Let's start off with the group family shot, taken last Friday at my goodbye dinner. This is what I know as the 'Erkamo' family, and all members live within walking distance in Mäkelä, Finland.
From left: Heikki Erkamo (host dad), myself, Hannu (Tuuli's step dad), Heikki's father, Heikki's mother, Vilja Erkamo (host sister), Eila (Tuuli's mother), Tuuli Erkamo (host mother), Meri Erkamo (host sister). Photo credit to anonymous waitress!
My goodbye dinner was at a local sports center/country club near Lahti. The sports center is actually an internationally known location and they had a Canadian flag on hand to place on our table during dinner! Tuuli's step-father Hannu seems surprised in this photo, with Heikki's mother on the left.
This photo is from Dec. 6th. Here we are in Sibeliustalo (Sibelius Hall) in Lahti just prior to the Finnish Independence Day Concert by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
From left: Vilja Erkamo (host sister. 12), Hannu (step-father of Tuuli), Meri Erkamo (host sister, 14), Heikki Erkamo (host father), myself.
On Dec. 14th, the family celebrated Meri's 14th birthday. Here we are in the Erkamo's kitchen singing "Happy Birthday" or "Paljon Onnea" in Finnish. I'm in the blue shirt! The pink shirts are the outfits my 2 host sisters wear at choir practice, along with their friends.
I entertained the party guests (mostly family) with "Finlandia" as well as a spontaneous performance of Canada's national anthem.
Despite living at the Erkamo's home for only 3 months, I got many chances to spend time with the entire family. Christmas wasn't just one day, it was 3 days of family visits, eating and staying up late together. Often Tuuli, the girls and I would visit Hannu and Eila just for dinner and spending time together. And I have to say that I was sad to leave the family... they all gave me parting gifts and that really touched me! I know I'll be visiting them again, since they only live 20 minutes outside of Lahti.
My third family has been great so far. They live in Lahti but I still ride the bus for 10 minutes to get to the center of town. Because the father works in Oulu and one of my host sister, Henni, goes to school in Oulu (Oulu = Finnish city 8 hours north of Lahti), I'll be spending most of my time with my host mother and younger host sister, Susanne (15). They have 2 dogs and a cat so I've already been busy walking, feeding and cleaning organisms other than myself.
Another update: our Shad Project won the "Innovation Award" of $1000 from the 2009 Queen's Entrepreneurship Cup last Saturday! This project has gone a long way: best overall and best application of scientific principles at the Shad RBC Cup 2007, Innovation Award at QEC 09, and it also netted me a grade 12 science credit and business credit from my school! Anyway, this 'win' has brought back memories of writing the plan with the other Shads from Shad MUN 2007 and it feels great.
That's all for now! Stay tuned, I have a few more pictures, and the "vanhojen tanssit" are coming up Feb. 12/13th (those are the 'old dances' where I'll be dancing old fashioned dances with a partner with all the other students in my school and in Lahti!)
Expect some fantastic shots from that event!
1 comment:
Hey Dante--- just catching up on your latest blogs, and speaking of piano playing (which sounds very exciting by the way) Mary and I listerned to your Grand Rapids performance the other day! Super good as usual (mind you it wasn't the best sound quality but you get the idea. I've heard you play enough to be able to imagine what it sounded like :) ). So anyways just thought I'd say hi again and nice job on that- and how's the Finnish going? Haha- You must be nearly fluent, no?? Hey, well hope your new family's sweet, I'll talk to you later.
-Hilary
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