http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/goodmorningfinland/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from goodmorningfinland en-us Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:08:16 +0000 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:08:16 +0000 Tonight mom sean emi ama and our friends Michelle and Rod came up to Santa Fe with us to tailgate and go see the Santa Fe Opera LOVED IT http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Mexico/Santa-Fe/blog-313719.html So today the family got together with Unlce mo as our guy in charge and we rode up to the top of the Sandia Mountians up the TRAM it was great. at the top was the first time since ive been home that it was cool enough to wear a sweatshirt. I LOVED IT its WAY TO HOT HERE IKAVA NAANTALIIIIIN http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Mexico/Albuquerque/blog-313712.html This evening we meaning Sean Emi Richie Lauren Dad Uncle Mo Mo's friend Shelly Emil and Poppop went to an Isotopes baseball game It was pouring rain when we arrived and we had a rain delay for a while so the game didnt start until REALLY late But during the delay we got to watch the Olympics opening ceremony on the big screen TVs around We ate hotdogs and cotten candy and Dipnd http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Mexico/Albuquerque/blog-312229.html So today I decided it was time to serve the smoked fish....I even ATTEMPTED to make roses out of the pieces like Tom Iska did for Juhannus...I can honestly say....im NO professional...but it did look like a flower http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Mexico/Corrales/blog-312228.html So here I am back in hot dry brown NEW MEXICO Im whiter then my entire family...who have been beautifully tanned in Mexico this summer and I am quieter...what quieter ha. ha. NOTSo Tom iska and Hanna aiti palenius picked me up from the Ahti house this morning and drove me to helsinki. We ate my last ruisleipa sandwhich and pulla and TRIPPI in the airport and stuffed eight bars of Fazer s http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Mexico/Corrales/blog-309487.html At 4.30 today Joonas and I walked down to the harbor and met up with at least 30 of my rotary men boarding two big yachts We got on the smaller blue one with Jappa driving and boated or would you say sailed..even if we didnt have a sail out to Omena Saari literally apple island for my rotary meeting We had makkara sausage and all the rotary guys drank a lot of beer and we went to s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-281688.html Today all the second graders met at school at 9.00 am and carpooled over to one of the beaches on Merimasku island I went with Aikka Maiju Jori Anssi and Henkka and we got a little lost getting there but it fabulous We were on the dock the entire day eating snacks and hanging out some kids even went swimming i got a sunburn first...and hopefully last of this summer It was great bein http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-281689.html Today Joonas came over around 12 and we went picnic shopping together then he went home to grab some supplies and I ate a special fish lunch with the family. At 1 Joonas drove Anette and I to Turku where we met Markus at the Lily on the river where he works and sailed out to Veps island for the day http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-281686.html After a LONG day of shopping for summer clothes in Turku with Doro germany I rode my bike town to lonasluoto where Joonas was in charge of teaching some sea scouts how to sail in those little one man boats I was taught also and raced the little scouts around the bay http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-281687.html Today I went into school at 11 then at 1130 met up with ten American 1417 year old guys Basketball players from New England With two volenteer coaches and Scott the man in charge. I introduced myself then guided them to lunch. We all ate together until the other students started arriving then they all split up and we put one at each table They gave some presentations in a couple of our http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-273925.html Today I woke up early and made french toast for breakfast for everyone here are some pics...of me..looking like a total disaster cooking. in finland http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-273921.html Last weekend I changed host families Now I live with the Fagerlund family Tom Hanna yes tom and hanna are my host parents names AGAIN Nea my 14 year old sister and Anette my 18 year old sister Today we went to the Caribia spa in Turku to watch a Salibandi game It was great even though Naantali lost a couple of my friends from school played on the team too http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-273917.html Tomorrow I switch families so tonight we went out for dinner then had a jolly good time playing with my moving away gifts..which inclueded a classic...black rubber rat...some awesome lady bug hair ties...which i use almost every day a couple beautiful scrap book pages and a finnish cook book We went out to dinner at the Kylpyla Pizza restaurant in the spa hotel It was a TON OF FUN Defini http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-273867.html Today Ama Hanna aiti and I went on a Viking Line picnic cruise to Aland island aka half way to stockholm. We boarded the nine story ship same one from my trip to Stockhold for the vanhojen ristely in the Turku harbor at 8 am. We put our jackets up then found a nice place to sit on the sixth floor. We talked and bought steph a kiddie cup with a light stick inside my very own plastic cup http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Aland-Islands/Mariehamn/blog-273589.html This past weekend was our rotary district conference in Turku We have 23 exchange students in our district but Ellen was in Germany so we had 22 of us Rick came over from Aland Friday night and stayed over with me at the Ahti's house. The next morning Lapa our treasure and Ossi picked us up and drove us over to the ICT building in Turku for breakfast and a meeting at 9am All the exchange http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-271442.html Ama and I walked around A LOT this past week and visited Muumiworld We also went all around the harbor and Hanna Aiti found a guided tour for us around the harbor and old town It was a lot of fun and I LEARNED A LOT http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-269692.html Today we went to Laitila where Hanna Aiti's parents live We first went to Hanna Aiti's mothers house where we greeted the sunlight outside looked at her flowers starting to grow through the snow looked at old photographs ate chocolate eggs and had a wonderfully FINNISH meal Potatoes Lamb Silli herring eggs and salad Then we drove over to Hanna Aiti's fathers house where Kari and Marj http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/blog-268294.html easter was crazy. so many easter eggs and so much family fun and love ama was with me she was visiting me in finland from March 20 throught April 2 she experienced it all So on Easter Sunday we went to Iska Tom 's mothers house my mummi who speaks swedish and finnish and inserts some funny random english words she is such a character and had a true easter meal. It was HUGE and mummi a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-266023.html Today Ama and I spent from 1030 am 3pm cooking at the summer pizza kitchen at KalaTrappi my rotary restaurant. Ama had brought an ENTIRE suitcase full of tortillas cans of whole green chilies red chilie powder green chili powder guac and lots of herbs. As she cooked I was her sue chef running outside in the crazy blizzard to the main restaurant and getting whatever she needed They pr http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Southwest-Finland/Naantali/blog-268212.html Its a tradition for the vanhojen tanssi students in the southern finnish schools to go on a cruise to stockholm sweden after their dance Ours was this weekend We all met up at the Turku harbor in the Viking line building at 730 pm ish. Tom iska drove me and we picked up Aikka and his dad Jari our chaparone on the way. We boarded the boat at 8 and left soon after. It was a HUGE boat w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm-County/Stockholm/blog-263981.html