One Week in Finland

Hei everyone!

It's already been a week since I've arrived in Finland! I'm sure you are all wondering what I have done between graduation and today. Well...

On the Sunday after graduation I went out for a walk around the neighborhood where my first host family lived, which was fun. Along the way, I ran into a Rotarian from the Alajärven Rotary club and his wife and we talked a little bit which was nice. That evening I went over to my friend Kristiina's house who I stayed with until Wednesday.

The next day, we watched the cows get their hooves trimmed (Kristiina's family has cows), which was something I had never seen before. We also took out one of the cows, which I had met two years ago, for a walk. It was a bit chilly outside, but it was still cool.

Tuesday was an exciting day. Why, you ask? My bag finally made it to Alajärvi! Plus, we went to Seinäjoki and did some shopping with another friend of mine, Anne-Marie. It was really fun to go around Seinäjoki and see all of the different places I had been to either with my friend Lydia, who was one exchange in Seinäjoki the same time I was, or with my hockey team when we had games down there. On our way back, we stopped by the Alajärvi ABC and picked up my bag. That evening we then went out and got the supplies to make mokkapalat, and they turned out really well.

On Wednesday Kristiina's mom showed me how to make leipäjuusto. Later that evening, Kristiina dropped me off in Alajärvi with my luggage, leipäjuusto and mokkapalat in tow at Roosa's and Raisa's apartment. Roosa was on exchange in Michigan while I was in Finland and Raisa my host sister is my first family. They drove me to their mökki, summer cottage, where Rotarians from the Alajärvi Rotary Club were having a kalailta, a get together in place of their regular meeting and ate fish. It was fun to see them again after two years. They wanted to know what I was doing and what was new and they said that they enjoyed when they got the letters that I sent them about what I was up to. One of the Rotarians, who would give me rides to hockey practice, said that they still talk about me in the realm of hockey in Alajärvi, which I was very happy to hear. After that, we headed back to Alajärvi where my friend Emilia from Kyyjärvi came and picked me up before we headed back to her place. We went out for bit, she jogged and I rode her bike, to the lake near their house.

Then on Thursday, we stopped by and saw Emilia's horses. We talked with a man who helps run the place and he was very interested in talking with me because I was an American. It was pretty fun. After that, we went into town and bought the supplies needed for bowtie hotdish which we are going to make tomorrow. We stopped by and said hi to Emilia's mom, who is a hairdresser, at work before Emilia showed me a bit around Kyyjärvi. We stopped by Emmi's house, another friend of mine who is going to be an au pair in New York for a whole year starting this summer. I got to give her some advice about the US and American culture and answered questions she had about the US. Hopefull my advice was helpful. :) Then, we went to Emmi's grandparents place because they wanted to meet Emmi's American friend. Although we had just eaten, they gave us some juice boxes and a big box of chocolates. After that, we stopped by a retired Finnish woman's house because she had American relatives and they thought it would be fun if we stopped by. We were fed ice cream and talked about all of the different places that her relatives are from in the US. Later that day, we made American chocolate chips cookies and they turned out very well.

One week in Finland has already gone by. Just about two more to go before it's off to Sweden for me.