lets talk about easter !

Cause its sort of really different here, but really interesting. So most finns are of the Evangelical Lutheran Church here, which is a lot different than my Evangelical Free Church back home. Easter traditions start around Palm Sunday where children dress up as little witches, decorate willow branches with fun things like feathers and tissue paper, and then go around to different houses singing a song at each door and recieving candy (and they say they don't celebrate halloween, ha !) The tradition has been going on for many many years, and its actually quite fun ! Mimmi and I made some willow branches and "Virvon Varvon"-ed my host mom (we sang the song), I have video of it, but uploading videos takes almost a half an hour for just one, so it really sucks. Then comes Good Friday and there is no school, many finns attend a church service lit with only one candle and singing songs without any instruments, its a very quiet day and many finns travel to a cottage for the easter holiday. My family is staying here because my host mom wants to be at her church. Then on Saturday night, around 11 pm, is the easter service which lasts until maybe half past 12, so thats tonight ! And then Easter Sunday there is a big meal, salmon or chicken, with Finnish Easter Pudding called Mämmi which you either hate or you love. I had heard awful things about it, and hadn't met many people who liked it, so of course I had to try it for myself. So yesterday, I ate mämmi ! And it tasted like eating pure molasses with cream. Not exactly the grossest thing in the world, but definitely not the best either....It was really interesting. It looks absolutely revolting, and the smell isn't too great either, but the taste isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Also during easter families plant little bowls and baskets of grass seed all over the house, my house has more than 15 ! Its to represent life, and the ressurection of Jesus Christ, and once the grass starts growing its actually pretty cool. Once the grass is tall and long you put little fluffy chicks and chocolate eggs inside :D Its fun. And then Monday we also have off and theres another church service for that, but I dont think my family is attending.

Some big events coming up:

Today: I'm cooking enchiladas for Annina's family ! And then maybe going to Chill Night, which is no longer Chill Night and is now a D.A., dinner appointment. Weird.

Monday: I'm going running with Annina ! Piia would be coming too, but she left yesterday for Italy until the 20th of April to visit her boyfriend ! He's finnish but is playing soccer for an Italian team, so hes living there. Gosh, Europe is so cool.

Tuesday: I move to the Viertola's to stay with them for four days while my host mom travels to Canada to visit her daughter Maija who is on an exchange in Vancouver !

Friday: My best friend, Annina's, birthday party is on Saturday until Sunday :D I'm really excited for that :D (I'm making enchiladas for her party, and her mom wanted me to try them out at her house first, hence the reason I'm going over today. Mom, I'm going to be better at these enchiladas than you when I get back !)

Sunday: After Annina's party I move to the Sainpalos to stay with them for a week until Sirpa returns ! I'm definitely excited for that, plus I should get to SKype my family while I'm there because the internet here is stupid.

The saturday after that, the 25th: There is a Rotary District 1390 Conference (My district, basically all of Central Finland-Keski Suomi) in Jyväskylä. It lasts for two days, but you can also choose to just go for one, so I need to figure out what I want to do.

Sometime in May: I'm traveling to Estonia ! Either the first or the third weekend, we're not sure yet. Sirpa's best friend Ulla is coming with us, so we have to check with her schedule as well. Ulla and her husband Arvo came over for Good Friday dinner yesterday, so I got to meet her. She's in a wheelchair. Its a really tragic story too. On the second night of her honeymoon maybe 4 years ago or something, her and her husband Arvo were taking a Safari in Africa when they're vehicle overturned and was in a huge crash, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. Ah, so sad.

Last weekend in May: I'm traveling to Turku with Sirpa and the girls to stay with Sirpas sister Pike (pee-kay) for the weekend. And just last week one of my best exchange student friends, Bailey, texted me and asked me if my host mom was Sirpa. So I replied and said yes and asked her how she knew, and she replied saying that she was giving a presentation at a school and was talking to the teacher who mentioned that there was a Jocelyn coming down to stay with her at the end of may ! So it turned out to be Pike's class that Bailey was in, so now I'll get to see her before I leave ! Yay !

And thats all the stuff I have planned for now :D Happy Easter !