New Family

First topic of tonight's tales

The Jalavas

My family

So I arrived to this farm house, surrounded by some-what like suburban area, on December 5thy.

You may ask some common questions which I have faced already, so to answer them quickly and to the point.

1.) "Yo, Anna, why you switch homes?!?"

Well now calm down and have some coffee and pulla. I switch homes every 3-4 months to give myself a better perspective on Finnish lifestyle and homes. Because think of it, is your family like the one which lives next door? Nahhh

2.) "So, like, they speak English right?"

Hahahah no. I mean they all have knowledge of english. And my host mom spent a year in Nebraska. But we have decided it would be best if they didn't speak any really so my Finnish would improve

3.) "Did the whole no english thing really work?"

Yes. Totally. And now my english skills are going bad really fast. My spelling is terrible. Thank god for the red lines which come under the words when you type them wrong. I just spelled terrible wrong.

4.) "You got kids in the family?"

I wouldn't consider them kids exactly. I have an 18 year old host brother, Arrttu. He spent a year in Mexico. And I am pretty sure, no matter what your age, but when you return home from a year abroad you are no longer a child. He is really kind and makes me chuckle.

I have two older sisters as well- Sarra and Emmila. They do not live in the house, but are coming home for Christmas.

5.) "Where do they work?"

My host mother, Riitä, works at a Health Care center and my host father works as Fire Chief  ( I was taken there one day to be shown around. It's pretty spiffy.)

6.) "animals?"

One kind dog named Leo.
Leo is funny

7.) "Do you like them?"

Yes. It is hard to switch home during the holidays. Not because of the hassle of getting presents for people who you barely even know their names. (funny story I didn't know my host dads name for the first week. I was embarrassed to ask... I know now. Ykä,) But switching from a place where you felt at home to a place where you are knocked off your feet again is hard. You don't really have a place in a sense.

But the other day I woke up for breakfast and I went down and drank coffee on a stool in the kitchen as my host mom danced to some Finnish tunes. Everyone was in and out of the kitchen. And at the moment, looking around. It is a family. I am in a family again.