After years

I  came back to my home country about 2 years ago; and, sometimes, I still feeling like I were there in Finland. It's amazing how these experiences still alive even though they've -in theory- already finished.
Maybe the most different thing of this part of the experience is that now you feel and live everything kinda alone (or just with the others exchangers of the same year and country) 'cose only you know how it was, how it felt... despite of the fact that u can share the experience and let the others know many things about your exchange year, only u feel many things again, and again, and again. Sometimes I find myself laughing at sth that happened 2 years ago -or even more!-, or talking and thinking in Swedish, or even I'm Finnish (even though I know about 5 words,hahah). To talk/think/dream/write sometimes in Swedish it's kinda therapy for me; when I do that I know that nobody else out there understands me... it's like to me talking loud to myself with the certain that nobody will never get it. Also when I turn my mind into SwedishFinnish-mode I feel the same happiness like when I was discovering everything again.
Thanks Finland, again.

Finlands självständighetsdag och Helsingfors

Reading another AFSer blog, I noticed that I forgot to write sth important that had happened here in Finland!

candles, candies, flags, cookies, etc
 with Finland's colors.

By December 6th was the Finland's National Day. 

When my contact person told me about it, I was waiting to hear about a big celebration of some days and everybody happy being together... but maybe that's not the way that the Finnish people celebrate it. As u may know, Finland had been in a War mostly against the Russians (that's why many people hate them...), and in this day is when the Finnish think about them, put candles on and say thanks to the soldiers who were in the war, also is common to watch a War Film, but I can say that the main thing of the day is watch in the T.V. for about 3 hours how the 

Shaking hands.

president and his wife shake their hands with a lot (a lot) of people and look at their "pretty dresses". This would never ever be a common thing for me in Chile, at least for me.- This day was free for the school and the next day (Friday) also, but at Friday  was the Dagsverk , a day when u should work as sth, earn 10€ and then give them to ur school and the school give it to some place that need it (the money from this year went to Haití or South Africa, I don't remember it well)

But.... what did I do these days? Well on the självständighetsdag (yes, that's a real word) I was at home, we eat sth at lunch and then we started to look at the 3 hours shaking hands eating chocolates. We were in that when a family friend came here and then everything went well! He's an Argentinian guy, so we could speak Spanish together (I have to say that was so difficult to talk good Spanish, I was thinking in English :O ) At the next day I went to Helsingfors with a friend and her family, what an Awesome trip! I met more Finnish people and tried to get some "Finnish profile" (what's every day more difficult) Was so strange to get in a Capital city with that feeling that u still in another city, why? 'cause I'm so used to sth like Capital City = Disaster, full of people, Crash, Kabúm! But here is not like that, and I really liked it! (Helsinki has only 1 metro line)

One of the public transport in Helsinki; they also have metro
and buses, but this is the most common to use.

 

Playing in the snow after sauna :)

Church in Helsinki + Julmarket

   

Vi kan spela fiolioliolej ♪

There has been a long time since my last update, I know, but suddenly 

it stopped to be necessary to write everything here, suddenly it started to be sth 

that a way or another, I know that I'll never forget. 

Suddenly a learnt a lot.

Many things had happened in this time, it's Christmas time in the Christmas Land. It's white, snow everywhere, Christmas lights, people singing, and everybody happy (yeah, every Finnish happy, this must be sth really special). Just like in the movies that we were used to look at, or the songs from the school. Finally I can sing Oh Blanca Navidad ♪ and it makes sense. I'm in a land where every old tradition that I thought extinct, they made; Christmas letters by post, baking ginger breads men, sing Christmas carols, dance with kids, dance with Santa, beautiful evening dinner, real Christmas tree, sleep early and so on...

So... lets start by sth.

• Saint Lucia's Day: Well, as u should know, I live in the Swedish area of Finland, so we celebrate some things that the rest of Finland don't take so much care. Sankta Lucia (how's called in swedish)  is a Christian tradition which is celebrated on December 13th. I don't really know who was Saint Lucia neither what did she do in her life, but I should think that sth with fire, because of the candles. 
  In almost every swedish-speaking town there is one different Lucia, who is chosen by elections, and about 6-10 light-girls, who are the ones that lose the elections. "Lucia and her crew" in the little towns are usually girls who're 15-16 years old; they go to many important places in the city, such as hospitals, municipalities, schools, nursing homes, etc to sing Lucia's song and usually one more song. After that also, on 13th evening is the big Lucia's Tradition in some big place in the town. Here it was in Lappfiädd, and there were many people singing, dancing, and playing with kids, besides Lucia's matter. 
  At the schools are also a Lucia celebration, but's not such a big thing, just for the schools.
  The Finland's Lucia is in Helsinki, and is almost the same procedure, but the should be more than 17 years old.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Christmas parties: We have the same back in Chile, and almost all the Christians countries I think, but the 'special thing' that they have is that they represent the Lucia always, and then they play this 'Christmas games-songs'  and everybody dance (well, just children, but... we can say that we have also a child-spirit) Ah! In the Swedish schools, only have this parties the kinder garden and the 'elementary' school (1st  to 6th grade), but in the Finnish system, the High school has also.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Christmas Cleaning: Yes, just as you read, clean (a lot) for Christmas. The Finnish culture is such a "cleanmaniac" one, and they are not going to waste an opportunity like this to clean. Is a tradition. (For me it was such a shock thing) Usually the Finnish Finnish clean everything (the lamps, the roof, the closets, the furniture, etc) and gratefully I'm in the Swedish area, who are a little, just a little, more relaxed, so... it wasn't THAT bad haha. Well, but returning to the point, the house must be clean for this big celebration that's happening on 24th eve, so since about December 18th the cleaning start, and it's over on Christmas morning.
  
  
  
  
• Christmas Cards: Take your 20th century-mind away and try to return to the years where the e-mail didn't exist and when you could waste many evenings just in make the best paper-Christmas card for almost everyone that you know, go to the post and send them by there (although it's your neighbor, always by post) Furthermore, as we have school time until almost Christmas day, is usually that you give Christmas presents for your classmates (such as more cards) or just for your friends, but you should give sth.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Christmas Food: Here you eat... a lot. If as Christmas food you think of turkey, potato puffs, salads, rice, wine, corn and so on, let me say that you are not in Finland. Here you'll eat fish, a lot of fish and many different... mashed-things. Carrot casserole, potatoes casserole, rutabaga casserole and liver casserole. That's the delicious Christmas food. Hopefully for me we cooked more things like salad fish and jam, so I could eat also. 
  
  
  
  

  Well, and all this 'Christmas time' you drink Musted Wine with almonds and dry grapes, Gingerbread and a lot, a lot of chocolate. There's another Christmas drink also, Julmust. I didn't like it neither.
  
  

  

  window n°16.

  
  
• Advent Calendars: An all-times classic, and with 2 little kids in the house, you could expect that we had advents calendars every everywhere. And in my town we had a real one. Every day was a new window in a new house which was decorated and opened (of course not really opened, otherwise they would die frozen) It was so nice :)
  
• Lights: The darkness of the 4 o'clock night is broken by a lot of beautiful lights in the trees, in the street and in the sky. As I live in a small town, "small things" like turn on the lights, or put a lot of lights in your house make to your neighbors a new place to visit. So, Kristinestad dresses for Christmas time.
  
  
  
  
  
• Dances: And in the last point the dances. I think that we don't have those back in Chile, or at least I don't remember myself dancing those when I was a child; but here, I did it. They have a lot, and with different moves and steps, although actually all are 'ring games'. My favorite is this:
  
  
  
  
  
  Obviously this is not from here, but u can imagine for once

So,this is how we prepare for the Christmas here,

Vi ses snart :)

God Jul, Hyvää Joula!