It is now my fourth month in Finland and I have to say, it has been incredible! I have made many friends here and they are all very important to me. I appreciate all of the people who have come out and have been my friend. But besides school, you might wonder what else I do or have been doing.
I have tried to find many things to do to keep my schedule busy. Usually on the weekends I go with my family somewhere or hang out with friends. During the week I have a few schedule events that I regularly attend. Every Monday I go to practice for the men’s choir I am in. Tuesday and Thursday I spend my time at the gym. Wednesday I should be going to a Finnish lesson, but I find it too boring and easy so I skip it. On Friday I either hang out with my friends or share my culture with my family and cook them something traditionally american. I have had all new experiences since day one and if i were to give a list of them then it would be 100 kilometers long.
The most recent and most amazing experience I’ve had was in Lapland a few days ago. I got to see real cold and snow. I tried cross-country skiing and got to ride on a dog sled. I saw the most beautiful thing ever, the Northern lights. It was truly breathtaking. I couldn’t have spent that week any better than with the friends I was with. That experience as a whole was just awe inspiring. That was my best experience, but also I have a worst. Probably the first day of school was my worst. I knew nobody, I couldn’t speak Finnish, and I felt all alone. It was miserable. I’ve met many people since then and I feel happy now. Thank you all for being my friends. It may be a little unprofessional asking this in a column, but if you guys see me ever, could you speak Finnish to me? I really want to learn your language and add it to my list of experiences. Kiitos kaikille!
