The End

Here I am, back at home writing the blogpost that no exchange student ever wants to write. I've been home for 8 days now and I still can't believe I'm gone. When I awoke from a nap on my flight from Helsinki to Amsterdam I felt like my WHOLE year had been nothing more than a DREAM. I felt lost, confused, I felt like just sitting down for another good cry that day but I couldn't because I had to go to my gate at the other end of airport to catch my next flight that would leave in just 45 minutes.

My departure day was full of tears from the moment my Finish friends surprised me at the airport to the moment I saw my American family. I didn't relies how much my exchange year had impacted me, not until now. I thought a majority of my exchange was sub-average, but now since I've reached the end I relies it wasn't. I relies how wonderful it was, even those horrible days where I ached to go home. All of my tears that shed, shed because I reliesed the life I was leaving behind, the people and friends that I love that I had to leave behind. I had to leave home to go home, and it's the most confusing thing I've ever experienced.

The day before I left involved, packing, visiting my Finish friends for the last time (so I thought) and playing monopoly and eating food, going to sääksy with Fifi one last time and just having a fun night together. I made my last days and hours a blast.

A few days before I left I had a farewell party with my host families (and Fifi). I was able to see all of my host parents and siblings one last time before I left. I can't thank them enough for all of the new experiences and memories they have given me. The memories I have with them are priceless and things I'll  treasure forever.

Even those people who I don't talk to anymore or those who I only talked to once or twice, I'm grateful. Everyone has impacted me and my exchange in some way.

I always said throughout my exchange year that it would probably be years before I return to Finland. As of now I have hope to return in less then a year! I have happened to left behind someone who means a great deal to me, so a return is inevitable❤️

I will continue to write of any more adventures I have but I don't know when they will be but I know there will be more.

Until Next Time, 
Hailey

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Kesä Loma Kuusamossa!

For some of my summer holiday I spent this week in Kuusamo, Finland with my host family. I decided to vlog a bit and I just posted the video! Go check it out!

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMdtlOqnVG4

-Hailey

PERKLE MULLA ON VAAN 20 PÄIVÄÄ JÄLJELLÄ!

Can you believe that my year is 98% done? Because I can't!!

The last couple of months I've found myself so much happier! I think some of that is the weather, as the sun is out longer and the days become warmer. I've hung out with my friends and been able to do things outside the house and it's such a nice feeling to have plans. I'm in such a good place now and I wish I could have been like this months and months ago.

I don't feel as though that there is a lot for me to write. I'm in a happy state again, the last time I felt happy like this was my first month here. I've finally found my place here and finally feel like I can call this place home. But like all good things in life it has to come to an end, so in 20 days at 7am my flight from Finland will leave and I don't know when I will come back.

I have friends here that I will miss sooo dearly and it will hurt to leave them. I thought I would never make friends that I would actually miss but finally I did and in a bittersweet way it's nice that I have.



I'm such a terrible writer but no worries my chapter here ends soon, and my hope that the remaining 20 days will filled with hundreds and hundreds of pages. 

Until Next Time,
Hailey



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What Was I Up To In May?

Instead of a wonderful blogpost of a May update I decided to vlog and also had my exchange student friends join me as well! Click here >> Youtube Video<< to watch it! I have also another video coming up in a few days, stayed tune :)

Hailey

Seitsemänkymmentä Kuus

As I write this my day count is at 76.

Oh where did I leave off? I’m far behind very far behind. Well here to catch you up…

I’ve switched to my last and final family. I arrived to perhe (Family) Ojamäki on the 9th of April and I will be staying with them until I depart on the 12th of July. Here I live with My host parents; Teija ja Timo, my host sister; Roosa, and my host dog; Essi. I also have 2 older host brothers and an older host sister who don’t live at home. I also have two host nieces; Nelle ja the baby who will receive her name when she has her christening 

I’m having the hardest time to get my credit transferred from the new lukio (high school) I attend. I found out that I still needed two more classes of physics and math for my diploma, no problem! So I asked my school for me to take these classes so I can get my credit transferred and I felt like I was at DMV, honestly.

I ran the Color Obstacle Rush in Helsinki with the other Rotary exchange students and Fifi! It was this past Saturday and despite the cold and horrid rain, it was actually quite fun! I don’t think the run was very well organized (looking at the FB page just about everyone had the same thought) so  if I had just gone by myself I don’t think it would have been fun. Going with the other exchange students made it 100000% times so much fun! Did we run? Yes. Did we walk? Hell yes!

(Click on the images to make them bigger)

April 1st, I gave some more presentations to elementary schoolers and here are some photos from that! They were so adorable, they even made me this poster after I gave my presentation to their class! 

   

                           

On April 2nd I had my language test, and to put it short, when we had the speaking part and when I meant "think" (ajatella) I would say "aja" (drive) and the look on the lady's face reassured me what I'm saying made no sense. I get my results at the end of May/ beginning of June, so all I hoped for is that I got an A2. 

My ability to read Finnish has gotten so much better! Myös minun suomea kirjiotta on okei no on puhun

Pitäisiko mä kirjotta kaikki suomessa? Ei, en voin >.< 

Mutta HOLY CRAP THE SUN DOESN'T SET TILL 10 NOW!!!! LONG LIVE THE BRIGHT NIGHTS!

I've also officially enrolled into university!!

School Lunch:

I decided to take a picture of the school lunch for a few days at my school:

So this was rare day, we had breaded chicken! A lot of days there is no meat for lunch and most of the time not chicken. I also have here "salad" and scalloped potatoes. There is also bread and nakkileipa.

Here is spinach pancakes with lingum berries, mashed potatoes, and the salad, with of course nakkileipa with butter 

Here this is like a meat sauce and you eat this with your potatoes, here is also broccoli, and nakkileipa with butter.

Things to look forward too:

• School Ending
• Tallin
• Midsummer
• Stockholm
• Summer Cottage
• Vappu 
• Other things that I don't know of yet

Things that I'm not looking forward too:

• School Ending
• Saying goodbye to my exchange friends
• Saying goodbye to my Finnish friends
• Returning to Reailty (Still consdering that I'm just playing a VR game rn)
• Actually knowing what is going on

Here are some nice random pictures I will leave you with...

                                 

-Hailey

Rome: Part 1 Video

\Due to the length of just the first two days I've decided to split it into two parts. So here are pictures and videos from my trip to Rome!

https://youtu.be/JjLNkdYhFtA

The Last 100

There's only 100 days until I leave for the airport to return home. 100. It doesn't feel like that long, it feels like I should still have seven months left, but I don't. I've been here for 246 days, or for 8 months and a day.

I can't comprehend that in 246 days I will see my mom, sister, brother, and family again. I miss my dog oh so much and she is the one I miss the most! I don't want to leave my life here. Some of it is because I've forgotten how I lived and how my life went back in the US, some of it is is that I will have to return back to a life of responsibilty, and some of it is is that this is my life, I feel as though I don't belong back home. I've grown so much and I don't feel the same as I did when I left.

I feel as though I will be lost when I go back home. Driving on the same roads I did a year ago won't have the same feelings because rather I'm thinking of my friends and what they are doing and what would I be doing if I was still in Finland.

This isn't a long heartfelt post but I will say thank you to everyone who talked to me at school or whoever I came into contact with. Thank you for giving me good memories to take home with me and cherish forever. Exchange tears your heart into two; part wants to go home and the other part wants nothing more then to stay.

Here are some pictures from through out my exchange

Until Next Time.
Hailey

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