Moi kaikkille! Welcome back to another blog post 🙂
I’m already half way through my exchange and I can’t believe how fast it has gone!
June was honestly one of the best months yet because the weather was so nice and I got to see more of my friends as well as spending time at my host family’s summer cottage.
At the end of the month, pretty much all the oldies (the exchange students that came last August) left to go back to their home countries which was pretty sad because I felt like I was just starting to get to know them. The good thing is that because the restrictions were starting to ease we could all meet up quite a few times during the month and hang out together. Rotary even organised a district event for us at an adventure park and the Rotex put together a picnic for all the inbounds and rebound students who came home early due to Covid.
Sadly, due to Corona there won’t be any newbies coming in autumn so after all the oldies leave, there will just be 12 of us left in Finland who came in January.
These are some of the oldies that have now left. I already miss them all heaps and hope to see them again somewhere in the world.
Estevão from Brazil 
Vic and Sooi from Belgium
Lolie from Spain 
Luna from Chile
On 20th June it was Juhannus (midsummer) which is a big celebration in Finland and Sweden. To celebrate, my host family took me up to their summer cottage for the weekend where we relaxed, had saunas and ate lots of good food. We also went back to their cottage the week after and the weather even reached 28 degrees! The weather was so good we even swam in the lake which was so nice. I also taught them how to play “spoons” which got a little bit scary at times but it’s good fun.
Fresh Finnish strawberries 
Farmer’s market 
Going out on the tinny 
Playing mölkky 
Midnight sun 
Fishing at midnight 
Bomb Alaska 
Banana split at 1:00 in the morning 
A really good quality photo of a glow worm 
In a hot tub kind of thing 
Swimming in the lake 
Tampere city
One Sunday my host family took me to Hämeenlinna to see the castle from when Finland was under Swedish reign. We also went to see the old prison there which was pretty interesting. Fun fact- A sauna is so important to the Finns that even the prisoners went once every week.
couldn’t get a good picture of the whole castle but here is one of the walls. 
inside the prison
Although I have been on summer holidays for almost a month now, my host parents have just started theirs this week. To celebrate we all went out for a nice dinner in Helsinki where I tried liver for the first time. It was pretty good but also kind of weird (not really sure what to think about it). After dinner we had a nice walk in the city and had a look around. It was such a nice evening and I honestly don’t think I have ever seen that many Finnish people in the same place at once.
Liver 
Crème Brûlée 
Helsinki Lutheran Church
To anyone wondering: my language skills are very very slowly getting kind of better. I’m starting to understand more of what people are saying but I don’t really have the guts to say anymore than simple phrases. Duolingo has finally released a Finnish course which has been so good and I now have a 16 day streak (don’t mean to flex). Hopefully soon I’ll start to get the hang of it but it is definitely not an easy language to learn so we’ll see how I go.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the read 🙂
Moikka!
P.S BLACK LIVES MATTER. Here’s some links to some useful resources to educate yourself on the issue and some petitions that you should sign. Thanks 🙂
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions
https://www.abc.net.au/btn/classroom/australian-black-lives-matter/12344388
Tina, Great to hear from you and read your blog- always interesting and some great pics. I am with you regarding then liver – ergh! Thanks for your lovely words about my contribution to your exchange experience. I also had a lovely email from your Mum. It’s been an absolute pleasure. I am very proud of you!
Take care
Love Christine
Great blog post Tina. We’re very jealous. We’re in the depths of winter here and while it’s NOT a Finnish winter, for us it’s cold! And wet! We remain in a kind of iso. No socialising. Social distancing. Working from home. We currently plan to go to Noosa in August to house sit for some friends. We have a second wave of COVID-19 about to hit here so hopefully those plans won’t change. Your photos are amazing. You have a real talent for it. And those strawberries look delicious . Take care and enjoy the rest of the summer. Can’t believe you’re half way through!!
Thanks Sean! When I tell Finns what the weather is like in winter back on the coast, they think i’m joking and say that the temperatures are almost like the weather they get here in summer. I’ve heard the news about VIC and how the numbers have increased quite a bit and it is spreading to NSW as well so I hope that everything die down soon and you’ll be able to enjoy Noosa. Say hi to Ziggy for me! sending lots of love 🙂
Well despite COVID you are making the most of it Tina! LOVE seeing your photos and reading about your adventures! Not sure I could face a banana split like that at 1am and DEFINITELY NOT the liver – (ick!) – but god one you for giving it a go! Tom flew in from Melbourne last Tuesday evening just before they closed the borders so we have been in isolation for 7 days now; 7 more to go and counting every minute!
The summer cabin looks lovely and SOOOOOOO good to read you are having a great time with your second host fam – you have hit the jackpot both times which is SUCH good news! We have been watching some Finnish TV dramas on SBS and I DO NOT envy you trying to learn the language! Where do you even begin?? My brain would not cope/does not cope with trying to learn two languages let alone a third! Keep sending your updates gorgeous girl and take care. Sending love form all of us here xxxx
Thanks Suze! Hope you survived isolation alright and you’re all healthy. The summer cottage is very lovely and I’m very thankful to have had two amazing host families already. My third one also seems really nice. the language definitely isn’t easy but I’m very very slowly getting the hang of it.Sending lots of love from Finland 🙂