Hei!
I'll get back to my epic journey, but first I will tell you about today! Dylan (another exchange student in Finland, from Canada) and I went for another one of our long explorations through Helsinki today. We walked around the massive Cathedral near the heart of the city, went to an open market by the Baltic Sea and ate cheap Thai food, got lost on side streets and back roads until we found a park where I ate ice cream and he had a strange Finnish soda, and then we made it back to the regal looking train station and parted ways. I am honestly in love with the life this country has provided for me.
SO, last time we spoke I got to Karkku! I won't go into much detail here, because most days were the same, so here are the basics: On a normal day we would all wake up around 7:30 and have a breakfast of either bread, cucumber, tomato, and butter, or porridge with jam (I chose the bread option). We would proceed to the morning briefing, the head to Finnish lessons. Finnish lessons would last about 5 hours (we would have lunch in there somewhere) then we would go to a lecture about various Finnish things (school, food, lifestyle) then enjoy about an hour of free time before dinner. After dinner was the time for going to the sauna, then swimming in the lake. I LOVED this part of the day! On the only not typical day of the week we went to Tampere and went on a bus tour, then had time to shop and see the city a bit. The bus tour took us through the historical parts of the city, and to an amazingly beautiful church. I went shopping with a friend named Lauren after, and we had lunch in a cute little café and listened to people speak Finnish while dreaming of a time when we would understand them.
Now, all of this sounds great, but there was one part of this week that almost wrecked everything... Jet Lag. Finland is 11 hours different than Alaska, and I felt every single one of those hours each and every minute I was awake. I looked like a zombie, even with the makeup I put on to try and liven up my miserable pallor. Somehow I fought through it, and after a week and a half I fully converted to Finnish time!
This was my time at Karkku, and I enjoyed every second of it! It was the perfect way to begin my life here in Suomi.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Getting There
Moi!
First, I tan better in Finland that I do in Alaska. That really isn't relevant to anything else I plan to write in this entry, but I've been going on 5 kilometer runs each day by the Baltic Sea, and Im darker than I have ever been!
Alright, I left my story when I was getting on the plane. Well that plane ride was miserable. First, I was crying my eyes out, I mean like heaving sobs that freaked out everyone near me, but at the time I didn't care. Second, I was at the very back of the plane, and the lady sitting near me had a crying baby that was intent on not letting anyone sleep. Third, I was so extremely tired that all I could focus on was the fact that I just walked away from the life I had built up for 16 years! So naturally, I put my head against the window and passed out.
I woke up When the plane touched down, and even though I was still homesick, my mentality was much better. When I was off the plane, I had to figure out how to kill six hours, so naturally I rode the train thing that takes you from the N Gates to the rest of the airport back and forth until it got boring (which took a while, the train is entertaining). When it came near the time to get on the next plane to Denver, I finally met up with other Rotary Exchange students (Johannes from Seattle and Tianna from B.C. Canada) and together we got on the plane.
Denver was an easy stop, we met up with more exchangers, the flight to Frankfurt was less than comfortable, but obviously I made it alive. I slept through most of my 8 hour layover in Frankfurt... But I do remember that its a very dark airport, and I don't like it very much. Look at me, acting like a snobby world traveler! I love it.
A large group of us arrived in Helsinki at around 23:30, and from there we went to the Karkku Language Camp. And I think that is where I will leave you today!
First, I tan better in Finland that I do in Alaska. That really isn't relevant to anything else I plan to write in this entry, but I've been going on 5 kilometer runs each day by the Baltic Sea, and Im darker than I have ever been!
Alright, I left my story when I was getting on the plane. Well that plane ride was miserable. First, I was crying my eyes out, I mean like heaving sobs that freaked out everyone near me, but at the time I didn't care. Second, I was at the very back of the plane, and the lady sitting near me had a crying baby that was intent on not letting anyone sleep. Third, I was so extremely tired that all I could focus on was the fact that I just walked away from the life I had built up for 16 years! So naturally, I put my head against the window and passed out.
I woke up When the plane touched down, and even though I was still homesick, my mentality was much better. When I was off the plane, I had to figure out how to kill six hours, so naturally I rode the train thing that takes you from the N Gates to the rest of the airport back and forth until it got boring (which took a while, the train is entertaining). When it came near the time to get on the next plane to Denver, I finally met up with other Rotary Exchange students (Johannes from Seattle and Tianna from B.C. Canada) and together we got on the plane.
Denver was an easy stop, we met up with more exchangers, the flight to Frankfurt was less than comfortable, but obviously I made it alive. I slept through most of my 8 hour layover in Frankfurt... But I do remember that its a very dark airport, and I don't like it very much. Look at me, acting like a snobby world traveler! I love it.
A large group of us arrived in Helsinki at around 23:30, and from there we went to the Karkku Language Camp. And I think that is where I will leave you today!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Leaving Behind Normal
Hey guys,
Wow, I really have forgotten to write haven't I? Well I will catch this blog up to the current time. Presently I'm on a light pink couch in Finland, my wonderful host mother is making herself tea in the kitchen, and downstairs there is probably a bunny terrorizing my new room. But how did I get here? That really is a story.
On August 4th, 2012, I zipped my life into a suitcase and said goodbye to normal. Dad and Sean (brother) took me to the airport at 11 o'clock at night. When I got there, I was met by some of the best people in the world who came to see me off. Claire, Kelly, Torie, Spencer, Deenaalee, and Harry all came with smiles and tears to wish me well on during the best year of my life. I am terrible at saying goodbye, so seeing them all leave one by one made the reality of my departure extremely clear. After tearful hugs and final good wishes they did leave, which left me alone with the two best people in my life. Sean and Dad sat with me while I cried and they just talked with me. It came to the point while we were sitting there that I did not want to leave Fairbanks. I was so scared that I felt sick, and I finally realized that I was going away for an entire year. Never before in my life had I even been that terrified to do anything. But, while this was my weakest moment, it was also my strongest. I got up off the bench and hugged my brother and father one last time, then got on the escalator and didn't look back.
More later,
Katie
Wow, I really have forgotten to write haven't I? Well I will catch this blog up to the current time. Presently I'm on a light pink couch in Finland, my wonderful host mother is making herself tea in the kitchen, and downstairs there is probably a bunny terrorizing my new room. But how did I get here? That really is a story.
On August 4th, 2012, I zipped my life into a suitcase and said goodbye to normal. Dad and Sean (brother) took me to the airport at 11 o'clock at night. When I got there, I was met by some of the best people in the world who came to see me off. Claire, Kelly, Torie, Spencer, Deenaalee, and Harry all came with smiles and tears to wish me well on during the best year of my life. I am terrible at saying goodbye, so seeing them all leave one by one made the reality of my departure extremely clear. After tearful hugs and final good wishes they did leave, which left me alone with the two best people in my life. Sean and Dad sat with me while I cried and they just talked with me. It came to the point while we were sitting there that I did not want to leave Fairbanks. I was so scared that I felt sick, and I finally realized that I was going away for an entire year. Never before in my life had I even been that terrified to do anything. But, while this was my weakest moment, it was also my strongest. I got up off the bench and hugged my brother and father one last time, then got on the escalator and didn't look back.
More later,
Katie
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