Finnish Christmas

Winter break is coming! But first I've got to finish exam week...

My week started out with studying for the next day's test. Then on Monday I took my chemistry test (all in Finnish may I add). Since so many people had signed up for that class, it been divided into two groups. On testing day, we all took the test at the same time since it was the same class. The room had thirty people and was very full. This is very unusual in Finnish schools since classes sizes are never more then thirty people, unlike in America where they are always more than thirty students. Anyway, the test went okay even though it was all in Finnish. Then in the afternoon I had rehearsal for the middle school's Christmas performance.

On Tuesday, I was supposed to have an English test, but my English teacher said I didn't have to take it so I could go to the Christmas performance. He was going to so he got another teacher to supervise the test for him. The Christmas performance in the middle school started a little after eight in the morning and ended at nine thirty. We were one of the first groups to perform and I thought it went well. After it had ended, I helped clean up the instruments and chairs. Outside there were lots of people waiting for the buses since you can leave from your test at nine thirty in the high school. Because it was the last day of testing, that means no review and you can go home. The middle schoolers didn't have school after the Christmas performance, so many people were waiting for the buses to come and bring them home. After we finished cleaning, we had some coffee and deserts in the school cafeteria before we headed home for the day.

Wednesday was my first day of winter break! We went Christmas shopping for some last minute gifts, got some ice cream, went to my first host family's house where I gave them their school books that I had been borrowing for the grading period and grabbed the books for the new grading period as well as give my third host family some gifts I had from Minnesota. Lennu (my first host family's dog) has grown quite a lot and is now a very large dog, almost as big as my first host family's other dog Jalo.

Then on Thursday Christmas Eve came. Just to let the people that don't know know, Christmas Eve is when the Fins celebrate their Christmas. First we went to sauna at their cabin. Then we went to the cemetery and placed candles at their family member's graves. We returned home for a traditional Finnish Christmas dinner which consisted of a large ham, potatoes, salad and bread. They had started cooking the ham the night before it was so large. My first host family came over and then Santa did. He handed out presents from a sack to all of us and we took some pictures and talked with him for a little while before he headed out. Then we opened our presents. I got Finnish candy and American candy (which my grandma had sent me) as well as some Finnish things from my parents. My favorite gift was from my second host family saying that I can pick a professional hockey game and they will take me to it in January. Then we had some deserts and coffee. I taught my younger host sister how to make bracelets on her new bracelet maker since the instructions were all in English.

Yesterday, I started working on applications for PSEO in America as I need to complete them while I am here in Finland as well as make thank you cards for the Christmas presents I received.

Today I worked some more on things for America and I wrote thank you notes for all of my Christmas gifts. In the evening I made taco salad for dinner for my host family. They liked it.

Exam week #3

Sunday was a busy day. In the morning I wrapped presents for my hockey team and for my host family. After that, I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and M & M cookies for my hockey team and for my host family. Then in the evening we went to my host family's church where we listened to Christmas songs.

Monday was the last regular school day before exam week. In biology we taught our classmates things we had research and in English we did some practice exercises and talked about culture differences between Finland and other places (random note: my English teacher decided to wear red contacts for the fun of it. Everyone thought it looked so weird.) Then in math we worked on old tests for review for the test and did the same thing in chemistry. In the afternoon I had two free periods so I talked with my friends. I told them what I would be giving my teammates for presents that night at practice. One of my friends who used to play hockey and is a big fan of the NHL was very jealous.

That evening, I packed up my suitcase with all of the presents for my hockey team (yes I had that many). I went right to practice since I didn't have any Finnish lessons in the evening and wouldn't have them until January. I was early and waited for everyone to arrive. As they did, they were impressed by the number of presents I had and they kept saying I should give them a large present. Then my coach came and we decided that we would play some soccer and then open the gifts. We locked the locker room just in case. When we came back, I gave them their gifts. 

First I placed the large box for everyone in the middle of the locker room and said it was for all of them so open it. They did and they were very excited to get an American football. I gave out some Minnesota Wild Schedules (but I said they couldn't open them yet so they didn't know what they were). One of my coaches who was there opened the present I said he could open. It was a calendar I had made and he liked it.  Then I gave out the eight large presents to the people I thought deserved them the most (i.e., the ones who showed up to practice the most, etc). They didn't know what they were and I said they could pick the one they wanted. I said which Wild player they could pick and then they picked one. The people with the large presents guessed that maybe they were pictures. After that I gave the small gifts out to the rest and told them to open them. They were very happy and surprised to be getting t-shirts from the Minnesota Wild. One of my teammates gave me a gift that they said was from all of them. I opened it and saw a JPK hat and towel. I really liked it. Then my coach opened his present (which was a picture signed by Mikael Grandlund) and they were all very impressed that I had managed to get that. Then we took a picture since I said we needed to since I didn't pay for the stuff. I said that this picture would be going to the Minnesota Wild and possibly on to some of their social media and they were really surprised and some didn't even believe me. After practice I gave them cookies I had made and made them sign thank you cards for everyone involved. And after all of that, my host brother picked me up and he showed me how Finnish people drive (let's just say it was fast and furious).

After an exciting day, a new one started and I had to take my physics test. This was in English and I have no idea how I did. It was nice though because my teacher gave me one of the school's graphing calculators that I could use for the rest of the year (I hadn't had one since I didn't want to buy one). Then I went to my music teacher's room where the saxophone players (the trumpet players couldn't make it) practiced the song they had picked (joulupukki matkaan jo käy). It wasn't too hard and I played it well after a few times. I gave my music teacher a calendar as a present since he also helps out with my hockey team and I gave them all left over cookies from the night before. Then I went to Finnish lessons with one of the English teachers and I gave him some cookies too. Then we had biology review before I went back to the music room for more practice, this time with the trumpet players. Then at home I studied for biology and made some thank you cards for the Minnesota Wild Gifts.

Keskivikkona (on Wednesday) I had my biology test. It was also in English and it went okay. Then I had Finnish lessons before I didn't have any review because I didn't have a test the next day. I had music practice though and did that. In the evening I had practice as usual. We had practice and then after practice we kept our gear on and played football with the American football I had given them. It was pretty fun. Then I gave my other coach who was there (and wasn't at practice on Monday) his presents. He got a calendar and a puck signed by Mikko Koivu which they all thought was cool (I hadn't told my teammates what it was but they had been guessing that it was a signature/signatures from the Wild. We went shopping for food and I saw my third host dad and one of my third host brothers. Then we went home and made another batch of cookies for the music event the next day.

On Thursday I had two regular hours of gym where we did Zumba. I gave my teacher a cookie before I had Finnish lessons, but we didn't do anything related to Finnish. Instead I explained to my teacher what PSEO was and what I needed from the school so I could apply for it. Then I had math review and music practice. That evening I went to a music celebration. Basically students who were performing at the Christmas performance performed their song or songs and some people who were not coming to the Christmas performance performed some songs then since they were not coming on Tuesday. Then the parents left and we dumped the candy that everyone had brought on to the table (everyone had to bring candy by the way. I brought cookies). Then we dug in and no one really touched the cookies until I told some of the Finnish girls to try them. They did and they said they were very good. There ended up being a signing battle using only Christmas songs as well as some games before the night ended.

Perjantaina I had my math test which I thought went pretty well (mostly) and chemistry review in the afternoon. In the evening we cleaned up the house.

Tänään I made Christmas presents for my host families and helped decorate the Christmas tree before we went to sauna in the evening.