I don't know if I'm spending more time in Mikkeli or in Ristiina!

Mikkeli factory building
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As the title suggests,  I've recently been to Mikkeli quite often.  My kantele and Finnish lessons started about two weeks ago. The lessons are alot of fun but the iming is really bad.  For example,  on Thursdays,  I go to Mikkeli at three for my kantele lessons which end at four and then I wait for three hours for my Finnish lessons to start.  Luckily,  my host dad has an office in Mikkeli so I can go there,  or I can go to the library or something.  Its the buses that are really bad though.  I have to take the 9.10 one when I come back from Mikkeli because there's a bus only at about every hour and a half.  So,  I get home at about 10.00 because then I have to walk home from the station.  But its not that bad... the lessons are worth the wait.

A nice autumn tree in Mikkeli
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I'm really lucky because my kantele teacher is a famous Finnish kantele player.  She doesn't speak any English but ,  music being a universal language,  we get along very well anyway.  SHe seems very pleased that I am learning quickly.  It helps alot that I play piano though,  that way when she's showing me some chords or something,  I know what she's talking about even if she's not using words.  Also,  kantele is alot like piano,  in fact,  it is a piano without the hammer mechanism.  You pluck the strings yourself.  If you openned a grand piano,  you would basically have a giant kantele.

Random Mikkeli photo
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I have only had two lessons and I can already play a song.... not very well but it'll come.   Its a traditional FInnish song and it kind of reminds me of "Greensleeves",  its very beautiful.  There are also two other girls in my lesson who are about the same age as me.  They've been playing alot longer though - seven years.  They've also been to a music school in kantele,  they're very good.  I've learned that there are several different kinds of kantele.  The biggest ones have little nobs that you can turn to make it minor or major,  the normal ones have no nobs so they're only in minor,  and the smallest ones have only five strings and you hold them up in your arms to play.

Me with a kantele
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On Thursdays I also have Finnish lessons.  They're quite fun even if they're going a little slowly.  I've met lots of people from different places there.  There are four  people from Japan,  about six or seven from Russia (All fo their names are Aleksandr except one (and the girls of course)),  one person from Bangladesh,  one from Irak,  one from Scotland,  Germany,  Thailand,  and Canada (your's truly ;D).  Its very interesting because every different nationality seems to have trouble with different things.  For example,  all the Russians have troubl saying "e" (pronounced "a")  they always say "ie",  and they often mix up the "o" and the "a".  I guess,  they have a different alphabet so,  its harder for them.  Same for the Japanese and Thai students.  The Japanese students always tend to add a vowel at the end of words even if they end in a consonant.  I think its hardest for the Thai student though because Thai is pronounced with pitches in your voice more than with actual sounds.  Also,  they have a very different alphabet.  I quite friends with her and she often asks me how to pronounce some words so that she can translate it into Thai sounds.  Its very cool to see how fast she writes in Thai (it looks awesome too).  I'm also friends with the German student who is just a little older than me.  She's here to work with children,  she's sort of on an exchange program as well but for workers rather than students.  She lives in Mikkeli so,  when I have to wait really long,  we just go for coffee together or I go to her house.  Her schedule is really busy though so sometimes she doesn't have time.  Also,  Harri (my host dad) has an office in Mikkeli and he lets me wait there so I don't have to walk around in the streets for three hours.

The school gathered for the rainsing of the flag
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Last Friday,  I had a "tea-party" with all of my host families.  People in FInland don't seem to invite friends for dinner,  rather for tea and coffee.  Anyway,  it was really nice to see everyone together.  I had met most of my host families already here and there but,  I hadn't had a chance to really ask them questions and get to know them a little better.  I'm moving into my second family in mid-November (which is actually kind of early but my councellor remarked that Christmas might be a little too awkward if I don't know the family well).  A think its a week before the Lapland trip (for which I'm tremendously excited).  I have two host sisters and a host brother in that family but both my host sisters won't be there (the youngest is on exchange in Canada in my district!  She's living in Lethbridge now.  The oldest moved out of the house already).  My host brother is eight years old and he didn't come to the meeting so I didn't get to meet him yet.  My third host family is cousin with my first host family so I've met them before.  Especially since my host sister in my first host family hands out alot with my host sister in my third host family.  I will also have another host sister and a host brother in that family.  They also have horses and my host mother asked if I would like to learn to ride.  I said YES of course.  They also go to their sumer cottage in the summer so I'll probably get to see alot of it next summer.

I wanted to talk a little about the shootings that there were in Western Finland.  It wasn't at all in my area but the whole country is quite shaken by it.  Its the second time it happens this year (first time was last November) and both were done in exactly the same way.  Last Wednesday was declared a day of National mourning.  Normally,  there are no flags up at all in Finland except on Independance Day but Wednesday,  all the flags in FInland were put at halfmast.  All the students in my school turned up for the raising of the flag.  It just shows how seriously Finland takes these things.  I remember the Dawson College shootings in Canada but I don't think we did very much to comemorate those who died.  I think about twenty people were killed on Wednesday,   and the shooter who tried to commit suicide is now in critical condition in a hospital.

On a happier note,  I have alot to look forward to in the next few weeks.  I'm leaving this afternoon for Pieksämäki where I will have my first District meeting with other exchange students.  When I come back,  it will still be exam week at school so I won't have anything to do there.  Therefore,  my host sister has invited me to visit her in Joensuu where she studies at the University.  I will hopefully get a chance to visit some of her classes and have my first day of University in Finland!!!!  Its sort of strange because,  had I not decided to be an exchange student,  I would have started University now.  My friends at home are all talking about how much work they have to do.  I'm very excited to be a part of Campus life in Joensuu... just to see what its like.  We've also planned a movie night.  I'm coming back from Joensuu on Thursday with my host sister because she wants to visit home for the weekend.  Thursday evening,  I'm celebrating my second month in Finland (I really can't believe it) by going to see the Emperial Russian Ballet - Sleeping Beauty by Tchaickovsky.  I'm so excited I get little butterflies in my stomach every time I think about it  (I know,  I'm a nerd).  The weekend after that,  I will visit Savonlinna( art capital of Finland) and Lapeeranta.  The weekend after that is Helsinki weekend (shopping!!!!) and then,  belive it or not,  is the Estonia trip already anad the autumn holiday.  Woohoo!  So busy.  Ah well its much better this way.

I'm sure I will have lots more to write about soon.

Until next time!