Joulukuu asiat (December things)

Saila, minun pikkusiskoni, ja minä (Saila, my little sister, and I)

The day after my Lapland trip, I intended on going to school even though I was most definitely sleep deprived. Apparently my lack of sleep caught up with me and I slept through my alarm Thursday morning. That afternoon I made pippurikakku (gingerbread cookies) with my two younger host siblings Saila and Konsta. When we rolled out the dough my host mother grabbed some stuff from a cupboard and gave me cookie cutter: the shape of Finland! Thursday evening I rode my bicycle to Rotary, just to find out that they weren’t having a meeting.

The next day, surprise surprise, I slept in again, but this time it wasn’t too late and I made it to the second half of my geography lesson. I had a free period from 10 o’clock until after lunch with a few of my friends so we went to Rolls to eat lunch. After that, we went to a café for some warm beverages before heading to my last class of the day.

Sampo with the puck.

On Saturday I supported my brothers’ hockey games. First Sampo had a game in Vaasa. After my Finnish class (my last one of 2011), Sampo and Petri picked me up at the school and we drove to the ice rink in Vaasa. Sampo’s team won (I think it was something like 8 to 5). Also while we were there, my Rotary counsellor was there because he has some high rank in the hockey referees’ association. After the game, we ate dinner and headed off to meet Konsta at his game. His team also won (8 to 6 I think). I watched more hockey that one day (two full games) then I think I ever have in a single day.

L to R: Kalle, Henri, Kimmo (joulupukki), Niko, ja minä

Sunday, a bunch of exchange students met up in Seinäjoki. I caught the train! My first time! (excluding the TGV in France). I realized when I bought my ticket that I really needed to get a student card because the ticket fare was double what I thought it would be. My friend Hanna was on the same train so we chatted. After I got off the train I realized I left my phone on the seat. Way to go me. I immediately went to the ticket sales desk and managed to tell the vender what happened, where I thought I left my phone, and what my phone looked like (all in Finnish). She called the conductor of the train, but unfortunately my phone would be going to the train company’s lost and found centre in Helsinki anyways, if it was found. So here I am in Seinäjoki, a town I don’t know very well, without my only communication link. All I knew was the name of the coffee place we were meeting and the approximate time. So I wandered around, walked into a mall, and looked at the mall map to find the coffee place was in the same building! Lucky! But I was about 30 minutes early so I read my book. An hour later, some exchange students snuck up on me. We all went for Chinese food and a little Christmas shopping. Those present were me, the three Aussies in Seinäjoki, an American who was an exchange student to this area last year and decided to move back to work and go to school here, and another Aussie from a more northern city. We had some coffee, did a little more shopping (I bought 2 new sweaters for myself), and played cards. To finish it off, one of the exchange student’s former host moms drove me to the ice rink where Sampo had another hockey game.

Pippurikakkutalomme (our gingerbread house)

The upcoming week at school was test week. For most exchange students this means an early start to Christmas vacation…but I wrote two tests. My chemistry test was about stoichiometry, reaction kinetics, and energy. Even though it was all in Finnish and my teacher spoke no English, I received a respectable mark of a 9 (a low A). I also wrote my second grade math test which seemed fairly easy but I haven’t received my number yet. The day of my chemistry test, my friend Kimmo dressed up as joulupukki (Santa Claus) and handed out candy as people left the cafeteria. Some days, even when I wasn’t writing a test, I would go to school just to eat lunch and hang out with my friends. During the week I did some more gingerbread baking and decorating and we made a pippurikakkutalo (gingerbread house) which we decorated with some Smarties from Canada. I also received a Christmas card from my Grannie and Grandad. Thank you so much, it really brightened up my day when my host mom delivered it to me.

The full choir (I am right beneath Jesus)

Last Sunday, the church choir had their annual Christmas concert, which I was fortunate enough to perform in. Some of the songs were familiar but with new words, and some were completely new to me (that is they were new to me before the rehearsals). I really enjoy singing in the choir and the concert was very enjoyable.

This week I finally started getting into the Christmas mood. I made some of my favourite cookies from home: the “Best” Davidson Shortbread and Candy Cane cookies. I watched some Christmas movies: The Polar Express and The Grinch (animated version of course).

The other day my phone was returned to me through the mail. I never want to leave anything on the train ever again; it is too expensive to get it back! I recently received my first package from home, which has seemed like it has been in the mail forever. I was packed full of candy, Canada paraphernalia, and maple syrup. My room still smells like maple!

Stay tuned for my post next week which will be all about my Christmas and the accompanying celebrations here in Finland.
Hyvää Joulua Kaikille! Merry Christmas to Everyone!

Lappi! (Lapland)

Sarah (Canada), me, and Angela (South Africa)

Last week I went to Lapland (the northern part of Finland) with all of the Rotary exchange students currently in Finland and Estonia; there were about 140 of us. First, we all had to get to Muonio by bus. My bus picked me up in Lapua, a 20 minute drive from where I live, just after midnight on Saturday (Sunday morning). Most people were already on the bus. I spent lots of time talking with some Aussies. Steph, an Aussie, and I learned the Pledge of Allegence (the American one, I don’t think there is a Finnish one). We stopped for breakfast at four o’clock and another of the buses filled with exchange students stopped by. Unfortunately our bus had to get back on the road. We picked up six more students at two different stops. We arrived at Muonio at around 11 in the morning, so that was about eleven hours on the bus for me, and I was one of the last people on…

Eva (Germany), and me

On Sunday, we got our rooms and then multitasked as we ate lunch and caught up with other exchange students: some were familiar from our orientation camp, some I should have remember but I didn’t, and some were brand new as they were the kids from the southern hemisphere (mostly Australia but some from New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina too). After everyone had arrived and eaten, we had a quick orientation meeting about our schedule and about the rules. Our Rotarians brought a breathalyser which they have named “Petteri” (I think I have told you about this a couple of times but Petteri is like Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer). Shortly after the meeting, we all got on the buses and headed to the ski hill. We had all booked in advance whether we wanted to rent skis (downhill or cross-country) or a snowboard. I got downhill skis. The “hill” was not very big at all. There wasn’t much snow, only about 25 cm, so most of the skiing terrain wasn’t open. The “big lift” was a T-bar that we were had to get off of only half way up. Also it was snowing and the rental didn’t include ski goggles, so I bought a pair of them. I spent most of the afternoon (well, it was already dark, so most of the early evening) skiing with a German named Eva who was in my language class at orientation camp. For dinner, we went to an interesting wood cabin with dirt floors where we ate soup by the fire. Berries and whipped cream were for dessert. That evening we had an early curfew because almost no one got any good sleep on the buses. I couldn’t fall asleep right away so I started reading a book: “The Runaway Jury” by John Grisham.

The Canadians at our rehearsal.

Monday was a ski day. We went back to the hill and skied the day away. There were some people who decided that they no longer wanted to take on the slopes so they stayed behind at the hotel for ice sculpting. I however really enjoyed my skiing the day before, even though it was a small hill, so I decided to spend to whole day there. For part of the day, another Canadian (Sarah from Ontario) and I helped a 6 week short term exchange student from South Africa named Angela learn how to ski. For lunch we had makkara grilled over the fire at the bottom of the lift. After we returned from skiing, we had sauna. I waited until near the end of the time allotted for sauna-ing so that there would be fewer people. Although I probably should have, I didn’t roll around in the snow…I am sure I will have plenty more times to do that this year (provided of course that we get snow). That evening we were all invited to the local Lukio (high school) for a presentation by the students. There were fire jugglers and a couple of bands. Then the exchange students treated the Finnish students to performances; we Canadians did a cover of “Baby” by everyone’s *favourite* artist, Justin Bieber. Later that evening I played a game of cribbage with some exchange students (I bring my crib board almost everywhere with me…it stays in my bag until I get an opportunity to play). Our curfew was a little bit later, but I still had to read my book for a bit before I could actually fall asleep.

Me and the the reindeer farmer

Tuesday, December 6th was Suomen Itsenäisyyspäivä (Finnish Independence Day) and it celebrated ninety-four years of Finnish Independence. We exchange students had a jam packed day. There were four activities, and four buses, so we rotated throughout the day. The first stop was at a reindeer farm. Reindeer are livestock; they are not wild. However, they are free to roam the forests of Lapland so we didn’t actually see any reindeer at the farm. We had a presentation given to us in Finnish by a farmer. She showed us a slideshow (with old-fashioned slides) and explained reindeer farming to me. I was very proud of myself for understanding most of what she told us before the Rotex (former exchange students acting as chaperones) translated it. I asked what her favourite part of reindeer farming was and she said when they calves are born. After her presentation, we got to test our reindeer lassoing skills. I roped it on my first try (but it wasn’t real, basically a sawhorse with antlers). Our next stop was at the oldest national park of Finland: Pallas-Yllästunturi. We watched a video presentation on the unique flora and fauna of the area. Afterwards we went back to the hotel to eat lunch. 

My "dog sled team" (I am sitting at the back)

Then we went to a “dogsled safari”. Our hotel offers wilderness adventures so they have a couple of hundred huskies who pull sleds. We walked through the “farm” (I don’t want to call it a farm because the dogs were all well treated and aren’t for sale) and got to see all of the dogs housed there. We each had a short, maybe three minute long, ride on a dog pulled sled around a track. Then a dog caretaker told us about the two different types of huskies they had, Siberian and Alaskan. Our last station of the day was the one I have awaited most, our chance to ride reindeer. Similar to the dogs, we didn’t actually ride them; we sat in a sled pulled by them. The reindeer, however, didn’t have a driver…there were three reindeer in a straight line, each pulling their own sleigh. The reindeer pulling my sleigh was in the lead, and decided about half way through that she (or he) didn’t want to run anymore. After the reindeer ride we had some warm juice and walked back to the hotel in snowshoes, which were quite unnecessary as the route was a road with snow already packed down. 

Me and a reindeer. This one was completely white.

Since it was Independence Day, many exchange students dressed up a little bit for dinner. We had the official meal of Lapland: sautéed reindeer with potatoes and lingonberries. That evening we had a guest performer: a Sami (the official aboriginal population of Finland) man did a special type of singing for us which was like a cross between singing, storytelling, and yodelling. I later found out that he had appeared of Talent Suomi (Finland’s Got Talent). The Rotex performed for us a depiction of what many Finns do on December 6; watch the red carpet of the President’s ball in Helsinki. They also shared some skits of things that other exchange students had done on past Lapland trips. The next item on the agenda was a presentation by the “oldies” (the students who arrived in January) to the “newbies” (the students who arrived in August). They bestowed unto us a song to remember the year by. The remainder of the night was passed by with flag and book signing, general conversation, and a dance party.

Me standing on the arctic circle.

The next day we all packed everything up and got on the buses to come home. First, though, we had a stop at Santa Claus Land in Rovaniemi. It was basically like a Christmas mall with every shop selling the same stuff, but I managed to find some Christmas tree ornaments that I liked. I sent Christmas cards to my parents and sister for there. Normally, one would see Joulupukki (Santa) at Joulupukkimaa (Santa Claus Land) but because there were so many of us exchange students, they said we could go see him. We ate our last meal together at a culinary school in Rovaniemi before we had to say final goodbyes. Then back onto the bus for another eight hours. We had a little talent show on our bus (songs and jokes) to help pass the time. We also watch Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in Portuguese with no subtitles (I’m pretty sure it was a “pirated” film). We got to my town an hour ahead of schedule and I convinced the driver (through one of the chaperones) to stop in my town instead of the next one over so that my host family wouldn’t have to drive as far to pick me up in the middle of the night.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. I think it’s cool that almost a year apart I go south of the equator (in Ecuador last Christmas) to north of the Arctic Circle.

Pari Kiireistä Viikkoa (A Couple of Busy Weeks)

So I’ve been pretty busy the past couple of weeks and I’ve done lots of different things. Some little things that I have done on no particular day include starting to listen to Christmas music, and writing Christmas cards.

Iguana'd to show you all this picture (pun intended!)

One day I saw a sign on the side of the road for a travel reptiles exhibit coming to town. I checked it out online and asked some of my friends if they wanted to go. There were quite a number of different lizards, snakes, and spiders. I always like playing the “find the reptile” game because of how good their camouflage can be. It really wasn’t too exciting though. I’m glad I spent time with friends, but it was a bit pricey.

Joulutortu

At scouts we did some cooking. We made joulutortu (Christmas pastry) and pippurikakku (gingerbread). When I came home that evening, Jaana was making joulutortu as well. I think I ate 4 pastries in the one night.

A few weeks ago, my host mother Jaana’s mother passed away in the hospital of the neighbouring town. Although I never met her, I expressed my deepest sentiments to support the family. I attended her funeral last week. Jaana insisted that I walk in with the close family. I was very honoured to be at the ceremony because so many people to celebrate the life of Mrs. Passi.

Last weekend I went to Seinäjoki (the nearby “big city” of 50,000) with my host mom and some of her friends to see a musical called “Dance of the Vampires”. Before hand we went out for dinner and I actually had some conversations in Finnish; I think it was easy for me because the topics were normally me and Canada. The musical was entirely in Finnish, except the title. The costumes and set pieces were incredible; I wish they had better fake snow though. And I was disappointed that the leading actress had a “dance double”. Anyways, I will give you a quick synopsis of what I think happened, which may in fact differ from what actually happened. A vampire hunter’s assistant falls in love with the innkeeper’s daughter in a vampire ridden area in Germany. However, there is a high ranking vampire who is also in love with the innkeeper’s daughter, so his henchmen bring her to the vampire mansion. The love stricken assistant and the vampire hunter make their way to the mansion. Spoiler alert! In the end, everyone becomes a vampire and the assistant and innkeeper’s daughter are together. The major music theme was the song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in Finnish. The whole thing reminded me a lot of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was a great show and I am super glad that I went.

Last Sunday I had my first performance with the Church choir. It was the first advent so all of our music is beginning to centre on Christmas. I really enjoyed performing. I missed being involved in a music ensemble, after being so involved in the music department of KSS for the last three years. Later the same day, I went to see a piano recital of the students of a local piano teacher at the art gallery. Most of the songs were Chritmasy and I got me really into the holiday season (even though it wasn’t quite December yet).

Our house.

After dinner on the same Sunday, I changed host families. My family consists of the Sanna and Petri the mother and father, Sampo (13) and Konsta (11) the two sons, Saila (4) the daughter, and Viiru the cat. They live a quaint house a little bit further from my school than my last family. Petri and my last host father, Jarmo, are brothers. That night it snowed here in Kauhava. The snow lasted on the ground for all of Monday, but Tuesday’s rain melted it all.

At scouts the other day we had pikkujoulu (little Christmas) which was a Christmas party. There was a gift exchange: my gift consisted of a Canada Frisbee, a Canada handkerchief, a Vancouver 2010 note pad, and some candy. The present I received was a 5€ gift certificate to the only fast food restaurant in town.

Yesterday I had my first really learning Finnish opportunity with Saila. We flipped through a picture book together and asked each other some questions. Neither of us could actually read the book though.

Today, Saturday, I went to my Finnish course. The past couple of weeks we have written two tests to see where we stand. I have gotten my teachers highest classification on each of them. The tests were very very difficult. They consisted of lots of pieces of the language we have never talked about in class. I had read about some of them in my own time and others I choose just because I thought they sounded right. I am the best student in the beginners group, but the students in the more advanced half of the class I am sure got better marks than me. My teacher says that I am on the right track to do well in the Finnish Language test the Rotary organizes through a Finnish university. I had to leave today’s class early because we had a choir rehearsal. 

The Wind Orchestra.

There was a “Thank You Party” at the church today because the head priest Seppo is retiring. The local wind orchestra performed, and I plan on joining them come January. Our choir sang three songs, two of which were with the choirs of several other local parishes. We ended the celebration with Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, which is very difficult but very satisfying.

Now as soon as I finish this blog entry, I am going to pack my bag for the Rotary organized Lapland tour with all of the exchange students in Finland. My bus picks me up in the neighbouring town at midnight tonight and we will arrive tomorrow at 11:00 am.

Lukion Gaala (High School Gala)

Last weekend my school hosted a gala to celebrate ninety years as a school.

Poikentanssi, the second time through

Leading up to the gala, we learned how to dance…or more truthfully we learned some choreography. Every year, the second grade boys do a Poikentanssi (Boy’s Dance). It is organized by some of the second grade girls in the dance program. I was invited to participate and we started rehearsing over a month in advance. Some days, we (second grade boys) would find out about a rehearsal just five or so minutes before it began. Or maybe it was just me because I’m the exchange student and I don’t really understand every conversation. Also, every grade has a choreographed grade dance. I asked the counsellor which rehearsal I should go to and he just said go to the second graders and if that doesn’t work try the third graders. In the second grade, everyone was supposed to dance with the same partner they had last year…I was paired with a girl name Mira who hadn’t been at the gala last year. After the second grade rehearsal (which was kind of like a glorified line dance) I asked the dance teacher if I should come to the third grade rehearsal too and she said that of course I should, especially because it would be very easy. For your information, this conversation with the teacher was entirely in Finnish. In the afternoon I went to the third graders rehearsal and as soon as I walked I heard “Peter will you be my partner” from Hanna, who happened to go to Canada last summer and stay with the best friend of another Rotary Exchange Student here in Finland. The third graders’ “dance” was a march. We promenaded around the stage in circles, lines, and curlicues.

Sort of dark, but this is the Kolmosen Tansi (3rd graders)

Also leading up to the open house portion of the day, I rehearsed with the koulunbändi (school band). Originally I had been asked to perform a solo oboe piece. But I don’t have an oboe to play, nor music, nor have I practiced since June. The band is composed of a guitarist, bass guitarist, percussionist, pianist, several singers, and the teacher who plays guitar and sings. I sang. We prepared “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” originally by U2. My “job” was to make sure that everyone was pronouncing the words correctly. On the day of the gala, I had my Finnish lesson at school first thing in the morning. Then I left it early for a dress rehearsal with the bändi. I thought that after it was done I would have an hour to come home and get ready for the open house….I was wrong. I left the rehearsal early (12:10), raced home and got all prettied up before arriving back at school for 12:30.

Kalle the Pianist

The afternoon was the celebratory ceremony. The first thing was an amazing piano performance by my friend Kalle, who is an aspiring classical pianist. Next, the school principal welcomed everyone. Then the cast of the drama production presented a preview of their play “Jääkärit” which would be performed in its entiretly at the gala in the evening. Paula, the minister of the church gave quite a lengthy speech; once she was finished, the person beside me said “and that was the bible according to Paula”. There was a Bollywood dance performed by the girls in the dance program at school and then our bändi performed. Afterwards there were more speeches: the town leader (not the mayor, because there is no mayor), a representative from the Finnish High Schools organization. The closing remarks were by a member of the European Parliament. Finally, we all sang the national anthem “Maamme” (Our Land). In preparation for coming to Finland, I learned the lyrics and how to play the national anthem on the piano and this was my first opportunity to sing it. I needed the words for the second verse, but so did all of the Finns. After the open house, we had coffee and cake and then the first graders (with my help) moved all of the tables and chairs from the cafeteria into the gymnasium.

In the evening, the real gala began. This is very similar to Prom except all of the students attended it. There is another such event in February, but it is only for the second graders. All of the girls had beautiful evening gowns and all of the guys looked like penguins (by that I mean wearing suit and tie). We were welcomed into the gymnasium and were gazed upon by the many parents and friends in the bleachers. As we walked in the main doors, we were offered champagne (non-alcoholic of course). Kalle was the first act on the agenda yet again, and he treated us to another marvellous performance. Then after a welcome by the principal we ate several appetizers, the special guests first, and then everyone else. In a joking manner, I thought that I should be considered as special guest, but alas I was not. 

The Curtain Call of Jääkärit

Then the real show began. Jääkärit was a fantastic show about Finland fighting for its independence. It had several musical numbers and dance interludes. On my first day in Kauhava, the counsellor asked if I wanted to be in the play but I said I should learn Finnish first; I regret saying that and I wish I had been part of it. At the end of the play, all of the second grade guys got changed into our performance outfits: cut off jean shorts and white t-shirts. A couple days earlier I went to the second hand store right around the corner from the school and bought the jeans for only 2 euros! Our dance was to a compilation of Moves like Jagger, Little Bad Girl, and I’m Sexy and I Know. I had a “solo”; after the introduction music faded out and we blamed the school counsellor for cutting of the music I shouted “Hey DJ, turn the music up”. After our performance the crowd liked it so much that we did it again! 

Kakosen Tanssi (2nd graders). Sorry again that it's dark.

The next thing on the agenda was the first graders’ class dance which I didn’t get a chance to see because I was changing back into my formal wear. Then the second graders had our dance which was simple but nice. Then immediately after, the third graders performed our march. Afterwards, there was a short break while the Kauhava Big Band set-up. This ball was not like prom back at home: students danced instead of fist pumped. Even though I have never waltzed before in my life, I took the plunge and my first dance was with Paula (one of the few that comes to my English class). It took me a few songs with a few different girls, but I was able to keep one foot ahead of the other without hitting too many others. It is exhausting being the man in a dancing couple, because you have to navigate through the dance floor and everyone is spinning…Anyways, I also tried to tango, which is sort of like the two step that we learned in middle school. I wanted the big band to play a fast swing tune because I still remember how to jive dance, but regrettably they did not play one.

After the gala came to an end, I went home, changed, and then went to the after party (which I had to buy a ticket for in advance). The after party was for first and second graders who are not yet of legal drinking age, because all (well, most) of the third graders caught a bus to the bar in Seinäjoki. There was some dancing (the fist pumping genre) and lots of conversation. Lots of people who previously haven’t spoken to me, but added me as a facebook friend, got the courage to talk with me for a bit. And what would a Nordic party be without ABBA karaoke?

Sorry this post was a bit lengthy, but I wanted to make sure that I will remember the whole day!

Kirkkokuoro ja Peterin Puhe (Church Choir and Peter's Speech)

So, some key points of the last couple weeks. Sorry for the lack of pictures.

My new classes are pretty great. For the civics class, the teacher is in my host Rotary Club and he attempts to translate stuff into English for me; the only trouble is that he translates the parts that I already understand. My geography class is all about human geography: population density, culture, etc. I really like my chemistry stuff. They are just starting work with stoichiometry, concentration, and gases which are things that I like to think I mastered in my AP Chemistry class back home. I understand lots of what the teacher says; the hardest part is trying to learn the names of all the elements in Finnish. I am again in two math courses: the second graders are learning about root and logarithmic functions while the third graders have started their first of two review courses in preparation for their matriculation examination in the spring. And, of course, I am in an English class called “Use Your English” in which students are supposed to speak only English; there are supposed to be 15 students in the class but our first class had only 7 students and it has consistently declined.

This is the best photo I took of the choir during the concert.

I joined the church choir! I have really missed being in choirs back at KSS and after hearing the church choir, I decided to join it. My friend Liisa hooked me up with the rehearsal times and I came to a rehearsal and introduced myself (in Finnish of course). My timing was sort of not the best, as they were preparing for a concert on the upcoming Sunday to celebrate 80 years as the Kauhavan Kirkkokuoro. I am the only “young” guy in the choir (by about 25 years), but there are some girls my age. I am a pretty good sight reader when it comes to vocal charts, but it’s quite hard when all the words are in Finnish and when the second, third, and fourth verses aren’t printed in line with the notes…but there are some great singers in my section. Some songs recognizable to non-Finns would include Amazing Grace and Handle’s Hallelujah Chorus. On Sunday morning, I got a text message from Liisa asking me to perform in the choir’s concert that night, but I had to politely refuse the invitation as I felt I wouldn’t be prepared enough. Sunday evening I attended the concert at the church and it was fantastic. Some songs were done acapella while others had accompaniment of piano, organ, or a string sextet. My friend Liisa sang a very beautiful solo. During the week I used the CD I had received to start learning the music. The next Thursday I went to the rehearsal, and we were recording a new CD; I was recording a CD with some music I was even reading for the first time!

During one of my English classes this past week, I was the teacher! Our teacher had some meetings regarding the upcoming gala so she asked me if I could run the class. This is my very small class. Only three students attended. But I think we had some pretty good conversations and “Used our English” (which is the name of the course).

I have accomplished some things in my free time. I wrote my 100 day update for the Rotex Roundup newsletter of the Rotary Exchange program in my district back in Canada. I sent this too some of my former teachers at KSS because several of them said they wanted to be updated of my journeys throughout the year. With the help of my loving and supportive family back home, I completed a big scholarship application including a couple essays and lots of forms.

Although it was neither asked of nor expected of me, I decided to give a little speech last Thursday at Rotary. I called it “Peterin Puhe” (Peter’s Speech). Thanks to Kalle for proof reading this before I presented it.

Sata päivää! Minä olen ollut sätä päivää Kauhavalla. Nyt minä puhun suomea paljon paremmin kuin sspuessani, mutta minä opin koko ajan. Viime vikolla minä liityin kirkkokuoroon. Kanadassa, minä olin koulukuorossa ja pidän laulamisesta. Koeviikolla, minä tein kolme koetta: kakkosen ja kolmosen matiikka, ja espanjankieli. Minä sain 9 ½, 9 ½, ja 9-. Lukion gaala on lauantaina ja olen valmis tanssimaan. Ensi viikonloppuna, minä vaihdan seuraavaan perheeseen. Heilla on pikkutyttö joka ei puhu englantia. Joten hän puhuu vain suomea minun kanssani. Minua jännittää menen Lappin Rotaryn kanssa jolukuun ensimmäisellä viikolla. Kiitos, että saan olla kaupungissanne.

One hundred days! I have been in Kauhava for one hundred days. Now I speak Finnish much better than when I arrived, but I am always learning. Last week I joined the church choir. In Canada, I was in school choir and I like to sing. During test week, I wrote three tests: second and third grade math, and Spanish language. I received 9 ½, 9 ½, and 9- (out of 10). The high school’s gala is on Saturday and I am ready to dance. Next weekend I change to my next host family. They have a little girl who doesn’t speak English. So, she will speak only Finnish with me. I am excited to go to Lapland with Rotary in the first week of December. Thank you for having me in your city!

Stay tuned for another blog entry all about the gala at school.

Kolme Kuukautta Suomessa! (Three Months in Finland)

Three Months! As one of my exchange student friends put it “Why does time pass so slowly in [Canada] but so quickly in Finland?” He was from the USA, hence the square brackets around Canada.

When daylight savings time ended here in Finland, a week before it did in Canada, it was really noticeable how early it gets dark. The sun now rises at approximately 8 in the morning and sets at dinner time around 4. I am getting really tired, and I think the darkness is at least partially to blame.

The Orchestra, the double basses are just out of view.

A two Fridays ago, I went to an orchestra concert at the church. It was the Central Ostrobotnia Orchestra; I live in Southern Ostrobothnia. There was a fantastic cello soloist! 

The weekend before Halloween, I went to the grocery store to buy some sort of squash to carve. I was very shocked when I came across the pumpkins in the store. I knew that I had to weight it and put a barcode sticker on it so I put it on the scale and typed in the code, 1-4-1, on the keypad. I didn’t do anything though. So I offered to the next person to go in front of me and I planned on watching her. Instead, she took the pumpkin, asked the number, and simply pushed a button that said 141. Anyways, the pumpkin cost €8.50! ($12 Canadian) The same pumpkin would have cost maybe $3 at home. Next I went to the automated teller to add more minutes onto my cell phone. I expected the machine to have an English option in addition to the two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. This machine didn’t even have a Swedish option, leave alone English. But I did it! I used my knowledge of the Finnish language and successfully accomplished the task.

Me carving my pumpkin!

I carved the pumpkin with input from my host brother. My host mother liked it so much that she went to buy another pumpkin and I instructed my little host brother how to carve it.

Halloween isn’t really celebrated in Finland. When it is celebrated, it is basically an imitation of North American Halloween. On “All Hallow’s Eve” (celebrated 3 days after October 31) children of the town of Kauhava dressed up and went trick-or-treating among the businesses of downtown. I dressed up as Captain Canada, but I let the kids have the candy. That night I went to see Paranormal Activity 3 at the movie theatre using my “Rotary Exchange Student Discount” (free movies, because Rotary runs the theatre). Now I don’t really like horror movies, so I sat either with a death grip on the armrest or with my face buried in my hands. At the end, though, I determined that it really wasn’t as scary as I was expecting.

In memory of Brianna Emily Silliker.

Last weekend was pyhäinpäivä, which Google translate tells me is “All Saint’s Day”, but I am told the church here doesn’t recognize saints. Anyways, it was a day where all loved ones were remembered. People recognize this day by lighting candles. I went to the graveyard with my host mother. She lit a candle at her grandfather’s grave. As we walked through the graveyard, almost every grave stone was lit up by at least one candle if not more. It was really stunning. I went to the church service that night with my friend Kalle and afterwards we lit candles at the memorial stone for people buried elsewhere. My candle was in memory of my friend Brianna whom I met at summer camp in Halifax last year. One year ago, almost to the date, she was in an unfortunate car accident and passed away, only 16 years old. I spent the night with some friends. I rode my bike home at 2:30 am, probably the latest that I have ever ridden a bicycle before.

Some friends from school. L to R: Kimmo, Piia,
Hanna, Liisa, Mari, and Henri

On Sunday I went to my next host family’s house. Petri, my next host father, is the younger brother of Jarmo, my current host father. It was a birthday celebration of Konsta, the middle child; I think he turned 11. I got a preview of the room in which I will live: think of pink princess parlour.

This past week has been koeviikko (test week). I wrote three tests: 3^rd grade math, 2^nd grade math, and beginners Spanish. My 3^rd grade math test was quite difficult. This course is the highest offered at my school other than review courses. It extended even my math abilities. We learned topics like tiheys- and kertymäfunkiot which I don’t even know what they are in English. My 2^nd grade math test was pretty easy. There was a question which I didn’t need to do that was about Harry Potter. I tried translating it but didn’t understand what it was asking.

This is my schedule for the next jakso which starts tomorrow:

Nov. 9 – Dec. 21	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8 – 9:45	Civics	Math 16	Math 8	Math 16	Geography
10 – 11:45	Math 8	Math 8	Geography	Civics
12:20-1:50	Geography	Civics	Chemistry	Chemistry	Math 16
2 – 3:30	Chemistry	English	English (until 2:45)

Kolme kuukautta Suomessa! Voi Jumalani, aika mene liian nopeasti. Viime lauantai oli pyhäinpäivä ja minulla oli kyntyllä ystävälleni, Brianna. Koeviikko oli pitkä: kolmosen matiikka oli vaikea, mutta kakosen matiikka ja espanjankieli oli ihan helppo. Vain viisikymmentäneljä päivää jouluun! Ja kuusikymmentäyksi päivää ennen syntymäpäiväni!

Three months in Finland! Oh my God, time goes too quickly. Last Saturday was “All Saints’ Day” and I had a candle for my friend Brianna. Test week was long: third grade math was hard, but second grade math and Spanish were pretty easy. Only fifty four days until Christmas! And sixty one before my birthday!

That’s it for this time. Hello and goodbye from Finland!

Ruotsi ja Syysloma (Sweden and Autumn Vacation)

Our ship, the Silja Serenade

Last week was syysloma, autumn vacation. It was a week long holiday to do whatever. As I mentioned in my last post, my family went to Stockholm, Sweden.

Monday morning we drove to Helsinki. We stopped twice: to have coffee with Jarmo’s aunt and then a bit later for lunch. I passed the car ride by reading The Life of Pi. It’s not the first time I have read it, but it was so good that I decided to bring it here to Finland so that I could read it again. It was refreshing to see more than a handful of traffic lights when we entered the city. We drove to the cruise ship terminal, parked in a reserved parking spot (reserved for us!...because Jaana booked it in advance).

A Muumin and me!

Many people referred to the ship as a ferry, but when I think ferry I think I am on the boat for two hours to Vancouver Island. This was definitely a cruise ship, although there were two decks for drive on passengers. Once checked in with our boarding pass/room key (one card served as both), we loaded. I was expecting to show some identification of some sort; I came prepared with my passport, but it wasn’t necessary. When we boarded, the first crew members we saw were some photographers, but then there was a giant Muumin. The Muumins are a huge children’s franchise in Finland; it started out as books, then television, and now they even have a theme park! Apparently we were on the official Muumin Cruise Line, so of course I posed for a picture!

The main promenade.

Once on board we quickly found our cabin and deposited our bags. It was the smallest “hotel” room I have ever slept in; when we looked it the bathroom (1 m x 1.5 m) my host mom exclaimed it was pretty big compared to their last cruise. Next we explored. The boat had 13 decks and among them included: a main promenade, several restaurants with varied cuisines, perfume and clothing shops, a few bars, a large duty free store (it basically had only candy and alcohol for sale), a theatre, a casino, a large buffet, a lounge, and several hundred private cabins. There was a very talented string quartet who gave several concerts on the promenade. Later, we ate dinner at the buffet and watched the midnight show: a magic/dance show (which was way too much dance and not enough good magic).

Royal Palace of Sweden. Princess Victoria (the
crown princess) recently got married. It was a big
deal in Finland and all of Scandinavia

The next day, we ate breakfast at the buffet and signed up for a bus tour of Stockholm. We also exchanged some currency. In Sweden they use the Swedish Krona. One krona is about 10 euro cents or 15 Canadian cents. The bus tour was on a double decker bus, we were upstairs, and entirely in Finnish. I didn’t pay attention at all to the tour guide. Along the tour we saw the major sites of Stockholm: the Royal Palace, the Royal Opera, the Swedish National Museum, and the House of Parliament just to name of few. I realized from both the tour and my map that Stockholm is made up of several islands; needless to say there are many bridges. At the end of the tour the bus stopped at the Vasa Museet (Vasa Museum). The Vasa was a bridge built in Sweden and named after the king in the 1600s. On her maiden voyage in 1628, she sunk in the waterways of Stockholm. The ship was salvaged in 1961 and was rebuilt using 95% original material. After we ate lunch at the museum, we walked backed to the cruise ship terminal and reboarded the vessel. Total time on land in Sweden: maybe 5 hours. Although we spent little time in Sweden, I was surprised how much Swedish (at least the written language) that I recognized. Swedish and English are both Germanic languages, so they have many similarities. Many more than English and Finnish.

In the afternoon, my host family did their tax free shopping on the ship. My host brother Iiro bought lots of candy and my host parents refilled their liquor cabinet. For dinner we went to El Capitán, a steakhouse, courtesy of my parents back home. When the bill came, I was shocked to see such a high price. Then I realized that the price was in both euros and in kronor, the kronor price approximately 10 times that of the euros price. That evening we spent some time in the karaoke lounge (I am embarrassed to say that I sang… my host mom did too). Afterwards, we caught the tail end of the magic show (a different one than the night before) and went to bed. The ship docked in Helsinki the next morning just before 10 am. It was a great trip and I am thankful to my host family for taking me. I just wish it had been a bit longer.

Me at the Hämeenlinna castle. It had a moat!

We got into the car and started driving. My host mom wanted to drive to Turku, the former capital city of Finland, but the family decided to go home…not without stops, however. We stopped at a glass museum which gave plenty of information about the glass industry and artwork in Finland. It was in an old glass factory where, according to my host mom, my host father’s mother and grandfather had both worked. The other stop we made was at the Hämeenlinna castle in the town of Hämeenlinna. The city of Hämeenlinna is to be the birthplace of world renowned and Finnish national composer Jean Sibelius. Jaana and I both explored the castle which is from the era of Swedish rule of Finland. It was pretty interesting and I enjoyed it. We ate lunch in the city and then continued back to Kauhava.

I didn’t really do anything very exciting during the autumn break. I tried to study Finnish, but I wasn’t very productive. On Sunday, after eating lunch at Rolls, I went to Kalle’s house and helped him prepare metso. I have been informed that metso is “wood grouse”; Kalle went hunting when he was at his cabin in Lapland during the break and he came home with this 2 kg bird. I helped make the meal by washing, peeling, and dicing several root vegetables. It was a very nice meal and I am grateful that I was invited to join.

Now for a bit of Finnish:Viime viikko oli syysloma. Minä menin Tukholmaan perheen kanssa. Se oli lyhyt matka Ruotsiin, mutta se oli hyvä. Sunnuntaina, minä söin metsoa Kallen taloon. Pidin siitä.

In English: Last week was autumn break. I went to Stockholm with the family. It was a short trip to Sweden, but it was good. Sunday I ate wood grouse at Kalle’s house. I liked it.

This is Elvis, the King.

On a more melancholic note, my cat Elvis who has been a good and faithful friend for many years has wandered off from my house in Canada. Unfortunately, the circumstances do not look promising and he may not return home. Please think of happy thoughts for him.

Enough about me, remember that I want to hear from you: my family, my friends, my acquantences, and even the people I haven’t met.

Mokupäivä ja Vaihto-Opiskelijoiden Vikkonloppu (Freshman Day and Exchange Students’ Weekend)

On Thursday morning I didn’t ride my bicycle to school. Instead I rode to the cinema. All of the first and second graders were going to see a Finnish drama called “Prinsessa” (I’m guessing you don’t need that translation. The third graders went the day before. The film is about a mentally handicapped woman who thinks that she is a princess. It follows her for quite a few years of her life after being admitted to a mental institution. I didn’t need to know Finnish to understand most of the movie, but I was very happy when I understood a little. (I found out later that there was actually some Swedish dialogues too, but apparently they were so easy the Finns didn’t need subtitles). 

The Smurfs with their Second Graders




Friday was a very exciting day at school! It was “Freshman Day”. This is a day when the kakkoset (2^nd grade) humiliates the ykköset (1^st graders). It is a long standing tradition at my school and is done with good intentions, and not to great extremes. While you read this, keep in mind I was just a spectator; I was neither being made fun of nor making fun of anyone (well, I did laugh a lot). The second graders plan the day in advance but keep it very “hush hush”. What happens is the second graders break into groups and each group is assigned a group of first graders which they plan for in advance. On the day of, the older students dress up in very authoritative outfits (suits, stilettos, and police hats) and abduct the first graders from class (all of the teachers are aware of the day in advance). Then the younger students are dressed up in funny outfits (and often some type of make-up). Some of my favourite groups included cowboys, chimneysweeps, and athletes (basketball and hockey) but my absolute favourite group was the Smurfs. After all dressed-up, the first graders congregate in the main room of the school (lobby/atrium/multi-purpose-ish room) and do some sort of demonstration like dancing or singing, which was really just chanting. Then they as a class draw from their childhood songbook and sing Finnish songs such as “If your Happy and You Know It”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”, etcetera. I joined in singing their version of Head & Shoulders because it was the first Finnish song I learned at language camp back in August. Next, the first graders were marched

All of the Freshmen.

 throughout the school and in military fashion required to answer questions like “Who’s the best?” with “The Second Graders are the best!” At lunch time, the freshmen were “slaves” to their respective second graders. After lunch, there were team competitions amongst the groups of younger students. These competitions included music trivia, “three-legged” dancing contest (the entire group (3-6 people) had their legs tied together), and several amusing relays. At the end of the day, the first graders were required to get down on one knee and repeat the pledge of loyalty to the second graders. I was excited because I understood some funny parts of this pledge like “the first graders will always be second and the second graders will always be first”. It was a very amusing day of school. 




Sydney from Utah & Me at the Zoo (We are lynx)

This weekend all of the exchange students from Rotary Districts 1380 (my region, central west) and 1400 (Lapland, the north) were invited to Ähtäri. This was the first time that most of us, the August arrivals, would meet some January arrivals, most of whom came from Australia. Everyone gathered at the Train/Bus station in Seinäjoki. I only had a short 35 minute drive, some people traveled for hours by train to meet us. Anyway, we caught a bus to a forestry school in the town of Ähtäri. This is a post-secondary school were you can obtain either a university degree or vocational certification in the field of forestry. We, the exchange students, stayed in the “dorms” which were little 4 bed/1.5 bath apartments with kitchenette. There were only six guys in attendance, so we got an apartment to ourselves. There were approximately 22 girls. We were chaperoned by the District Chairperson for Youth Exchange, Antti, and his wife. Friday night we just chilled with the other exchange students and enjoyed the sauna (however we weren’t allowed to go swimming because the lake was a little far and wasn’t lit up at all). On Saturday morning, we had a photo scavenger hunt of the campus. We were provided with 24 photos and some clues which lead us to places around the school, each place had a letter and in the end we needed to translate the phrase from Finnish to English. I was in a group with Cindy from California and Sydney from Utah. We were the first group to finish to hunt and I knew 3 of 4 words so I texted my friend just to realize I knew the last word, I just forgot it. In the afternoon, we went to the Ähtäri Zoo where we

Fun Fact: Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
is named Petteri (Peter) in Finnish

 saw animals native to Finland. I saw my first Finnish Reindeer! . I felt a bit patriotic when I saw the beaver, a.k.a. the national animal of Canada. My favourite animals at the zoo were the big cats: the snow leopard, and the lynx. At the zoo, one of the Rotex (Rebound) students and I found out that not only did we both go to the World Scout Jamboree in England in 2007, but we were both part of a group who played hand drums for His Royal Highness Prince William, the heir to the British Throne. When we got back to the school, a big group of us played a card game from France called “Jungle Speed” which was very exciting. In the evening, there was more hanging out and sauna-ing. This morning (Sunday) we were lucky* enough to watch a movie about the forests of Europe (*extreme sarcasm). The bus ride back to Seinäjoki was a great end to the weekend of exchange student bonding. There were lots of hugs for everyone from everyone at the train/bus station.

So, I had a request to write some information about myself in Finnish by one of my readers. All of you Finns who are reading this, please don’t rip my spelling and grammar apart! (It was almost completely without a translator, only to check the spellings of some words)

Terve! Minun nimeni on Peter ja olen kanadalainen. Minä tulin Suomelle seitsemäs elokuu. Minä pidan minun kaupingista: nimensa on Kauhava. Minun lukiolle on satakahdeksankymmentä opiskeljaa ja jokainen on mukava. Suomenkieli on tosi vaikea mutta minä opiskelan. Kun minä yritän kuunella, minä voin ymmärtää vain vähän.

Englanniksi (In English): Hey! My name is Peter and I am Canadian. I came to Finland on the 7^th of August. I like my town; its name is Kauhava. My school has one hundred eighty students and everyone is nice. The Finnish language is really difficult, but I learn. When I try to listen, I understand only a little bit.

So I have some pretty exciting news! Tomorrow I depart for – wait for it – Sweden! This coming week is syysloma (autumn break) and my host family decided that they would take a round-trip cruise to Stockholm, Sweden. We will leave Monday from Helsinki and arrive back Wednesday morning, so we get all of Tuesday in Stockholm. My decision to not learn any Swedish may turn around to bite me in the “peppu” (derriere).

So, just like always, please feel free to leave some comments, questions, or anything!