Wonderful, loud, amazing, entertaining, considerate, NONQABA!!!! "and thats the last time youre going to hear the click" Non was one of our oldies (an oldie is an exchange student that came from the southern hemisphere so their exchange year was from January to January). She was fabulous to be around. She made us laugh with her funny stories about South African boys, and pine apples, and she's a great listener. She has the right advice for everything. Oh, and of course, she is groovy at braiding hair. :) She lived in Pori, Finland for her exchange year, and had some of [View Full Entry]

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So todays the day WE DIDDLE THE CUSTOMERS...(ok inside joke...mom? seany? haha alright) well today I spent the day packing. It was rather sad, seeing my side of the once oh so crowded room now so empty.... I wasnt homesick, I was nervous. Very. This really seemed like my frist move, because I dont know my new family really well (as I did when I moved into the Ailio's), and my new house is further away from the Ahti's! This was all crashing down on me as I re-searched the bathroom and picked up a couple lonely bobby pins. After all [View Full Entry]

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New years is HUGE in Finland!!!!!! So Marru's brother and his fiance were visiting from Jyvaskyla (spelling?) for new year! Marru's brother made us some sushi and we had it for our nighttime snack, wasabi and all! It was great, I hadnt had sushi in FOREVER, and it was really good! Then a couple hours and many pool games later (mostly...if not always me losing to Henkka) we drank some strawberry margaritas. Then Henkka and I left the adults to party it up, and walked down to the Hesburger where Anssi and his mother picked us up and drove us to [View Full Entry]

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Gingerbread. Chocolate. Ham. Glogi. Champane. Gingerbread. Chocolate. Silli. Ham. Gingerbread. HAM!!! Ok, so it IS FINALLY CHRISTMAS EVE IN FINLAND!!! I MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "and there was much rejoicing"!!!! Alright, so I have to admit, it was SO MUCH better then I could have ever imagined. I was incandescently happy the entire day! We woke up late, and dressed in our warm comfy clothes, to walk to the old town center. There, around the towering Christmas tree music played, and the towns people gathered. There were at least 200 people, crowed around. I spotted many people I knew from school, and Rotary. [View Full Entry]

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Today I layed around. haha...yes...well kind of ....it was a "resting day" says my host mother! :) Heini, Henkka and I went over to Mummi's and put together her tree and put the lights on it. I read many pages of the OFFICIAL SAT STUDY GUIDE. Henkka had some friends over, I watched Aladdin then talked with the family online! yay! for Merry Christmas Family TIME!!! :) oh yes, then I helped Henkka and Antti put up the tree, then later in the night Heini and I decorated it and then went to sauna. [View Full Entry]

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Today was the last day of school before CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! WOO HOO! Christmas break this year in Finland is the same as Rio Rancho High in NM! How crazy is that? Alright, so Henkka and I finished school early today at 2pm, walked home and met up with Heini (My host sister who just returned from Paris!). Heini took us to pick up Eveliina (Heini's friend who went on exchange to Mexico a couple years ago!). We went to Turku to SHOP!!! We shopped around for a couple hours, then came home and relaxed. I changed into my Pj's, but I [View Full Entry]

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So tonight was the Rotary Joulu Bailut! Eija picked me up at 5:50 and we went to the Old Church. There we had an evening mass for both Rotary clubs in Naantali. My principal, Leena Laakso and her boy friend Seppo Pukonen (my math teacher) sat next to us. Leena is Sylvia's (Canadian) Rotary counslor. We sang Christmas songs and listened a trumpet and piano performance. There was a short prayer, then my Rotary club members left and we all walked to the Kalatrappi Restaurant. They had set up a HUGE HUGE HUGE presentation of Finnish Christmas foods...which includes: Silli, silli, [View Full Entry]

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Tonight was our Christmas Orchestra Performance!!! It was at the Raisio Library! I performed in a clarinet sextet and then with the entire group! We played some great songs! A few Christmas ones too!!! When we played our last Christmas song we had to wear our "santa hats"!!! My finnish family came to watch! Marru, Henkka and Leena!!! <3 them! [View Full Entry]

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Henkka and I made Pipparkakkutalo (Gingerbread houses) today! Yippie! [View Full Entry]

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Maiju is 17! WOO HOO! So its Friday, another WOO HOO!!! a Friday to a VERY long week!!! So at around 7 I walked down to where all the cars were parked, and met Lotta and her father. Mr. Lotta's Father drove us through the tunnel, across the bridge, haha over the mountian to Maiju's house! Saija, Maiju, Kiia, and Sofia were already there! Maiju and Kiia cooked dinner, and Lotta and I hung out around them txting VEERA in Roswell, NM! Veera was in Soccoro for a Rotary weekend, so her Finnish cell phone worked (it doesnt have service in [View Full Entry]

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