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.