more time.

need it need it need it. I'm actually really dreading this because I know its going to be so long...But I have lots of time, which I guess doesn't really fit with my title here. But today, for now, I have time. So I will attempt to blog about my past week in the lovely, beautiful, GREEN, finland. It happened I swear over the course of 3 nights. Everything was dead, then there were a few buds on the trees, and now everything, I mean everrryythinggg, is so green. Everywhere. Its really amazing, and really really gorgeous. The days here have just been so great, really nice weather, a few rain spots here and there, but I love the rain, so it was really nice. Last tuesday I went to have a talk with Lea Pulkkinen, the lady I met with when I wanted to talk about the Lapland trip. Shes a globally known psychologist, and probably the greatest woman I've met in my entire life, besides my mom. She just sees things so perfectly. She first showed me around the University campus here in Jyväskylä, in one part of the campus there is a building with one half called the Matti something buidling (i totally forget his name, but he was the first (or something) finnish president. I asked around my school just now, but no one knows...niceee.) anyways and then the other half is the Lea Pulkkinen half. So I felt like a celebrity walking around with her. Imean you could just tell as we passed people that they just started whispering "oh my gosh, that was HER." haha. So that was fun. Then we sat down and she started to ask me about the problems I was having with my host family and stuff. And then she just took the whole situation and turned into something positive. She first asked me what I wanted to do when I got older, what I wanted to be. And I told her I'd really like to teach, 1st and 2nd grade. And she then explained to me that although maybe this situation was hard to get through and not really fun that if I think about it, when I teach my classroom won't be filled with kids from families like mine. Some of those kids are going to come from broken families, like the one I'm currently in. And that by being in this situation I can learn how to deal with them and how to reach them on a personal level and help them out. And gah, it was just so wonderful. So now, I am just really great. I finally feel back to my old happy self again, I think for a bit I was realy down and just not happy and it just felt so weird, because thats just not me. I have bad days, but they dont really last for 3 or 4 weeks. So this was something new for me, but it was really great once I got out of it. I went and talked it out wiht Raija and Arvo as well and they were really supportive of everything. Things still aren't perfect at my house, there are still fights, but there are less of them. If anything, me bringing this to light may have been hard for them to hear, but I think it might have kind of made them notice that things could be better and now we're all working on it together. So its really great, thank you all out there for your prayers during this as well, I'm positive they helped a great deal. On Wednesday I went with Mimmi to her school all day and hung out with her and her friends, they were quite fun :D Then we made our big trip down to Turku to stay with Pike, my host moms sister, for four days. We left on thursday and when we got there we were immediately greeted by two happy boys happy to give lots of hugs. Leo and Otso. Leo is 5 and Otso 9, it felt so much like home it was almost scary. I felt 12 again, taking care of Micah and Spencer. Otso even looked like him ! Same head shape, same big eyes, and same funny hair flip in the front :P Leo was one of those kids who just hung on to you like a monkey, and if you didn't want him he'd just move on to the next closest person. His parents, Pike and Ville, were really busy that weekend so Mimmi Nuppe and I just spent most of it babysitting, which was fine with me. Ville was being given his Diploma for his Ph.D. He wrote his thesis in the field of Bio Technology in 2007 but the ceremony is only every 3 years, so this year he finally got the big party for all his hard work. They went to lots of dinner parties and on Friday there was a big ceremony downtown where all the recipients walked down the main street led by police horses and cars to the big monumental church. It was on tv and a really huge event so that was really cool to watch. Pike was wonderful, we had some really great talks, she's a first and second grade teacher :D So talking to her was really cool because shes exactly what I want to be ! On saturday Sirpa the girls the boys and I went downtown to see the big war ships of finland and some famous spots of Turku like the Castle that wsa built in the 1300's. It was really great, long, but really great. There was a thunder storm on the way back, so that was fun to be in, it was my first of the year :) Today is my official 1 month until I go home date, boy am I excited. My schedule is pretty much full up until I leave, which may be good or bad, I'm not sure yet. I just finished up my English Exam and tomorrow I have my religion test and then school is overrrrrr. Summer ! Yay :D On friday night I'm staying at Annina's because we have to be at school at 7.30 am to get ready to sing :P Then after our school party my family leaves for Helsinki for Lauri's (their cousin, not my host brother) Graduation Party. We come back on sunday though. Then tuesday we go back to helsinki to stay with that same family for maybe 3 days and then train up to Turku to stay with Pike Ville and the boys for a few more days until Sirpa gets back from Estonia. Meh, I'm more or less excited about that trip, its the one kind of ruining my plans, but it'll still be fun to see more of the city I guess. And when I got to Turku again I get to see Bailey ! Yayyyyy. Anyways, I am really tired of typing and I think that was all I had to say anyways. Enjoy your day off I think ? Memorial day right ? I dont remember. But yeah, the end ! :D

looking on the brightside

after trying to work through some recent problems ive been having, mainly due to communciation issues i think, I'm just going to let things go for now and enjoy the last bit I have here. So, let me further update you on my busy life ! Today, is monday, and one of my last three days of school, which seems very surreal, everyone is acting so normal...I just gave a presentation to 10 kids about the history of religion in the United States, it was interesting. They didn't ask any questions, although they never do :/ Tomorrow Annina and I give our presentation on intoxicants and we're bringing chocolate to bribe the kids into responding, hehe. Tonight I'm going to Anninas to finish up our project, hopefully we get it all done. I guess I don't have anything afterschool tomorrow..it seemed like I did. Wednesday I think I'm going to mimmi's school because she really wants me to, and then I'm going over to the viertolas. On thursday my family leaves for Turku for four days, I'm sort of looking forward to that ? It should be fun I think. Next week I have a religion test on monday, and an english test on tuesday, and then choir practice and then wednesday a freeeee day. maybe I'll go visit the sainpalos ? I'll have to call Anna today, I can't make it to the cycling class tonight because I'm going to Anninas...Thennnn next thursday is Lyseon Yö, which I found out is like a little school fair/carnival with decorated rooms and different things to do and such. So I'm looking forward to that, I think it lasts until midnight so I'll probably spend the night at Anninas house that night. Friday is no school, and then saturdddday is our last day of school ! I sing iwth Annina and give my speech and then I leave to Helsinki with my family. We come back on sunday I think ? I'll probably spend Monday and Tuesday with myt other families or with Annina, or amybe take some friends bowlnig or on a picnic ! I have yet to decide. And then that wednesday I have to go to Helsinki for 3 days and then to Turku for another 4 while my host mom goes to Estonia, which means I can't run my marathon race with Annina and Piia and I can't go to Roosas party. But I've sort of gotten past that now and jnow I'm jsut looking forward to spenmding the time I do have with my good family and friends. But I realyl ahve to catch a bus now, hence the horrible typing and spelling errors ! gotta run :)

time flies when youre having...

fun ? ive been really busy this past week, hence the lack of blogging, but ive been doing lots of interesting, some fun, things :) on tuesday I went running, 30 minutes non stop with annina and piia ! It was exhilerating, and that was after mondays 45 minutes of intense cycling and 15 minutes of the hardest core workout ever, jeeees. But both were still really great. i also had choir practice on tuesday for the school and we're singing John Lennons "Imagine" for the graduation practice, in which Annina and I are sort of singing the lead, (if we sing loud enough, which we will, then we'll just over power Minttu who has a hard time with singing anyways, so yeah...that sounded mean, but it wasnt meant to be. shes a really nice girl, but the song is in english, and well some finns just don't prnounce english words so well, and yeah...anyways) so I'm excited for that. Hopefully I can get someone to tape it for me. On wednesday I had art, and we're busy making different props and posters for Lyseo (my school)Day in two thursdays from now. I really have no idea what actually happens there, but I've heard that our schools bands play (rock bands, not concert) and there is some art thing ? I dunno. I guess I'll just wait and see ! What else did I do on wednesday. Oh yeah I went to the Lutehran church wiht Annina to interview the youth pastor on Intoxicants and such for our project. So that was fun, we'll hopefully be finishing that up this weekend as we present on Tuesday...Im also giving another presentation to the Church History class on Religion in the US (sort of like the same one I did back in December with more emphasis on my own church) and then on the same day as Lyseo Day I give my final Rotary Presentation to the Rotary Club, so I have to start making that. And I have to give a speech to the students on the last da of school, which is a saturday. The 30 th of may ! Next week we only ahve 3 days of school because of some holiday and the week after that is test week and then its done ! over ! yeah ! Anyways so then yesterday, thursday, I had school until three and then I went and met with Martti my rotary counselor here and then we enjoyed a delicious dinner provided for the Rotary Meeting. Then at the meeting we heard from an authour who talked about his latest book called "Paha" meaning Evil and it talks aobut the different kinds of evil...yeah. Theennnnn I went with about half or maybe a quarter of my school to a concert put on by one boy from my school, Antti, who was giving this concert as his Music Diploma. It was really cool, he was the drummer, and really really good at it, and his band was really awesome as well. Half of the members attend the church that I go to youth group which was cool to see. Antti is Pentecostal I believe, so it was held in that church. But yeah it was really really awesome. Theres a picture on my flickr from it, so you can go see that. Today I had one hour of school, sooo nice. And then I came home and we cleaned the house and then I layed out in the sun for a bit and read a book. But the wind was quite cold so I came back in and now I am here. Tomorrow I'm going to Anninas house to work on our project. Nuppe is really sick right now, head and nose stuff, no funnn. Mimmi went to her dads for the weekend. I think Nuppe and I are going to watch LOTR tonight, so that should be fun. Next weekend, for our fourday weekend we are going to Turku and staying with Sirpas sister and her kids. I hope that will be fun. And that is it ! enjoy the sunnnn. or at least I will, its probably raining where you are. Fun fun !

7 days

left of schooooool. although, its over the course of two more weeks, so it still feeels far off. So estonia was really nice ! The town, Tallinn, was really gorgeous, espescially old towne which was just filled with old buildings and shops and the side of one of the castles had been caved out for little hand knitted shops, sweaters and socks galore ! Haha. Well on saturday, after staying the night at Sirpas' friend Ulla's house we left for the harbor of Helsinki and boarded the huge cruise ship :) Nuppe and I headed off after eating and spent most of the two hours on the ship playing Joker Poker slot machines ! I think we only lost like 2 euros or something...pretty good. So then we got to Tallinn and waited picked up a handicap taxi (ulla is the one in the wheelchair) and drove over to our hotel. After dropping off our bags, Nuppe and Mimmi and I were staying in our own room, wooooo !, we went over to the hairdressers and shopping center. For a bit we shopped and then we had our hair appointment because its lots cheaper in Estonia than in finland. I was really dreading going, I really hate hairdressers and prefer to cut my own hair. The lady I got didn't speak a lick of english, and not really finnish either, although Estonian is rather close to the finnish language, but I suck at finnish anyways. So it was a bit confusing telling her what I wanted. I tried to emphasize that I liked my hair and wanted to keep it long, and that I only wanted 1 centimeter off, just 1. And at first she seemed like she understood all that and I was happy because I thought she'd finally be a hairdresser who listened to me. But then as she was cutting away, two inches of hair started falling to the floor. GAH. I hate hairdressers. During the cutting she kept looking at my hair in disgust and somehow I ended up telling her that I cut my own hair, and then she replied with (in finnish) "OH, I thought you just had a really horrible hairdresser in America" uhhhh. thanks ? What am I supposed to say to that ? I dunno but it was horrible and now my hair is the same length it was when I left for finland....fjdsaklfklsdaöjlask. Stupid. really. but I guess I can't really do anything about it. Anyways so after that we spent the rest of the day shopping. Then at night the girls and I walked over to the convenience store and bought Sirpa a cake for mothers day and asked the hotel if they could keep it in their fridge, which they did. And then the next morning at breakfast we snuck out from the table and got the cake and then surprised mom with it :D It was quite fun. That day we did some more shopping and hten when to old towne and then around 5 boarded the ship to come home. All in all it was a fine trip, really beautiful city. And has given me yet another reason to cut my own hair. :) But now I ahve religion class to get to, piictures soon !

estonia in two dayyyys.

what fun what fun what fun ! ITS 11.11 :D i made a wish. annina and I are wroknig on this really awesome religion project for our religion and ethics class, and we're going around to every church in our city and interviewing pastors on what they're attidtude is towards the use/abuse of intoxicants is. And its really exciting although we haven't actually interviewed anyone yet. We tried yesterday at the Orthodox church, but the pastor was on holiday. But tomorrow we have an appointment with Father Alexander, from the orthodox church, and tonight we're meeting with the mormons ! Next week we should be meeting with the Lutherans and then hopefullly the rest of them will reply to our emails ! But its quite fun, althoguh we're sort of crunched for time, I only have 9 school days left....so crazy ! Although its over the course of three weeks, so it seems far away still...Its mothers day on sunday, while we're in Estonia...I don't know what I'll do for Sirpa. Something. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of our trip, not many videos because I never have enough time to wait for them to uplaod and then no one gets to see them. So lots of pictures :) Tonight is youth group, I'm excited for it and Annina is coming with, yay :D Uh and yeah. we leave tomorrow at 16.00 or 17.00 and come back around 3 am on monday morning, but I'm really excited. I just hope and pray there are no fights...I dunno how likely that is to happen, but I hope it does ! But I've got to get to english now, we just had a listening exam, I think I did sort of bad....which is really sad. but anyways ! check out my flickr ! lots of pictures :D adios ! moikka ! see ya later alligator. :P

OH

and I DO have pictures for every day of the past two weeks for my flickr, I just haven't had a way to put them online, but I borrowed Annina's memory stick and they should all be up tomorrow ! Haha, there are a lotttt of them...be sure to check it out !

ho hee hum

this past weekend was indeed happy :) We had a three day weekend thanks to the wonderufl holiday of Vappu, which means free. Its in honour of the workers, so its sort of like Labour Day. But its just fabulous, downtown there was a huge bounce house and some carnival games and millions of booths set up selling candy and t shirts and other random things. Huge ginourmus fair balloons (yanno, those helium filled pretty coloured ones ?) were being sold, I bought a large pig ! It was sorttt of expensive, but hey, when it dies I can always fold it up and take it home and keep it forever. So I wasn't too upset. And there are colourful streamers put everywere and on everyone, and everyone is just so happy and yeah. It was nice. My host mom, mimmi, and I went to Paappa's cottage and spent the wonderously sunny weekend there. We went to sauna and swimming (for about 7 seconds) in the freezing cold water (maybe 40 degrees F or something...so cold) because all the ice had jsut melted. And we went boating, and climbed on rocks (I fell off one and got a large scrape all up my shin, it looks very pretty) and got a tiny tiny tiny bit sunburned (hallelujiah). And it was nice :D Its supposed to rain today, and I'm sort of hoping it does, I haven't had good rain since I left home I don't think. Maybe once or twice when I first arrived here, but its certainly been awhile. I went running last night with Annina and Piia and Make, it was really quite fun. I was supposed to go to the gym with Anna today but she has to work, so I'll try and make up for that and do something on my own. Tomorrow I'm going to go visit the Viertolas sometime and pick up my bike and have coffee or something. And on wednesday I'm going running again with the girls and on thursday Annina and I are going to youth group. Last week I took Nuppe with me...She hated it...haha, but I'm glad she at least came with me and experienced it. And on friday I leave around 16.00 for Helsinki to pick up Ulla and then go to Estonia for the weekend ! I'm excited for that :D and the girls (nupppe and mimmmi) and I get our own hotel room ! Yipppeeee :P And now I'm going downtown to go shopping with Annina<3 Today I sent out a letter to two very special little brothers of mine, hopefully it makes it there <3! :D