Sunday, September 18, 2011

Quick Update - More later

 So I haven't written anything in ages so hear are are few highlights of the past 2 months (or more) and I will write more about them later. I have been super busy and I am tired almost all of my free time when I should be updating my blog, but I will try soon I promise, I still haven't finish writing about Euro-tour and that even before I start writing about all the fantastic things that have happened since.

The summer was fantastic, I spent a lot of time swimming in the lake and river and my host family took me on a trip to southern Finland. We first visited Tampere and I spend time with a German exchange student who had spent her exchange year there and was about to go home. From there we spent a few days around the Helsinki area, I did a lot of shopping with Essi my host sister and we stayed with my host father's brothers and sisters. We spent one day on Savonlinna an old fortress on a island which was a key part of defeating the Russians. The island is about 30 km from Helsinki and we took the ferry. It was absolutely beautiful and we had a picnic lunch and I went swimming in the Gulf of Finland.

On of my best friend from Australia, Evelyn had been planning to come to visit Finland with her Dad as they had been on a cruise around Scandinavia, so when we were in the car on the way back from Helsinki I got a text message from her saying that they were sitting outside the local supermarket. It was really nice to see them, they were in Lieksa for the weekend. I took them on a tour of the town on their first night. The same day Lieksa Brass Week, Lieksa's main town event had started, so the next day, Saturday, we went to see different things that were happening around the town. Evelyn and I went to visit one of my good Finnish friend's house as she was going on Rotary Summer exchange the next day, and we spent Sunday with my host parents at their Summer cottage. It was really nice to have her meet everyone so next year when I talk about everyone she knows exactly who I am talking about.

Last week my band got the chance to play for the President of Finland. It was so exciting to see her, all the Lieksa kids and I had wide open mouths when we saw her. She is really funny too. We played a concert for her during the day in a nearby city, she only stayed for the first half and then we provided background music for a dinner she attended that night. She cracked a joke too! The dinner was for a forestry convention and it was an informal dinner. The key note speaker a man from India gave a small toast there. He said as soon as we heard it was a informal dinner President Halonen tried to cut off my tie, and after he said this the president shouted out "But I didn't".

I have also started circus school which I love, there has only been one class so far but it is so much fun. It is a small group of girls and we are starting to learn basic acrobatics.

Last weekend I was at a Rotary District Camp in Central Finland. It was really nice to meet all the exchange students who have just arrived and spend time with 4 of the Australians who I arrived with. The rebounds were also there so my host sister from my next family Johanna who was in Kempsey NSW last year was also at the camp. It was such a fun weekend!


MORE SOON

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