Hi everyone,
I hope everyone enjoyed the Lapland pictures and videos! :)
I will not be having anything to write until later next week because I am currently waiting in the Helsinki airport for my flight home. I will be back in Finland on Monday afternoon/evening.
I am going home for my grandfather's funeral, as I'm sure most of you are aware. But I have a favor to ask of everyone. If you go to the Alzheimer's Association website, www.alz.org and click on "write" on the homepage, it will take you to a letter that will be sent to the congress reps of your state. This letter is explaining why funding for Alzheimer's research should not be cut again this year. You can simply send the letter as it is or add or delete anything you want. I have sent one a few weeks ago and my parents have also. If you have the time to send one yourself, it would be great!
Love, Erin
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Lapland Story!
We left Jyväskylä at 1:30am on Tuesday morning. After around two hours we made our first stop at an ABC (a 24 hour gas station/7-11 type store). Around 8:00am we arrived in Kemi and had breakfast at an ABC. At 10:00am we went to the Kemi snow castle. This was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, but it was amazing inside!! From Kemi we drove another two hours to Rovaniemi. We stopped at the grocery store to buy food for the week. Then we went to see Santa’s Village (because the real Santa is from Finland, if you didn’t know). We waited in line and got our picture taken with Santa, who actually knows some basic phrases in a lot of different languages so he can talk with the tourists in their own language. Santa’s Village is right on the Arctic Circle line. We then drove another few hours and stopped for about 15 minutes in Ivalo, right outside Inari, where we were staying. We arrived at our cabins around 9:00pm; our cabin was called Birra and 10 of us staying in it. It was very very small but really cute! We unpacked and made some noodles for dinner. Just as we were getting into bed, we got a call that they Northern Lights were really bright, so we ran outside to see them but they weren’t as visible by the time we got outside. We stayed up until around 1:30am, despite getting only a few hours of sleep on the bus the night before.
We had to be outside by 8:00am then next morning, so we all decided to get up at 7:15am. Getting 10 people up and ready with one bathroom in 45 minutes was not a good idea, but we somehow managed to do it. This was our survival course day. First, we had a lecture for an hour about how to use a compass and map together then went to the lake to set up our ice fishing. Then, we went snow shoeing and had 4 points we had to find with our compass and map. My group, Fergie, Vanessa, Angelika, Joy and I, found the first one and then got lost, for about an hour. It was around -10 degrees Fahrenheit and about half way though our journey in the woods I was convinced that I had frostbite on my toes and they would have to be cut off. However, we managed our way back, an hour late. When we got back to the fire, we had sausages and mashed potatoes that were cooked over the fire. They had ketchup for us but since we were gone so long, the ketchup was frozen in the bottle by the time we got back. I also made the mistake of putting my fork in my mouth after it had been sitting in -10 degree weather for a few hours; needless to say, it froze to my tongue…ouch! However, I was not the only one who did this. We missed the fire building when we were lost in the woods but we finished our lunch just in time to help finish building quinzees (igloos). After our survival course, we went back to our cabin for coffee. We looked through the information book that was left for us to read. Also, each cabin has a book for every group to write in during their stay, so we looked though that too. While the others played crazy 8 countdown, I took a nap. Later that night we went to the sauna, most of the people were topless or completely naked; it was almost uncomfortable to be the only one wearing a bathing suit. After dinner, Jackie and I introduced everyone in our cabin to Hamburger Helper; after everyone complained about having “dinner in a box” they ended up inhaling it! For desert, Stefan and Gunter made an Austrian desert that was like a sweet pancake. Jackie, Fergie and I played Go Fish then walked outside to see the Northern Lights again. The Northern Lights were not so clear but they stars are really bright.
On Thursday morning we were on the bus at 7:00am and drove to the northern most city in Finland. We stopped at an old church and some cabins that were abandoned after WWII. We stopped at a small grocery store for lunch and headed to Norway to swim in the Arctic Ocean! The drive was really pretty! We stopped in one spot to take pictures of the ocean then drove another 45 minutes or so to the beach, which is full of “white sand” according to Gunter. The beach is in a Saami Village and we were able to walk around. Only a few people jumped into the Arctic Ocean, mostly girls and two guys. Fergie said the only time he will be in the Arctic Ocean is if the ship sinks..haha. Our tour guide made us wear socks or else our feet would have stuck to the ice when we got out of the water. We were only in the water for a few seconds! Once again, European are extremely comfortable with nudity, we got back on the bus to change and everyone, guys and girls, were walking around the bus with nearly nothing on. We went back to our cabins and made reindeer for dinner, which was amazing! After dinner, Jackie and I showed everyone how to make smores, since no one in our cabin had ever heard of them before.
On Friday, we went straight to the reindeer farm at 8:00am. We fed the reindeer and went on a reindeer ride! We went into a small hut for some coffee and cookies while a Saami woman told us about Saami culture and sang us some songs. There are 7 Saami tribes in the world and 3 are in Finland. The Northern Saamis are the biggest tribe. The easiest way to tell the tribes apart is by their national uniforms and Saamis from different tribes cannot ever wear other tribes national uniforms. Also, each tribe speaks their own language. We came back to our cabins for lunch then went cross-country skiing. I thought cross-country skiing would be easy but that is definitely a one time thing. I couldn’t manage to stay up and after 4 kilometers in the woods I was not willing to do it again haha I still have bruises on my legs. Joy also had a really difficult time and her and I held up everyone behind us. Then, we went to the Saami museum, which wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be. We had spaghetti for dinner and the Austrian pancake desert again. While everyone went to the sauna, Joy, Jackie, Fergie and I cleaned the cabin a little then went to the sauna. Fergie is my Each-one-Teach-one and is helping me with my German while I help him with English. After being in a cabin for 5 days with mostly everyone speaking German, I was able to pick up a lot really quick. I took German for 7 years in school, now I am remembering a lot more than I thought I would.
On our last morning, we woke up and drove an hour and a half to the husky safari. Our group was the last to go, so we had to wait four hours. So, we got some coffee and lunch. The first half of the husky safari was very stop and go because the dogs in the front group kept fighting. But on the way back, it was much faster. I sat in the sleigh while Jackie drove in the beginning, then we switched and I drove. We had a pancake and hot juice after then headed back to the bus for our 12 hour drive back.
The trip was really amazing and everything was so beautiful and white!
We had to be outside by 8:00am then next morning, so we all decided to get up at 7:15am. Getting 10 people up and ready with one bathroom in 45 minutes was not a good idea, but we somehow managed to do it. This was our survival course day. First, we had a lecture for an hour about how to use a compass and map together then went to the lake to set up our ice fishing. Then, we went snow shoeing and had 4 points we had to find with our compass and map. My group, Fergie, Vanessa, Angelika, Joy and I, found the first one and then got lost, for about an hour. It was around -10 degrees Fahrenheit and about half way though our journey in the woods I was convinced that I had frostbite on my toes and they would have to be cut off. However, we managed our way back, an hour late. When we got back to the fire, we had sausages and mashed potatoes that were cooked over the fire. They had ketchup for us but since we were gone so long, the ketchup was frozen in the bottle by the time we got back. I also made the mistake of putting my fork in my mouth after it had been sitting in -10 degree weather for a few hours; needless to say, it froze to my tongue…ouch! However, I was not the only one who did this. We missed the fire building when we were lost in the woods but we finished our lunch just in time to help finish building quinzees (igloos). After our survival course, we went back to our cabin for coffee. We looked through the information book that was left for us to read. Also, each cabin has a book for every group to write in during their stay, so we looked though that too. While the others played crazy 8 countdown, I took a nap. Later that night we went to the sauna, most of the people were topless or completely naked; it was almost uncomfortable to be the only one wearing a bathing suit. After dinner, Jackie and I introduced everyone in our cabin to Hamburger Helper; after everyone complained about having “dinner in a box” they ended up inhaling it! For desert, Stefan and Gunter made an Austrian desert that was like a sweet pancake. Jackie, Fergie and I played Go Fish then walked outside to see the Northern Lights again. The Northern Lights were not so clear but they stars are really bright.
On Thursday morning we were on the bus at 7:00am and drove to the northern most city in Finland. We stopped at an old church and some cabins that were abandoned after WWII. We stopped at a small grocery store for lunch and headed to Norway to swim in the Arctic Ocean! The drive was really pretty! We stopped in one spot to take pictures of the ocean then drove another 45 minutes or so to the beach, which is full of “white sand” according to Gunter. The beach is in a Saami Village and we were able to walk around. Only a few people jumped into the Arctic Ocean, mostly girls and two guys. Fergie said the only time he will be in the Arctic Ocean is if the ship sinks..haha. Our tour guide made us wear socks or else our feet would have stuck to the ice when we got out of the water. We were only in the water for a few seconds! Once again, European are extremely comfortable with nudity, we got back on the bus to change and everyone, guys and girls, were walking around the bus with nearly nothing on. We went back to our cabins and made reindeer for dinner, which was amazing! After dinner, Jackie and I showed everyone how to make smores, since no one in our cabin had ever heard of them before.
On Friday, we went straight to the reindeer farm at 8:00am. We fed the reindeer and went on a reindeer ride! We went into a small hut for some coffee and cookies while a Saami woman told us about Saami culture and sang us some songs. There are 7 Saami tribes in the world and 3 are in Finland. The Northern Saamis are the biggest tribe. The easiest way to tell the tribes apart is by their national uniforms and Saamis from different tribes cannot ever wear other tribes national uniforms. Also, each tribe speaks their own language. We came back to our cabins for lunch then went cross-country skiing. I thought cross-country skiing would be easy but that is definitely a one time thing. I couldn’t manage to stay up and after 4 kilometers in the woods I was not willing to do it again haha I still have bruises on my legs. Joy also had a really difficult time and her and I held up everyone behind us. Then, we went to the Saami museum, which wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be. We had spaghetti for dinner and the Austrian pancake desert again. While everyone went to the sauna, Joy, Jackie, Fergie and I cleaned the cabin a little then went to the sauna. Fergie is my Each-one-Teach-one and is helping me with my German while I help him with English. After being in a cabin for 5 days with mostly everyone speaking German, I was able to pick up a lot really quick. I took German for 7 years in school, now I am remembering a lot more than I thought I would.
On our last morning, we woke up and drove an hour and a half to the husky safari. Our group was the last to go, so we had to wait four hours. So, we got some coffee and lunch. The first half of the husky safari was very stop and go because the dogs in the front group kept fighting. But on the way back, it was much faster. I sat in the sleigh while Jackie drove in the beginning, then we switched and I drove. We had a pancake and hot juice after then headed back to the bus for our 12 hour drive back.
The trip was really amazing and everything was so beautiful and white!
Lapland Videos!
A video I took at the Arctic Ocean
A Saami woman at the reindeer farm singing a Saami song
Jackie and I on the Husky Safari
Lapland Pictures!!
The Baltic Sea
Kemi Snow Castle
The Arcitc Circle Line
Cabins that we left after WWII
Bridge from Finland to Norway
Arctic Ocean- notice the steam off the water
Saami Village in Norway right on the ocean
Swimming in the Arctic Ocean
Saami Village
Feeding the reindeer
The owner of the reindeer farm
On a reindeer ride
Cross-country skiing...much harder than it looks!
On the Husky Safari
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Hyvää ystävänpäivää
On Thursday night we had another Stammtisch, this was a Latino themed.
On Firday, I did homework for most of the afternoon then Collette made a dinner for everyone. She made risotto, garlic bread and scones. Then I watched "Notes on a Scandal" with Fergie.
Valentine's Day is not a love holiday in Finland, it is a holiday for friendship. The title of this blog is the Happy Valentine's Day equivelent in Finland, it means Good Friends Day. On Saturday night, I went to Jämsä with my finnish family and the 2 other American girls, Elizabeth and Jaime and their finnish moms. There was a dinner party at a restaurant for the Finnish-American Societies of Jyväskylä and Jämsä. A woman came in and told a story about the life of a famous Finnish poet, we had a copy of the story in English, so we could follow along. They also had a man playing the guitar and everyone was singing to the Finnish songs he was playing, again, they gave us the lyrics so we could sing too. For dinner(paäruoka) we had the choice of a cheese salad(juusto salaatti), meet salad(liha salaatti) or soup(keitto). I didn't know the kind of soup and I had no idea what a meet salad was so I got the cheese salad. It was salad(salaatti) with cucumber(kurkku) , tomato(tomaatti), apple(omena), 3 kinds of cheese(juusto), some berries and two rolls(sämpylä). It was difficult to eat and not to my taste. The beef salad looked like roast beef and potatoes(peruna). (I know all food words in Finnish ;) ) After dinner, Jaime, Elizabeth and I performed our George Bush skit, which most people enjoyed. Then, we had desert(jälkirruoka) and coffee(kahvi). My finnish family got me a coffee mug filled with candy and a card. Jaime and Elizabeth's finnish moms got us all flowers, too. It was a really nice evening.
I leave for Lapland on Tuesday at 1:30am (so tomorrow night, really). I will have lots to write and a ton of pictures when I come back on Sunday!
On Firday, I did homework for most of the afternoon then Collette made a dinner for everyone. She made risotto, garlic bread and scones. Then I watched "Notes on a Scandal" with Fergie.
Valentine's Day is not a love holiday in Finland, it is a holiday for friendship. The title of this blog is the Happy Valentine's Day equivelent in Finland, it means Good Friends Day. On Saturday night, I went to Jämsä with my finnish family and the 2 other American girls, Elizabeth and Jaime and their finnish moms. There was a dinner party at a restaurant for the Finnish-American Societies of Jyväskylä and Jämsä. A woman came in and told a story about the life of a famous Finnish poet, we had a copy of the story in English, so we could follow along. They also had a man playing the guitar and everyone was singing to the Finnish songs he was playing, again, they gave us the lyrics so we could sing too. For dinner(paäruoka) we had the choice of a cheese salad(juusto salaatti), meet salad(liha salaatti) or soup(keitto). I didn't know the kind of soup and I had no idea what a meet salad was so I got the cheese salad. It was salad(salaatti) with cucumber(kurkku) , tomato(tomaatti), apple(omena), 3 kinds of cheese(juusto), some berries and two rolls(sämpylä). It was difficult to eat and not to my taste. The beef salad looked like roast beef and potatoes(peruna). (I know all food words in Finnish ;) ) After dinner, Jaime, Elizabeth and I performed our George Bush skit, which most people enjoyed. Then, we had desert(jälkirruoka) and coffee(kahvi). My finnish family got me a coffee mug filled with candy and a card. Jaime and Elizabeth's finnish moms got us all flowers, too. It was a really nice evening.
I leave for Lapland on Tuesday at 1:30am (so tomorrow night, really). I will have lots to write and a ton of pictures when I come back on Sunday!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Culture Differences
On Monday night we walked up to a tower that lets you see the whole city. After climbing up a huge hill and icy stairs, we find that the tower is closed on Mondays.
My roommates mom sent her a package yesterday with a bunch of stuff in it. It had some boxes of Mac and Cheese and Hamburger Helper. We showed some of our friends today who had never heard of either one and were totally disgusted by the idea of "dinner in a box". Although, one girl did say that mac and cheese sounded like it would be okay if it had ketchup on it (kinda strange, but I did eat it that way when I was little). Everything in Europe is made from scratch. We all know that hardly anyone in North American makes anything from scratch anymore; but most Europeans won't touch processed food.
Today was interesting. In the morning I attended 2 Gerontology seminars, there are about 14 seminars all week for students from Finland, Sweden, and Iceland. I just went to sit in because I want to see the differences in the interpretation and study of the aging process and I just really like Gerontology in general. Anyways, the lecturer asked me what I was studying at home then asked me to explain exactly what it is because they do not have Recreational Therapy over here. She then tells me that no, I am studying Occupational Therapy. I explained that Occupational Therapy is for fine motor/small muscles, not recreation/leisure/daily living like Recreational Therapy is. She then tells me that she is an Occupational Therapist and she does what I say a Recreational Therapist would do. We realize there is obviously a culture difference, then a student from Iceland (also an occupational therapist) heard us talking and said she went to the US and looked at some Occupational Therapy stuff and found it so strange that it was simular to Physical Therapy and not daily living. I just found it really strange that popular jobs like that could vary so much between countries. I also noticed that over here the word 'occupation' is used to mean activity instead of how we use it as a profession or a job.
After class I went into the city center with 2 of my friends, Deirdre and Merel (from Ireland and the Netherlands) to show them were I got snowpants for 15EUR because we need them for Lapland next week. Little did I know that I would actually have to show them what snowpants were exactly and how they are supposed to fit. Then I had to show Deirdre what snow boots looked like because she had never needed to buy those either. When she first asked me what snow boots looked like I responded with "they look like snow boots..", it was when she held up snowboarding boots and asked if they were what she was looking for that I realized Ireland doesn't get much snow, so she has never needed to buy them before. It is really interesting when something is so common to you, you naturally assume that everyone else knows it too, until you encounter someone who doesn't because they have never needed it. Also, like the mac and cheese.
Tonight I will book a trip to Southern France for next month. We will be going to Marseille, Nimes and Montpellier. And thanks to some lengthy layovers, we also have a night in London and a day in Frankfurt.
My roommates mom sent her a package yesterday with a bunch of stuff in it. It had some boxes of Mac and Cheese and Hamburger Helper. We showed some of our friends today who had never heard of either one and were totally disgusted by the idea of "dinner in a box". Although, one girl did say that mac and cheese sounded like it would be okay if it had ketchup on it (kinda strange, but I did eat it that way when I was little). Everything in Europe is made from scratch. We all know that hardly anyone in North American makes anything from scratch anymore; but most Europeans won't touch processed food.
Today was interesting. In the morning I attended 2 Gerontology seminars, there are about 14 seminars all week for students from Finland, Sweden, and Iceland. I just went to sit in because I want to see the differences in the interpretation and study of the aging process and I just really like Gerontology in general. Anyways, the lecturer asked me what I was studying at home then asked me to explain exactly what it is because they do not have Recreational Therapy over here. She then tells me that no, I am studying Occupational Therapy. I explained that Occupational Therapy is for fine motor/small muscles, not recreation/leisure/daily living like Recreational Therapy is. She then tells me that she is an Occupational Therapist and she does what I say a Recreational Therapist would do. We realize there is obviously a culture difference, then a student from Iceland (also an occupational therapist) heard us talking and said she went to the US and looked at some Occupational Therapy stuff and found it so strange that it was simular to Physical Therapy and not daily living. I just found it really strange that popular jobs like that could vary so much between countries. I also noticed that over here the word 'occupation' is used to mean activity instead of how we use it as a profession or a job.
After class I went into the city center with 2 of my friends, Deirdre and Merel (from Ireland and the Netherlands) to show them were I got snowpants for 15EUR because we need them for Lapland next week. Little did I know that I would actually have to show them what snowpants were exactly and how they are supposed to fit. Then I had to show Deirdre what snow boots looked like because she had never needed to buy those either. When she first asked me what snow boots looked like I responded with "they look like snow boots..", it was when she held up snowboarding boots and asked if they were what she was looking for that I realized Ireland doesn't get much snow, so she has never needed to buy them before. It is really interesting when something is so common to you, you naturally assume that everyone else knows it too, until you encounter someone who doesn't because they have never needed it. Also, like the mac and cheese.
Tonight I will book a trip to Southern France for next month. We will be going to Marseille, Nimes and Montpellier. And thanks to some lengthy layovers, we also have a night in London and a day in Frankfurt.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Another Update
On Wednesday we went to the Panda Chololate Facorty, where we were told we could get a tour. Come to find out, they don't do tours so we bought some really big 1 euro chocolate bars and went to a mexican restaurant for lunch. We were out to celebrate Collette's 50th birthday! 
Outside of the Panda Chocolate Factory
On the top is Barbara and Lotte (Netherlands) then Merel (Netherlands) Jackie (Canada and my roommate) then Deirdre (Ireland)
At a party themed Karnival, a bunch of my friends went as Smirfs! Gunter, Fergie (his real name is Markus), Angelika, Caroll, Roland, Lara, Joy and Stefan. Most of them are from Austria, except Joy is from Wales and Caroll and Lara are from Switzerland.
At the same party, Jackie, Deirdre, Collette, Charollete and I went as cats. This is me and Jackie. 
Me with Fergie and Mickael (from France)
Thursday and Friday were nothing exciting since I have been sick.
Last night, I went to my Finnish family's house. They had a dinner party for us (me and the 2 other American girls) and their families. First, we had a sauna and some piparkakut (ginger cookies...soo good!) and chips. My Finnish mom made us dinner which was sweet potato soup, greek salad, smoked salmon, cooked broccoli with parmesan cheese, and mashed potatoes. For desert we had Lingonberries with hot melted white chocolate, a 7-layer cake (which was wonderful) and pulla (also called nisu, which means wheat. it is often a braided loaf of bread or coiled up like cinnamon rolls). It was wonderful, they gave us the leftovers of the deserts to take home. Although, we could hardly eat the berries; they were very bitter! After dinner, my Finnish mom gave us a skit they wanted us to act out. It was about George Bush and pretty funny! After we acted it out, our families told us that we would be dong that skit at a party for their Finnish-American Society next Saturday, along with singing a Finnish song! We talked with them for a few hours before we went home, at 1:00am. They are extremely fascinated with us and are so interested with everything we say! We were at their house for about 8 hours last night; it was a really good night!
We leave for Lapland in 1 week!
My dad has asked for pictures of my friends here, so here are some...
Outside of the Panda Chocolate Factory 
On the top is Barbara and Lotte (Netherlands) then Merel (Netherlands) Jackie (Canada and my roommate) then Deirdre (Ireland) At a party themed Karnival, a bunch of my friends went as Smirfs! Gunter, Fergie (his real name is Markus), Angelika, Caroll, Roland, Lara, Joy and Stefan. Most of them are from Austria, except Joy is from Wales and Caroll and Lara are from Switzerland. 
At the same party, Jackie, Deirdre, Collette, Charollete and I went as cats. This is me and Jackie. 
Me with Fergie and Mickael (from France) Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Update
On Sunday, I went to my first lacrosse practice. There were only about 5 words of English spoken the entire time and everything else was in Finnish, but that is a good way to learn some more of the language. After practice, my friend from Italy, Roland, made everyone dinner. I'm not sure what it was called but it was A LOT of pasta and potatoes.
I had my first test today, it was in my Finnish language course on foods. A few days ago, we bought Appelsiinimehu, which we thought was apple juice (there were no pictures on the carton) but it was orange juice. Because appelsiini means orange in Finnish.
Not too much going on this week, just school!
I had my first test today, it was in my Finnish language course on foods. A few days ago, we bought Appelsiinimehu, which we thought was apple juice (there were no pictures on the carton) but it was orange juice. Because appelsiini means orange in Finnish.
Not too much going on this week, just school!
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