Finland!

 
So back in New Zealand I had to go to extra maths classes after school to be able to pass year 11 maths. There I met a friend, in which we ended up talking more than studying the maths itself. Once the exam was over I never did maths again and I didn’t stay in touch with my friend. About six months went by and in that time I applied for an AFS exchange. It also happened that my maths friend, Edene, had also done the same thing. We met at the first ever AFS meeting we had and thought each other looked familiar and as we went round the circle introducing ourselves, we both clicked, maths.


This time around we stayed in contact with each other, by seeing each other at monthly AFS meetings, AFS camps and fundraising for our trips away. Plus there was also the fact that we were going to neighbouring countries, Sweden and Finland. We have also stayed in contact over our year away and we had planned that we would visit each other. Due to Edene having host family complications it all got a bit difficult for Edene to visit me in Sweden but I went off and took a trip to Finland!



On Monday the 10^th I woke up at 5.30am and got taken to the airport bus, bus stop by my host dad. I got on the bus that took me to the airport, checked in, found the only Starbucks in Stockholm and jumped on my plane to Helsinki, Finland!



I was met at the airport by Edene and then we talked nonstop all the way into Helsinki city! I chucked my bag in one of the lockers at the train station and we met up with some of Edene’s friends. The friends we meet up with were exchange students, other AFSers, and the thing with other exchange students is that you are friends right away. It is almost like an unwritten exchange student rule, met another exchange student you are friends. It just seems to work that way. So that day we walked around Helsinki and saw these two magnificent churches, one even had real gold on it! After that we went to a really good pizza and pasta place to have lunch, then we went a walked around the beautiful Helsinki before catching the train to Edene’s house.



One of the Churches in Helsinki

The next day we woke up to rain. No one really likes waking up to rain but what makes it even worse is when the plan is to go to the beach that day and when it is raining going to the beach is not the nicest thing in the world. So we flagged the beach and went to the movies instead. Now when it comes to Edene and I picking a movie, we went for a movie we knew nothing about but we liked the actor in it! It ended up being a really weird film. As it was still raining we meet up with some of Edene’s friends and sat in a cosy coffee shop, talking about our year and everything to do with it!

On Wednesday it was raining yet again but that did not change our plans of going to Helsinki’s Sea fortress. Edene and I got the boat out to the sea fortress all geared up in stylish wet weather gear! The sea fortress in such a cool place. People actually live there as well which would make for a cool place to live. The sea fortress has many old buildings and has an amazing view of both Helsinki and the Baltic Sea. We walked around the sea fortress for a while but with the rain and the sky threating thunder storms we decided we had seen enough and went back to the boat along with many other soaked though people. Of course when we got back to Helsinki the rain had stopped. We again met up with some of Edene’s friends to go and see a free concert in a park. For this I was very thankful it had stopped raining!  The concert was all in Finnish so I got nothing and then the rain started again so Edene and I gave up and went home.

Edene and I at the sea fortress

On Thursday we had decided that we would have a day just around home until it was time to go to Edene’s AFS meeting. It also happened to be the only sunny day I had in Finland! So we sat outside and tried to tan our pale winter skin while listening to New Zealand radio and finding the accents so funny and wondered how we are going to get used to them again when we get home! We then made pikelets, from a kiwi recipe. That night we went off to Edene’s monthly AFS meeting. This was the last meeting of the year as AFS Finland leaves the week before I do. There were a lot of goodbyes and it made going home very real for everyone in the room.

Friday, my last day in Finland. It was raining again. was that really a surprise?! Again we went into Helsinki for the day. We again also met up with Edene’s friends who were great to hang out with! We walked around the city for one last time and sat in yet more coffee shops, with endless conversation! And before I knew it, it was time for me to catch my bus to the airport to fly home.

I think any goodbyes are hard even if you will see the person in a few weeks. But say goodbye to Edene was hard because it was the first goodbye I said in my year. Now with a week to go the goodbyes are just waiting for me with every person I meet.