September 20, 2011

Terve!

Well it has been another week or so since my last post, yet it seems like just yesterday. Time has been flying here, I must be having too much fun!

So, the week has passed same as usual. School has been the same, just creating contemporary art in my art courses and helping Finnish students with their pronunciation and grammar. Spanish is also going well. My two years of art in high school have come in handy here. Overall school isn't very exciting. The only thing exciting about school is finding out what's for lunch. It's amazing here. Last week we had salmon. I'm not sure if I already  said this, but what school has salmon for lunch?! And its free! I couldn't even believe it, I thought it was for the teachers. Lunches here area ALWAYS healthy. There is always some sort of meat or soup, salad, and rye bread; and of course its free. The U.S. should take some tips from Finland, then maybe our country wouldn't have such a high rate of obesity.

Anyways, the week has passed with its usual routine and the weekend has come and gone way too fast. This weekend we rode an hour and a half north to a small area called Pernio. Jaana's Uncle lives there with his wife in a beautiful house in the woods. They build their house themselves and everything inside of it as well. It was beautiful.

 This is the front of their house.

 This is behind the house. It's something Jaana's uncle made. Like a river flowing down from the top of the house to the pond in the back.

The building on the right is a sauna and guest house. That is also their pond in the back.

Once we got there we were greeted with a mid-day snack of traditional Karjalanpiirakka (rye bread with rice mixture inside, usually eaten with butter on top. My favorite!), coffee, cheese and rye bread, tiger cake, and cookies. I really have to start watching what I eat. I have already gained a few pounds! Ooops! Oh well, at least its all healthy food. Anyways, once out stomachs were full we put on some fly resistant clothing and headed out for the woods. We ending up picking mushrooms for three hours and I can honestly say it was the most fun I have had the whole time I have been in Finland. I wish we had woods like Finland back home. There were at least 20 different kinds of mushrooms in the woods, blueberries, and lingonberries everywhere you looked. You could feed an army with the amount of food in the woods, it was amazing. Picking mushrooms also became sort of addicting. Once you found one you felt like you won the lottery!

 Me in my fly-proof jacket.

 Loaded up in the truck, heading out to the woods.

 Picking mushrooms!!!! These mushrooms were bright yellow and easy to find. Chanterelle is the name of this mushroom.

 My mushrooms! None for you! :)

 More mushrooms! I don't remember the name of these mushrooms but they usually grew in bunches and once you found once bunch there were always bunches to follow. These were addicting to pick because they were everywhere! We had to leave them because there were so many.

 After three hours of picking this is how much we had. I wonder how much money this would be if you bought this much at the grocery store... But here, they're all free! Oh, and there is also the "every man's right", which means you can go into any forest in all of Finland an pick how every many mushrooms and berries you want.

 Jaana's uncle frying the chanterelles for freezing.

Out of the whole day picking mushrooms this was the worst. After a dinner of sausage soup and rye and wheat bread, we spend the ENTIRE evening cleaning the mushrooms. Even though it took forever it was definitely worth it. These mushrooms are delicious!

We might go back to the woods and pick berries some weekend. It is so amazing how much food you can get if you just get out into the woods and pick it yourself. I can't wait to come home and search our forests for some food. Now that I know which mushrooms to pick that is.

Well Saturday picking mushrooms ended much sooner than I would have liked. I can honestly say it was the most fun I have had in Finland so far. I dare say if I lived here I would very well make a living out of picking and selling mushrooms and berries!

Sunday came and went just as quick however. My host parents found me a bike and we rode around Turku for the whole day. This Sunday was also names "Turku Day" so there was a labyrinth of flowers in front of the old Lutheran Church and people waited around the city all day for the firework show. Also, the new bridge was opening up and they celebrated this by creating a stage on top of the new bridge. They featured many different bands and singers on the bridge. One band, called "Negative" is a very famous band here. They played just before the fireworks. The river was packed. Before the concert and fireworks, however, we spent the day riding our bikes around the city and eating at vendors where they sold fried picarel (yum!) and vegetables. The day ended with fireworks and a nice big bowl of vanilla ice cream.

 Riding our bikes through Turku. In the background is the stage on the new bridge.

 Turku Lutheran Cathedral.

 Me inside the labyrinth of flowers in front of the church.

 The labyrinth of flowers. Turku is so creative!

 Inside the church looking back.

The front of the church.

 Stage on bridge and the band "Negative" performing.

 Fireworks! These fireworks were choreographed to about five different songs. It was amazing. These were the best fireworks I have ever seen in my life. And they were only for a new bridge!

Wooooooow!

I have never seen such amazing fireworks before. It was like taking all the fireworks I've ever watched in Onaway and combining them together for a super show. It was crazy. At one point the fireworks launched from the bridge actually bounced off the water and some flew onto the sidewalk where everyone was watching! Eeeek!

Overall I had a fantastic weekend. Living in Turku, Finland has been a blast so far. I hope all of you are enjoying my blog posts. I miss you all, I wish you could all experience this for yourselves, it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I feel so blessed every day that I am where I am today. Thanks again to all of you who helped make my dream of studying abroad come true! Until next time!

Love,

Karlee

Oh! I found the firework show on youtube, check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atazsNIiHY0&feature=related

September 12, 2011

Hello everyone!

Can you believe its already September!? It feels like I've only been here in Finland for a week, yet it has been one month and a week!

Not much has happened since I last posted something here. Things are carrying on same as usual, i.e. school, no homework, eating a lot of food, learning Finnish, and spending time with my host family.

Recently I went to a club with a friend I met at school. This was my first club experience and probably my last. While spending time with my new Finnish friend was fun, the club experience was disgusting. Much too loud of music, having to shout to speak to your friends, walking on glass shards and vomit, and clothes covered in alcoholic beverages from drunk teenagers made for a one time club experience I do not plan on attending again. However, I can now say that I went to a Finnish club and have proof that the Finns are not so shy when drinking. (Also, for those worried, my friend and I were not drinking, only dancing.) We left when the air started to cloud with the smell of vomit. I kid you not, it really was as gross as I am describing it. But my pictures are nice!

 This is the Finnish friend I was talking about. Her name is Emma, she's 19, and just as tall as me!

 Ooooo! Crazy club lights!

You would never guess they are drunk would you? Right. I don't know who they are and didn't even know they sneaked into the photo. Ignore them, aren't we pretty!?

Ha! Okay so yes, that was my lovely, one time only club experience. On the other hand, I have had much funner and lovelier times with my host family. For example, we just got back this weekend from their summer cottage. All day Sunday we picked apples. We ended up with about 150 kilos of apples, all being used to make apple cider! Yum!

 The dog (Wenda) and I by the apple harvest.

 Behind that lovely lady is the summer cottage.

 Front of the summer cottage and tool house/bathroom to the right.

Inside; table where delicious meals were eaten!

I don't think I will be going back to their summer cottage because winter is on its way. However, I will be going to my second host families' summer cottage soon. I will miss this place :(

There you have it. Nothing new has been going on here in Finland but I am still having a lovely time. Picking apples all day in Nauvo made me forget about the Posen Potato Festival going on back home. I hope you all had fun there! For those who went that is.

Anyways, I must be going now. It is time for Spanish in school and then I must wait till 4:45 for my first Finnish class to begin. Maybe I will go shopping!

I will post again soon!

Love,

Karlee