This school is very much like the wild and even though culture shock hit me hard on the second day (the gym was dead quiet), I made it though the week. Rather successfully if I do say so myself.
So lemme break the Finnish School system down (at least what I kinda maybe not understand)
- you start school at age 7 (awesome right! Kids have more time to be kids!)
- you go through about 6 years in elementary, and then 3 in there middle school deal thing
- Next is Lukio- I attend Helsingin Mediolukio, Helsinki's Media High School. You go there for about three years. You get to apply to either a lukio (college bound) or their form of vocational school.
- All of it is payed for except for the books
- Lunch is paid also
- Small class sized
- All forms of learning, we are never just sitting and reading it seems (not like I can read Finnish... yet!)
- The students tried to explain that no matter what you go to school. a.k.a no snow days.... even in -20C
- no school busses or cars only trains, walking, bikes, mopeds, and busses.
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| 30 min. morning commute via biking, train, and walking |
Over all it is a pretty amazing place to attend school, even college is free. You also get money to help pay for your books. Great? Right? I know.
So lemme break down how classes work... I guess... I was in the wrong class for 20 min before I realized it was a science class...
- You take courses not classes
- The school year is broken up into 5 periods of 5 weeks each, the last week is testing. In most classes you do not even have testing.
- You choose different courses each period.
- The school doesn't lock because your schedule is different each day (no 7.30 till 2.30, they laughed when I explained mine) I get out of classes before noon on thursdays, and I go in before lunch till about 2 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Easy! but Friday I have class from 8.30 till 2.30. still easy!
- Kids which take a lot of classes (you choose, almost none of it is mandatory) can be there till 4 though.
- Courses(classes) last for 75 min then are followed by a 15 min break, 30 for lunch also.
My Classes (be prepared to laugh)
- English
- Spanish
- Finnish
- Sports
- US History (right!! its my best grade next to english!)
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| Time Table |
That's is... for now. I have about a 17hr school week not counting my 3 hr Finnish classes at the college thursday nights
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| I am pretty sure this is Finnish Class... |
I have made a few friends and know of a lot of people. I am giving it time though, I am nervous. It is difficult because I am trying to understand but at times it can be difficult (no one said that it would be easy.) So far the biggest thing I have learned is to listen and watch- the motions, the tone, the silence all say more than the speech. When the Finnish do speak, they mean what they say.
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| Meet Olli and Norrah |
I also found that everyone here is kind but they won't just call someone their "friend" If they do not care for someone, they will be nice but won't say much to them. I enjoy this so much because back home people say "there is always that one person in your friend group you just can't stand" this isn't it at all. If your friends are friends with some one, you don't have to feel inclined to be friends with the. Does that make sense? The are not really groups here...
So all in all: everyone is helpful, nothing makes sense, my head still hurts, and I am in Finland
