moi!
More events that have surprised and delighted me:
A few days ago when the girls friends were over, they were playing Pictionary in Finnish. I didn´t understand it at all, but was amused by their screeches of delight and dismay. When they were done playing, we spontaneously began folding the drawing paper into different shapes. Hats, boats, fans and airplanes flourished. Ilona made an origami bird, and then showed us all how to make one, without a word in English. There we were, crouched on the living room floor, folding paper birds in silence. Mine turned out pretty good! I was extremly proud of myself. I am sorry for the spelling mistakes here, the spell check doesn´t work on the Finnish computer and I keep forgetting my English words! It happens when I speak too. Someone asks `what do you call this in English?´ and I have not idea! Hearing Finnish all the time does that, even if I don´t understand. Yeserday we did go to the beach, but the water was much to cold to swim. After a minute my feet and legs we quite numb! So we drove to a family friends´home, which is on a lake. I met a girl around my age who is going to Germany for a year in August. She was with a special program too, and had to make a presentation in English about Finland ...which she asked me to proof read! It was really fun... I read it through and repharsed some things. Most of it was good, but some words were in the wrong order and some were just wrong. For example, she had written that during a certian holiday in Finns ´bang´fireworks. I replaced it with ´set off´ :) We went out on the lake in a rowboat then! I even tried rowing for bit... I did pretty good until I rowed into the reeds! We rowed up a little river too, drinking sprite and laughing. It was a really lovely afternoon. I now have a borrowed bike to ride, which is nice becuase it is a good way to get around here. This afternoon we are going to a spa... more on that later. My host family is really amazing... Heli just adores me, and has already made me a braclet and a necklace from her bead kit!!! <3 I will add some pictures soon, it´s hard on a Finnish computer!

moi! here I am again.. it is so hard to write lately, I really just want to be with the family. But at the same time I really want to record everything! Today we went to Tampere, it is so beautiful! I walked around with the girls and bought several things. It really is a perfect example of an European city, the streets are cobblestones and people are beautiful and the air is clean. The weather has also been very nice here, all sunny and rather hot. It is an unusual for here. This afternoon we are going to a beach. Although it is almost 4 pm now, it still feels likel 2 pm or something. In Tampere my host mom bought us some fresh stawberries, and we stood there on the cobblestones and ate them. They were sweet and fresh...there never has been anything as nice, I can assure you. I am amazed every hour at how much I can communicate without words. Heli (8) and I cannot talk, but we went through countless stores at the mall today pointing to items of clothing and making noises to show that `ooooh i like this!´ or ´uuugh that is strange, ew!´ I am getting better at recongizing words as well. For example, in a conversation between some of the family I can identify two maybe three words. Yesterday I played croquet with the girls and their friends, my first time playing. I did pretty horribly, but came in third from the last anyway! I also had a Finnish lesson yesterday. Heli and her little friend ran around the yard and the house for an hour or so pointing to things and saying their Finnish name. It was so funny, the joy they found from teaching me Finnish! I don´t remember most of the words, but it was a good bonding experience anyway. Last night I also had a sauna... it was lovely. I went with my Aiti ( mom) and Ilona in our swimsuits. They have a tiny little sauna in the back yard that is heated by wood, so it smells very very nice. We went out and sat on the porch after a short time of being in the sauna. There we ate sausages ( which had been cooked over the stove in the sauna), bread and butter and orange soda. It was so peaceful and relaxing, I will miss the sauna so much when I come back!!! Maybe I can convince my dad to build one in our back yard... *winkwink*. We leave for Lapland next Sunday! We will drive up the western border of Finland, hit some major cities and sights, then cut across the middle. There we can see where Santa Claus came from!! After that we will drive down the eastern border, and stop for several nights at the grandparents´summer cottage. They apparently have a smoke sauna, which is considered very very special. My Aiti was telling me that they fill the sauna with the smoke, and it smells wonderful. After that we will return home, it then being around Tuesday. Sounds fun eh? I hope so, the camper we are going in only has beds for 5 people, so one of us will have to sleep in a little tent outside for some nights! Eek!
Tomarrow I will be going to a spa nearby, which my Aiti has a coupon for. The total price for all the family is 21 euros, which is really good! There is a suana there, and many slides, pools and such. It sounds so fun! My family is trying very hard to make things fun for me. Sometimes I wonder when they are going to relax a little bit. I wish I could copy a piece of Finland and attach it to this blog, but I don´t think it´s possible :( Words cannot describe how beautiful it is here, the sun and the pine trees and the people biking everywhere... the smiles, the food, the cleanclean air... oh yum. Moi moi! ( bye bye)

Moi! I am currently in Ylöjärvi, Finland at my host family´s home! There is so much to write here, please forgive me if I do not do such a great job! The family consists of the mother, Marjut, the father Simo, the son (19) Anssi, and the three sisters, Ilona(15), Ella (12) and Heli(8). And don´t forget the dogs, Tina and Nana! Only the mother speaks English fluently, and she is the one who translates for me. The family talks together in Finnish, and I sit and listen until Marjut translates! Since I got here yesterday afternoon, I have gotten used to hearing Finnish around me, although I don´t understand most of it. There are some words that I do know however,and sometimes I can pick up the basic topic being discussed. The house is really beauitful, all wood and tile floors with pretty decoratings and windows. My room is attached to Heli´s and has little steps up to it! I have a entire wardrobe for my clothes, and it fits very nicely. They have a beautiful garden and back yard, it has an adorable little playhouse for Heli and a little sauna! I have already tried the sauna before going to my host family at a beach near Turku. I will try to describe it, becuase it was amazing. You shower briefly in the locker room, and then go into the sauna. It is VERY HOT, with wooded benches all around. The one I went into could hold 20 to 30 people, if they wanted to squish. This was a rather large sauna, all the others I have seen are much smaller, holding only about 5 people max. There are buttons on the walls that if pushed add more water go onto the rocks which are arranged in the center of the room. That makes steam and adds heat! Then you sit and sweat! The hot air pushes in on your mouth and lungs, and when you breathe through your mouth it almost tastes like peppermint! When you can´t stand another minute, you go out and run down the dock and jump into the sea! I was actually swimming in the Baltic Sea, how cool is that! At first the water feels like little needles it is soooo cold, but if you swim around for a few mintues it feels really good. You repeat the process, so it was like this: you get HOT and sweat rivers and then rundownthedock and then COLD and then swim and then get out and rundownthedock and into the sauna and then HOT and sweat and repeat! Anyway, it makes your whole body feel really good, and your skin all tingly! After a sauna nothing in the world is a problem, and everything is good :) There is so much left to tell! I gave out presents, Heli loved the doll I made her and is calling her Marta! She carries her around everywhere. We had BBQ for dinner, and a special cake for dessert. They even put mini Finnish and American flags on top! We looked at photos after that, laughing and pointing out funny faces. It was strange because I couldn´t really talk to them, but somehow we could understand the noises and points and laughs. It´s amazing how not having a common language is a handicap! Before bed we had an `evening snack`of bread, butter, jam, cucumber, juice ( a typical cranberry kind) and yogert. It was very good! The food is nice, although a little different, probably because it is more healthy. There are several funny things as well: Finns call the ´bathroom´the ´toilet´ and on the drive yesterday Marjut mentioned that the water in Finland is very clean and you ´could even fill your water bottle in the toilet!´ At first I thought that she meant in the actual toilet, but I soon realized tha she meant the sink!!!! Also she told me about a ´key nap´ and a ´running lunch´, both family jokes. A key nap is a nap during which you put a key or some other object in your hand as you sleep and when you drop it you wake up and have slept just the right amount of time. A running lunch is when you eat at a restraunt and then run away without paying! I thought those things were amusing!! It is so hard to not be able to speak Finnish. I feel like I am treading water, and barely keeping my head up! I know however that the more I tread water the stronger I will become.After I while I might even be able to swim properly! There are so many details that cannot possibly be recorded here, but I hope to have given the basic idea! I´ll write again tomorrow IF I HAVE TIME... we will go to Tampere!

Moi! I know many days have passed since my last entry, but I have not had access to a computer until now! I am in Turku, Finland currently, at the Scandic Julia Hotel. I have already done many things since last I wrote, and I really don´t know how to tell about them all! The orientation in D.C. was very nice, although very long and sometimes boring. We were lectured on Finland and Finnish culture, we did many interesting activies too. For example, we were split into 4 groups that each had to do a presentation of some aspect of Finnish culture for the staff at the YFU office in D.C. My group did a presentation on Finnish design and marimekko ( a popular fabric design) which included a mini fashion show! On Tuesday, we dressed up and went to Capitol Hill, I met with staff members from Senator Liberman and Senator Dodd´s offices! We then went to the Finnish Embassy, which was beautiful, and had learned more about Finland from the people there. From there, we drove to the Finnish Ambassadors home! It was really amazing, all fancy and like a mansion. We had a wonderful dinner buffet of Finnish foods, including a strawberry and cream cake that is very popular in Finland! We all got pictures with the Ambassador, but I can´t post them here because I can´t get them off my computer at the moment.The trip here was quite exciting, an 7½ hour flight from Washington D.C. and then a 2 hour flight to Helsinki. I had to run across the Frankfort airport because I left my carry on bag at security by accident, which was quite an adventure! I sat next to a very nice Finnish boy on the plane, who had been an exchange student in the USA for the last 10 months and was returning home. He didn´t realize at first that I was American, and thought that I was Finnish!!!!! I thought that was hilarious :) I am still extremely jet lagged, although I slept more than 12 hours last night, and was very nearly late to the morning session. I missed breakfast too! We went walking around the city last night, it was SO beautiful at the river that runs through Turku, there were many people sitting on the banks and on the restaurant boats anchored there. I took some pictures too, which I cannot get here now. I already and in love with Finland, it is amazing! The most stunning thing about it ( so far) is the silence. I had been told before that Finns are comfortable with silence, but I had not really understood it until I got off the plane and walked into the Helsinki-Vanta airport! There was an entire airport full of Finns, and no one was saying a word. The Silence was huge, but not painful or awkward. at all. Instead, it was like a breath of fresh air! Everyone knew that it was okay to not talk, and were comfortable doing so. I LOVED IT. It made me feel like I shouldn´t talk either, for face disapproving glances from the Finns. Our group of 14 was so loud as we stood around and walked through the airport, it felt very odd. The orientation so far in Turku has been really great, this afternoon we had a quick Finnish lesson and later we get some free time. We do some touring tomorrow, and have more free time ( I will enjoy that alot, like I did today, except today I got lost on my way back to the hotel!!!!). Friday we also get to try the sauna, which I am verrrrrrry excited about. We WILL wear our swimsuits though! Saturday we finally get to meet our host families, and then I will be able to write more often. I will probably not write until then. I hope this wasn´t completely confusing, my brain is quite tierd from trying to understand Finnish! I already have SO many stories!!
Moi from Finland!

Well, I fly tomorrow... so here a little note:
I am exceptionally quiet today, Mom calls it "pulling in" before a big trip... it's a very strange sensation. Thank you all for your support and interest in my thoughts and adventures, it means al0t to me. It is nice to know while I am off in strange places that there are people at home who care. Off I go! -Megan

Two days now! Nothing particularly notable has happened in the last few days, but I thought that I might as well get into the habit of writing! This morning I read an essay by a girl who went to Japan last year, which was entitled " heartsight". In the essay, she talks about how being an exchange student made it necessary for her to rely not only on her eyesight, but also on her heartsight, which sees clearer and truer than real eyes. I found that extremely interesting, especially because one of my favorite quotes is "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart." -Helen Keller. It seems so true, that while eyes can pick up outward appearances and emotions, it is the heartsight that really sees, especially in a situation where language and culture creates a barrier. That bit of wisdom I will try to remember when I am in Finland, where heartsight could be the best sight available to me.

hellooo! Three days and counting! This last week seems to be going extremely slow, it's almost like it enjoys torturing me. My chief occupation these last few days has been the tiresome task of packing. If you have never had to pack for a very long trip, you cannot understand the pain of it, if you have, I hope you sympathize a little! It is terribly difficult for a teenage girl to pack the clothing and supplies she will need for an entire summer abroad into one suitcase and a carry-on, not to mention adding a 50 lbs weight limit to the equation! I have packed and repacked and weighed and reweighed more than I would care to do every again! All unnecessary weight was removed, down to the cardboard boxes for pantyhose and the bulkier gifts. At LAST I got it down to 47.60 ( as of last night) but since then I have added several things... so it may not be so low now! It is also difficult to find anything to wear the last few days before a trip, as all my preferred clothes are packed! My mom cannot see what I am complaining about, my drawers are still full to bursting. However, I complain nonetheless, because most of those things don't fit right, don't match or I simply don't like. Why do I still have them then? Good question, and I have no logical answer :)
I have learned that the weather in Finland is not as warm as here, today it is only 16 C, about 62 F. On the other hand, I know that Washington D.C. will be in the 80s F, so I am glad I am bringing summer-wear. Last night my Estonian exchange sister,Stina, gave me some of the clothes she cannot fit into her suitcase, and they promptly made their way into mine! She is leaving early Saturday morning, I'm going to miss her! Also last night, a family friend came over with an amazing meal she had cooked in honor of Stina, Petra (our student from Finland) and me leaving. It was incredible, complete with a huge coconut jam cake with strawberries and apricots on top! All my friends and family have been so amazing, I really cannot thank them enough! I am afraid this post is a bit rambling,but that is a perfect mirror of my mood today, so it is fitting.

Hello! Last night, to my surprise and delight, my family threw me a going away party! It was very casual, but many of my friends came, ate, and wished me luck. I got a few gifts, like a book about Finland and about 8 euros! I was very interested by the 5 euro bill and the coins. Apparently one side of the coins are always the same, while the design on the other side varies depending on which country created it. I now have about 12 euros in pocket change, although it is advised to bring more like 50 euro when I am traveling. I now have 6 days! I was asked yesterday at the party whether I was " ready" for my trip. I thought the inquirer meant " did I have all my paperwork and packing in order". They soon explained that no, they meant was I "ready" in my mind. A good question that. Like I said in the previous post, I never really took in the fact that something was actually going to come from all the preparation. As my departure date gets closer however, I find that I am begin forced to say to myself " oh my gosh... this is for real, get a grip!" I am glad I will have a few days to think about it, and to get "ready" in my mind. I think that when the time comes to step into the plane terminal, I will be ready.

Hi, I am Megan Yeo. I would like to preface this blog with a little background description. You might ask, as many have, ' why Finland?' Well, the answer really isn't that profound. My mom came home from an YFU ( Youth For Understanding) orientation in October 2008 and told me that a women there had suggested that I apply for the FUSYE (Finnish U.S. Senate Youth Exchange) for the next summer. I said " okay", and so I embarked on this amazing adventure. The application was a tedious one, comprised of mounds of paperwork that had to be carefully made out, doctor visits, and specific requirements. I also had to write 5 essays, 150 words each on topics like " Describe your relationship with each of your family members and how they have influenced your life" and " Describe a mistake you have made and how you handled it". I also wrote a 500 word essay on a specific topic about Finland that interested me. After much debating and changing of topics, I wrote about the sauna. I interviewed my Finnish exchange sister on the details of the Finnish sauna to get a better grip on the topic. Of course, I could only guess on somethings, like whether I will actually like the sauna, but I will be sure to write about that experience when I am in Finland! We sent the application off in the mail in the first days of January, and didn't hear a word until late April.
When I got the acceptance letter, I went a little into shock. I guess I hadn't really believed all that time that I was doing something serious here, that it wasn't just a game to see how well I could write essays or fill out paperwork. I was actually going to Finland! As the time until my departure neared, I got more and more letters from YFU, with details on my trip. I will leave June 21st for Washington D.C., where I will have a few days of orientation. During that time I will attend a reception luncheon with the ambassador from Finland to the U.S. at his mansion! On the 23rd I will fly to Frankfurt, Germany, and then to Helsinki, Finland. I will have three days of orientation in Turku, before ( finally) meeting my host family. I will go home with them to a town called Ylöjärvi, 20 kms west from Tampere, Finlands second largest city. The Haanpää family has all sorts of plans for while I am with them, including taking me up north to see Lapland in their camper and taking me to their grandparents' summer cottage! They have three daughters ( 8,12 and 14), an older son who is in the military and two dogs. I have exchanged many emails with them recently, they are super nice.

Sometimes when I think about my summer I am unbelievably excited, jumping off the walls as I test pack my bright yellow suitcase. Other times I just shake my head and say " How on earth can this be happening to ME?" Now there are only 10 days until I embark on the first leg of my trip, a trip that I am sure I will never forget. Welcome to my Summer in Suomi!