Michaela Schnore -- Finland (Home club: Glenville)

February 7, 2014

 Since I have last written I have said fare well to my best exchange student friend here when she went back to Florida, and switched host families. Sarah's host family had been the family that is hosting me, so we already had a really good connection when I moved in. We are so close and have so much fun together, I really love living here. With them I went rock climbing for the first time, I loved it! The Ice-Cross Downhill Skating World Championships were held in Serena, a skiing resort and waterpark only 5 km from our house, so we went and cheered on the Americans and Canadians and of course the Finns! It was a really fun and interesting experience, there were so many people there from all over the world, and I even ran into many of my exchange student friends from Helsinki. I am very excited also because I will be going to London with my host mom in May and hopefully I will get to visit my grandparents in Latvia, but it seems unlikely at the time.

        School is pretty boring for me at the moment because I have already graduated and the only classes I can really participate in are music, art, or English, and this jakso music isn't even offered. I have already experienced the lukio side of the school system for 3 jaksos and I have decided to pursue attending a vocational school here in order to see the other side of the education system in Finland. The only issue is that the rotary might not let me switch to a vocational school because in Finnish society students at these schools are seen as kind of stupid. But if I am told that I am not allowed I will try to fight this because exchange is about breaking down barriers, and seeing all sides of the culture, not the opposite. Plus I think a vocational school would be a fun change of pace for me, more hands on, and more intensive for me because I will have to use my language skills more. Plus I will get to be in a different mix of kids and meet more people. I am interested in either hairdressing or cooking at a vocational school. 

        I can't believe that it has been six months since I moved to Finland, time sure flies when you are having fun. I have been so many different people mentally since I first came here, and I will probably be a hundred more before exchange is over. I have learned so much and grown so much too, its been a truly great experience so far!