Maaliskuu

I know it’s a bit late but this is what my March has been like!  It’s started to get a bit warmer and the days are getting much longer, spring is coming and the snow is melting. This month I’ve had quite a few firsts. First time downhill skiing, seeing reindeer and crossing the arctic circle. It was also my first non-camping easter that I can remember which was really different. I really love the Finnish winter, it’s like Christmas everyday.

At the beginning of the month there was a ski holiday for all of Finland. My host family took me to Rovaniemi with my host brother’s ice hockey team. We took the bus to a city called Kemi and stayed in a hotel for the night and then to Rovaniemi the next morning. Kirsi, Pinja and I went to Santa’s village while the boys played their hockey game. I sent some postcards home and then we went to the Santa house. I met the real Santa Claus! I also got to see some reindeer for the first time in my life and cross the arctic circle.

For the second part of the ski holiday my host family took me to a ski resort called Tahko. We stayed in a really cute cabin by a lake, which was frozen so we could ski on it. I got to try downhill skiing for the first time and at the beginning I was pretty scared of going to fast but I learned how to control my skis and stop. I wasn’t as scared by the end but still I was only on a small slope. [There is a video of facebook]

A week later I went with my school to another ski resort, Vuokatti. Pinja got me off the kids hills and I tried skiing from the top. I didn’t use the steepest slopes but I felt like I accomplished something that I thought I wouldn’t, at least not that day. It was a really fun trip and really nice sunny weather. The snow blinded me as I skied because I didn’t have goggles but it was worth it.

I got to travel to Oulu for a day and met one of my oldies from America, He showed me around the city and we saw the toripollisi statue which is the famous thing in Oulu. It’s just a fat policeman that was named in honour of the police that once patrolled the market place. One of my other oldies from America came to Nivala to visit me and we explored the city which is just lots of supermarkets and a cow statue but it was still a lot of fun.

At the end of the month there was Easter, or Pääsiäinen in Finnish. My family took me to their house in Happajärvi. We went walking in snow shoes and ate soo much chocolate.

On Easter Sunday Finnish kids dress up as witches and go around door to door just like halloween. Beforehand they have taken sticks and decorated them with feathers and other things and this is what they trade for the chocolate. When they come to the door they have a little song they sing. I tried to learn it but it was a bit hard to pronounce, kind of a tongue twister.

Virvon varvon, tuoreeks terveeks, tulevaks vuodeks, vitsa sulle , palkka mulle 

I wave a twig for a fresh and healthy year ahead; a twig for you, a treat for me!)

One other Finnish Easter tradition is Koko. They have huge bonfires and traditionally they were done by the farmers to scare away the bad spirits since Jesus had died and cannot protect their animals and farms.

kokoo Koko kokko kokoon. This is an actual Finnish sentence that means “gather up the whole bonfire”.

Hei hei

-Jess