Present Recollection

Since I've been on the other side of the world in the land of Fin, many people have asked me: Why did you come to Finland (of all places)?

It's a question all of the exchange students have encountered, and all of us have different reasons. They range from: "My friend traveled on the same scholarship a few years ago and suggested it to me," to the blunt answer: "For the nature."

Whether or not there was a lot of reasoning involved - and whether the reasons are connected deeply with the country itself - we all earned a national, full scholarship. 14 fortunate ones out of how ever many applied for this chance in a lifetime.

My reasons are clear. Complicated, perhaps. But I usually give the short answer out of my list of reasons. That would be: "It's the summer before my senior year, which means college apps. And I am doing whatever I can to stand out. And Finland is the country that would stand out from an American point of view."

That is very true, and a prime reason why I choose the country of a few million, difficult language-speaking, and too many trees.

But there's more to it.

I wanted to study abroad when I was introduced to the opportunity as a student ambassador for the World Affairs Council of Northern California. I wanted to explore the opportunity and my interest in internationalism as a possible career route. I wanted to get away from the life I was so accustomed to and find out how other people lived. To observe the lifestyles and customs and cultures of a what seemed to be a polar opposite people would give me what I needed to fulfill those wants, and more. Life was getting tough, and this gave me that escape for two months.

As I blog now, I realize it has given me more. I know that I have grown and learned and matured. I know that I have figured things about my future and continued to battle with others. The changes seem to be subtle. I can't determine to what degree change has come. But the city boy that once was a short month and a half ago wouldn't have dared to venture into the life he has now if he knew what he was getting himself into: the wilderness, preying mosquitos, absolute flatlands, homesickness, etc. Only time will tell if returning back to the city, Starbucks, malls, friends, whether or not the change in me is a continuity, and not just an adaption to the phase. I am growing, and feeling, so accustomed to Finland that it does feel like my home now and that I've accepted it. But like the change that has come across from being here, perhaps then, logically, the change will come across back from being home, in California.

Besides a different me, I've learned more about life. How cultural nuances exist. How we see life differently, in different shades of light. How Finns are not timid to go nude in a public suana. How Americans are willing to go skimpy, but not completely nude. How Finns are friendly, but turn away small talk. How Americans are loud and can talk to anyone.

But when in gets down to the essentials, the issues that plague the planet, we share the same pod. Global warming, teenage drinking and smoking, international conflict. It's the same. Maybe the degrees and extents vary a little, but these problems exist worldwide and have no clear solution. Together as a global populace can we hope to change the current situation.

Finnish Baseball Camp

Well it's not exactly what us Americans would call a camp. Instead of the tents and wilderness, it's a tournament that brings competitor teams from the West and East of Finland to duke it out against each other over the course of six, long grueling days that include at least 10 games.

This camp, for the lack of another official word, was for the under 17 (years old). About 1500 players were there for the week-long competition.

It was actually complicated to understand at first. There are various and numerous amounts of camps throughout Finland, throughout the year. This camp was for my host sister, and it was her last as the camps have age limitations.

The girls were docked in a school building in Nurma. Classrooms served as their "dorm rooms" and the girls had to bring their own mattresses. There are a few restrooms, the size for small children of course, and a separate shower for boys and girls, although I believe only three could shower at a time.

While my host sister was in the isolation of teenage girls and boys (who also occupied the building and often walked past the hallway, across the room half naked to go to the showers), my host bro and I shared a comfortable Sokos hotel room in the nearby city Seinäjoki.

I attended many of my host sis's games as a supporter, but I can honestly admit that I can't bear to watch so many games in one day, and definitely not back-to-back games. It's just too much, despite these games being exceptionally shorter than normal games due to the amount of games and teams that must play on a limited number of fields.

It was a difficult week. Everyone in the family had a part in baseball, and my host bro is also a coach for one of the competing teams. So I knew they were udner a lot of stress and exhaustion, and gave them their space. But that also meant that I was alone and by myself often with nobody to talk to.

I did use some spare time to go shopping and walk around the (small) city center, but that got boring quickly since there is nothing to do. I found myself watching tv alone most nights...

But needless to say there were highlights! KaMa 1 (or Kankaanpää Maila), the team my host dad coaches and my host sis plays for, finnished in a respectable fifth place out of twenty "level 1" girl teams. There were of course more girls' teams, but like I said, it's confusing - "level 2" are the majority who play for fun and aren't as good, thus they have their own division.

And there was a sign that I have watched too many games. I helped as a scoreboard attendee, or whatever you would call the dude that changes the numbers and puts up the signs for outs. And I did a damn perfect job I'd say. I knew what was going on and what to do, even without the referee's whistle calls. And my host mom, who was also helping out with the tracking sheets, said I did very well - better than a lot of other people. =)

Sports

On my application I made it clear that I wanted to continue my summer training while I was with my host family. And without a doubt I got placed with an athletic-oriented family.

So each has a part in Finnish baseball. The siblings both play, and the hb is even a coach. The hd is a coach for two girls teams, which include the hs. And the hm is a manager for the teams.

Therefore, everyday has something to do with Finnish baseball. It's either practice or a game basically. And it consumes the schedule. Life during the summer revolves around Finnish baseball...

It's a complicated game that I didn't get a clear understanding of until it was explained to me in rather broken English once, and once again with another, and better English-speaker.

Firstly, it's different from American baseball because the first base is located to the left, the second to the right, and the third back to the left. Then the pitcher pitches in front of a wooden plate about a meter from the batter. And you don't get out if the ball is a fly ball. And there are nuances in between the rules that I only got a hand of after watching too many games.

I'm usually at every game. As support I suppose. I don't do much except sit in one place, my back aching, and listen to my iPod with an occassional clap to celebrate a good swing or score.

Elsewhere, the house is accessorized with a tennis court. So the first day I got here I played - not so well for it was my second time. And I haven't since. Although there will be fond memories of crazy guys that I've met on that court while watching a match.

And then there's volleyball. There's not net at the house, so we basically cosntructed our own small court. It's nothing serious though. Just for fun. I will add though that I am hella good. Haha.

Here in West Finland Finnish baseball reigns. Down to Helsinki it's ice hockey.

But there are some exceptions. I've met a top Finnish cross country skier in the teen age group the other week and he's my hb's friend. He trains by doing this kind of dry skiing that uses blades and picks just as if the ground were snow.

Back out of the Woods / Nuclear Power Plant

Sooooo I survived yet again the potential allergic reaction from mosquito bites. This time I escaped with only one on my left hand and one on my neck. Basiclly the routine was the same except (since it didn't rain) we played 2v2 volleyball and my hs's friend Anna came along with us.

We had to wake up at 9am this morning to leave the cottage because myself, hm and hd were planning on going to the nuclear power plant. That meant we had to drop the others off back in Kankaanpää and then hit the road again for another 1.5 hrs and actually landed in a bus for a good amount of time.

I thought we would have had the chance to walk around and see all of the nuclear stuff but that wasn't the case. It was a bus tour that only dropped us off to see some excavations and a huge 17m long by 3.5m tall transformers machine.

There I got to touch some bedrock that was about 2 billion years old.

The nuclear power plant is the largest in Finland and is set on an ithsmus, leading into the bay. Except you couldn't go into the water because of the output water that is hot enough to prevent swimming and fishing. And there probably is a radiation threat.

There are hella tunnels being constructed, that's why they excavated rock samples. The highly contaminated materials are going to be disposed into the bedrock about 420m below the surface through a huge channel of tunnels. I forget the exact length.

And even more platns are being built on the property. Right now there is two but the third will be done by 2012.

Shopping...

...is hella expensive! The use of the euro is ridiculous in my mind. Every time I go and buy something, whether it's a souvenir gift or a candy bar, I immediately convert the price I see on the tag to USD and think, "I wouldn't pay this much for this back home."

The easy thing though is that the price you see is the price you pay for. The tax (22%!) is already incorporated into the price tag, making it easy to do the math of the total before you make your way to the cash register.

Given the limited amount of money I have, I haven't shopped so much yet. I've bought a couple of things but they are for peeps back home. Shopping for others is by no means the same as shopping for yourself.

There are plenty of stores here. Mostly commercial though. None so touristy. I try not to go buy things from the stores that you can find back in the US of A. And things are priced higher here too. I saw a pair of black vans that I was wearing at the time for sale at this one store, and it was 56€!

The department stores here are insane. Stockmann is the Macys and Nordstrom combined, and then some. The one in Helsinki was like 8 floors, including a supermarket and electronics department. You can find anything there.

I feel awkward shopping with other people. I've always been that way I suppose. So whenever I go shopping with the hb and hs, I tend to be following them instead of going places I want to. It's mainly my fault though. I don't assert my opinion as to where I'd like to go because of fear of embarrassment. I don't think the reason of "I want to buy something for my ___ in that store" is believable here. Soo this is what I have done:

1) Faked / Up-played an illness to sneak away from my hb and hd.
2) When on a run, I use it as an escape to run to the store.
3) When at a baseball game/practice I slyly go off without telling anyone.

For #1 I actually ran into my hs at a store alone. I told a white lie and said my hm knew where I was. And she believed it. But then she called my hb and told him she was with me at the store. And since he knew I went back to the hotel because of my severe headache, I would think he would think it would be odd that I'm out and about shopping alone. But I never heard of it.
On that occassion too I was shopping alone (before I was caught by the hs) I went to a store and came back to the hotel cause I was going to drop of the bags in the room. And right when I did so the room bell rings and it's my host parents. What a string of luck! Cause if I didn't open the door, who would know what was going to happen.

Helsinki, Finland's Capitol

So I just got back from a three day vacay in Helsinki. The ride took about four long hours to get there. But it was pretty sweet. We stayed in two hotel rooms between the five of us. And the room I shared with the hb and hs was way more spacious than what you find in the typical hotel room. Except that's probably cause the room was a bit more expensive (80€ / night).

There my hb and hd and I went to the famous amusement park, Linnänmaki. It's small in comparison to the ones we have in Cali, but they are very space conscious. Every ride and food station are relatively very close, whereas the parks back home are a walk away. And what's really interesting is how it is set on a hillside, so there are many stairs and slopes. This doesn't discourage the crowds though as there were a lot of people packed into the small area.

I went shopping in my free time too. On one occassion I had to upplay my headache so I could get some alone time, but then my hd escorted me back to the hotel and then I waited a bit in the room until I could make my escape to the mall, which was a block away. And then I ran into my hs! But I acted as if the rest of the fam knew where I was and nobody got caught ;)

We also took a walk around places there. Nothing special worth mentioning.

However, Helsinki is a mecca for tourists. There was much more diversity and I didn't get stared at for being "different" while I walked the streets.

Summer Cottage!

It sounds fun. A lakeside, wooden cabin with a sauna and shower, and a boat to take you into the glistening water under huge pillows of clouds. But then you soon figure out it's heaven in hell...

No flushing toilet; there is an outhouse 100 meters away from the actual cabin and it's a dry toilet...meaning NO FLUSH and it can get smelly.

Then there're the mosquitoes....those darn flying pests. I have acquired 11 known bites, 5 alone are on my the back of my left hand. And one of my left ass cheek...Being allergic to these bties, my left hand has swelled a decent amount. I cannot see my pinky's knuckle and the tendon under my thumb when i lift it back.

The sink water wasn't clean either. So we had to use bottled water to brush our teeth.

And I slept on a mattress on the floor.

There was a thunderstorm too. I don't think I've ever been that close to one that I could hear the noise pounding and the rain pours here. It's worse than what's Oakland usually sees.

But there was a good side. Immediately after unloading the food and appliances from the truck, my host sis and I took the boat and took a nice trip to the islands nestled in the middle of the lake. It wasn't a motor boat, even though the host family had one wrapped under a tarp. My host sister rowed first and got to the island. And then it was my turn! I was extremely excited to row like how I've seen the guys in crew races row. But let me tell ya. That shit was hard! It took me perhaps longer than my host sis to get the boat back to point A, partly due to my inability to control eveness with both of my arms. Hence, the boat swerved always to one side and the next thing you know, I am totally off with my direction. But it was a good arm workout.

Then we played darts. My host sister beat me pathetically.

And then we went inside for snacks, just in time to escape the downpour of rain. Rain stopped us from going outside, so we played a Finnish trivia board game, and I won the first round suprisingly. I'm good at guessing with that game.

Before sleep, we all went outside for a game that includes wooden cylindrical sticks that you knowck over for points. And I won a round of that too!

Sleep was actually comfortable. We only stayed one day and one night because of their baseball schedule. But they said they usally come 3-4 times a summer.

I think I will come out of this experience well acquainted with nature...

Language

Ok. well finnish is a language that is alone. its close relative, hungarian, actually doesnt sound like finnish at all and even the hungarian student that joined us in orientation here in finland couldn't understand it. soo that's to say how different and unique the language really is.

on first impressions, the words are extremely and unnecessarily long. and the words will change based on the subject. i am unable to formulate a sentence or question with the words i know, but i do know some phrases that a 5 year old kiddo named Ville helped me learn. he didnt understand english and he was really attached to me, so he communicated through my host bro, Miikka. and therefore i know how to ask "what did he say?" and "why?"

the subtitles on tv programs are in finnish, and i try picking up words by comparing the english to the concomitant finnish.

english english english....it's taught as part of the school curiculum and hence every teen has at least a basic understanding of it. Yet, finns being part of a shy culture, dont feel comfortable speaking it in the presence of english speakers like myself. according to a friend i've made here, finns are timid of their english speaking capabilities, which proved evident when her friend answered my questions asked in english but he replied in finnish (to her though).

here i have to speak clean english. meaning, i lose the bay area jargon of "hella". and i also don't say "like" every couple of words. i also have been forced to be as simple with my words as possible and not speak quickly in order for my host family to understand me. and that can sometimes prove to be difficult when explaining things unless, which is on rare occassions, that whom im speaking to understands more english than the typical finn...and thats happened like once.

at a baseball game, i realized how certain quirks were imprinted in their minds. engllish here is taught using an american basis, meaning it's without the accents and lingo of the UK. but still, i've heard numerous times of things like "we are in the shadow" and "chips" instead of "we are in the shade" and "fries". i explained the difference of shade and shadow to the well versed english speaker afore reffered interestingly enough.

sometimes i find myself relying on hand gestures to voice wha i am saying. this was the method i used when i explained shadow and shade, pointing to my shadow, a single image cast by myself and the sunlight, and then pointing to the collective shadow cast by many trees and telling her that's what we call shade.

i wish i could speak finnish more often, but my host family does speak english often. and therefore i do. when they speak finnish i just dont understand. hopefully a tide will change and i come out of this experience more well versed.

also, names here are usually foreign to me. so when i am introduced to someone, there is a 90% chance that i will not remember that someone's name a second later because 1. i dont know how to spell it and 2. i don't know how to pronounce it so i have obtained a habit of not even bothering to remember. but there are some names i really remember, when i meet the person again and i relearn their names a little more personally than just a handshake or when they have a name that i know and is found in america. like hannah or laura.

Food

Finnish food is interesting. Different. Varies.

During our orientation in Turku, the YFU staff had us trying food from all kinds of places, from nice, modern restaurants to a viking themed eatery, from an all-vegetarian (yuck) cafeteria to lunch on a boat on a river. Needless to say, I am not the biggest fan of traditional finnish foods. I find most either entirely unseasoned or incredibly fishy.

But luckily, my host family isn't either. Therefore we eat more european catered food. And it's delicious. My host mom cooks lunch and dinner regularly, and for breakfast its always bread and butter, accompanied by cucumber and some sort of meat (ham, turkey, salami) plus some patries.

Some days there is no time to cook because of a long day or it's so late after baseball games that we eat out at a restaurant. Most of the time the food has been good. But there was this one cafe where the chicken and blue cheese was just nasty. But when we go to a pizza joint or hesburger (the finnish mcdonalds basically) i'm fine. as long as it isn't everyday because at hesburger you can just taste those calories from all of the mayo they put in your sandwich.

Lunch and dinner for me usually always include bread and butter and meat, as well as potatoes and more butter. But there are different butters for the bread and potatoes! Back in the states i stay away from butter, but here it's almost neessary to put butter on your food because it's traditional, plus it gives it some flavor.

At the ambassador's dinner reception, i enjoyed the meat and sausages and potatoes and desert. Desert here is great. There is some kind of strawberry cake similar to shortcake that finnish peeps eat for special occassions that i first had the chance of trying at the embassy, and again at a girl's confirmation party.

There are also these cookies that are my favorite. They are S-shaped, and thus so named S cookies. they are topped with cinnamon and sugar like a churro, but crunchy like a cookie.

My host mother has bought a huge container of them. And there's hundreds of them in there. My host sister doesn't eat sweets, and my host bro doesn't seem to eat them, so I have quite a lot of those everyday.

My host mother also bought a cake called tig cake. Tig as in tiger cause it is white and chocolate colored striped-ish. and its great too.

Some things i won't try again. i don't like fishy foods, so there is no real chance that i will eat the packaged salmon unless its been cooked so well that i can't tell that it came from a fridge. Nor will i eat the miniature fish that is a finnish traditional dish. Nor shall i eat raw fish...

there's something called salmiaki. its a bitter, black colored candy that tastes like black licorice and i absolutely cannot ingest.

soooo with candy, i stick to what i know and that is twix. that's perhaps the only candy they have here that we have back in the US. and there's a chocolate by Fazer, a company that makes everything like bread. and those are really good too.

And finns, they eat all of the time. since i wake up around 10 or 11, we eat breakfast and then lunch comes about 2 to 3 hours later, and then the kitchen is always free to take from. and then later on a snack before a baseball game, and then dinner, and right before bed we have late snacks. haha. i try to run it off.

Rewind

The night before my flight left from the Oakland airport I had decided to pull an all-nighter because I was anxious to finally embark on a two month trip of a lifetime. Hardly to say, when everyone on AIM signed off and it was 3 am, I took a half hour nap which turned to panicking when my dad woke me up and I thought I was going to be late. Rushing to the airport with all of my things packed into a suitcase, dufflebag, and backpack, I made it in time. When the plane engine started, that was the first moment I got nervous about leaving home and everything else behind.

and flashingforward to the good stuff.........

After getting to DC, the group of seven YFU kids got into a bus and took a ride to where we would be staying for the next three days. Initially, it took me a while to feel comfortable with everyone because of the culture shock there was within the whole group. Like these other people live completely different lives from each other that I am willing to say was more of a shock to me than being in Finland.

and flashingforward again......

On the second day we visited our senators' offices and were greeted by their assistants. Austin, the other YFU student that was from California, and I had the longest break in between our visits so everyone else went to lunch while we weren't in the least interested to wait over an hour for what would be a five minute conversation. But the assistant met us a little earlier and we got to leave earlier too.

And later on in the day we visited the Finnish embassy and tried some finnish food while listening to a presentation to get us acquainted with the culture that we would be experiencing in a matter of days. After listening to some metal music (metal is popular in finland) uncomfortably and a tour of the amazing building, we took a private bus to the ambassador of finland's super nice house. There we ate Finnish food and covnersed with people from finland and met the ambassador and his wife.

*mrs. ambassador told me i had a very nice tan too.

Flashforward.

LONGEST PLANE RIDE OF MY LIFE!! Before i stepped onto the plane, i had to get one last taste of my life companion: starbucks. i knew there was not going to be the happy faced label in the country i was going to stay in for two months. and then i get assigned the middle aisle of the plane and the middle seat of that middle aisle, which is the worse case scenario i could imagine on an 8 hour flight. i tend to have to use the restroom frequently on planes, so it was a hassle and awkward for me to ask the two people on my right, or left, to get up while i use the can.