Week 19 - Professional

This week in Turku has been my last full week in Turku, and so I have had to finish my placement. I have completed 235 hours in placement, and I have enjoyed almost every moment of this. At the beginning of my placement it was difficult to me to find my place, as the children and the adults were quite shy to speak English to me, or to involve me in their play. However, as time went by, I felt like I was a member of staff in this placement, and the parents, children and staff were very friendly and welcoming towards me. Throughout my experience in the Finnish Eskari, I have noted many differences with this placement, compared with placements in Northern Ireland. The first, most obvious difference is that the children in this pre-school were aged 6 and 7, whereas in Northern Ireland, the children are aged 3 and 4 in a pre-school. Another major difference for me was that in the Eskari, the children learn to speak another language (English).  To learn this language, the children would normally have morning circle time, where they would speak about the date, the type of weather, what day it was, the season and the months of the year. I think that this is really great that the children are encouraged to speak and learn another language, because in Northern Ireland, the children do not learn another language in pre-school or even primary school. Throughout this time, I realise how important it is for children to learn another language when they are so young, because they learn so quickly. Some children in this placement even spoke 3 languages fluently! This has changed my original view on children learning languages, and now I think it is very important. Leaving this Eskari was difficult for me because I feel that I have learnt so much there, in such a short space of time. I am certain that I will never forget the time I spent in this Eskari, and I hope that one day the Finnish I learnt there will be put to good use!

Week 18 - Personal

This week in Turku the Finnish people are still celebrating the ice hockey win from their country. They have put on a big concert, that is free for everyone, and the cup was brought to Turku. The Finnish people were in a positive mood all week, and people were looking forward to this concert and exhibition of the cup. Also some of the Finnish players were in Turku with the cup so people were excited about that. For me, it was also exciting as I shared this day with my friends, and it was good to see a glimpse of Finnish culture, and discuss it with my friends. This is also a sad week for me because a lot of my friends here have finished their studying and are leaving this week, or next, as am I. This whole experience on Erasmus has been a life changing experience for me and I am sorry that it has been so short. I feel that I have made some lifelong friends, and I intend to keep in touch with many people. Before I came on Erasmus, I never had any friends who weren’t from Northern Ireland, but now I have friends from all over the world! It was a great experience for me, and I feel that this experience has made me more open-minded. I had the opportunity to ask people from other countries about their cultures, and even stereotypes of their countries. It has made me realise that people are people, and you can make friends with anyone, from any country if you have the right attitude. This Erasmus experience has shown me that I can go to another country alone, and I can take myself out of my comfort zone, because everyone who is on Erasmus is in a similar situation to me, and so everyone wants to experience new cultures, and make new friends. I understand now that I am very lucky to have been chosen for Erasmus, and so I should not take anything for granted. I would strongly recommend the Erasmus experience for anyone and everyone. I can honestly say that I have never had an experience like this before in my life, and I will be deeply saddened to leave this experience behind.

Week 17 - Cultural

This week in Turku has been an exciting week for Finnish people. There has been ice hockey on for the last few weeks and this week Finland made it into the final against Sweden. This is a momentous occasion because the last time Finland won the gold medal in the world championships was in 1995. This is especially competitive because it is against Sweden, and Finland and Sweden seem to be very competitive against each other. The final was played, and the centre of Turku was full of people, watching the final of this match in all the bars that showed the match. Some friends and I also went to watch the match. The atmosphere at the beginning of the game seemed quite tense, and obviously Finnish people take this game seriously. As the game began, the people would cheer and scream loudly once they showed Finnish fans, but any Swedish fans that they saw would get booed. In the first 20 minutes of the game, neither team had scored and the tension seemed to increase. However, as the game went on it became clear that Finland was going to win. In the final ten minutes of the game, the bar was noisy and Finnish people were celebrating as the score was 3 – 1 to Finland. However, in these final minutes, Finland managed to score another 3 times. The Finnish people were ecstatic and they were screaming, cheering and celebrating. Then, as soon as the match was over, Finnish people were chanting and singing. They seemed so joyful. When we left the bar, there were cars driving around with the Finnish flags, and people cheering out the windows of the cars to passer-by’s. When we got to the square in the centre of Turku, the square was full of people dancing, cheering, drinking and singing. For me, this was refreshing to see, because usually Finnish people are so serious and quiet. This reminded me of a big celebration we would have back at home, and some Finnish people compared it to winning the world cup of football. This showed me another side to Finnish people, where everyone was happy and carefree. It was great to see this from Finnish people, and I hope it will not be the last time!

Week 16 - Professional

This week in Turku I have been at my placement. My placement days are nearly over, but I have become quite attached to this particular setting and so I do not want to leave. I only have a few remaining days and so I have spread them out so that I am doing only one day a week, mainly on a Tuesday or Wednesday. I really love this placement now, it was so difficult for me at the beginning of this term, because the children speak only Finnish, and it was difficult for me to communicate with them as I spoke no Finnish. However, as the time passed in this setting, the children became more accustomed to be and relaxed around me. They were very shy about speaking their English to me at the beginning, and this led me to believe that they did not know any English. However, the children became more used to me, as so they began to teach me Finnish. As I was learning Finnish, I was also teaching the children the English words for these items. The children also spoke to me in Finnish sometimes, and I could understand a little of what they were saying. The children and the adults in this setting have been very patient with me whilst teaching me Finnish, and they have helped me enormously by using hand gestures and body language whilst trying to explain or describe something to me. For me, this has been a great experience because in any of the other settings I have been in at home, the children and the adults all speak English fluently. It has been a really great and interesting experience for me to learn to communicate with the children, and even teach them with a language barrier. I understand that I have needed to learn some Finnish, and with the help of the children and adults in this setting I have managed to do this. I am glad that I was placed in this particular setting because it gave me the opportunity to meet these people, and made it easier to understand their culture, and the Finnish language. Also from being in this placement, I can understand how quickly children do learn languages, and I feel that this will influence my teachings at home, because in Northern Ireland we don’t start to learn another language until we are 12 years old.

Week 15 - Cultural

This week in Finland has marked the beginning of Vappu. Vappu occurs over May Day bank holiday and it is a big celebration in Finland. Originally it was celebrated as international Labour Day in Finland and it has transpired into a week of celebrations throughout Finland. Generally, Vappu is celebrated on the eve of Vappu which was a Saturday this year. The whole week, all the bars and clubs held free concerts and drinks promotions for people who wanted to celebrate the Vappu celebrations early. Even during the day there was music and bands playing in the kauppatori (market square) to lift people’s spirits. The weather was great all week too which helped also. On Saturday, is it traditional for people to have a picnic, and drink silmaa which is a fruit flavoured traditional Finnish drink (non-alcoholic). Throughout the week we would see people wearing different costumes and colourful wigs to celebrate Vappu. On Saturday, it is traditional for all the students to gather together and clean one of the statues in the kauppatori with a giant toothbrush. This is like a game because the statue moves locations every year and the students must find it. Also, during the evening on Saturday, at 6pm all of Turku gathers together to put on the special graduation caps (that you can only get once you graduate from high school in Finland). The mayor of Turku gave a speech at the top of the hill in the kauppatori, and afterwards everyone put on their graduation caps. I had never seen so many people in Turku and the streets were filled with people who were celebrating and drinking champagne. Compared with home, this is very unusual because we don’t have a celebration like this for May Day bank holiday. Here in Turku, the entire city comes together in celebration and I feel that this is something special to witness. Everyone is happy and celebrating. After this occasion, the celebrations continued late into the night where the people went to the bars or clubs, to continue celebrating Vappu, and almost every bar had some kind of concert and promotions on inside. I am glad that I was able to witness this celebration in Finland, as I have never had a celebration like this in Northern Ireland, and it was good to see the Finnish people in a different light, rather than just as serious, almost robotic people.

Week 14 - Personal

I have been in Finland for 14 weeks now and this means that I have only 4 or 5 weeks left in Finland. The time has really gone so fast and I can't believe that it is nearly over. I have met so many new friends here, and I hope that we will continue to be friends even though we will be going back to our home countries in a month. The weather is changing rapidly here also. The days are a lot longer, and the weather is hot and sunny. When I see Finland in this climate, it is almost like a different country than the one that I arrived in. This is making it seem even more difficult for me to leave here. I feel like Finland is now my home and I am comfortable here with all my friends. This week, some friends and I visited Ruissalo, which is a seaside area just outside of Turku. This is a beautiful area of Turku and it is very peaceful and tranquil. As I am nearly finished my placement, I have a lot of free time to spend with my friends so we can explore Turku a lot more, and go to areas that we have not yet been in. Also next week is Vappu week, and I have heard so much about this special day in Finland that I am really looking forward to it. Some Finnish people have said that it is the best day of the year to be in Finland. Also, with the warmer weather and longer days here in Finland all the Finnish people seem to be a lot happier, and friendlier towards other people. For example, whenever I first arrived here the Finns seemed to be quite enclosed in themselves, and rarely spoke. However, now the bus is always full of chatter, and Finnish people are constantly smiling and speaking to you, even if they don’t know you! For me, this is quite refreshing to see as it seems like Finnish people are becoming more humane, and not just acting like robots! I look forward to experiencing Vappu and the Finnish culture of this week, and I hope to enjoy it as my time left here is very short.

Week 13 - Cultural

This week I have been travelling a lot. I have attended the ESN event called the Sea Battle where all the students from Scandinavia went on a boat together from Helsinki, to Tallinn, and then to Stockholm afterwards. There were students from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. For me, this was an amazing opportunity to experiences cultures from all over the world, as many of the students on this trip were exchange students. The first day, we went to visit Stockholm after travelling all night on the boat. When we arrived in Stockholm it was beautiful weather and the people were very friendly and open to us. We went to visit the palace and several monuments in Stockholm. The currency in Stockholm is the krona (plural “kronor”) and one euro equalled 10 kroner. We spent a total of 9 hours in Stockholm, and for me it was not enough. The city has a lot to offer, and many different cultural events like free concerts and exhibitions. The day after Stockholm, we went to Tallinn in Estonia. Tallinn was also a beautiful city with two parts, the old town and the new town. In the old town, many people were dressed in old outfits, and were giving people medieval coins as souvenirs. They also had people who had stalls on the streets who made traditional Estonian nuts and fruits. They made this food using traditional tools and barrels and this was very interesting to watch. When we arrived back to Finland after the sea battle, the next day i went to St Petersburg in Russia. This trip was interesting to me as we visited different children's homes and centres there. St Petersburg was a beautiful city, but you had to be very careful with your belongings there as there were many pickpockets about. Many of the people in Russia did not speak English and so it was difficult to engage and communicate with them. Also in Russia, it is rude to blow your nose in public, or for a woman to cross her legs whilst on public transport. This was interesting to learn because for me these are normal everyday things and I would not find them rude at all. St Petersburg was a very beautiful city, and it was very different from any other city that I have been in. It is interesting for me to see the differences between all these cities, and I thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

Week 12 - Professional

This week I have been in my placement for only two days. I am nearly finished all my hours in placement, and I want to keep going there for as many weeks as possible, so I am trying to spread out my few remaining days. On Thursday of this week, the children and I visited Turku castle. The children were very excited about this visit and they were thrilled at getting a day out. They thoroughly enjoyed the castle, and climbing all the stairs! The children had a lot of fun there, as there were many rooms for them to hide in and jump out to scare their friends! I found it very strange that my setting did not need the parents’ permission to take the children on an outing from the setting. The parents also did not have to pay any extra money for this trip because it is all included in the price of the day-care. I personally thought that the children were given a lot more independence when they went on this visit compared with the settings of home, because the children were given the freedom to wander around the rooms and explore the different artifacts that the castle had to offer. It was very interesting for me to see this because even though the children were free to explore the rooms and artifacts without a tour, they were very obedient to the teachers and they showed them a lot of respect. On Friday when I was in placement, we took the children for a walk in the Finnish forest beside the placement. This was very beautiful as spring is coming, and the weather was good. We came to a clearing in the forest, and again the children were free to roam around the forest and to explore the different types of plants and animals. The children are given a lot more independence and freedom here in Finland, compared with home and it makes me think that perhaps we should give the children more respect and independence at home. The children seem to appreciate the independence they are given, and then they in turn show respect to the adults in their setting. I feel like this will change my own practice when I return to Northern Ireland as I feel that I will give the children there more independence in these settings.

Week 11 - Personal

This week has been quite busy for me. I have been in placement for 3 days, and I have been exhausted after Norway. I have slept alot and I also had a Finnish exam on Tuesday, which I passed! Unfortunately on Friday, my laptop broke, and wouldn't turn back on so I feel like I cannot keep in contact with anyone. It is very expensive for me to use my mobile here, and I have to pay to use the computers in the Kauppatori (town centre) so I have been relying on friends and the computer labs in the University. This has been quite frustrating for me because usually the computer labs are closed when I get there and so I have to borrow a computer from a friend, but then I cannot use it for too long. On Saturday a few friends and I decided that we wanted to try and do the sauna and then the ice swimming afterwards, before all the ice melts. We went to a place called Uittamo, which is about 10 minutes from the centre of Turku. The sauna cost 4 Euros to use, and you could stay for as long as you wanted. My friends and I watched as people came from the sauna and ran to the water. There were a few holes cut out of the frozen sea, where people were jumping into. When I saw this I felt nervous, and I was unsure if I could do it or not. Anyway, we decided that we would try this, and so we went into the sauna for 20 minutes, which was a mixed sauna. When we felt that we couldn't stand the heat any longer, we ran to the water and immediately jumped into it. When I jumped into the water, my immediate reaction was to get back out again! The water was freezing and it completely shocked me. I got straight out of the water and went back to the sauna again. We repeated this about 5 or 6 times, and each time we did this we could stay in the water for longer. This was the first time I had ever done this and I would thoroughly recommend everyone to try this. There were people of all ages and sizes, and after this, my skin felt so smooth and I felt so refreshed! I think I will definitely be doing this again in the near future, and my only regret is that I didn't try it sooner!

Week 10 - Cultural

This week when I have been in Finland, I decided to travel to Norway with a few friends. We flew from Tampere airport, to Oslo airport. When we arrived in Oslo we decided to rent a car and to drive to the Fjords in the west of Norway. We were unsure of where to go to rent a car, or how much this would cost, but the people in Norway were very friendly and helpful. We were told that we needed a bus to another airport to rent a car, and we were directed where to go. When we were on the bus, the driver was friendly and he informed us when we needed to get off the bus. When we had rented the car, we drove the whole of the first night towards the Fjords. It was very exhausting, and we had to stop many times for directions. However, the Norwegian people spoke very good English and they were always very helpful and friendly to us. There was even a woman in a shop that printed out the ferry times for us along with a map so that we could find our way! This was a big difference to me from Finland, because even though Finnish people are friendly and helpful, they seem very shy and they are insecure of speaking English around people. Therefore at first glance Finnish people may seem to be impolite or unfriendly towards foreigners. After we found the Fjords, we were in awe of their beauty. The second night we were there, we had nowhere booked to stay, so we had asked a few people who were in the town next to the Fjords. Unfortunately as it was not tourist season, all the hotels were closed, except one. This hotel was only open for this night, because some people had booked it out. One lady who owned a coffee shop told us this, and she even offered to ring the owner to try and get us a room. She told us that there was a room available and we should go to the hotel to speak to the owner. We went there and the owner told us he could offer us a room (this hotel was a four star hotel) for only 1000 kroner, which worked out at about 25 Euros each. We got the room so cheap because the owner told us that the nearest hotel that was open was another four hours driving away. I was stunned at this generosity and I couldn't help but compare this with a Finnish person. Personally, I feel that if I was in Finland, I don't think this would have happened, because Finnish people seem to be very sensible and precise. Perhaps in Finland we would have gotten the room a little cheaper, if at all, but not much. The whole time I was in Norway, I was unintentionally comparing the Finnish and the Norwegian people. Generally, the Norwegian people were very friendly, helpful, polite and compassionate to us whilst we were travelling. However I felt that Finnish people may seem less friendly and impolite as they do not like to speak alot of English, and this may make people think they are rude. However, as I have been in Finland for 10 weeks now, I understand that Finnish people may feel insecure about speaking English, so I know that they are not being rude and they are just shy.

Week 9 - Cultural

This week I spent a lot of time in my placement. On Thursday, it was St Patrick’s Day, and when I mentioned this to the staff in my placement, they were unsure of the meaning, and had never celebrated this day before. Therefore we agreed that I would teach the children all about the significance of the day, and take an activity with them. St Patrick’s Day is not a public holiday in Finland, and so very few people are aware that this day exists. On Thursday, whilst I was in my placement, I explained the significance of the day to the children and we agreed to make paper maché snakes, to reflect the myth that St Patrick took all the snakes out of Ireland. The children were thrilled with this idea, and so we began to make the snakes. When I showed the children a shamrock, there was only one child who had seen this before, and so I also had to explain the relationship between the shamrock, and Saint Patrick's Day. I was very surprised when the children and the staff were unaware of this day, because I know that St Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in America and many other countries around the globe. This week I also visited Turku castle. Turku Castle is the largest surviving medieval building in Finland, and one of the largest surviving medieval castles in Scandinavia. It stands as a national monument, on the banks of the Aura River, as it has done since the 14th century. The castle contains many antique monuments and items, such as old military uniforms or antique coins. There are even some surviving items from the castle itself, such as old clothes, swords, coins and tools. This was very interesting to go and look at because there were a lot of ancient artifacts, and the castle also had a museum attached to it where there were even more artifacts, such as furniture, weapons and personal items from people of that time. This week really introduced me to the history of Turku, and I hope that in the near future I can go to other cultural events, in order to find out some more about the history of Turku.

Week 8 - Personal

This week has been a good week for me. I have been in my placement a lot and I feel like I am learning a lot of Finnish and the children are a lot more aware of me. The children are a lot more responsive to me when I speak, and they are very encouraging when I attempt to speak Finnish! They are helping me to learn Finnish, and I feel that this is very interesting as I feel like the roles have been reversed, where I am the student, and the children are my teachers. The children also make more of an effort to include me in their play, and they are making an effort to speak and learn English with me. For example if I was sitting at a table, the children would bring their games to me, so as to include me. The first time that the children did this, I was pleasantly surprised but immediately interacted with them. I feel like I have progressed a lot personally since arriving in Finland. I feel that before I arrived in Finland I was quite narrow minded about the Finnish language. I felt that I didn’t need to learn a lot of Finnish because everyone would speak English. I now understand the importance of making an effort to speak someone’s native language with them, and the effort is appreciated. I also find it interesting to see how I can interact with the children with the language barrier, however now I am finding it a lot easier as the children know me better. I can now understand that I am not the only one with the language barrier, and that the children also have a language barrier with me. However, the children and I are making an equal effort to interact with each other, and teach each other about our language. I feel that this experience will influence me in my future placements. I feel that perhaps there is too much emphasises on what is said in a setting, rather than a person’s body language or their actions. I feel like I know these children and their personalities because of our interaction through play. Therefore, I feel that I am also learning through play, and not just the children.

Week 7 - Professional

This week in Turku I have been spending a lot of time at my placement. This week my placement took the children swimming together as a class. I found this interesting at the children are only 6 or 7 years old, and so I thought that this was a young age to go swimming. I also thought it was interesting that the children went as a class, during school time to the swimming lessons. When the children were finished swimming in the pool, they would come out and shower naked altogether! I was astonished at this when I saw this because it is very different at home. Once the children had showered, they would then go into the sauna naked altogether. This was surprising for me because I had never seen this before. The children at home would never go to the sauna, and it would be very unlikely that if they did, they would go alone. The children here are given a lot of respect and independence, whereas I feel that at home, the children are almost being observed by at least one adult. It is significant to note these differences, as I feel that the Finnish children here expect their independence, and that they can be quite self sufficient. Everyday that the children went swimming, they always showered, then went to the sauna, showered again and then dressed themselves. All the children here could dress themselves with no help from any of the teachers or assistants. Once the children were dressed, they would then go and get a magazine or a book, and read it sensibly until it was time to go. I feel that this showed some maturity and sense on the part of the children, and I felt that it was interesting when I compared it to home. It makes me think that perhaps if the children at home were given more respect and independence then they may be grateful for this, and act responsibly. Once the adults in the setting had finished swimming with the children, they would also shower naked, and they were comfortable with this. This also astonished me, because I had never seen this in any of the other settings I had been in. The people here in Finland seem to be very comfortable with their bodies, and they feel that it is completely normal to sauna naked.  This was very surprising to me as in Northern Ireland, nobody really goes to the sauna, and if they do, they do not go naked!

Week 6 - Personal

This week, I have been extremely busy. I have been working in placement, but this week has been winter holiday week in Finland, so the pre-school has been off. Instead, I have been working in the day care area of the setting. This has been very demanding and exhausting for me! The children are used to me now, and so they speak to me often, in Finnish! I think this is very interesting, as we can still communicate well and I can understand what they are saying, without understanding their language. The children are also helping to teach me Finnish, for example, I would point at an object and say it in English, and then they would tell me the Finnish version of the word. This week, I also went to Moomin world. Moomin world is a version of the cartoon called, “the Moomins”. This is very well known in Finland, and many children love the Moomins. Moominland was in Naantali, which is a small town just outside of Turku. When we arrived there, the views were breathtakingly beautiful. The sea was completely frozen, and so people were skiing and ice skating on the ocean. It was also a very sunny day, so I think it made people seem happier! My friends and I went around Moominland, and we also went ice skating on the ocean! It was a great experience for me, as I had never had the opportunity to do this before. A few days after Moominland, and few friends and I decided to go sledging. It was on an island beside Turku but we found the right place without any problems. When we got there, we saw people we knew so we could borrow their sledges. I had never been sledging before so it was a new experience for me. However, the first time I went down the hill, I knew I loved it! It was such great fun, and I met some new friends there too! Everyone was so friendly, and we had a good laugh whilst sledging because we fell off a few times (of course!). Throughout this last week in Finland, I have met so many people, and I have really enjoyed myself. I feel so comfortable here, and I have met some really great people, I almost feel I don’t want to come home! I am really enjoying my time here in Finland, and feel so grateful to have this opportunity.

Week 5 - Cultural

This week I had my first get finternational class. It was very interesting as it meant that I got to meet a variety of people from a lot of different backgrounds. We were all talking about our different countries, and we discussed about what made cultures from around the world different. I learnt a lot about different people, and about their cultures. I found this extremely interesting, as in some cultures for example in Spain or Mexico, when someone kisses their hands and puts it in the shape of an O, this can mean very good. However, in other cultures this sign can be very offensive.  There were people in the class from Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Vietnam, Korea and Finland. This gave me an inside view into many cultures, and not just the culture of Finland. I also learnt about how the culture of Finnish people can be in a social nature. I went to a reggae concert to see a Finnish reggae band playing.  This band was very good, and it was extraordinary to see how the Finnish people could be so different. Whenever I see Finnish people on the bus, or on the street they seem very solemn and serious. However, when I saw this band, the people were the opposite! They were very happy and joyful, and there were many people dancing. The music was very upbeat, and it was very happy music. It was extraordinary to see how people who lived in such a cold climate, could still experience and create the music than is normally seen in a Caribbean country. There were a lot of Finnish people at this concert, and all the words to the songs were in Finnish, so it was clear that this band, and the venue, were usually filled with Finnish people, and not exchange students. I felt that this was quite refreshing to see, as normally any social events I go to are mainly for the exchange students. This gave me the opportunity to gain a greater insight into the everyday life of a Finnish person, and gave me the chance to get a real taste of some Finnish music firsthand. From this event, I have met many Finnish friends, and they are teaching me more and more everyday about cultural differences in Finland, and also about different Finnish artists.

Week 4 - Professional

This week in Finland, I had properly started to work in my placement. When I arrived there, the staff were very friendly and welcoming to me. They gathered the children into a circle where I introduced myself to the children, and they introduced themselves to me in English. The children were learning the days of the week in English and so they then picked what day it was, and stuck it onto the wall. I noticed that the children knew the months of the year in English too, along with different types of weather. However, the children seemed to be shy to speak English around me so I tried my best to encourage them. I saw a box of toy animals on the shelves and so I would have picked up some of these animals and said their names in English. The children then repeated what I said, and as soon as one or two children were doing this, the others wanted to join in. I hope that this will encourage the children to speak English freely around me, as I find it difficult to communicate with them due to the language barrier. Often, I speak some of my limited Finnish to the children, and they are very courteous to me. However, I find that with my limited Finnish, and their limited English, it is difficult to have a proper conversation with the children. I have also notices that in my placement the children are very independent, and they rarely seem to argue or disagree on anything. The children are very good at sharing and they know how to take it in turns. I am unsure if this is because these children are a few years older than the age I am used to working with, or if it is because the children are encouraged to share from a young age. I have also noticed that at mealtimes the children always eat what they are given, and they never complain about the food that is being served to them. They are asked if they are, “a little hungry or very hungry” and so they get their portions accordingly. If a child says that they are, “very hungry” they seem to get very large portions, but they eat it all. This may be because the children get breakfast at 8am and then lunch at around 11am. They do not get a snack in-between and quite often, they have been playing outside for a long period of time.  After dinner, the children do not get a sweet treat; however they do have chewing gum or a mint. The children are old enough to understand that they cannot swallow the chewing gum, and it is good for their teeth. The children would eat again at around 1pm, and this would usually be some fruit and cereal, with milk. I thought that this was very different from any other placements I have been in, because usually the children would have lunch at midday, and then a sweet treat afterwards. Even though I have only been in this placement for a short period of time, I feel that this will be a great learning experience for me to experience the workplace in a different culture, and it will also give me a unique opportunity to understand what it is like to work in a setting where there is language barrier between the children and I.

Week 3 -Lapland (Cultural)

This week in Finland we travelled to Levi, Lapland. The bus journey took a long, exhausting and sleepless 17 hour journey, but as soon as we arrived, I knew it was worth it. We stopped off at Santa's village where we met Santa (The real one!) and had some breakfast. The temperature was a cold - 8 when we were there, although I was prepared for worse.

When we arrived in Levi, the first thing I noticed was that everyone seemed to ski everywhere. There was even a ski bus which was free for people. There were also a lot of ski and snow boarding slopes for all levels. The next day, we went on a snowmobiling safari. We rented the snowmobiles in pairs and took it in turns to drive. We drove to a reindeer farm where we were able to feed the reindeer's, and learn a little about them. The next day we went on a husky safari where we were able to see some real Finnish culture. In Lapland, they often have husky races that can last a few days. I found that the husky’s were very difficult to control and they would keep running all day if you let them! Our sleigh had several near crashes and I even fell of once or twice! Then after the husky’s we went snowshoeing where we were able to rent the shoes from intersport.
We went along the winter hiking trail beside mount Levi which was very scenic and beautiful. We also met a few walkers along the way. Later on that night we went to a Chinese ice sculpture park where we were able to see some beautiful and very talented artists. This seemed to be a mixture between Chinese culture, in the Finnish ice and it was a wonderful experience to see the talent that was presented there. The next day, I went horse riding through a Finnish forest, where I was truly able to experience the peaceful and beautiful scenery in Lapland. The horse riding lasted several hours and truly was an experience of a lifetime. The next day, we got up early and packed to go home from Lapland. The bus left at 11.30am and along the journey home we stopped off at the famous Finnish snow castle. This snow castle was similar to the ice sculpture park as it also had figures sculpted in snow and ice, but these figures were mainly directly linked to Finland, for example, there were a lot of moomin sculptures. Throughout my trip to Lapland, I feel that my knowledge of Finnish culture had expanded greatly, and that I ad learnt many things about Finnish people and their cultures that I was unaware of previously. This trip was a once in a lifetime experience for me and I only wish that I could go back again! I encourage anyone who has this opportunity to grab it with both hands, as this experience will change your opinion of Finnish people and cultures in a positive manner. I feel that this experience has changed me in a personal manner, and made me a lot more open minded.