http://rowanaboat.blog126.fc2.com/ A web diary of my time, before, during and slightly after Turku, Finland ja http://rowanaboat.blog126.fc2.com/blog-entry-17.html Oh gosh. I love Finland. There is always so many things happening around here! Like last week I had a Hallowe'en party with my school which was tons of fun and then on friday I left to go to this little town in the middle of Finland with my host family. It snowed for the first time in Turku as we were leaving. We celebrated my host dad's father's 70th birthday in this little mining town and drove
This weekend is the district camp in Laitila (?), I really have no idea how to spell that.... It's gonna be tons o' fun. District 1410 is the best one, regardless of what 1390 has to say. I'm not completely sure what's gonna be happening there, but I do know that we are gonna go to sauna and apparently swimming. I just really hope its not in the lake.

Days are so short here now and they're just gonna keep getting shorter. The sun doesn't rise until 8 or 9 and sets at early as 4.30. Bah. It's not really that cold yet, but the cold is so different here. I'm right on the coast so its very humid. So the cold seeps in and chills you to your bones. Urgh.

All the exchange students in Finland (all 130 of us) are heading up to Lapland on November 27th for a week. We get to do some sightseeing and skiing. Maeghan should know how good I am at skiing. This is going to be a gong show. It's an 18 hour bus ride there. Oh gosh.

Tomorrow is finnish lessons with the students in Turku, and as per usual we're going for coffee afterwards. I don't even like coffee, but wednesdays are always amazingly fun. There's a new girl too. I think she's from the states.. Geez, I hope we don't scare her.

Anyways, I'll update this when I have time, but that's it for now! Kiitos ja hei! ]]> Category: None 2009-11-03T09:27:12+09:00 Rowan Tattersall FC2-BLOG http://rowanaboat.blog126.fc2.com/blog-entry-16.html So yesterday was Thanksgiving in Canada. Me and Lian both didn't want to spend it alone so we came up with the brilliant idea to make Thanksgiving dinner at my house for my host family. Holy cow. For anyone who does not know of my cooking back at home, I live by the saying, "If it can't be microwaved, it's not worth eating." Lian is the same. Maybe its just a Canadian thing.Anyways, on the menu wa
Anyways, on the menu was turkey of course, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, cauliflower and broccoli, cheese sauce and cheesecake. You might see a number of problems already. The vegtables are no problem, but no one has gravy with their meat here, same with Turkey and cheese sauce, so its pretty much impossible to find. No one here even knows what stuffing is. I got the recipes from my mom and my dad and my host mom took me to the grocery store. Now, we couldn't get an actual whole turkey, instead we got this loaf od turkey, it kind of looked and smelled and tasted like a ham. I think it was a ham. Lian disagrees.

Lian slept over at my house and sunday morning we started cooking. Gong show. The turkey took waaaaaay too long to cook so the stuffing was late. We managed to kill the mashed potatoes and melt an oven mitt together. The veggies were okay and the stuffing was by far the best part. The cheese sauce cooled down too quickly and ended up looking more like margarine or jello.

It turned out to be okay and the cheesecake was delicious. Mostly cause it was made by my host mom. All in all, a very good day. Bringing a bit of Canada to Finland. ]]> Category: None 2009-10-12T10:36:54+09:00 Rowan Tattersall FC2-BLOG http://rowanaboat.blog126.fc2.com/blog-entry-15.html Bah! I've been neglecting my blog. I'm sorry that my entries are so spacey, but I find that my days are always rather full, and I find that doing something makes on enot homesick. Which is pretty awesome for me.So anyways, today I'm going to write about something very finnish. Every year in February, all the third years leave the school to study for their giant exam on everything they learned in h
So anyways, today I'm going to write about something very finnish. Every year in February, all the third years leave the school to study for their giant exam on everything they learned in high school. To celebrate this, the second years hold a huge dance thinger, buy a big poofy dress and learn the waltz. It's kind of like the grad banquet. They start learning how to properly waltz in November or December and have a date as early as grade 7. My high school is about 80 % girls so you see how hard it is for us girls. After the dance (which parents come to watch), there is a big after party and then we all jump on a boat and head to Sweden and back. We don't actually get off the boat at all, but it will be super fun regardless. I'm so excited! I might even have a date! Who is taller than me! I can wear heels! YES!

About the Sweden thing, I kinda left you hanging there. Sweden was super fun and the boat ride was kind of epic. My camera is still broken so I didn't get to take any pictures, but my host family t ook some of me at the palace and with the guards. (They have such cute shoes! XD ) I got to look around Old Sweden, which was gorgeous, and New Sweden, which was adorable and expensive). I'm excited to go back again!

I'll try to write again tomorrow if I can. If not, the next time I have time!
Moi moi! ]]> Category: None 2009-09-28T09:46:28+09:00 Rowan Tattersall FC2-BLOG http://rowanaboat.blog126.fc2.com/blog-entry-14.html Today at school was an especially auspicious day: there are only 100 days left of school for the third years. This caused a mass party at school, all the 3rd years dressed up in their best 80's garb, grabbed lipstick and paint and painted all the second and first years faces. Including mine. Photos on facebook (reminder to mother: I need a camera cord). It was ridiculous! So much fun! All the thir
Well, thats all for now. I'm off to the beach and then hopping on a ferry to Sweden. And yes, I will be getting off the boat in Sweden.

More on Monday! ]]> Category: None 2009-09-11T01:20:42+09:00 Rowan Tattersall FC2-BLOG http://rowanaboat.blog126.fc2.com/blog-entry-13.html Ah, today was such a crazy day. All the first years crammed on to a random bus and headed down to the beach to play some games. I'm not technically a first year, but I went anyways. It was so much fun! We separated into groups and played a bunch of random game including pictionary and this finnish game whose name I will find out later (I totally rocked it though). My team tied for first, but there After that, a bunch of us plus Ami went out for coffee and then shopping. Such a good day.

This weekend I was at the cabin with my host family on the sea. It was so beautiful, I love the water. We played some volleyball and then went to sauna and swimming in the sea, it was effing cold! Played some board games and went for a picnic the next day. It was nice to bond with my host family like that, and I can't wait for Sweden!

I might be running off to Tampere this weekend with some friends to visit some other friends, or I might go bowling. I'm not sure whats really going on yet. Should be a blast!

Moi moi! ]]> Category: None 2009-08-31T08:02:46+09:00 Rowan Tattersall FC2-BLOG