T-O-D-A-Y-!

I'm leaving today.  TODAY!  I still can't believe it, sounds so unreal!

I've been packing couple of days, and now I'm almost finished.  (Just almost, because I'm sure I forgot something...) It's unbelievable hard to think what do you need during the next year in a place where you haven't been. And what makes this whole thing even harder is that all of those things which you decide to take with you must fit to one suitcase which maximum weight is 20 kilograms. Phew, what a crazy task! :D

I have to wake up at 4.00 am, because I have to be at the airport 6.30 am. The departure time is 9.30 am, but I guess we have some kind of a meeting there. 

We'll see where from the next post is, because                                                             

from today, it'll be one big adventure!

Bye bye,

Liisa

My farewell party

I organized my farewell party tonight, and the whole evening was really amazing.  I didn't want typical teenage parties, because I don't really feel like they are my thing.  So, I decided to do everything my own way!

I invited my eight best friends to my place, and I baked many kinds of delicacies.  As you can see from the pictures below there were chocolate rice krispie cakes, cheesecake with chocolate decorations, chocolate cake with chocolate topping and frozen chocolate mousse cake.  (At this point it must be quite obvious that I like chocolate... :'D)  When we had eaten enough, we watched one of my favorite movies. :)

What can I say?  This evening was perfect and I love my friends. :))

Wistful,

Liisa 

Business cards

I picked up my business cards today and I think they are AWESOME!

Now I have 250 cards.

This is the front side...

...and this is the flip side.

Both sides.

I got a free business card holder...

...which is useful at least when I've forgotten my mirror.

This is the original photo.

As you can see I have now 250 business cards and one super cool business card box :DD  From that last picture you can see what the difference between original photo and printed photo is.  

Nervous,

Liisa 

One week left!

Yippee, what a day.  I got my visa and my flight tickets, my business cards are in the post office and I got new bikinis.  :D  One week, and then it'll be one big adventure.  I guess I should freak out, but at the moment it feels like everything is in order and that's why I'm really calm.  I'm not saying I don't have anything to do, but I'm not feeling stressed because I have so many things undone. 

The visa was attached to an e-mail, so I have to print it soon.  That's the reason why here are no pictures about it.  

But this is the ticket...

 

...and as I promised; here are those pins I've been making.  

I'll pick up those business cards tomorrow and take few photos of them so you'll see how they look like.  I really hope, from the bottom of my heart, that they are good.

Happy, sad and really excited,
Liisa 

A short snapshot

I was sure that the paperwork was done; but I was wrong.  I can tell that the visa application was not the nicest thing I've done :D  It wasn't difficult, but if I remember right I filled the form six times... The visa application included 23 pages full of questions, and every time I had answered to them I noticed that there were some troubles.  Either there was a question I wasn't able to answer or my computer didn't think that my answer was correct or my printer said that this wasn't the right file format for printing or something else stupid.  I can't describe the feeling when I had finally printed all of the pages and was allowed to put them into an envelope with my pass copy and my parents' pass copies and with few other papers.  I went immediately to the post office, and now my application is going to Berlin.  Hope everything is okay with it and I'll get the visa! :)

That application was the last form to fill (at least i hope so...), and now I have just few things to do.  I can make a little list about what I have and haven't done so far.

Insurance   DONE 

I got it yesterday!

Flight tickets   DONE 

I haven't got them, but at this point it's not depending on me.

Presentation   UNDONE

It would be better to do it before I go there, so I just have to make it soon!

Gift or souvenir   UNDONE

I've bought just couple of things, so I have to consider what else I'd like to give them.

Visa application   DONE

Finally!!!!

Pins   UNDONE 

I bought 30, but because those are quite expensive, I decided to make the rest of them by myself. I made about other 30 today, so I still have much more to go...

Rotary blazer   DONE

You saw the photos of it.

Business cards   DONE

I finally ordered them today, so I should get them next week. 

Suitcases   DONE

My dream didn't come true; I don't have new, colorful travelling bags. :( But yes, I have to admit, I already do have suitcases, so maybe I just have to live with it...  :D

Packing   UNDONE

I haven't even started yet!!! :DD

Next time you'll see some pictures, because I have few things to show you.  I'll send pictures from those pins I've been making, and about those business cards, too (if I get them...).

At the moment a bit busy,

Liisa 

So Formal

This is going to be a really short post, because I have only one thing to tell about.  The thing is: I finally got my Rotary blazer!  It's formal, blue and tight fitting, so it has all the features which I don't like.  Therefore I have no idea how it's even possible, but I really like this blazer.  :)

Below you can see some pictures about it, because I guess it's easier that way to you to understand how it looks like.

                                   

That's all this time; I hope I have soon something new to tell you!

Feeling official,

Liisa 

A reason to smile

I got an e-mail from my third host mum!  It was a big surprise, because I haven't got any information about my host families so far.  In that post she told me about her family and their life.  They sounded nice, so I'm really excited.  

Even though there has happened a lot of positive things in last few days, I can't say that the only emotion I'm feeling is joy.  I can't even describe my feelings in this very moment.  I'm happier and sadder than ever; both at the same time.  I mean that I can't wait to fly to Australia, but at the same time I'm feeling unbelievably sad.  That's so weird!  I know that I will meet a lot of interesting new people and make a lot of friends, but still, I miss my family and friends already. :DD

But now I'll tell you only about the happy things, the families!  My other host families have sent no e-mail to me yet, but I got an e-mail from Rotary club of Singleton.  In it was a little bit of information, and that's what I will share with you right now.

Family number one: 

In this host family there will be four daughters!!!  I have only one brother, so I'm looking forward to having sisters.  Two of them are younger than me, and the other two are older than me.  I'm really happy that one of them will attend to the St. Catherine's College.  I was afraid that there will be no one I know, so this makes me feel comfortable.  The mother of this family has been an exchange student in Sweden, so she speaks Swedish.  I'm sure that I'll look like a totally idiot, because she has to be so much better in Swedish than I am (Swedish is not my strongest subject, such a shame).  It's a bit embarrassing, because as you may know, Swedish is the second language here... Oops. :D

I really don't know who the family number two is, so that's why I can tell you nothing about it yet.  Believe me, I'll tell right away when I know more! 

So, the family number three:

There will be three boys, but only one of them is still living in the home. He is few years older than me.  I'm looking forward also this family, because in my family I'm the oldest child, so I think being the youngest will be nice change.  It was the mother of this family who sent me that nice e-mail. Because of that I know more about this family than about my first host family.  So, in that e-mail my third host mom told that she is half Estonian. That was great, because Estonia is so close to Finland.  I've been there couple of times, and she told that she has been in Finland many times, too.  I think it's really nice, because she knows the place where I'm from.  I think it's really great that Rotaries there found that kind of families for me.  I mean both of the families have some connection to Northern Europe and in my opinion that's really, really cool! :)

And then one more thing!  My Rotary blazer is in the post office, and I can't wait to have it!  I guess we'll pick it up tomorrow, so you'll see pictures of it soon.

Finally happy,

Liisa 

ONE MONTH!

29 days is NOT plenty.  In that time I should meet my friends, enjoy summer, make a presentation about Finland, get a visa, pack my bags, order business cards, get an insurance, pay my flight tickets and do some other things which I haven't done.  I'm unbelievable happy that my summer job ended (doesn't mean I didn't like it, I really did!), because now I have time to do those million things.  At least I hope so... : D

The main thing in this post is that my school changed, and I got my first host parents' names!

So, earlier I thought that I'm going to Singleton high school.  If I understood right, it's a public school in a city center.  Now I got an e-mail in which were said that I'm going to St. Catherine's catholic school. It is a private school which is not in the city center. I don't know if the boys and girls are in the same place, because the other exchange students who are going to catholic schools tell that they are often separated.  That sounds so weird to me, and I just can't imagine what is school like if there are only girls.  Sounds like an odd place.  This whole school changing thing was a big surprise, because I had no idea that my school there can change.  First I was super disappointed, but really, it can't be that bad. It just can't.  Or can it?!

I know only a little about my first host family.  I got a copy of my visa application form, and there were their names, address, phone number and e-mail address.  I'm sure I'll get more information about them soon, now I (and you, too) just have to wait.

disappointed,

Liisa 

Project Australia

In this post I will tell you about things I've done this far.  There can be little differences between the organizations but the main things are always same.  So, this is the way Rotary does it.  (Notice that there have of course been a lot more work than you can read from here.  I'm not able to tell every e-mail, phone call etc.) 

OCTOBER

First you have to contact your local Rotary club.  I did that last autumn, I guess it was late October.  If I'm totally honest, my dad helped a bit.  He just called there and asked if it is possible to apply for an exchange in our city.  The answer was yes.

NOVEMBER

Then I had to write a little text about myself.  I wrote it in Finnish and e-mailed it at November 5th.  It was quite easy; I just told some basic things about me, my life and my background.  

After that essay my Rotary club invited me to ian nterview.  My interview was November 30th.  I was super nervous because of it, but honestly, it wasn't bad at all.  I was allowed to speak Finnish and they didn't ask anything which I couldn't answer.  I just told them why I would like to go overseas and why I think student exchange would be right thing for me.  This interview was very important, because based on it they decided who they are ready to send to the "next round".  What I mean is that Finland is shared to six Rotary districts, and districts are shared to many Rotary clubs.  So, in this point just my club accepted me, so it still didn't mean I was going anywhere.  My club was a bit late with this whole exchange thing, so I filled up my first official form in my interview.  There were asked some basic information about me, and I had to tell which country I wanted to go.  My first option was Australia, second was New-Zealand and the third one was Canada.  This form needed to be sent ahead by the end of November, so we just barely made it.

DECEMBER

In early December I got a call in which were asked if I'm one hundred percent sure about this.  I said yes.  My answer meant that I was no longer able to cancel this thing.  

In this point I had to pay an organizational payment.  Of course I understand that people who handle these things need it, but I still think that's kind a funny because I wasn't going anywhere yet. 

December 21th I got an e-mail in which were said that I have to fill the actual applying form.  It was maybe the hardest thing in this whole project so far.  There were fifteen pages to fill and many things to do.  I had to take pictures about my family, my hobby, my home, my interest and of course about myself.  I and my parents also wrote essays in English.  My essay was three pages, and my mother's was two pages.  I wrote about me, and my mom wrote what is hard for me and what do I do when I have difficulties in my life and how do we get along and what are my friends like and why do my parents think I would be a good Rotary exchange student and so on.  I also had to get a statement from my teacher.  In it she told her opinion about my suitability.  This may sound a very big job, but really; it wasn't all, it really wasn't...  I also had to go to dentist and doctor because I had to get certificates which said that my teeth and body were fine.  These things don't necessarily sound awfully difficult, but you can try to get a time for dentist and doctor without anything being wrong and get a statement from your teacher at Christmas holidays, everything in only one week (and also do those million other things).  THAT is a little bit difficult.  : DD

All of these papers and a receipt of that payment needed to be sent to my district chairman before December 31st.  As I said earlier, my club was a bit slow with this whole project, and they happened to get some extra time.

JANUARY

That's the reason why we had meeting as late as January 3rd.  To there I took EVERYTHING with me, and you can only imagine how much paper I had... : D I had that fifteen-page form, five photos, statement from my teacher, my three-page essay, my parents two-page essay, certificate from my dentist, certificate from my doctor, copy of my passport and copy of my school degrees (I'm quite sure I forgot to say something...).  This is just a one bunch of paper.  I had four of those.  What can I say; you need a good printer for going exchange...  Haha, just kidding. : D

After that "extremely relaxing Christmas holiday" the biggest paperwork was done.  Phew!  The chairman sent my papers to my correspondent, who has been taking care all of my exchange things since then.

FEBRUARY

February 15th I got an e-mail in which were said that my application has been sent to Australia.  I can't tell you how happy and relieved I was.  My dream was finally coming true and I was going to be an exchange student in Australia!!!! As you may remember, Australia was my first alternative.  Of course it doesn't go always like that, but I was lucky. :))

In this point the paperwork was done and I just waited new information. And I guess you all know what happened after that.  If you don't, you better go and check my earlier posts! : D

Nice that you are interested about my adventure,

Liisa 

Finland and I

I just noticed that I haven't told you anything about me or Finland, so I'll do my best to fix it. : DD

This post is not so closely connected to my exchange year, but I will write about those things immediately when I have something new to tell you!

Here is some information and couple of pictures about Finland.

Finland is a country in the northern Europe

• The Capital of Finland is Helsinki.
• The population is about 5, 3 million.
• We have our own language, Finnish.  Finland is a bilingual country, so here are also people who speak Swedish. 
• Famous Finnish brands are Nokia, Marimekko, Kone and Fiskars

Other things which Finland is famous for

• Forests and lakes
• Sauna
• Lapland, where they have midnight sun, polar night and really beautiful fall colors
• Santa Clause, who lives in Lapland
• Ice hockey

We have four seasons, and each of them is very different;

Spring

In spring the daily temperature is about 10°C.  Spring starts in April or May, depending the place.  Spring ends when all of the snow has melted and temperature raises over 10 degrees.

Summer

Summer is the warmest time of a year, and the temperature stays above 10 degrees.  It can raise all the way up to 25-30 °C.  Summer starts late May in southern Finland and lasts until the middle September.  In Lapland it starts about a month later and ends a month earlier.

Autumn

In autumn the daily temperature remains below 10°C.  In northern Finland autumn starts in lasts weeks of August, elsewhere it starts a bit later.  Autumn ends when the first snow falls. In northern Finland that happens in September and elsewhere in October.  Finnish autumn is famous for its colorfulness.

Winter

In winters we have a lot of snow, and temperature remains under 0°C.  Winter is the longest season; it lasts 100-200 days depending on the place.  In Lapland the temperature can be -50 degrees, elsewhere the lowest temperature is something between -35°C and -45°C.

That's all this time, I'll write more soon, I promise!

Greetings from sunny Finland,

Liisa