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)