Exchange in a Nutshell

I was making my presentation and was going through all the pictures from my exchange year. It has been making me very nostalgic, and depressed in a way, but they are all good memories, so here are some of the photos I have dug up from the entire year

Waiting for my Hair to Dry...

Since I just dyed my hair the other day, and then tonight decided to take a shower at 10:30 at night, I can't really go to sleep with wet hair without some dye getting on my sheets, so I am waiting for my hair to dry before I go to sleep, and being an environmentalist, I don't really use a hair dryer often, so I am staying up...and that means I have time to kill, instead of doing a whole list of other things that I have to do, I am going to blog! Since I just uploaded a bunch of pictures from my camera anyways.

Having recently lost my camera in the picnics of Vappu, then being depressed about it for a week and then being the happiest exchange student in the world when I found out that someone had turned it in, I now realize that I need to take a lot more pictures, though I think I would have started taking a bunch more pictures lately, even if I hadn't lost my camera for a week, because this is my last full month in Finland, so I need to take pictures of every place that I go, in case it is among the last times that I see said places and things. So here are some pictures from my life lately....

Finnish pride...

Exchange Students

We are spelling out "Finland" I am part of the "N"

Go Finland!

At School

My street...Summer is coming! It looks a lot more green than it did when I arrived!

My computer

My desk..a bit messy...but I finally cleaned it today! But the main thing is that I still have my gift bag from Fazer

In my room, my computer again, an important part of life!

My school, unfortunately ALL of my classes are on the top floor...

During art class

My boyfriend is Karl Fazer...

Trying to journal...but the internet distracts me..

And so does this chocolate....

You know where my priorities are...

Turku Symphony Orchestra building

Finnkino..the only movie theater in Turku

Good news! My hair is dry now! Which means I can go to sleep!

Stay tuned for next post! 

Seuraava posti tulee pian! 

Lately....

Hyvää Päivää!!

It has been forever since I last blogged!!!!! I know! But in my defense, I have been busy, like really busy! But I know I have to blog, so I am just going to go through some things that are going on. 

It is May! Which is awful! Because that means that I only have two and a half months left of exchange, which is a thought that is looming over me like crazy! It sucks that I am leaving soon. I really don’t want to go back, though some times I find myself thinking that it isn’t all that bad, but most of the time I think that going back is bad. School is ending soon, which is terrible! Especially because usually May is one of my favorite months of the year because school is wrapping up, and now I hate it for exactly that reason! But oh well, Eurotour is coming! Which starts exactly the day after school ends, but I will tell you more about that later on! 

This was a actually from a while ago, I haven't imported all my May photos yet, this one is from April sometime

On the first of May it was a holiday in Finland, so people got off of work and school. It is international labor day, and Finland is one of the many countries that celebrates it. But Finland's tradition on May Day is very different from other countries. It is called Vappu in finnish. On the 30 of April, every one goes to the city center, and there were many people there when we went. There was at least 30, 000 people there. They completely covered the square and the hill next to the square, and then at exactly 6:00 in the evening, everyone who has every graduated from High School puts on their graduation hats (it is very traditional to keep your graduation hat here) and the graduation hats are different from american hats. They almost resemble sailor hats. So they are all white. It is really cool to see all those people with white hats in the center, wearing them. And it is tradition for you to wear your graduation hats for the rest of the night on the 30 of April and all of the first of May. So then after everyone puts their hats on in the center, people make their way to parties and party hard for the rest of the night, and late into the night. Many many people get drunk, and everyone always has a glass of champagne at all times. I have come to the conclusion that Vappu in Finland is by far the greatest day in the world's champagne industry. 

So then the next day, people spend the day in the parks, in picnics, and the parks were crowded! I went with some of my finnish friends and one of my exchange friends from a small town outside Turku, who came for the day. After the picnics my exchange friend and I went to the carnival that was in town and that was exciting. 

This doesn't even begin to show how many people were in that park! But my camera disappeared before I could take any more pictures..

Unfortunately I lost my camera in the picnics of Vappu, putting a damper on what would otherwise be a perfect day, but thankfully a week later we checked with the police and someone had turned it in!!! Which was just incredible and I was so thankful! I still find myself staring at it, thinking "is this real? Did I lose my camera there and someone actually turned it in??" Now I am taking a lot of pictures! Though this leads to tons and tons of eye rolls of my finnish friends, and even some of my exchange friends, I understand the most importance of the taking pictures, now that I have been without my camera for a week 

Lately I have been baking Pulla, which is a very finnish bread. I now am baking it every friday, as to prepare myself for when I bake it in the states, and everyone will be at awe of the amazing finnish foods! 

I went to the Karl Fazer chocolate factory the other day. For those of you who aren’t finnish, Karl Fazer is a finnish chocolate, sweets, bread, and other delicious food company. The most famous of all their food is their milk chocolate, which I know I have mentioned in this blog as being something I spend a lot of my money on...and it is safely said the greatest chocolate in the history of the world. Period. No question. So it was amazing to go to the factory and see where the headquarters are. We were able to eat as much chocolate as our stomachs could hold, and that was amazing! Though, I was expecting more of a Willy Wonka thing, I learned that it is indeed just a factory...nothing all that magical about it..though when you taste the chocolate you think otherwise...

Om nom nom..chocolate...and even better, all you can eat chocolate! 

The World championships of Ice Hockey is happening right now, and since Finland won last year, the games are in Finland. Finnish flags are everywhere and there is so much advertising and crazy Finland things around. It is very exciting! And Finland is very good! Hopefully they will win again this year! 

Nähdän mun paras ystävä Coloradosta huomenna. Hän on Monica Weller, sä voit nähdä hänen bloggi täällä. Olen onnelinen että nähdän hän, koska viime aika nähdäin hän oli Tammikuu! Hän on kuin mun sisko! :D Myös Eurotour:lle me olemme ydessä huonessa ja emme nukua koska me puhu niin paljon! 

Pian mul on esitys Rotarylla! On suomeksi....ja mul on pelkää! 

See you all soon!!!!

Nähdään!!!