My name is Annalee Sekulic. I am spending my junior year of high school in Helsinki, Finland as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student. This is to document the journey of a lifetime.
I came home from school on Tuesday and got all dolled up for a behind the stage tour and show at Finland's National Opera. I wore a purple dress, black tights, and black heels. I am trying to be classy- classy means I only ripped my tights once and changed them in the back of a car.
So the only thing which I have problems with here is the buses. Before the opera, I never had to work them. I always walked or took trains, but I wasn't planning to walk across helsinki at night in heels. Not this girl. So yeah the buses. That did not work out really well and I may have gotten really lost. Any way, the system here works where I called my awesome counselor and explained what happened and apparently I needed a trolley... I found the trolley. and then I just followed all the old fancy ladies.
Still following the... I know its kinda creepy. But yay for observation skills!
Once I arrived we went to get my ticket and I was let loose to find where my seat was. Surprising I had a nice balcony seat. So fancy! I wish I knew what it was about but there was a naked man, a lot of affairs, and Susanna. They sang about a door also. It was called Figaron Häät. It was in Italian and had Finnish subtitles. During intermission we went and had these fancy cakes with berries on the top and coffee. Again more coffee, I am not complaining but you need to understand this part of the culture.
I am pretty sure I moved seats a few times...
I have to be fancy.
The president of my club gave me a ride home. We talked and he is so very kind. I have been blessed with a great club. Opera something which fins take pride in. I understand. The costumes, scenery, and the actors were are outstanding.
Fact: Opera can be a blast even if you make up your own plot
This is it. I have made it though the black out. I have done it. I am proud. I am humbled. I can do this.
I swear I didn't turn 17 this past month. I turned 30. I do not know where I would be if did not choose to go on exchange. I know it is cheesy but I am a new person.
I could go on and on about what I learned and what I did, but right now I have no words to express.
I am the luckiest girl in the world. We did it. The month. I didn't break.
I get to talk to my family soon and again I am speechless. I have a flood of thoughts in my head. Do I have an accent now? What happens if I get tired and want to sleep? What if something is awkward?
I don't know what to say. I just want to hear their voices.
I look at the first month and I now know why I am so speechless- if all this happened in a month then what will happen in the next 11.
We went back to heaven this weekend. The cottage is the most peaceful place in the world. We spent the weekend hiking and sauna. I swam in 50 degree water. I picked mushrooms and looked at all the stars in the world I swear. I slept and boated. We explored and found old farms.
We did so much in the weekend but we also did nothing. I woke each morning to the warmest smell and folk music (my family has great taste in music) My Aiti had wool socks for me because I am not prepared for the coldness here.
We laid around for hours napping and reading.
When I mean peaceful, I mean the purest for of that word. There is no sounds except for water hitting the shore. There is no room for sound. The air is so so fresh, you cannot fill your lungs fast enough. There is no pressing to get things done and there is always tea warm and ready.
Meet Luis. He is an exchange student also but from Mexico. Luis is here through a different program but we have become best buds. He's stuck with me and I with him.
Friday was picture day and my phone went off and took a bunch of photos. I felt this was a good one which summed up my usual confused state. The picture days are very different. It is like a photo shoot. I felt famous!
After school we headed out and we arrived there around dark. Going across the water at night was like the scene from Series of Unfortunate Events, the one with all the leaches. It was an extremely Erie experience.
Some of the many deadly mushrooms. But spiders aren't poisonous here, so that's a plus!
The old farm we found. And not just a 100 year old farm hahaha no... Finland is really old. Think more like built 200 years ago, remains still from 1912.
Please note the coffee grinder. Coffee is a huge part of the culture. Just got home- coffee, out with friends-coffee, sad- coffee, happy-coffee, every meal-coffee
It is everywhere.
We then hiked for a few more hours. You can tell its fall already because the colors are changing and I can already see my breath.
In the middle of hiking we went to the shore for a break from the bugs of hell- moose flies.
After hiking we ate and napped more then went out boating.
My host sister buried me in the sand. It was so cold but hilarious.
On the boat ride in you could see the bonfire. I cannot express enough how dark it was that night. I have never seen so many stars. The weather was chilly but after the sauna it was so warm. We cooked sausages and just looked at the stars.
The last evening we hung out and hiked. On the ride home we watched movies and laughed. There is so much laughter in my life. Warm laughter in the chilly wind.
So the only thing which I have problems with here is the buses. Before the opera, I never had to work them. I always walked or took trains, but I wasn't planning to walk across helsinki at night in heels. Not this girl. So yeah the buses. That did not work out really well and I may have gotten really lost. Any way, the system here works where I called my awesome counselor and explained what happened and apparently I needed a trolley... I found the trolley. and then I just followed all the old fancy ladies.
