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Published: December 25th 2007
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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 couldn't relax for long, tonight is the Yokirkko (night church) for our school, and I am singing and playing the clarinet in it! I changed into nice clothes and walked over to the church at 9 and met up with Maiju and some of the other performers. We warmed up, then had two run throughs. Other performing groups were there also, so as they practiced I was left alone to do whatever I really wanted, if I was quiet. I decided to explor the church. This Old Church was built in the 14th century as the Catholic Bridgettine convent. The
Performing! see me?
hint. tall. blonde. wearing a black shirt and white skirt... church itself is the only remaining part of the convent, which was dimolished in the early 17th centry so the bricks could be used to build the town's houses! Some of the really old houses STILL have bricks from the ancient convent! So with this huge church to myself, I began walking around. I walked down every pew, and up to the two balconies. I studied the faded paintings on the walls, and thought of the Divinci Code. I was looking for the bathroom when I found myself in this outside, unheated stairway. I started climbing it, it was lit, and I assumed the restrooms were at the top, but as I accended something happened. Have you ever smelled something SO horrible that you can barely think when the scent is still in your nose? I really have NO idea what I smelled, but it was like an old smell, a decaying smell, and I could not continue up the stairs alone. I ran back down into the comfort of the warm entrance, and began again to walk around the inside. As I walked under the towering valts, I thought of my Mom. She would have loved to be here
with me tonight. This building would have amazed her. As I looked at things I laughed as I began to critique them as she would have. "Why dont they have a rose window?" "Don't you think it would be better if ALL the people could see the front of the church, and not be blocked by these columns?...well they are very nice columns..." It made me laugh to myself, then cry. Its Christmas time, and I miss my family. What I would do to give them each one hug... I sat down on the balcony, all alone. It was fine. I can cry, its ok to cry, especially in such a beautiful church, I thought to myself. People started arriving, so I hurried down the stairs and ran to the entrance way where I was met by Sirkku (Maiju's mother and my music teacher) she asked me if everything was alright, with that knowing motherly look, and I quickly smilied and told her I was just tired, and it was true. It was already 10:45, and people were just arriving at the church. More and more people started coming in, and I was greeted by a couple rotary members, my
next two host families, many teachers, and the many students that would be filling the church tonight. I got kind of bored after 10 min of standing and greeting people, so I wondered over to the entrance desk/table thing/place you would pay if it were a museum, and picked up a brochure on the church...IN ENGLISH!!! 😊. I began to read it, learning all about everything I had just seen. The paintings on the walls...they were painted during the inauguration ceremony, the high valts...only one of them was the original, the other 8 had been destroyed in fires, the crucifix hanging over the alter...might have actually been carved by monks living in the convent! After I finished I returned the brochure, because I didnt have any money on me and they were 3 euros. My friend Heidi ran after me, and said the woman working here tonight said I could keep it. It made my night. What nice people there are in Finland! So after everyone from school (yes the entire school) had arrived and found their seats we sang songs, Marketta the religion teacher from school gave a speech, Leena our principal gave a speech, the music group I
was in performed our song, (I played the clarinet, and sang in Finnish), the dance group performed, and we sang more songs!!! On the way out they gave us gingerbread cookies, and we wished eachother HYVAA JOULUA!!! Christmas break had finally begun!!!
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