Finnish Breakfast

If anyone was wondering what Finnish people eat for breakfast I would say my breakfast this morning is very typical. Most Fins eat break, butter, and cheese in the morning and on occasion will have the amazing karelian pie. Karelian pies have rye bread crust and are then filled with rice porridge. I have to admit I didn't like them when I first had them since they are super new to my pallet but have learned to absolutely love them and look forward to eating them in the morning. Oatmeal is also very common they call it porridge or oat porridge. I've never really liked oatmeal either but again have learned to enjoy it with jam and blueberries. Finland consumes the most coffee and the world and is known for being the biggest coffee drinkers. Even though there is only a single Starbucks in Finland which usually has a giant line, there are great coffee shops on every block. For the people that enjoy coffee like myself will have around two cups in the morning and then more throughout the day depending on how available it is. If you ask a Finn if they want coffee they will most likely take up the offer.

Odd Events

The last few weeks I have been able to experience and be part of the somewhat odd and different events this school has for the students. A lot of the events had content that I know would not be allowed in American high schools which made it all the better.

About two weeks ago on a Friday there was this day named, uusasutuspäivä. For this day the second year students gave a dress code of embarrassing clothing and costumes to wear the whole day. For example... One class was assigned to have the guys dress as princesses and the girls dress as princes. Another class was assigned to dress as cave men. The day was basically reserved for "hazing" the incoming class. At the end of the day the second year students put on these games in front of the school. Again, these games were there to embarrass the first year students. I just want to list some of the games so you can get a better idea of what I am talking about.

1. Three girls had to lay on the ground with bananas in their mouths while their male partner had to do push ups over them and eat the banana out of their mouth...

2. Girls had to lick whipped cream off of their male partner's shirtless body.

3. A girl and a guy had to hold a ball in their mid section and move it up to the upper part of their bodies without touching it with their hands (I was part of this one).

4. Guys had to give girls lap dances.

5. Seven very well built guys came on stage with marker drawn all over heir bodies and then they were paired to a random girl that had to try to get as much marker off of the guys bodies as they could in a time limit.

6. Rap battle, tweak battle, lots of battles

There were so many more but those are the ones that really stuck in my head. Also the prizes that the winners got sometimes consisted of lube and condoms. It was honestly pretty shocking when I was sitting in school knowing that teachers were standing watch knowing this was taking place and not caring. In America I knew stuff like this would not fly so seeing it actually happening in school here was surprising to me. At the same time it was extremely entertaining and everyone was enjoying themselves, even the first year students that were being picked on.

The other day we had a day where we didn't have any classes and just came to school and had the classes compete in soccer. First year student classes played soccer, second year students played Finnish baseball, and third year students had to actually do school... It was just interesting to have this day where we got to bond with our home room classes and get to play soccer with our whole class. Really giving the students a chance to get to know each other.

The most recent event I didn't know about until the day before it happened. There were signs posted all over the school announcing that the third of September was Etiksen Liikennevalopäivä which is English means traffic light day. Everyone was supposed to come to school wearing a color that coordinated with what the list said...
Red - Taken
Green - Single
Yellow - Math and Science is my Passion
Blue - Friends with Benefits
Black - Horny
Grey - Just Had Sex
White - Gathering a Harem
Orange - Stuck in the Friend Zone
Pink - Keinutaan?
There were all colors around school. Some people wore multiple colors. Me and a couple other girls planned to wear all black.. So we did for fun. It was interesting to see everyone and their "relationship status". Also in my old school or like most schools this kind of thing wouldn't be appropriate or it isn't seen as appropriate as you can see. I liked the idea and the whole thing was really funny since people ironically wore colors. I now know all the single people int he school. Another interesting thing was that most of the single guys were hanging out together. There were huge groups of people all wearing the same color. A group of girls were all wearing pink, a group of guys were wearing green, and so on and so forth. It was an interesting day to say in the least.

 Overall I'm enjoying the school environment here. It's really laid back and none of the teachers are really uptight. There isn't really cliques here or "popular" people. Everyone kind of talks to everyone if they want to. I love it that way and it makes my social life and school environment so much easier to be in and apart of. The little things that they have planned here come as a surprise to me everytime they happen since I'm not so used to the events but it makes school fun and exciting. A good start to the school year.

- The American

It Rained.. ❤

Too Much Cake

For the good of everyone in Helsinki area or thinking of visiting Finland, I highly suggest going to Kakku Galleria. It is utterly amazing. It is a little all you can eat cake and coffee place about a mile from Helsinki city center. There is a huge variety of beautiful cakes that you can choose 3 pieces every visit to the counter. For only around 12 euros you can have as much cake as you want.

About 15 of us somehow fit into this small shop. We spent hours sitting, talking, and eating mass amounts of cake. Looking at the portion sizes and seeing that you only get 3 small slices each time you go back up for more you don't think you can get full. Trust me... You can.

There is also the cat cafe in Helsinki close to Kamppi and I'm so excited to go there. I miss my furry ball of joy. If a place has coffee and cats that I can let while I drink my coffee.. I'm there!

- The American

Where it Starts

You could say that my first day wasn't the most pleasant experience. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't awful it was just very confusing to say in the least. 

First off I know the minimal amount of Finnish. I really only know how to ask questions and say hello, goodbye, thank you, and so on. Entering the school and trying to figure out where I was supposed to go was definitely the most confusing thing ever. The whole foyer was filled with first year students that were practically in the same boat as me. I would awkwardly walk up to some people and ask if they knew anything and most of them just shook their head and had no idea. 

I ended up finding myself sitting in an auditorium like area with a bunch of first year students happily introducing themselves in Finnish to one another. I didn't talk to anyone much for the first half of the day. 

My day from 9:00-12:30 was filled with sitting in one place for extended periods of time listening to information that would in general bore me but was even more boring because it was in a different language. I really didn't understand anything... At all.

I honestly was not prepared for school. Like I thought: oh school is school... But it isn't here. It is way harder because I am being talked at for 4 hours a day in a totally different language. It may seem easy and that is what I expected as well, but in reality it's really difficult. I'm constantly trying to understand what is happening and trying to figure out if I am supposed to do something, or if I have homework. For example the other day my host sister started talking to me about the homework in art class... I didn't even know we had homework! The teacher just didn't feel it was necessary to tell the English speaking students important information that had to do with the class we were taking. 

However, not all hope is lost for my first few days. Waiting in a quite long que to get my schedule I met an Aussie guy that is a exchange student as well. This guy is kind of like my savior to be honest. He introduced me to so many new people and he is overall a great friend to have and to teach me the way of the Finns. 

Socially I am very happy with the people I have met and the "friends" I have so far, they are all so great. When it comes to the school part, Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon enough!

-       - The American

Mökki Love ❤ (Days at the Summer Cottage)

Birthday love for Emmet

It's That Time of Year Again

There is no stopping the inevitable, school has to come back around. A great summer always ends with the abrupt change in pace of going back to school. Waking up early, long days, people that you may or may not want to see are part of the many horrors that have to do with starting up school again. 

Surprisingly I was actually ecstatic to start school with a hint of fear as well. One of the big reasons I came to Finland was so I could see the education program here. Finland has the best education system in the world and I was fascinated in that since 1. I want to be a teacher and 2. I've been stuck in the same terrible school system for 11 years. I am hoping to see that there is more to my schooling than just textbooks and robotic teachers reciting out of a handbook hoping that students do good on tests for them to keep their jobs.

In a different sense I am also interested in seeing the social system in the school as well. Finland has no class system, so there are barely any homeless people and everyone is in some way on the same level. People are different here than in America yes, but I observe a lot of the same behaviors within teenagers here as well.

Overall school and the school environment are the main reasons I wanted to come to Finland. 

I will be posting soon about my first days amongst  the halls of my new school, but first I will be spending the weekend with my host family at their summer cottage.

Moi moi to you all,

The American

First Things First

It's crazy to think that I am here. After a year of planning everything I am actually here. I am in a country full of new people, that I don't know and full of people that are speaking a language that is completely foreign. I want to say that I am excited but also completely freaked out of my mind. I don't always show my nervousness or my fear but this is completely new for me. Every single thing around me is new. Once in awhile I'll see a McDonald's or a Subway and it'll feel like America but it's not.

There are a lot of similarities but in the end I'm halfway across the world from home. Most of all though I do love it here. Everything is bright (for the moment) and there is nature everywhere. Even in the city there are trees and flowers. Not everything has been taken over by condos and buildings. It is not full of dozens of people trying to be squished in small areas. It's nice to walk in Helsinki and see nature and old buildings. There are not really any skyscrapers or large condo buildings or apartments. Everything is quaint and authentic.

It may seem that not knowing the language and not knowing anyone is hell and sometimes it can be but it's like I learn something new everyday. Someone's name, what a word means, how to take the bus, and so much more.  It's an amazing feeling when you can finally say something in a different language. I am slowly learning all the cues and cultural differences trying to become one with this culture I will be occupying for a year,

I just love to watch people and look at what everyone is doing and how people are acting. Since I don't know the language, facial  expressions and body gestures are what I live on. Sometimes I can tell what people are talking about just by their expressions and gestures.

I have only been here a week and I'm loving everything. The food is great, people are interesting, and the sights are to die for. I hope you all read and check in often and hopefully I can be a form of entertainment. There is more to come from me definitely! Till next time

- The American

The streets of Finland

Tuomio kirkko

Let's go to the beach