SO I am half way through the whole au pairing experince already! To be fair it does feel like I've been here a while but it's still nice to think that I've reached this mile stone.
So where to begin with my update? Well I started the Finnish grammar course which is good and helping I think. All the other people are older internationals who have lived in Finland quite a while. So in one sense I speak and understand a lot quicker and more fluently, but they on the other hand have been studying Finnish for a few years so they have a grasp of the grammar where as I have never strudied it before. So in that way it is quite challenging. I learn new vocab every time and the grammar I have learnt has really hepled me to hopefuly make less mistakes when I speak as I really had no clue about how any of it worked before and just spoke, hoping it was correct.
I have spent a lot of my free time with my aunt, uncle and cousins which is really nice. Been to the cinema a few times, went skiing with Anna and have stayed over night at my aunt's a few times. The children stay over at their Dad's every other weekend so that is when I get a chance to stay away one night if I want.
It snowed like crazy all through Januray and through half of Feb and I did atleast an hour and a half of snow clearing everyday which is really quite tiring. It was also really dark and gloomy in January. In february it got a lot colder like -20 to -37 but the sun came out (yaaaay!) and it hasn't snowed for about 2 weeks now which is a record since I've been here (fingers crossed) but aparentley its snowing again this Sunday. Its much more cheerful when the sun it out here and the snow might start to melt a bit in a few weeks which will be nice. My aim is to see some grass before I leave haha.
I have also helped out at Riikka and Tatus's school 3 times. I went into the different classes and did a presentation about life in England compared to FInland and about myself. It was quite daunting at first but it was enjoyable and a change. I also even taught and Enlgish class once one my own when the teacher was away! Riika's teacher gave me achocolate bar on the first day to say thank you, which was nice of him. I also got to have a school dinner the days I was there for free. The school food is free for all the students and everyone eats it. It is much nicer and helathy than English school dinners by a looong way. The food is actually something I would like to eat at home and is much better for the kids. The girls were very sweet there and showed me round the school during breaks and chatted to me lots.
Then for Yasmin's birthday she came to Finland :D It was so great as the whole thing was a planned surprise that she didn't find out about untill on her birthday 2 days before. I took the the train up to Helsinki at the weekend for 3 nights and most of the cousins came aswell. With had a meal at my aunt's a played a board game, then went bowling and then clubbing. We waited outside the blub for an hour and I honetsly think that's the coldest I've ever been! Though I would die soon of cold, don't think I warmed myself up again that whole night even when finally inside. I went shopping and ice skating with Yaz too. Elina and Anna came all the way from Joensuu too but Anna actually got ill about an hour after arriving here! It was such a shame becasue the train ticketd are so expensive and she'd come all this way only to be ill and have to stay in bed :(
A week later my parents came to Joensuu and only left yesterday. I spent a few night's with them at my aunt's which was lovely and my aunt and uncle from Helsinki were there too. There have been some winter sports going on in the town centre and we saw some ice swimming and some amazing ice sculptures too. Anna took me to see the 'vanhujen tanssi' last friday where all the 6th formers dress up in ballgowns and tuxedos and have a traditional dance. The girls all looked amazing I was very jealous of their pretty dresses, it would be great it we did something like that in Enlgand.
Last but not least I went to a thing called a 'Language Cafe' yesterday with Anna for English speaking people to talk to each other, organised by the university. It was great to finally meet some other internationals who sepak English as I don't know where they've all bee hiding out before. They also have a French meeting I will try out next week which will be even better as I really should be practisiing my French for uni. I'd love to go to both meetings every week but as I also do my Finnish lessons twice a week I think that may be too many evenings away from my job so I will just take each week as they come and go to as many as I can really.
Over all, I have been enjoying my stay more recently. I'm sure seeing my family helped a lot and also I don't feel that Tatu's bad behavious is affecting me as much. It was still pretty scary when Satu went away to Denmark for a couple of days and he has had a couple of really bad tantrums alone with me since I last wrote but I THINK he may be a little calmer these last couple of weeks or atleast it maybe I don't mind it as much now. I will end this new blog here as my arms are starting to ache from all this typing! I will probably write a new blog in a months time or some thing. Hei hei for now xx
