad. I finished packing and then left for Jurva to meet up with 3 other exchangers to catch a ride to Turku. We left at 12 for Turku and in sat for 4 hours in the back of the van in what I called  the prisoner cage" because that's what it felt like. We got there around 4:30 and sat around hugging and greeting people we haven't seen for a while as well as meeting the newbies. We started boarding the boat at 7:30 and left at 9. Dinner was as soon as we left and it was really good.We chilled until I think midnight and went to bed. June 3rd we were up at 5 A.M Swedish time ( 6 Finnish time) and started getting ready to left off. When we got off we started out drive through Sweden. We stopped at 3 places on our way to Denmark. At an old castle which overlooked the sea and some farms which was cool. A nice restaurant for lunch which had an amazing view of the sea and farms below the hill. Then finally a candy store which rolled its own candy. Was pretty cool. We got on the ferry to Denmark and that took half an hour. We then drove to Copenhagen and went to the hotel. After we dropped out stuff off we went to a amusement park called Tivoli and there I conquered my fear of high and fast moving rides by going on the drop, an airplane that went in circles and spun and then flying swings. June 4th we were up at 7:30 and had a good breakfast. Left at 8:45 to have a tour and some free time in the city. while stopped at a gift shop my roomie Cesar got lost and we ended up leaving him by accident. I then had to run back and find him and we barely made it back to the group in time. We then saw the royal guards, which I talked to( carry Canadian m16's) and saw them change the guard. drove/floated to  Bremen Germany where we had dinner, and then some free time. There I had to share a bed with Cesar. was weird. June 5th we were up at 6:15, had a good breakfast and left at 8 to Holland. In Holland we stopped at a clog/cheese factory where we saw how clogs were made and sampled some cheese. I ended up buying some smoked goat cheese which was awesome. From there we went to a coast town and went shopping and then had dinner. From there we went to Amsterdam where we saw the Anne Frank museum and toured the city by water bus. Was very nice. We then drove to the hotel and relaxed for  while. June 6th we woke up at 5:45 because of the hotel, had a good breakfast and left for Brussels. toured the city and even walked a bit in a protest parade. Then we had a nice lunch of chicken in fries. After lunch we drove to Paris. When we got there we were a little worried because it wasn't the nicest area but it turned out fine. Had dinner on our own, and I went with three tutors and two of my friends to a little bar where we had steak and soda for us kids. June 7th we woke up at 6:30, had a nice breakfast with a view of Paris then Visited " castle" Fontainebleau at 10. At 12 we had a city tour and from 5-11:30 P.m we had free time. At around 10 we caught a metro back to our hotel which was an interesting experience. June 8th woke up at 7:15, had breakfast, and left at 9 for the Effile tower on our own. From there we went to the Army museum were we saw French military history as well as Napoleon's tomb. After that we had lunch in a park then headed to the Louvre. I was inside for a while then went outside to see my French friend Charlotte. When she left to go back home to her town I cried because I knew I wouldn't see her again for a long time. After that Cesar and I tried to go to Notre Dame but got lost so instead we ate dinner. I had snails which were really good. then we headed to the hotel. June 9th we woke  at 6:45, ate breakfast then left at 8:10 for Grenoble, France. We stopped at a place called Sisterone for lunch and it was beautiful. the town was around 400 years old and even had a monastery. We arrived at Grenoble at around 4. We then had negotiations for  the hostages each bus had. Then we had dinner. June 10th up at 5:45 and gone by 7:30. We drove through the French alps to a place called Grassa and went to a perfume factory. Then we drove to Nice. We had free time in Nice so we walked around and then a few of us got Kebab. While eating we met a guy from NYC which both Nick and I new was a New Yorker just by his accent. So we talked to him for a bit then went back to the hotel. At 11:50 I was just turning off the shower when Rotex knocked to check our room. So I stepped out of the shower and slip on the floor. I hit the floor and I'm like " gosh darnit" except not as clean. I open the door to talk to them and my roomie and the rotex are on the floor dying, Just can't stop laughing. So they then left and we went to bed. June 11th was up at 6:45, ate breakfast then explored Nice. at 11 had a guided tour of Nice, and Monaco-Monte Carlo. Then we drove to Genova Italy where we walked around a bit. June 12th we were up at 7:30 and gone by 9:30. we drove to Verona, Italy where we stayed 2 hours until going to Lido DI Jesolo. We had free time and I swam in the Mediterranean. June 13th we woke up at 6, ate breakfast and left at 8 for Venice. Spent 7 hours in Venice, rode a gondola and went into the big church there. Came back to Lido and spent an hour trying to find a laundry matt and couldn't. I hand washed some clothes, ate dinner then went to the store. At the store I saw Hitler Bier. was funny. June 14th We woke up at 7:45 and ate breakfast. After that I was a either the beach or in my room doing laundry. At 9 we all went to a club and danced and on the way back I bought a rose and gave it to Andrea from Mexico. June 15th we woke up at 6:15, ate breakfast and then left at 8:30 for our hotel in the alps. It took 4-5 hours to get there. Along the way we stopped at a place to get some food and it took FOREVER to get a sandwich.  At 2 we took a " hike" in the alps which was really pretty. Came back, ate dinner, and then I gave 3 massages which was a lot at one time for me. June 16th we woke at 7 and were gone by 8. We drove for hours then stopped in Innsbruck, Austria for 2 hours. Was a very nice town. We then went on into Bavaria were we stopped at a little town to get dinner. Before that we video taped us doing the " banana song". Dinner was very German. It was schnitzel and fries with Bavarian dancing and singing. The ride to the hotel was terrible. I was coughing a lot. When we got to the hotel in Nurnberg we had an oldie meeting to plan the going away party. June 17th we were up at 6:15 and were gone by 9:15. We went to the Nurnberg war museum. It was a cool museum and while there I flirted with some German girls. Then we were going to lunch when we got stopped by some traffic cops who decided to fine our buses for there mistake. That put us back a couple hours. We got to Berlin we had our going away party which was really sad. June 18th we got up, ate breakfast and saw Berlin. We then went to the  airport, waited a while then got on a plane to Helsinki and got there at 10 p.m. Everyone said there goodbyes and I waited there until 12 went I flew to Vaasa. I didn't get home until 1:30. From then until now I haven't done much. I went fishing with my friend Joni and caught a nice pike, went and got ice cream with my two best friends Tuuli and Saara. then Today I sent out the boxes I packed. Cost me 253 euros.

1st of june

Well yesterday the 1st of June was a pretty crazy day. It was the graduation day for the 3rd years so at 11 I went to their graduation and then congratulated everyone. After that I went to 5 graduation parties and then went to Vaasa to hang with a bro. Him and I hung out until 1 when I went home ad started packing. In less then 6 hours I will be getting on a boat to Sweden to start my Eurotour. 7 countries, 18 days, 74 exchangers. should be crazy.

28th-31st

so the 28th-30th I didn't do anything except go to school for lunch and then chill at home. Today the 31st I went to school for a banana eating contest, which I lost. Then I had a meeting with the principle and my English teacher/councilor about my grades and my experience here. I also got two gifts from them which made me very happy. Then I went and had a burger for lunch in the school cafeteria. Then I watched my little sister Sirke dance with the ninth graders in a mini dance. I then got a picture with her. I came home and chilled for a bit then went to Vaasa to chill with a couple bros. I came back, got some meds for my allergies and then hung with some more people. As soon as I came home I started laundry and have been doing it up until now. I am gonna start packing for my trip on Sunday now  because tomorrow I will be out pretty late with my friend Ben who graduates tomorrow.

22nd-27th

Well I know it's been awhile since I've posted and I am sorry for that. Well on the 22nd I really didn't do much. I went and worked out and that is about it. The 23rd I spent all day writing an essay for religion class about Mormons. Friday the 24th  I had to turn that essay in, and the chilled at school until lunch. At 2 I caught a train to Vaasa with a friend to go watch Fast 6 which is the newest fast and furious movie. I also met a guy from Seattle with his wife on their way to Helsinki  Saturday I was supposed to go to Vaasa and get some new clothes with a friend but she " had something come up". I've tried texting her the last two days and have gotten nothing in return. Sunday the 26th I did some yard work, and took one of the dogs for a walk and that was it. Today Monday the 27th I went to the gym, and then had kebab for lunch. At 5 I went to Rotary which was a meeting that involved food and sauna so it was  good relaxed meeting.

20th-21st

Well the 20th was a Monday. It was my last regular Monday of the school year so it was kinda a sad day. It went normally. The weather was beautiful, and I played pesapallo( Finnish baseball) with the first years. That was the moment I realized it wasn't my sport. At 5:10 I went to Rotary and had a nice meeting. Then came home, did some homework and went to bed. Then today Tuesday the 21st was a good day. I was able to sleep i and got up at 8:30. The weather was perfect and on the way to school some little kids( like 3) waved and said hello which made me smile. The school day went fast, lunch was hot dog sauce and potato's which is always good. After school I came home, took a nap because I had a headache. Then woke up, ate and did homework. Now I am getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is the start of the test week which means boring days for me.

17th-19th May

Well on Friday the 17th I had school at 9:35. The day went fast until sports. In sports we had our running test. We had to run 2k(1 mile) in under 14 minutes which is no problem but I learned how out of shape I am. I ran it in 12:15. Pretty slow and I wasn't happy which mean's I must work harder. Then Saturday the 18th my host family and I went to my host dad's uncle's and wife's 70th birthday party. It was fairly boring because it was mostly little kids, middle aged, and old folks. We left in time to watch the U.S lose to the Swiss which made me unhappy. Then today Sunday the 19th I helped my host mom wash our gazebo. I also walked around for two hours taking pictures, and got some good ones. Then I took a nap while USA played Finland for the bronze medal( which we won). Then my host mom and I ate pancake, whip cream and berries an then I showered and have been getting ready for school and listening to music. Tomorrow is another normal day but one of my last normal school days.

14th-16th May

Well on Tuesday the 14th it was a normal day. Woke up at 6:30, had two Finnish classes, and then the day went fast. It was great weather until around 5 when a summer storm hit and rained most of the night. The next morning( 15th). I had class at 8:35 so I was up at 8. It again went normally. At 1:35 I had my arm workout which went well, then I got home and did some yard work. Today I didn't have class until 1135 but I went to school at 10to socialize. While there the other guys and I were talking about the games tonight. They said USA lost to Russia which in fact didn't happen. USA beat Russia 8-3 which made me very happy. Then Finland Beat Slovakia 4-3. Then I went out and did more yard work. Finally I am sitting here getting ready for bed.

13th may

Well today was pretty good. I went to school at 8 and school went fine. I had tuna pasta for lunch which is one of my favorites. I got out at 1:30 and went straight to the gym. My workout went well and then I came home. I slept and then went to Rotary. Well I got to the place where we have our meetings at 5:10 when there should have been people, yet there wasn't. Apprently there was no meeting and I never heard about it. Then I came home and have done nothing since. I was home alone. Weatherwise today was perfect. It was sunny, blue sky with white clouds and it was 17 degrees celcius( 62 f) and I rode around in just a t-shirt. Was a pretty good day.

11th-12th may

Well yesterday was Saturday the 11th. It was also my last football game. I woke up at 4 and was out the door by 4:30 to catch a 5'o clock bus to Helsinki. It was like 6 hours there and then we did a pre game and had two hours to chill. Well then game time game. I was pumped but it went south from there. I played terrible, couldn't back up my talk, and we lost. We held with the until half but we were all so tired that the second half they scored like another 2-3 times. It was pretty hard, and I was really sad/mad. We got out silver medals, shook hands, changed, and left. It was 6 hours back and it went pretty well. I got home around 12 and went to bed at 1. Then today Sunday the 12th was Mothers Day. I woke up around 10 and at 12 we went to my host dads parents place. They were nice and we were there about an hour. Then I went and bought my host mom a card, chocolate and flowers which she really liked when she found them. Then the yard work started. I was put to work trimming trees with a hand saw and later a axe which sucked. It took hours and then clean up took another hour but it was fun. We finished and I have been chilling ever since.

5th-10th may

Well Sunday the 5th was a normal, boring Sunday where I did nothing. Monday the 6th was again, a normal, boring Monday. Tuesday was a pretty good day. I had school and at 2:30 I left for Seinäjoki to catch a train to Pasila(Helsinki) to watch USA play Russia in the Ice Hockey world tournament. USA ended up losing which sucked, but I met a lot of nice Russians who wanted pictures with me. Wednesday was again a boring school day but the evening was fun. I went to a party where we watched USA play Finland where the USA won 4-1. It was funny to watch Finns freak out like that. But the we got over it and danced. Thursday I did nothing what so ever. Now today Friday the 10th I went to school, which was boring until religion where the teacher is making me write an essay on the differences between Christians and Mormons. I really hat that because I believe Mormons are Christan's. Then after that I had sports were I had to run, yuck. Then at 6:30 I had my last Practice as a  Seinäjoki Crocodile. It went well. Found out that at my last game tomorrow against the Helsinki Roosters( best team in Finland) I will be playing every down. It will be a long game haha. We are playing for the Gold medal. So right now I am drinking lot of water and studying my plays.
 Tomorrow I have to be up at 4 and out the door by 4:30. We then have a 5 hour ride to Helsinki and our game starts a 3. Wish me luck.

April 30th to May 4th

Well April 30th was a pretty normal Tuesday. Had two Finnish classes with the first one starting at 7:40. Then a break, English x2 and then lunch and religion. After lunch some of the kids brought in donuts and a drink called sima which is like apple cider. It's only drunken at Vappua/labour day and it's pretty good. Wednesday the 1st of May is called Vappua and is for all the people who graduated high school to wear their caps and get drunk. I went to Vaasa with my host parents, dressed business casual( aka blazer, no tie, white shirt and tan slacks). We watched a parade, listened to a speech, looked at vender's and finally had lunch at a very very nice hotel. The lunch was a first a buffet of salad and meat an cheese, then a steak, and finally  a dessert buffet and coffee. It was really good. The hotel is so nice that I wanna rent a room. Each room is a mini suit, with a Jacuzzi and a sauna, but are like 130+ euros a night. On the 2nd we had school. It was a normal, boring Thursday. I didn't do much. Friday the 3rd was a little more interesting. I had a normal school day, went swimming in sports class which I hated and was embarrassed by my lack of swimming skills. Then I came home an watched Finland beat Germany In their first hockey game. So I was very happy. Today Saturday the 3rd was a really good day. At noon I went to Vaasa, bought a couple books, ate lunch with my football bros, went to ones house, got my butt handed to me in Madden 13, went to another friends house and met his mom and two sisters( his 17 year old sister is cute) then came home. While in Vaasa my host mom kept me updated on the USA-Austria game which USA won 5-3. At 8:15 the Finland-Slovakia game came on which Finland won 2-0. All in all a good day.

Saint Petersburg aka Pieteri

Well I just Spent 4 AMAZING days with the most amazing people on Earth. It started on Thursday April 25th When I got on a bus at 4:30 in the morning. Then we had around 12 hours on the bus filled with many jokes, much laughing and hugging. At around 12 we reached a travel center hear the border where all of Exchange students from all 3 buses got together. There was A LOT of laughing and hugging because we were seeing a lot of people we hadn't seen in a long time. Then we went to the border. First we went through the Finnish side, which went really well then the Russian side. It was scary because none of them smiled, at all... but it all went smoothly and we reached out hotel at 8 and enjoyed the rest of the night. On the 26th I woke up at 7:30 and went to breakfast. The breakfast were ok in the hotel, but the eggs sucked. After breakfast we had some time, and then we left at around 9. We went to two museums that day. The first was the former winter palace of a tsars daughter but he died before she got to live in it. It had six sets of buildings all full of stuff. We went through 4 buildings but only looked at the art, which was still really cool because there were rare pieces. The next museum was weird. It was another huge building but this time it was full of cultural exhibits, and dead babies. Yes I said dead babies. Part of the collection came from a German which did medical research on dead babies, especially those with defects. It was interesting. For lunch we had a mix of Turkish and Russian food at a place called 1001 nights. We got back to the hotel at around 4, ate dinner ad got ready for a show on Russian folklore. I thought it was gonna be really boring but it was really awesome. There was a lot of sick dancing and cool singing. Then we went back to the hotel and chilled until 2. Well I took a shower and it was terrible. No pressure, disgusting water, and either to hot or to cold. Well on the 27th I again was up at 7:30, and again breakfast sucked. We went on a bus tour for several hours, seeing all the major spots, then we had free time and lunch in the main center of the city. It was really fun because I was in a group of bout 20-30 kids and I was wearing my American flag as a cape. For lunch we had Russian fast food. I had a pancake with ham and cheese and borscht. Then we met some belibers, waits for Justin Beiber( he never showed) and then went back to the hotel. We had dinner, which was good this time( goulash and rice) and then got dressed for the ballet. The ballet was nice. It was a Scottish play about love and death( broken hearts). I got bored because ballets aren't my thing but it was still good. After that we went back to the hotel. I panicked because I thought I lost my bag but in fact I just left it in the lobby and the staff picked it up. Then we all relaxed and all went to bed really late. On Sunday we ate breakfast at 8 and ere gone by 9:45. We went through the border just fine and then got lunch. Lunch was hard because we had to say goodbye to everyone, many of of which we won't see again. I and many other people cried that day. the bus ride was long yet fun and I got to Seinäjoki at 10:30 but we weren't home until 12 because I accidentally picked up another bag and had to give it back. Then I went to bed a 1. Today he 29th I skipped morning classes and had a very nice short day. I slept a lot today and then went to Rotary. Was a pretty boring day.

22nd-23rd

well on Monday the 22nd I didn't do much. I skipped my two morning classes because I've been sick. I also skipped sports in the afternoon for the same reason. At 4 I had a math retake which didn't go very well. But I came home and slept. Tuesday the 23rd was pretty much the same. I skipped my morning classes so I can sleep to help me get better. I only had 4 classes after that which went fast. After school I went to the bank, brought my huge wad of American money and changed it into Euros. Then I came home and slept. I feel much better. After I woke up I ate, and did laundry. At around 8 I went to sauna which made me feel much better. Now I am getting ready for school tomorrow. On Thursday I go to Russia and I have to be in Seinäjoki at 4:30 in the morning. That means that tomorrow I gotta get packed and get all my snacks.

19th-21st

well on Friday the 19th I had school has normal. It went ok, I was sick which always sucks at school. I ended up not going to my sports class because I did what they did on Monday with the 1st years and also I wasn't feeling to hot. Later that day I went to practice and while there I met one of the men's team coaches. He was from Oregon. He also went to high school with one of my highschool coaches. It was a pretty small world. Practice went ok. On Saturday the 20th I had Rotary all day. It was district conference. That means that we listened to a lot of people talk, we talked, and then us exchange students went swimming At 7:30 the Governors Ball started. The Governors Ball is a very fancy occasion with 3 courses, entertainment, and fancy dress. That went until 11, when us exchangers went back to the hotel. I was up until maybe 2 in the morning because we were a hanging out. Saturday was a long day because my cold had gotten worse so I was coughing A LOT. Today Sunday the 21st was even worse. I woke up at 7 and was at breakfast at 8. At 9 we were suppose to go see some islands but we missed out bus. So we sat there for a while until my ride picked me up. I was supposed to go to my second host moms 50th birthday but didn't because I was coughing so much. Today has been non stop coughing, and I feel terrible. I really hope it go's away because Russia on Thursday.

17th-18th

Well on Wednesday the 17th I didn't have class until 9:35. Well I woke up and did everything normal and then went to school. School was ok, boring as usual. Lunch was fish soup so I went to the store and bought chicken nuggets, a banana, and some tea. I left school at little after 2 and wasn't home until 4 because of my workout. I had a very good arm day, and worked up a great sweat. When I got home my host mom gave me money to go get dinner because she wasn't feeling like cooking. She also asked me to cook up some pork chops, which I did, and did very well. I was very proud of myself. Then I went to go get kebab for dinner. A long the way the bolt holding my bike seat decides to snap and I bought get a metal rod up my butt. So that kinda made me mad. But the rest of the night went ok aside from my cough. Well today Thursday the 18th just sucked for one I was just in a bad mood all day and didn't know why. Maybe it was the fact that I took my bike to a bike place before school and they couldn't fix it. Or maybe the fact that I can't ride my bike without standing which hurts. Well after school It decided to rain, and rain hard. Well I had to walk to another bike place, stand there for 20 minutes just to find out my bike couldn't be fixed because I was missing a part. Then I had to walk home. To make things even worse I have been feeling like crap all day because a cold is taking root in me. I have been coughing and feeling light headed all day. So I got home and slept and have nothing but read an some laundry every since.

15th-16th

Well on Monday the 15th I didn't go to my two early morning classes because I was dead tired from Sunday. I woke up at around 8 I think and I felt like I was hit by a car. Everything hurt when I moved. Well I got up and had a pretty good day at school. I had a sports test in my P.E class and I learned I suck at pull-ups. Then after sports I went and had a nice, hard leg day. After that I came home, relaxed and went to bed early. Weather wise It rained off and on ALL day, so it sucked. Today Tuesday the 16th was less exciting. I woke up at 6:30 for two Finnish lessons that started at 7:40. That I discovered was a class on how to speak in public, which I am already pretty good a except in Finnish. After that I had a break then two English lessons, which are always boring. For lunch we had liver steaks with potatoes and salad. It was ok. After lunch I had two periods of Religion. That went by REALLY slow.I then came home, ran, Cooked dinner of pork steaks and salad and the have relaxed ever since. Weather today was ok. It was cloudy and windy but it got pretty warm today which was nice.

13th-14th

Well the 13th was a good day. I wen to Vaasa at 12 to hang with my bro Santtu and some of his friends from Seinäjoki and also some Italian exchange students. I hung with him for a couple hours and am pretty sure I made some new friends. After that I hooked up with some friends from Laihia. Both were girls so of course they dragged e to all the girl stores.  After a little bit I hooked up with my bro Ben and we went to some sports stores and the girls went of to girl stores. I was with Ben for maybe an hour the he left. After he left the girls and I went to eat at a " Mexican" restaurant. It was pretty good. Then I went home by train and got ready for today.Now today the 14th was great. I woke up at 7-7:30 because my body woke me up. I made coffee then breakfast for me and my host family. At around 12:30 my friends from Vaasa came and picked me up for pregame tape and practice. At 3 our game against the Helsinki Wolverines started.  was one of the 4 captains. Things started bad because they returned our kick off for a TD but then we did the same thing when we returned it. After that it was pretty good except the refs. I actually came pretty close to getting thrown our because I was telling a ref to watch a guy because he was holding me. The ref ignored me so I asked if he was listening and he said to me" shut up, this is your only warning". So after that I had my coach pull me off D until he fixed it with the ref. This was also the same ref that liked to call crap calls. We ended up winning the game 48-20. I did pretty good. I had 3-4 tackles and I was putting pressure on their QB all day. Offense wise I did pretty well. I did make some mistakes but it happens. Weather wise it ws absolutely gorgeous. Sunny day and it was pretty warm at 10-12 degrees Celsius. After that I went and ate, came home, showered, and did laundry. Now off to bed.

12th

Well today was pretty good. I had class at 9:35 so I didn't wake up until 8. I wore my jersey to school because I really didn't wanna mess with the ritual of wearing your jersey to school. I got some weird looks but I didn't care. I came home at 1:30  and went to Vaasa to get my package from my parents that I have been waiting for for almost a month. Then I tried to nap but couldn't so I opened my package from my parents and the one form my neighbors the Spratlings. Then at 4:30 My friends from Vaasa came an picked me up so we could go to practice. Practice went well. I have starting in several positions which is good. After that we went and ate at the Laihian pizza/kebab place. While we were there a group of girls who are about 15 came in and sat down and then a little later a group of guys who are like 18-20 came and started chatting with them. I don't know if they knew them or what but I was really surprised but apparently that's acceptable. So who's knows. Anyway off to bed!

10th-11th

Well on the 10th we had a field trip to Vaasa. I had to wake up at 6:30 and I was on the bus at 7:45. Our first stop was at a engine making factory that made engines and other parts for boats and power plants. After that we went to a pizza buffet and then to a museum. I didn't get back to school until 2:30 and I was in the weight room until 3:30. I got home, napped, then went and shot my host brothers bow. He left it here so I can practice. Now today the 11th was really boring to. I got up at 6:30 for a 7:40 class which was Finnish. It was so boring because practically no one was at school today. Then I skipped my second Finnish lesson and that gave me 3 ours of downtime, so I went home and shaved, ate and relaxed. I had English before lunch and religion right after. Religion is going to be a very..... interesting class if I say it politely. Anyway tomorrow I don't have class until 9:35 and have to miss my last two gym lessons so I can go to Vaasa and pick up a package before I go to practice.

9th

Well today was pretty good. I woke up at 7 and was at school by 8 for class at 8:20. We walked to a plant close by that made aluminum parts. It was kinda boring. Then we came back, I studied some Swedish, had lunch, then went home. I got home and took a nap and when I woke up and checked the mail. In the mail was 6 cards for my birthday from friends and family. I actually teared up reading them. Then I went running, which sucked. Today I was supposed to go bow shooting with my host brother but his friend didn't get his bow so we didn't go. So after that my host brother and I went and got his bow target and set it out back of my host house. Tomorrow he will bring his bow and leave it there so I can shoot whenever I want. So the weather today was at first really cold then warmed up to a really nice day. Tomorrow I go to Vaasa for school and when I get back it is arm day. Then later in the day I should go bow shooting. SO hopefully it's a good day tomorrow.

7th-8th

Well on Sunday the 7th I went horse back riding at 9:30 a.m and that lasted about an hour. At 3 I had a little "party" with my current and second host families. It was really nice. At 6 I went to the gym with my host brother Aleksi from my second family. I did leg day and it went really well. Today the 8th was my birthday. My host parents woke me up at 7 and gave me my gift which was a very nice necklace with the Finnish lion on it. I had school today and we ended up going to the Lahian museum. It was pretty cool. I got home at around 12:30 and took a nap. At 2 my host mom took me to Vaasa to get my cake. At 5 I wet to rotary where I brought the cake and bought coffee for everyone which is what they do. It went really well. I then came home and have chilled since. So a pretty boring birthday. Tomorrow I have school again and it will be boring.

5th-6th

Well on Friday the 5th I was at school at 8 for a class at 8:30. I had to listen to an Italian guy talk until 11 when we ate lunch then a fairly attractive Ukrainian girl talked about Ukraine. Then I went home and chilled. Well today Saturday the 6th I had my Finnish test at 8:30 so I had to be there at 8. It took 3 hours and went TERRIBLE. I mean it was so hard. All the questions were in Finnish. Then I came home and slept, I got my passport sent to the travel agency and have relaxed. I don't know at what time but my host dads sister and cousin came over. The sister lives in Laihia but the cousin is from Sweden. We talked and had coffee and cake and they were here until 11 p.m. But now I am getting ready for bed. Tomorrow I am going horse riding and at 3 my 2nd and 3rd host families are getting together to celebrate my birthday which is on Monday. I turn 17 which isn't a great number but hey every ones gotta go through it.

3rd-4th

Well on Thursday the 3rd I had my economics test and it went very well. After the test I made plans for today(the 4th) and then went and lifted. After that I just chilled. Today the 4th I had my psychology test which went very well, then stayed at school until almost 12 because I was talking to people. My friend was supposed to call me when she got up so we could hangout but she never did I spent a lot of time just waiting. That made me very mad. So to counter it I worked on a project and also did some exercises.At around 7 I had dinner with my host family. We had salad, potatoes and ham. Prior to that I walked to the store so I could think and I got a lot of weird looks because I was walking around in a sweatshirt and no hat. Then I showered and started watching a movie when my dad interrupted me for a skype call. We chatted for almost an hour. Now I am getting ready for bed. Tomorrow some kids Will be going to either Paris or Rome for school trips. That leaves very few of us at school. So for about 4 days we are in a " service week" which means we sit at school and do nothing. Not excited.

1st of april and the 2nd

well yesterday was the first of April. I did nothing execpt study, eat and stay at home. Well today was the second. Today I went to school and had a good leg day. Then I met with the German girl Anna and we chilled fora bit then I came home. I slept for a bit and then went outside to see if  I could find the mailbox. Well I made the mistake of closing the door which was locked. So I got locked out for an hour and a half because I didn't have my phone. Then I chilled, went to sauna and got tickets for the USA vs Russia hockey game in Helsinki in May. So some important things happened this morning. I had my first dream in Finnish which is good. It was very weird thought because it was my real sister wishing me a happy birthday in Finnish, then me saying thank you, and her saying you're welcome all in Finnish. Anyway tomorrow is my Economics test as well as arm day! so hopefully it'll be a good day.

30th/ thinking to much

So today was the 30th. Today was iffy. I woke up, went to the gym, worked hard and have relaxed basically. Today little kids go around in costumes and basically trick or treat. It's pretty cute. Later in the day my host family and I went to Vaasa and went shopping. They got me my birthday gift which I don't feel to comfortable about because it was very expensive. I mean I am grateful truly but I never feel comfortable when people spend lots on me. Then me went and ate. We came home and have relaxed until around 7 when we started to get ready to go to a bonfire. We left at 7:45 and got there around 8. It was pretty boring because it wasn't a party like a bonfire it supposed to be. It was very quiet because it had reglious meaning. Then we came home, and I checked my Facebook/instagram. Well that killed my night. I had asked earlier in the week if anything thing was going on this weekend( parties, movies, etc.) and the kids said they would let me know. Well I saw pictures of people together having fun. That really made me depressed. It's like people don't understand that this is why I feel like I don't have friends. I mean am I really that weird and annoying that you can't call and say "hei were getting together wanna come?". I have 3 months left and am kinda excited to go home, then  realize that I will have to deal with the drama of small town life. I really wish I could find a place where I can get out, where the people like me and where there is no drama. but I think I am going to shower, drink some tea and try to sleep. Last night was pretty sleepless and I have a weird feeling this one will be to.

27th-29th

Well on the 27th I was supposed to have a economics test but It got moved to next Wednesday. I then went to the gym and chilled at school and then home. Didn't really do much that day. I did fill out some post cards and paperwork  to be sent out. On the 28th I had a french test which I am pretty sure I failed. Then I hung out with the German girl Anna who was last year then I chilled at home, and then slept. Today the 29th was Good Friday which meant everything was closed. I learned when I went for a walk because I was a little sad that all the tickets for the USA vs Finland hockey game were sold out. Then I came home, slept a bit then got stuff ready for dinner. Dinner was lamb and potato's and cheese and salad and all very fancy. We also had wine which I tried. I discovered I am not really a wine person. Then My host parents and I played several bored games which I lost at. Then I just chilled the night away and even had a cup of Cinnamon tea. Now getting ready for bed. Going to the gym tomorrow to work my ass off.

26th

Well today was normal. I had my Finnish test which went ok then lifted( leg day). I came home, did laundry, studied and chilled. At 7 I went to sauna and then snow. While In sauna and now while I am in bed I began thinking of what someone asked me today. My friend Juuso asked why I am such a morning person and why am I so happy? Well I guess it's because I'm tire of being sad. I have learned that smiling is the best way to be happy. Even if you have to fake it it will eventually happen for real.

24th-25th

So on Sunday the 24th I moved. I woke up at like 10, finished packing and cleaning, watched rush hour 2 and played black op with my bro then had a very lovely lunch of steak and crembole made by my host parents. At 2 p.m I moved to the new family. Everything went well and at 9 p.m I went to say goodbye to a friend who is moving in a couple day. Today Monday I had an English test and It went really well. Then I wen to my house and hung with my friend Siru and we watched the movie Sinister which is a horror movie. It was really good. At 2 my host mom got home and we went shopping. Then at 4 my host mom left for a church thing and I started doing homework. I did that for several hours and am now getting for bed. Tomorrow is my aidinkieli(Finnish) test and it should go well.

23rd

Well today was ok. i woke up at 9 and resumed packing and cleaning. Today is Helmi's actual birthday so we had to clean the house for her second party. So that kinda annoyed me because it just shows how spoiled she is.  So I got almost everything packed except the stuff I need for tomorrow( computer, contacts, etc. etc.). Later in the day I took a nap and then Helmi's friends came over. Everything went ok except I got mad at my host mom for reminding me once again that I am only 16. I really hate it when she does that because I may be only 16 but I don't feel 16. Then At around 9 we ate kebab and here soon my older host bro and his Gf will arrive so that means a late night chilling with him. Then tomorrow I will be up at probably 9 or 10 and Finish packing everything and then clean my room. I move at around 2 p.m tomorrow. I'm kinda excited yet not because this means my exchange is almost done.

22nd

Well today was an EHHH day. Woke up at 6:30, was at school for a 7:40 class. School went ok, and I ended it with sports class. We played badminton which I didn't like because I don't like that game. During sports it started snowing which made me sad because I mean its the end of March we shouldn't have snow. I came home and watched a movie. Then tried laying down but was interrupted by my little sister yelling at me that it was time for food. Well I ate a little because I didn't feel good, and then went and laid down while the rest went to Hemli's concert. I woke up after about an hour and felt way better so I started packing. The family didn't get back until 8ish and then the chilled and went to bed, meanwhile I am still trying to pack. Tomorrow will consist of Helmi's second party for her birthday and packing. Lots of packing.I move at 2 p.m on Sunday.

21st

Well today was a pretty normal day. Woke up at 8:45 and then went to school at 9:30. Had French at 10:35. I really don't like the new teacher. She talks to me like I'm stupid and like I don't understand any Finnish at all. On top of that she doesn't listen to me. Today I told her 3 times she doesn't have to translate the test that the English teacher will probably do it. The rest of the day went pretty well and then I went home at 3:10 and took a nap. The I just kinda poke around. I watched a movie with Finnish Subtitles. Today though was the day I realized I am pretty screwed for my Finnish test on the 6th. So that's got me freaking out. Weather wise it was kinda nice. Clear day but it was cold and windy. But the sun is melting the snow on the sidewalks and roads so that's nice.

20th

Well today was pretty good. had French at 7:40 which sucked. I really don't like the new teacher. Then school went fine Lunch was fish and chips and was actually pretty good. I lifted after school and it was awkward because while I was lifting there was 10+ 9th grade girls lifting to and a lot of the time they were in the way. Plus a lot of them looked at me weird.I came home napped, woke up, did laundry, ate dinner then chilled. at around 9 I skyped my parents and ended up seeing my grandpa who came over to say hi to my mom and that was cool. Then I played a couple games of pool and am now getting ready for bed.

18th-19th

Well Monday the 18th was a really normal Monday. Woke up at 8 and was at school for a class at 9:35. Day was boring. Ended with French. We got a new teacher because out other one is on maternity leave. She was nice but not a very good teacher. So to help pass the time I flirted with the cute girl next to me. then I came home, My older host sister Essi was packing because she Left that evening while the German girl left that morning. So my host dad and I took her to the train station and then he dropped me off at Rotary. It was one of the members birthday so we had free cake and coffee which was good. Then there was a presentation on Ireland form one of the members who is Irish ye speaks fluent Finnish. He wished me a happy St.Patricks day which was cool. Then came home and slept. Today Tuesday the 19th I was at school at 10 to talk to a couple of 8th grade classes about the U.S. It went ok. Some of the kids were kinda annoying but I dealt with it. Then I had lunch and then ended the day with Psych. I went and lifted and came home. I slept because I was really tired. Then I just chilled. For dinner we had two types of fish. One smoked and the other not. The non smoked was ok but the smoked was REALLY good. Then I made a fire with my host dad and played pool. Now getting ready to sleep because I have French at 7:40.

16t-17th

well on the 16th Helmi had a little party for her birthday because Julia the German girl who was here several years ago came for the weekend. The beginning of the day I was SUPER anti social from the night before. Well then I was forced to come down stairs and slowly losend up. It was a fun night. On the 17th Julia, Essi my older host sister, A guy named Tuomas and I shot a documentary about chocolate milk addiction. It went really well. Well after we finished I played COD and prestiged. Everything went really slowly until around 9. I then was able to see the Northern Lights. It was really really amazing and they were absolutely beautiful. Tomorrow it is back to school and then Rotary at 5:30.

Bad day

Well today was a bad day. It started out ok. Woke up at 7, made my 7:40 class on time and everything went fine until lunch. At 12 I got a haircut, and then I went and got lunch. As I was coming back I had to cross a road to get to the school. Well There was a van coming so I quickly road across. I came towards the entrance way to the school parking lot at an angle and braked to adjust. Well My back tire slid out from under me and I landed really hard on my right leg. I actually had to limp to the school building because My knee and hip hurt so bad. Well after time it went away and For sports we played hockey. Well that sucked because I suck at hockey and it makes me mad because I fall a lot. Well came home and cleaned and slept and then  around 8 a former exchange student who lived with this family came. She will be here for a week. Well from there I started feeling like shit. It was obvious that the family liked her better. Plus I felt bad that my Finnish sucks. So I chilled in m room and then finally came down and things start going ok. Well the power went off, and I ended up playing pool with my host dad with headlamps. Well then I started getting own again. I went and showered and everybody else started going to bed. I don't know what triggered it but I got pretty home sick. Missing the father-son moments. Well I started looking through facebook and saw a picture of some kids from home who are one the dance team who are in state and they were skyping a girl form Pendleton who went to Italy with another program. Well that killed me. Made me really feel like I don't belong anywhere. I mean I don't feel welcome in this host family anymore. I'm not sure if  I have friends here. I mean kids are nice to me at school But I NEVER get out of the house. I never get invited anywhere and when I asked what people are doing they are always busy. Then I always see these pictures or statuses about other exchangers getting letters, and packages from friends back home. I mean I never get so much as a message on facebook from people. If I wanna talk to someone I have to message them. And usually they don't respond. That kills me. Also everyday I write this blog and I'm not sure anybody really reads it. There were so many people before I left asking me for my blog info and now I don't think anyone reads it. It just kinda confirms That no body besides really cares about me.

13th-14th

Well on Wednesday the 13th It was a normal day. I had French at 7:40 and then I had a class every period until lunch. I was supposed to have a class after lunch but the teacher wasn't there so I chilled in the break room until around 1:30 and then went to workout. Well the gym was full of non lifting 9th graders and it was annoying but I got  good lift in. After that I really didn't do much but I did translate a psych project with my sisters help. Well today the 14th I woke up at 8 and Didn't have to be at school until 10:35. Well I went at a reasonable time to get some gum from the store. Well the temp today was -15 degrees Celsius. That is 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Well on the ride I had to cross a bridge over looking the river. Well standing on the ice was what I THINK was an otter. I am not quite sure what is was because It looked a little small to be an otter. Well I stopped to get a picture and it jumped in the river and swam away. I was disappointed. Well school went fine and My presentation in Psychology went ok. I then came home and have done nothing really. Tomorrow Is my long day and in sports we are playing hockey. Tomorrow is also the day when the German girl who exchanged here several years ago comes and stays with his family for a week or so. Should be an interesting day.

12th

Well today was kinda bad. I went to school at around 9 in a terrible snow storm. The snow was so deep I had trouble riding. Then school went ok.  I then went home in a bad snow storm again and my bike broke so it made it kinda hard to ride. When I did get home The snow was about a foot deep so I had to Clear it. Then My host dad took me to Seinäjoki to a football gear seller. I was expecting it to be like croc's shirts and stuff but it was actual football gear. So I picked up a girdle. the ride to and from the gear seller was really bad. It was really snowy. Then I get home. eat. and just chill. Night go's on pretty well until I am about to write this. I am downstairs just joking and stuff with Essi my elder host sis and Helmi well Helmi does her little growl thing which she does a lot and I jokingly said to my host mom " I think we need to get the house checked, somethings growling at me".  Well my host mom said " Maybe you should move out. Maybe tonight or tomorrow. call Puska and tell them". Well I know she was probably joking but it really didn't feel like it. So that kinda got me down. SO yea night.

10th-11th

Well on the 10th I did absolutely noting and the only thing that really happened was my counsellor came over and signed some paperwork I needed signed. Well the was today and a Monday. So I went to school at 8:30 for a class at 9:35. While there I got some papers copied for my Visa application. After school I went to the post office and sent some things out and then went to the bank and paid for my Russia trip. I came home and did home work and that's all. Tomorrow is LEG DAY and boring school so should be ok. I will also try to go to Seinäjoki to buy some football gear. Other then that nothing really. The weather lately though as been beautiful. Today was sunny and it actually felt some what warm. It was perfect.

8th-9th

So on Friday the 8th I had an ok day. Was pretty long. I had lunch at the kebab place because the school lunch looked terrible and then I went to pay for my Russia trip. Well I found out the Bank is closed until Monday. Yea that upset me. Then I went Skiing for sports class and the rest of the day was lazy. Well today I had practice and we practiced with the men's team and that went pretty good. Came home, did laundry and chilled. Was pretty lazy. The weather today was really cold like -16 degrees Celsius and on Friday it was windy, cold and snowy. Was really bad.

7th

Well today was pretty good. Went to school and had my first class at 10:35 which was French. Then Finnish then lunch. Lunch was porridge so it was ok.  Rest of school went super slow it was ridicules. After school I went and had an upper body day. I pushed soo hard that by the end I could barely lift my arms. I was disappointed though that the burn and the soreness didn't last long. Made me very sad. I got home and chilled until around 6 when my next host dad came and picked me up. We went to my next house and with my next host mom talked, drank coffee, ate sugary stuff and took a tour of the house. I really think I will like it there. It's about a kilometre to school so the ride will be fine. Anyway now I am at home getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is a long day. I every class and sports which tomorrow we will be skiing. Then I have to go pay for my Russia trip so should be fun. As for the weather. It's sunny and chilly. Not very March like.

6th

Today school started for me at 7:40. It went fairly quick. My school ended at around 1:35 so I quickly went to lift and...... I forgot my shorts. So after that discovery I went home. The ride home sucked. It was -5 degrees Celsius( in the 20's), with strong winds and snow/hail like stuff that stung really bad when it hits you in the face. So I FINALLY make it home and I chill for maybe an hour then my host dad picks me up and we go to pick up my little host sister. We go to Vaasa to drop her off at her singing lessons( which are next week not today). After we drop her off I go to the Apple store and pick up my Ipod, then I go and get Visa photos. We then pick up my host sister, host mom and then my other host sister. We come home and chill. AS soon as I got home I started working on my Ipod. It took me awhile but I am basically back to where I was when It broke. Tomorrow I have school at 10:35, I will do my workout I was supposed to do today and then at 6 I meet my next and final host family. I am kinda nervous.

4th-5th

Well yesterday on the 4th I didn't do much. I went to school and Rotary and that is about it. Today the 5th I went to school at around 10 to lift, school started at 11:35 and went smoothly. I had class until 3 and then went home. I was supposed to go to Vaasa but ended up not so I took a small nap. I woke up,ate dinner then did what  I could for my club recommendation letter. Hopefully my consular and I can get together fairly soon seeing as it as well as the money are due on the10th. Later tonight I skyped my parents and got all but one tiny section on my Visa application done so that is good. Tomorrow school starts at 7:40 and ends a little after 1. Then I lift and go to Vaasa to get my ipod and try and get a picture taken.

2nd-3rd

Well on the second I didn't do much. I packed up, cleaned My host sisters apartment, had a really good burger that had like 5 meats and left back to Laihia. When we got home we didn't do much except we watched Skyfall which wasn't a bad movie. I liked the ending because It took it back to the original Bonds. Then today the 3rd I cleaned, did homework and slept. It was a very lazy day. Tomorrow I am back to school which sucks. I also am restarting my diet because I kinda failed that. Oh I forgot to mention in my post bout going to Sweden that while there in a sports store I ended up talking to one of the employees and we were talking about AR-15's and stuff. Was pretty cool. Found out he owns one and plans on picking up another.

March 1st

Well today was pretty fun. First we went to a place that was like a little OMSI. While there I bought a pin and was like explaining why to the lady in case she thought I was weird but she was like ¨I know I was a Rotary Exchange Student too¨. SO that was awesome. Then we went down town and had lunch then shopped. I went to a book store and bought a book called ¨How to Marry a Finnish Girl¨. It is pretty funny. Then at 4 I met my friend my chile at the Stockman. There we looked at UA stuff which is really expensive here. Then we basically walked around for a couple of hours. We did have a good encounter with some attractive girls at the stockman and that was cool but other then that it was a boring time. Today I also got to see a new upcoming band which was pretty good. I even got one of their CD'S.

27th-28th.

Well on Wednesday the 27th I went to Oulu. Along the way we stopped at a store which was huge. There I finally found guns in Finland yet they were kinda lame. Then we finally made it to the house and just chilled. today the 28th was a busy day. First we went to a place called Kemi and went to a ice castle/ hotel which was pretty epic. then we went to Sweden for a bit to go to IKEA.Well first we had to stop at a place called Candy World and it was how it sounds. It was a place full of candy and I ended up spending money there. then we went to IKEA then some sports stores then back to Oulu. All in all a good day.

25th-26th

Well on Monday the 25th I didn't do much. I went to Vaasa and got my Ipod into the shop to be fixed( aka to be replaced) which made me happy. Other then that I didn't do much. Today the 26th I have done nothing except pack. Tomorrow me and the fam go to Oulu to stay with the second eldest daughter for almost a week.While there I will chill with one of my French Friends and jut plain out explore Oulu. I also hope to by some Under Armour clothes if I can find any. The UA website says there are dealers in Oulu so lets hope. We also will be going to see an Ice hotel in Lapland so that should be cool. We will be leaving before 5 A.M. so should be a long day haha.

23rd-24th

Well yesterday Saturday the 23rd wasn't to bad. Only had one football practice because a bunch of people weren't there and then a bunch of people had to go after the first practice. Well lets just say it was a bad practice. I made a lot of mistakes, and I messed up a lot of snaps. After practice my ride took me to Laihia then I bought him a rulla kebab from the local Laihia place and he said it was as good as his place in Vaasa. Then he dropped me off and I did nothing the rest of the day. Today Sunday the 24th was pretty good. I went to Vaasa with my two host sisters and my host mom. I tried ice fishing ( didn't catch anything) and then went to Sauna. So I went to Sauna then I went into the ice cold sea. The temperature was .5 degrees Celsius. That's almost 32 degrees Fahrenheit. I did that about 4 times. After that we came home and I have done nothing. Tomorrow and Tuesday I don't have plans and then on Wednesday I go to Oulu.

22nd

Well my day started off with me being late to my first class because I slept through my alarm. The teacher was cool when I explained it. The rest of the day went normal. I had sports today and we played Hockey. Well I suck. I fell a lot and scored one goal because they let me. So I don't believe I will be playing Hockey. Weather wise it was very warm today. While playing Hockey I sweated a lot and on the ride home I had my coat open. My day was kinda ruined because my Ipod has streaks through it. First they were white now they are green and pink. I tried restoring it and all that did was lose my music and apps. So probably gonna take it to an Apple dealer and see what I can do. Tomorrow is practice so that makes me happy.

21st

Well today was ok. Didn't have to be at school until 10:35. At around 1 i met my friend Jose and took him to school. After school we walked home and relaxed until 4:30 when the district chairman picked us up and took us to the out-bound meeting. It was really fun because I got to hang out with a bunch of awesome inbounds. Though my night was ruined because I found out I can't play my first football game because of my district conference. I'm gonna try and get out of it because I really wanna play but I don't think I will be able to.

20th

Well where shall I start about today. Woke up at 6:30 to be at school for a 7:40 French class just to find out that there was no class. So that kinda ticked me off. Then  I had a word test in English class and got one out of ten. In my defense I didn't recognise any of the words. Then I got my math retest back and found out I did worse then last time. I got 1 point out of 36. Again in my defense it was a harder test then last time even the teacher said not to get down that it was hard. The next test is in April so I have time to study. Then I found out that the principle is saying that she and teachers will come to next years Abit party which upset all the second years and that annoyed me for several reasons. 1 it's a private party so theres nothing the teachers could do if they do show up so they had no need to freak and 2 it made people not smile which I hate. I hate dealing with people who aren't happy because that in turn makes me un-happy and no one likes a un-happy Zach. So after school I went and lifted and it was a good lift. I pushed it soo hard that I felt sick. Then I came home and slept a bit, ate and then went skiing. That went pretty god expect I fell a lot. Now I am just relaxing. Tomorrow I have Rotary stuff and my friend Jose is coming to Laihia for a couple hours so he can catch a ride. Should be fun

18th-19th

Well yesterday was ok. Woke up at 7:30 and went to the store to see if they had my SD card because the corner of the letter I sent it in was gone when my parents got it. Well they didn't have it so then I went to school. School was boring as usual. At 4 I had my math test retake which sucked. I hope I did well this time. Today was ok to. I slept until 9 which felt amazing and went to school. School was boring as usual. I went to lift after school but realized I didn't have a shirt so I went home. Gonna lift tomorrow. The rest of the night I slept, ate and studied. I have a word test in English tomorrow.

17th

Well today was kinda crap. Didn't feel good at all and also remembered that my math retest is tomorrow and not Tuesday. I woke up at almost ten an have done nothing really except study and I don't remember anything that I've studied so I am soo screwed for the test tomorrow. As for the feeling weird I'm pretty sure I'm getting a cold which I really hope I'm not because colds suck and with the weather here I'm pretty sure it would kill me. I also found out today that I will be moving to my last family on the 24th of March and have a meeting with the new family sometime in two weeks. So yea my time here is almost done and I hate it.

16th

Well today I woke up at 8:30 to shower and then I got ready for my host grandmothers birthday party. It was at a nice hotel in Vaasa and we had a nice brunch. Was a little fancy for me. Had things like bacon wrapped dates( freakin good), herring, hard boiled eggs with caviar and other stuff like that. But it was still good. The time was full of laughing and jokes and was an all around good time. As we are leaving I find out that there's a ghost on the third floor of the hotel. So I ask the reception people if it's like a joke and there like " no it's not a joke". SO I think I might be back sometime with some ghost hunting equipment. I came home and took a nap and after that have not done much. Just kinda relaxed. Been feeling kinda weird. I have a tight feeling in my chest so I hope it's only a cold and not something more serious. Tomorrow I am going to try and study for m math retake on Tuesday so wish me luck.

15th

Well today I woke up at 7:30 to get ready for dancing. Today we danced three times. Once at school for Grades 6-9 and then a day care and finally an old folks home. Our dance area kept getting smaller and smaller it was ridicules. During the dance at school the sole on my dance shoe came a little loose but I went to the day care and danced with it. Well half way through our routine it comes loose even more. So we had to go back to school and the teacher grabbed another pair for me. The pair was about a size to small but I dealt with it. After the old folks home we came back to school and chilled for about an hour then went to food. We ate at a place called Amarillo which was a Tex-Mex joint. It was really good although a little pricey. After that we came back and we went home for about two hours. At 7 I went to the after party which was ok. Started out really well, then I tweaked my knee which wasn't to bad I was still enjoying myself but then I got sad, and pissed and then home sick. I don't know why. Well that lasted a while and when I was starting to enjoy myself again Some drama started and I had to help stop it. Well it restarted as I was about to leave and I got it sorted out. Then on the way home at around midnight I was talking to my host mom and I was listening to me talk and I sounded drunk even though I didn't drink. I really hope she doesn't think I drank cuz that would be bad. But now I am off to bed. I am getting up at 8:30 to shower and get ready for the grandmother's birthday party which is at 11:15 in Vaasa.

14th aka Valentines day

Well today is the 14th which is Valentines today to you people with relationships but for me it was Thursday and the Wanhat. I came to school a little after 9 and found the break room was pretty messed up by the Abit( kids about to graduate) So I helped clean it up and went to some classes. Came back from French and found the Abit had returned. So I was talking to a couple of my Abit friends about how lucky I was that they missed me with the lip-stick ( the Abit draw on kids faces with lip-stick on this day) and They pulled out there lip-stick and drew hearts on my face. I then went to Finnish after chillin for a bit and there was only about 6 of us guys so it was an easy day. Then we had lunch which kinda sucked. Was turkey and potato which was kinda gross. Then w had economics which there was only like 5 of us then No one went to Psych so we didn't have it. I came home and relaxed for a bit then at 5 I went to dance practice in my suit. It was SOOOO hot everyone was sweating. SO then parents started arriving at 6 and we started at 6:30. It went well I messed up once in the actual dance process bit we recovered well. I had to waltz like 4 times. Once with my partner, once with my host mom, once with a cute first year which surprised her and once with one of my friends. Tomorrow we dance again at like 3 places which is gonna suck but then we go eat and then at 7 we party. Should be fun.

11th-13th

Well on Monday I woke up thinking I didn't have school until 11 an found out I had class at 9:30. SO I went there and was lucky to find out class was pushed back until 10. Then the day went smoothly and at 2:45 I had dance practice which meant I missed french. On Tuesday I didn't have to wake up until 9 because class wasn't until 11:35. The day went smooth except for the last two periods of Psych when I couldn't focus. Today Wednesday the 13th was good. Had class at 7:40 which was French. Got there and found one of the Rotarian's is now in my class. The day went well except we had fish more lunch. After lunch we had dance practice for like an hour and that was just to much. I came home and slept for a bit, had dinner then went to the 3rd year " graduation" party type thing. It was ok but I couldn't drink which kinda made it less fun because everyone else. But now I am getting ready for bed. I am tired.

9th-10th

Well yesterday I didn't do much. Skyped with my dad and talked to my host parents about the dance this week which is on Thursday. Today I woke up and helped clean the kitchen and then made pulla, by hand. After that I took a nap and woke up at 3. Well shortly there after some friends of my host mom and sister came home. SO we had coffee and pulla and other soft drinks. Then they left and we just chilled. At 7:30 my host mom and sister took the dog to agility and that left my host dad and I. We played some pool and I uploaded a couple albums of pictures to facebook. Then I shaved and showed and I am slowly getting ready for tomorrow.

8th

So today was a LONG but pretty good day. My day started at 6:30 when I woke up. Had Psych at 7:40, then economics, then Finnish, then double English. Lunch was soup which was OK. After lunch I had free period and I didn't think I had the sports class after so I went and worked out. Was a good lift. Squatted 210 pounds today. I know its not much but it's a start back to where I was. As I'm nearing the end of my workout I see a couple of guys I usually lift with and go and talk to them. Well turns out I'm in there sports class and we had class. We played floor ball for two hours. Was pretty fun. I started out goaly. I had padded pants and shirt with gloves and a helmet. I didn't know if i was doing NASCAR or baseball. I felt like both. Then I went home. The ride to and from school felt terrible. Was around -12 and felt way colder. So I came home and chilled for  bit then slept because I was SUPER tired. Woke up and dinner was made. We had TeX Mex lasagna. It was really good. Relaxed some more and at 10 my host mom came back from Helsinki. She is the best. She brought back a cherry 7 up and then a Dr.Pepper along with a Reese's nutragius bar. She also got a book for my sister because she just had her baby. The book is for when her little girl is like 5. It's a really cute book about Finland. Now I am just chilling thinking about sleeping. So night.

6th-7th

Well on Wednesday I didn't do much. Went to school and tried to work out after I said try because I went to the gym but forgot shorts. So hopefully I don't do that tomorrow. Today was an ok day. Woke up at 8 and went to school at 10 for a 10:35 class. Lunch was fish but it was ok. My classes after lunch were really boring. Had one period economics and two periods Psych. Came home and walked the dog, then chilled and went to Vaasa to drop my host sister off at her singing lessons then to go get me stuff for school and the dance. So we got all that, and went to a store and bought some food. On the way home though my sister and I convinced my host dad to buy kebab and he said yes. Man was that a good dinner. Then I have been getting ready for school tomorrow. One time though as I'm walking down the stairs I slip and slid. Now my heels hurt. Lets hope they are just bruised

5th

Well today was pretty good. I woke up at 9 and slowly got ready. At 10 I left and sent some letters out. After that I went to school and went to the Free dance practice. My first class was at 11:25 and it was Finnish. Then we had lunch, English, an two periods Psych. Came home and relaxed. At 6 I cooked dinner with my host family. We had tacos. Other then that Didn't do much. Tomorrow school starts at 7:40 with French. Should be a pretty easy day tomorrow.

4th

Well today was interesting. Had my math exam which I'm pretty sure I failed. It's ok though I can retake it. I wasted as much time before I got my hair cut and yet I was still an hour and a half early for it( was supposed to be at 3:30 and I got it at 2). So Now I look good. The new course starts tomorrow and I am taking English, Finnish, French, Economics, Psychology, and Sports. Should be a fairly easy course. Should go to Vaasa sometime soon to get my books and tie for the dance. Anyway going to bed.

3rd

Well today was fairly boring.Woke up, ate, looked at math with my host dad and then cleaned. I picked up, put away and vacuumed my room so it now looks nice. After that I slept and started looking at math. I have done that almost all day and have gotten no where. This makes me really mad and tomorrow I have my math exam and I really need to pass this class. Jari my host dad made dinner( potatoes and pork in a really good sauce). At around 6 my councilor came over and filled out some paperwork for eurotour and helped me understand how to register for my Finnish test in April. After that showered, made hot coco and studied more. I am really frustrated at this point. It's not been a good night.

1st-2nd febuary

Well the 1st not much happened. Went to school and took a health test. Went pretty well. Chilled at school till lunch, ate potato's, beef and chicken( was good), then went and made a hair cut appointment for Monday at 3:30. Um the 2nd was a great day. Had practice all day. It was junior and Senior team practice which was awesome. The Senior team is all adults and there GOOD. So that practice was great and full of many awesome guys. Came home and went to sauna. Then had coffee and pulla. Then went and played a game kinda like pull and curling mixed with my host dad. Was really fun. Now just waiting to sleep. Tomorrow will be filled with cleaning.. FUN( sarcasm)

30th-31st

Well yesterday the 30th I didn't do much. went to the gym and ran and that's about it. Today I had my music exam and that went pretty well. That made me happy but the weather didn't. It was slushy on the road, and it was slushing( rain snow mix) all day. It was really annoying. Tomorrow I have my health test and am expecting to do pretty well. BTW I got my history test back and got a 9+ which is good.

29th

Well today was pretty darn good. I had my history exam today so I was at school by 8. The test went pretty good and afterword I went to talk to a class of 9th graders about country music. None of them seemed to care but that's there loss. I then went and ate then went to the free dance practice. That sucked but hey it's an experience. I then busted home and got my stuff together and walked to the bus station. I only wore a sweatshirt because it was to hot for my coat. Big mistake. The wind was SOOOO cold. I then got on a bus at 1:30 for Vaasa. I got there at 2 and had and hour to kill before going to the police station for my tour. In that hour I looked at ties for the dance. I took pictures and will show my partner them later. The tour of the police station was pretty epic. Learned a lot about how the police work. I also found out that the station is the headquarters for all of Ostrobothnia. I took a lot of pictures and will even be getting a patch later on. Came home and hung with the family and am now working on music homework. I have no exam tomorrow but I have music on Thursday, health on Friday and math on Next Tuesday.

28th

Well today was the start of the exam week and since I had no exam I didn't have to go to school. I went to school anyway at around 11 to go to the gym. While there I hung with a couple buddies and smoked/pushed a kid who doesn't even lift. Came home and watched " Wind Talkers" and read history and slept. Woke up, read more history and have eaten and chilled with the family. Tomorrow I have my history examine which is why I have been reading so much history. Also tomorrow I go into the music class and talk to a couple classes of  9th graders about why country music is soo popular in the United States. Also tomorrow I go to Vaasa to get a tour of the police station from the chief. Bus leaves at 1:30 so that means I have to leave school at 12, be out of the house by no later then 12:45 so I can walk to the bus station and bank to get cash. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day to say that least. Anyway off to bed.

27th

Well today was kinda a lazy day. Was supposed to go running at 11 but didn't go until 12 because I was being lazy. It went well and It felt good. Came back and was surprised to see the friends that came over still there. We all sat down for coffee and the friend was trying to feed her baby but the baby kept staring at me( like usual). So I asked to try and feed her but the baby just turned her head when I tried. So I gave back the spoon and the baby started at me again. Was so cute. Rest of the day I kinda cleaned and procrastinated. My Rotary councilor was supposed to come over between 6 ad 8 but never did. I have my paper work filled out for eurotour and will send that out tomorrow and hopefully secure a spot. Only 86 kids can go and that makes me nervous. Anyway gym tomorrow. Gotta get ripped! Haha but in all seriousness the gym is important. It has kinda made me realize that if I wanna be a bad mofo I gotta one work hard and two believe in myself. Anyway putting away laundry then bed.

26th

Well today was an ok day. Woke up at 9, had porridge with blackberry jam which was AMAZING!! Then We went to Seinäjoki. The reason we went there was to find me  suit for the big dance coming up in like hm 3 weeks. Well our first place we looked was at a family members house and those suits didn't fit so then we stopped at a flee market like thing and found a decent suit and pants to match. So now I'm set. Before this we went to another store and while I was browsing I saw a kids compound bow set and of course took a picture. It was really cool to see. We came home and have just chilled. I did some work for music class then was checking the news an found a report of a " Bigfoot" on the rez. So that made me laugh yet creeped out at the same time because the rez at night is creepy enough as it is( all swampy brushy area that you can't see 5 feet into). But now off to bed. Hopefully my councilor will come over tomorrow and pick up some paper work to fill out so I can try and go on eurotour.

25th

Well today was the last day before exam week. Woke up at 6:30 and was at school by 7:20. Math was god albeit boring. Had a break, two periods of music another break then lunch. Lunch was a fish potato thing which is really gross so I went to the store an bought lunch. After that I had a break then two dance periods. I got really frustrated because I was doing really bad. Plus I feel bad for my partner because ya know I'm her partner. Came home and have just chilled. Tomorrow I go to Seinäjoki to try on some suits for the dance.  We will be leaving at 10 in the morning so I don't have time to run unless we get home at like 4 so I will probably just do it on Sunday. Today's weather wasn't to bad. Was only about-5(23) out. So yea this weekend Will be devoted to studying and doing nothing.

22nd to 24th

so I have been lazy so that's why I haven't posted. SO here it go's. On Tuesday the 22nd I didn't do much really. I went to school, and then ran and I think that's about it. Same thing happened on Wednesday. Went to school at 7 for a class at 7:40.  Day went by and at lunch I had a dance meeting for our free dance. They were trying to decide weather to do it for both parents and school, one or the other or not at all. I didn't vote because I really didn't care. I also enlightened one of the first years who's dancing with us about how I have no say in my partnership. Whatever she says go's. I guess I'm practicing to be a good husband. After school I worked out and when I came home I found a Rotary letter for me and it was stuff for EuroTour which I started filling out most ricky tick. On Thursday so today I didn't really do much either. Went to class at 7:40 then went to the store in -12 degree weather in a sweatshirt just to buy a pack of coffee for us. So then the day went as normal with a ton of breaks. Came home, slept a bit, then ran( like Tuesday). After that nothing really interesting happened. Just another normal night. Tomorrow is the last normal day before exam week which makes me scared. I am so nervous that I am going to fail math it is ridicules.

21st

Well today was Monday. Yay..... I went to school at 9 in -18  degree Celsius  weather for a class at 10:30. through out the day I rewrote my speech for the Rotary presentation because instead of it being in Finnish it was in Google translate. So the day was pretty boring. Lunch was great it was tuna pasta which is one of the best meals there. After school I raced home and slept for about 30 minutes. I woke up, shaved, got dressed and went to Rotary. I bought coffee and a cake and ate it while talking to the prez. Then I went and got my presentation set up. Meanwhile the prez opened up the meeting and did all the stuff and I was sitting there nervous. Then it's my time. I get up, put my blazer on and give my presentation. I feel like I did terrible but the Rotary members were very supportive and said it was good. I came home, Had taco's and then showered, had some of the best ice cream ever and am now writing this. All in all a good day.

20th

Um well today was an odd day. I woke up early today( like 9:30) because I couldn't sleep anymore. I had trouble getting out of bed because a lot of my body was sore. So as I'm eating porridge my host mom tells me about a birthday parry. I was like " oh ok" well found out I was gonna go to. that screwed up my days planning. So went and it was nice. I cam home, slept for a bit, then ran. When I was done running I went and finished my rotary presentation. It took me A long time. at around( not knowing the time at that moment) I asked my host family t help correct what google messed up. Yea there was a lot of mistakes. That made me really nervous because I have to rewrite my entire speech. Oh did I mention it's in Finnish? yea so I am really scared but now off to bed.

19th

Today was a great day. I went o my first Football camp with Seinäjoki. It went great and I got along with everyone. I'm pretty excited to play against bigger teams like Helsinki and Turku. Apparently they have some really god players and I hope I get a bust in my skill level( such as national team players). Lunch was good I had buffet which was really good then hung around for two hours with other players. We had two practices each were two hours. First was just individual stuff( aka with line or the other people) then the seocnd was team. I got home and went to sauna which helped my soreness a little but it came right back. Then I basically finished my rotary presetation. I just have to add colors and pictures to it. Anyway off to bed.

17th-18th

So on the 17th was wear whatever you want day at school so I wore sweats and my rotary sweatshirt. Other then that it was a normal day except I missed math on accident. In health we learned how cocaine is made so as to know how bad it is for you. Today was the 18th and Friday. I woke up at 7:30 because I forgot to set my alarm( class started at 7:40). Luckily my host mom drove me to school. Math was ok then the rest of the day went good. Before lunch I went to the bank and changed U.S dollars into Euros. After lunch I watched the final debates for the debate competition then went to the dance practices. My partner wasn't here so I was with my friends partner because my friend wasn't here. It was a really fun two lessons because we laughed A LOT. My host mom picked me up, we went shopping and then got pizza.  She then left for a birthday party. I waited for my host dad to get home then filled out insurance for football. I get to go to practice tomorrow and pay for the insurance but I don't know if I get to play in it tomorrow. Anyway off to bed.

16th

Well today was normal. Woke up at 6:30 and school started at 7:40 with math. Then break double history, music, lunch( soup with amazing bread) then break and finally two periods of health. History was good because we talked about the winter war( when Soviet Union invaded Finland). But today was " Luckiopäivä" which means the 9th graders came and into our classes and the teachers talked to them for a bit. Was boring.  Health was really boring and about half way through I kinda started phasing out. I mean I already know the stuff we are talking about( alcohol and tobacco is bad M'Kay). I went to the gym after school which went well. I feel myself getting stronger and hopefully next week I can bump up the weight. Also I am on track to play football for Seinäjoki which makes me really happy. I looked at the menu online for the restaurant us 2nd years will be going to after our prom and I am little iffy on it. Its a Tex-Mex place called Amarillo and The reviews are really mixed. The kids here say its good though so I'm gonna try it but I don't know what to eat. Makes me really miss Casa Fiesta and real Mexican food. It's getting cold again. Today was -7(19.4) and tomorrow is supposed to be like -14(6.8) so yea not looking forward to the run tomorrow. Anyway tomorrow will be a sweats and old hoodie day so hopefully its good.

The 15th

Well I didn't like today. I woke up to early after not getting much sleep, I didn't feel good, I didn't wanna go to school and yesterdays news was still on my mind. This made me have a very sour mood pretty much all day. I had school until 1:30 then I went home( arrived around 2) and slept until 3. I got up, made a quick grilled cheese and then went for a run. The run was the first day of the second week of Couch to 5k. It felt great. After my run I just chilled until dinner which was potato's and chicken. then at 7 host mom went to swimming, and at 8 host dad and sis went to agility for the dog. I again just chilled. I showered, drank some coffee. and am now getting ready for bed. Not looking forward to tomorrow just because I don't know.

11th-14th

Well on the 11th I went to school at 6:30 and it went well. Last two periods were dance practice for the Finnish prom. It was hard because I had to earn how to waltz but it was fun. On Saturday my host mom, sister, Charline( German girl) and I went to old Vaasa( which burnt down) and saw what was left, then went to Finland's longest bridge. Then went to Vaasa and went shopping, then ate, then rented movies. We rented "ark Shadows", " Chernobyl Diaries", and "Peace, Love, And Misunderstanding". The first two mentioned were good but the third I didn't like. Mainly because it had Jane Fonda in it. On Sunday Charline left and I had a boring day. Today the 14th was a good majority of the day. School started at 10:30 with music, then break, then a good lunch of pancakes and apple sauce. Then history, and double math. I really don't understand math. My workout was short because I went to Rotary at 5. It went well although kinda boring. I came home and was playing pool when my mom asked if we could skype. I was then greeted by the news of my great grandmother passing away. That kinda killed my night.  But tomorrow is rock star/band tee day at school so I am wearing my Hard Rock cafe Helsinki shirt. So night.

10th

Well today was a very boring day. Woke up at 6:30 and went to school at 7 like normal. Started with math which went normally( me not understanding a thing). Then 3 free periods then health, lunch, and my last class history. In my second free period I hung out in the little kids German class and learned a little German which was cool. I found out German is pretty close to English with the way it works. After school I came home and ran. I took the dog with me which I wont do again. She really slowed me down quite a bit. Then at 7:30 we picked up my German friend Charline from the bus station. She will be staying with us until Sunday. Tomorrow she will be going to Vassa to look at the IB school. Then Saturday we will go to Vaasa. Tomorrow though is another workout. I'm excited because I am feeling GREAT!!!!.  Anyway off to bed.

The 9th

ok today was boring but good. Woke up at 6:30 an out the door by 7. class started at 7:40 with math. Math is getting easier and easier( sometimes) and the teacher is easily one of my favorites. After math I had a break then two periods of history and music. Music was fun and we listened to some good songs. For lunch was mashed potatos and a makkara sauce which is really good. There was also shredded carrots but it was gone before I got to take some, oh well. After lunch was another break then two periods of health which was kinda boring but after I asked what we were talking about( bones and problems) I knew what we were on( tell my health teachers I actually payed attention). Then after school I went and worked out and it went well. I am actually feeling better. Today thought felt really cold for some reason. Probably just the humidity. It is still snowy here and will continue to snow until hell freezes over I swear. Anyway tomorrow is my really day. I only have three classes and breaks between them all. I also do my second day of my C25K workout and I am going to try an do it with the dog. Lets see if it works out.

The 8th

Ok well today was a good day. School started at 8:30 with two periods health which was boring and frustrating because I had to write and essay on my food diary and it was supposed to be two pages so I just BS'ed it a lot.  After that was history which went good then a break and lunch. Lunch was a enchilada/lasagna thing which was really good. After lunch was music and I tried to play a piece on guitar and failed but it was fun! I came home, slept for a bit then went and started my Couch to 5k workout(c25k). It went really well and I have good hopes for it but I got to stop eating. Food is my enemy and so far it is winning. The weather was snowy which sucked in the morning because I had o use my headlamp and all I saw was snow. Temp. wise today wasn't very cold. I don't know the exact temp. so yea. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day. Starts at 6:30 then I lift after school. Wish me luck.

3rd-7th

So i has been awhile because I was having issues with my blog. So I don't remember what I did on the 3rd or any day until the 5th. On the 5th the only thing I remember doing is cooking bolonese. On the 6th I got everything ready for school and also helping my host dad cook a whole chicken, fried potato's, and a mushroom sauce. It turned out really well.  Today was the first day back to school. My school day stared at 10:30 with music. The teacher who was out for maternity leave is back and the class was a lot funner. Then history and math went normal except in math I actually got one right. For lunch we had fish soup which I'm actually starting to like. After school I went and worked out. It felt good until the end when I got tired I started getting lazy. Hopefully I can go longer next time. Tomorrow school at 8:30 then running.

30th-2nd

On the 30th I didn't do much just kinda chilled same on 31st. On the 31st the eldest daughter jenny came over and we celebrated New Years by making pizzas and doing fireworks. I got to set off some rockets with my host dad and we kept two for later. ! for 11:59 and one for 12:. the first signified the end of 2012 and the second the beginning of 2013. the 1st and second have both been lazy days except today I actually got some homework one. Hopefully tomorrow is more productive. Oh and for the last 3 days it has been fairly warm so the snow melted and guess what? It decided to freeze today. so all the melted snow turned into ice. Yay.