I've changed host families last December, and I'm supposed to change again later this week (despite the fact the Rotary doesn't actually have another home for me yet... I'll be staying at a rotarian's until they can find one so don't worry about me living under bridges!)
In this house I have two younger siblings - Oliver, who is 7 and just started school, and Camilla, who is 5 and in kindergarten. Jarmo, my host dad, works on a ship and is gone every other week. Pia, my host mom, works at the pharmacy in town.
It has been really nice being able to walk to the city from this house, I don't really like relying on another driver to get around (and since I'm not allowed to drive, there aren't many other options)
I met Santa at Christmas, and here is proof that he is Finnish:
Santa, Me, Oliver, and Camilla.
I spent New Year's at my friend Johanna's house with some other friends of ours.
That is about the extent of excitement for January other than hanging out with friends sometimes.
Now, let's talk about "Vanhojen Tanssit"
It literally means "Old's dance", but old people aren't really involved. There is dancing though. I've been taking classes during school for a few months now. The vanhojen tanssit is where all of the 2nd year students perform old dances (like the Waltz) to kick the 3rd year students out of the school. So yeah, this is like a big dance performance.
I took the classes without a partner, so I would fill in for whoever was gone that day. I thought it was pretty fun, I got to know (well, dance with... not all of them talked to me) people I wouldn't have talked to otherwise.
Last night was the dance and so the 3rd year students are now gone to study for their final test to graduate high school. (apparently the English word for this is Matriculation Examination, but I have never heard it used)
I didn't get to dance, but I was in the procession with Toni, who couldn't dance because of an injury earlier in the year.
You can watch some of the dancing and the procession here:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8BD22A943E38FB07
I'm kinda bummed that there isn't a video of my class singing though. They chose to sing Maailman Toisella Puolen by Haloo Helsinki, which is about being on the other side of the world and the singer is telling her parents that they shouldn't worry about her. It's been the exchange student theme song for us in Finland, whenever we get together we have to play it. I thought I would start crying at the final performance, but I was "backstage" (it was in a gym) so I didn't really see/hear it. I was getting emotional at the rehearsals though, remembering that my year is over half way through, and that it'd had been over half a year since I had first heard the song with all of the exchange students at language camp.
To quote a Finnish friend, "time goes fast"
I'd post pictures of the dance here, but my camera cord is currently MIA. If we're friends on facebook, there are plenty of pictures taken by my friends there. If not, I promise I'll make a post once I'm able to find my cord.
To finish off this blog post, I'd like to talk about how much the people here rock. It seems like everyone I talk to is the coolest in their own way. I keep remembering people and thinking "they're my favorite person" but then I remember my other favorite person, and it just keeps happening. I don't know if this is because of Finland being the best, or they can really filter what they say to me when they speak English, or that I was just literally placed in the most awesome town ever, but everyone has something about them that just makes them awesome.
I think I just have a lot to say about my friends because I really do love them all. I don't know how I'll leave this country, because I don't know if I'll want to leave all of this behind. Ever.
So, I'll leave you with a song that basically sums up my current feelings.
I am now off for a long week of... nothing! It's Winter Holiday now - yeah, we get Christmas Holiday and Winter Holiday. (we don't get Spring Break though)
