Ashley Carey -- Finland

March 31, 2008

Hey, sorry I haven't updated in such a long time!

In December, all the exchange students embarked on a Rotary-sponsored trip to Lapland, in the Arctic Circle. We had the opportunity to make many reindeer friends, learn about Lappish culture, dine in a Lappish restaurant, and go for a real sled ride driven by 20 huskies!

I must admit that I've been doing most of my record-keeping via photo albums on Facebook, complete with explanatory comments. I have also written a few blogs where are entirely abstract and irrelevant to being an exchange student, but which were inspired by the new things that I am learning here.

Here are the public links to a few of my albums, which will hopefully be an adequate substitute for a long, written update.

Lapland Part 1:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000313&l=e23ab&id=1350060023

Lapland Part 2:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000314&l=aeacb&id=1350060023

Bringing the Tradition of Thanksgiving to Finland:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000311&l=db13a&id=1350060023

Brussels, Belgium; the most beautiful place I have ever visited: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000349&l=5d82a&id=1350060023

More Belgium:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000352&l=57b9e&id=1350060023

January, including preparation for the Wanhat dance:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000368&l=a3f6b&id=1350060023

The Wanhat Dance!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000389&l=2860f&id=1350060023

and finally, Febrary/March, my most recent photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000413&l=b46f3&id=1350060023

In December, right after the Lapland Tour, I moved into a new host family, my second and final. The mother is from London, and since Finland is a country where English is a second language to nearly everyone, the entire family speaks English together. One thing I noticed in this household that I didn't notice in the last, is that the children sometimes call their parents by their first names.

I have unknowingly picked up many cultural traditions, and have attended the Wanhat Dance in my school, which is like a prom, but it's much more old fashioned, and the students take rigorous dance classes for three months. I preferred it very much over the dance styles of typical American high school students. However, I immediately and impulsively asked a boy I didn't know at all, out of fear that I would end up dateless, so we didn't talk much. It was fun anyway.

It's hard to believe that I come home in just three months. And I only have two months left in Finland, as the month of June is the Eurotour! I am very excited, and even excited to come home to glamorous old Amsterdam, but I am going to miss this quiet little country a lot more than I thought I would.