The Christmas season in Finland isnt so much about Christmas day as it is the winter season itself. During the holidays the first day that is recognized is the Winter Solstice. I forgot when that was, but its mostly just recognized by everyone talking about how dark it is always outside and now how the winter solstice is passed so each day we will get more light, and it will also be the coldest part of the winter now.

I had about a three week long break from school, and during this time most Finns are at their cottages in the countryside with their families. My last hostfamily was in their cottage and I finally gave them a call to say thanks for everything, so now I cant say that I havent talked to them since I moved, which I feared was going to be the case and make me look complety ungrateful or something. My current hostfamily is one of the only familes of Finns I know who just arent cottage people. Therefore we stayed in Oulu for christmas holidays while pretty much everyone else was gone. It was a ghost city complety, and therefore during most of the days of my break I had very little to do. There was a stretch where I ddint leave my house for 4 days even. I started going on lots of walks with my hostparents because they like to walk for exercise, and I am sorry to admit I have been nordic walking. (walking with ski sticks, which is embarrassing to admit because its concidered only to be for 60 year old ladies or so). During break I did see two of the Austrailian 'oldies' who live in towns slightly near me and visited Oulu for the last time before their return.

In Finland, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th. Christmas eve, eve is christmas eve in other words. On the morning of the 24th you are supposed to go to church, but my hostmom went by herself while I was asleep, so I missed that. When I woke up I helped make the traditional foods with her such as porkkanalaatiko and lontulaatiko and piparit and tortut and pulla. (carrot casserole, ruteabaga casserole, gingerbread cookies, pastries and sweet buns) sorry about the spelling of the finnish words, but ive never seen them written, so im not sure about them. My hostbrother Paulus was visiting us at this time, so I ended up talking with him about reggae and ska for a few hours because those are his favorite kinds of music, and I share the love of ska. Anyways, we watched some christmas tv, Paulus joked about how he dosent see how I can survive in his parents house with no internet, dvd player, and only 4 tv channels, but i manage.

After christmas dinner then Joulupukki comes (santa claus). He comes in the room with a sack and puts the presents under the tree (which my hostdad went and cut down himself somewhere) and you have to sing a special song while he does this. Then joulupukki leaves and you can open your presents. I recieved an alarming quantity of chocolate and socks, and one box of chocolate from my hostmom which was even vegan. They're so nice to me like that. Anyways, the 25th and 26th are also holidays and are celebrated by sitting around and doing nothing cause its cold outside and everywhere is closed.

After finally escaping the trap of boredom I had fallen into, It was new years eve. I had a great time with Peter, the Austrailian 'oldie' in oulu, alex, an exchange student from the US visiting from Nivala, and a large variety of finnish friends. All I can tell you from this is that the new year is rung in in pretty much the same fashion as it is in the US. Very festive. There is supposed to be a tradition that on new years youre supposed to practice magick by melting metal and casting it into a bucket of water and then analyzing the shape it made to see what the new year will bring you, but we kind of didnt do that.

The day after New years day my host sister came to visit with her husband and stepdaughter, Romi. Romi is 14 and very decisive. Very stubborn also. We didnt talk much because she dint want to speak english to me and didnt want to have me speak finnish to her because apparently i suck at it according to Romi. Whatever. Maria, my hostsister was good to talk to however. She is a concert violinist and travels alot with her job, living in hungary for a year, going to france constantly, and stockholm, ect. next month she will be in japan for two weeks. She invited me to come to helsinki and see her play there and stay with her some time shes not too busy, and i will have to take her up on that one. She also apparently had a talk with my hostmom about not being so overprotective since im almost an adult, her idea not mine.

Since then my time here has been spent hanging out with new and old friends here in oulu, enjoying the lack of school. The 6th of Tammikuu, January, is Loppäinäinen or the end of holdiays. that is when you take outside the christmas tree, ect. And try to finish all of the leftovers by then. School restarted on the 8th, and I realize now I have only about 6 practices left before the performane of the play Im in, so I better get a bit more serious about it. Yesterday Peter left to go back to Austrailia, and it was a sad day indeed. He left us a hard act to follow. It also kind of made me realize that people are slow to make friends with exchange students for a reason. there just going to leave after you get to know then well and have some good times together. It also made me realize that Ive been here for 5 months already, and thats completly unacceptable concidering how much nothing ive accomplished. the time is warping, and it needs to stop going so fast. Anyways, the resuming of school resumes normal life. I know my time at school seems to go slowly, so that adds balance to the speeding of the other time. I have 3 classes this jakso however, so its not so bad. Spanish, German and English. English helps me learn Finnish, because I learn their vocab in reverse, and spanish a little bit does the same thing. German just takes all of my time cause i have to figure it out for myself, but languages are the school that im going to's specialty so i might as well take them.

Anyways, thanks for everything and good luck. Jennifer