Woolen socks

Last Saturday I trekked up to Kemi in Lapland to go to the Snow Castle with some other exchange students and Rotex in my district. I travelled by train which is quite expensive compared to what I am used to. I have a student card here which saves me about half price on transport but even with that the round trip cost me 40 euro! I met the others on the train to Oulu; I hadn’t met any of them before except Esteban who is on exchange in Ylivieska 30kms from Oulainen and we happened to meet that morning at the train station.

It was particularly terrible weather that day and my train from Ylivieska was delayed an hour but eventually I got there! The snow castle was really quite amazing! There were a lot of Angry Birds sculptures and carvings! I didn’t know until the week before that Angry Birds is actually a Finnish creation! Well there you go!

Inside there are rooms with the beds made out of big slabs of ice! There was a bar and people were sitting around tables drinking coffee and eating snacks inside! There is a Chapel where you can even get married!

Into the walls were carved all different things! Space invaders, Angry Birds, a forest, animals, etc. There was a giant dragon ice carving, a unicorn and so many other things!

After looking all through the snow castle we walked not too far to a pizzeria called ‘Puistopaviljonki’. We each ordered a reasonably priced pizza each and not long later, before each of us was placed pizza’s that overhung the sides of our already huge plates! I tried my best but I was one of quite a few that needed the doggie bag for my left overs!

I went skiing with Juulia, Emilia,
Sami and Soile on Sunday. I am getting more confident on the skis but I don’t think I’m really getting any better! There was a small slope (seriously only maybe a couple centre meter drop) where I started gliding. It was fun for a moment until I realised I hadn’t learnt how to slow down or stop and I was terrible at steering and I was headed straight for a tree! That ended in a lot of laughter! I soon hit square into the tree and was all covered in snow!

I obviously didn’t learn from that because next thing we were
headed UP a hill! Everyone was calmly walking up on their skis and there was me sliding backwards down the hill! I’d fall to the ground, stop and pull myself back up and then slide back down again! It was a bit scary! I don’t think skiing is really my thing…

This week I visited the bank and got a Finnish account. They gave me my card which the lady had picked out for me... It is a bright red Angry Birds card! Pretty cool and very Finnish!

February 5^th is the commemoration of the birthday of Finland’s national poet, Johan Runeberg. This day people make these special cakes called 'Runeberg's torte'. They put usually raspberry jam on top. I quite liked the little cake, it was really nice.

I have been trying to learn a little more of the language this week. I worked out and have been practicing the names of some vegetables. Also, Riina helped write out the names of things in my room and put post-it notes up! Now I know what table is (pöytä), clock (kello), etc.

This weekend it was Ilpo, my host dad’s birthday. Juulia and I helped stuff the cannelloni and I also folded all the napkins. It was only a small gathering of immediate family but there was lots of food and sweets! I tried some traditional Finnish candy called 'Salmiakki'. My reaction to it was about the same as Juulia’s reaction to the vegemite I gave her the other week… I had to go to the bin to spit it out! I couldn’t even bring myself to physically swallow it! I am not a fan at all! It’s like a dark salty lolly, I can only compare it to licorice but it isn’t really that much like that. They love it here! I do not understand it. Safe to say no one will be accusing me of helping myself to their salmiakki at any point this year!

We went out again this weekend but this time just to go tobogganing. It was so much fun! I got so much snow in my face and my mittens where completely covered in ice! I went down together with Emilia once and we got sprayed in snow! It was a lot of fun! It was a busy weekend and I was so tired by the end of it!

Last night I went to another Rotary meeting. This time I did my first presentation. We had a meal first as usual and then headed into a room where I presented about Australia and myself and my Rotary club to my Rotary club here. As it is only a few weeks into my exchange I don’t know enough Finnish yet to present even in basic Finnish so my host sister, Riina, acted as an interpreter  After I spoke each slide in English she translated into Finnish for those members who didn’t understand English. Timö, the president of the club, presented me with their club’s banner which I will bring home to give to my club in Gawler. I also took the opportunity to present to them my club’s banner.

Before I went into the room to present a lady in the Rotary club came to me and said ‘Welcome to Oulainen’ and handed me a gift bag. Inside was a pair of hand knitted woolen rainbow socks! I was so surprised but I think they’re awesome! I have been wanting to buy a pair of woolen socks. Everyone in Finland wears them in winter. At school we take our shoes off at the coat rack and we walk around all day in just our socks. Even though they’re a bit wild I wore my new socks today to school!

Today also I did another presentation, this time at my school for the English class I have been in for the last 2 weeks. I altered my presentation to involve some of the topics they have been covering in their class and took out a couple of things too. It went really well! I enjoyed it a lot, they asked questions as the presentation was going so it was more like a class discussion than me just presenting at them. It also meant that I knew that I wasn’t boring them to death because I was answering their own questions too.

Another little thing that happened tonight was that I tried elk for the first time! It was in the soup we had for dinner!

I have noticed how the sun is gradually rising earlier each day and setting later. When I started school two and a half weeks ago it was pitch black at 7:30am when we would leave for school. I realised this morning that, whilst the sun wasn’t up yet, it was quite light! I’m sure there is a while of winter left yet but at least were starting to see the sun again!