The Partaharju Camp

Everybody
see all photos »

I was a little nervous to take the train to Pieksämäki because I'd never taken the train here before and I wasn't sure how the system works and everything.  I arrived at the station at about 13.30 and the train left at 14.00.  I actually almost missed my stop because the  train arrived ten minutes early at Pieksämäki and I thought we had made an extra stop.  I guess that was sort of dumb of me,  the point is,  had I not asked "olemmeko Pieksämäkissä?" I would have ended up in Kuopio a few hundred kilometers north.  Thank god I speak a little Finnish.  When I got out of the train,  I met three other exchange students,  Hope from the US,  Dayle from Australia,  and Estefania from Mexico.  We were the first ones to arrive at Partaharju.  By the way,  the lake there is called "beard Lake"  Partajärvi.  I thought that was pretty funny.  Anyway,  the girls cabin was really big and nice with two bedrooms and a second floor (total of 18 beds),  a living room,  a kitchen,  two bathrooms,  showers,  and a sauna.  The boys cabin was a one room with nine beds.  I think there were 11 boys too.

Roasting makkara on the fire
see all photos »

It is a known fact that everytime you get exchange students together,  you will not be able to get them to shut up.  Its just impossible.  The whole camp,  everyone was always talking,  the only ting thate talked bout our first impression of Finland,  our host families,  our school,  our activities,  etc.

in a way,  this camp was better than the language camp in Karkku because all the nationalities were mixed up.  In Karkku everyone was with their own countries.  It was probably done that way because it was our first week abroad.  Anyway,  in this camp,  everybody was tallking to everybody.  My favourite moment was when eveyrone from everywhere started discussing American and world politics at 3.30 am.  That was pretty fantabulous.

The camp
see all photos »

However,  I am the only Canadian in my district and all the friends that I'd made at language camp are in another district.  I kind of had to start all over again but,  I had fun anyway.

It surprised me that some exchange students didn't really go to school.  I'd ask them what they do and they said they hung out with their friends but,  where they got friends is beyond me if they don't go to school that much.  Of course,  some have to go for credits.  Most of the students who graduated already say that the hardest part of the exchange is school.  I agree for several reasons.  It depends of course on the type of person you are.  For me,  I'm used to a certain amount of workload,  so not doing anything in school is really annoying.  For others,  they feel they've already done too much school so this is like a vacation or something.  Anyway,  everyone had different kinds of activities.  I was the only one who plays kantele but some did stuff like waterpolo,  soccer, tennis,  guitar,  and things like that.  Everyone I think had Finnish lessons and were improving in the Finnish.  The Australians who have been here for eight months already,  understand and can say some things but they cannot really speak.  There is an American girl who is in a compeltely English-free family and she can already communicate quite well.

Jenni and me
see all photos »

Some were also talking about their host families.  One in particular had a very strange family.  SHe tried changing several times but her councellor doesn't speak English either,  which makes it sort of useless to have a coucnellor.  Her host parents took her to the morgue to see their dead relative.  Also,  they won't let her befriend anyone,  especially not boys or mormons or black persons,  she can't use the microwave,  she has a 18.00 curfew and her host mother went into her room one night to unplug everything because it created "bad energy". She talked to the district councellor Vesa at the camp and hopefully something will be done about that now.  It makes me wonder what the screening process is for hostfamilies in small towns.

People in the living room
see all photos »

So,  basically,  during the camp we waited for everyone to arrive at the camp on Friday.  After that we played floor hockey for about an hour,  it was really fun.  We then went to sauna the freezing cold lake.  After that everyone was in the girls cabin and we talked until 1.00am at which time the tutors came into the room to tell us to go to bed.  The boys went to their cabin,  the girls made popcorn and candy and talked some more.  We also made a campfire outside.  The next day,  we walked for about foiur hours around the lake and had some makkara on a campfire.  We also met all the rebound students one of which is going to teach me some Finnish on Thursdays since she lives in Mikkeli.  I also met the exchjange student who was in Vancouver last year.  I realized that I know her through Linda the exchange student who was in Cochrane last year.  It was awesome catching up.  All in all,  it was a great weekend. On Sunday we took the train back to Mikkeli and wherever else we came from.  I was afraid of falling asleep in the train and ending up in Helsinki.  That would have been fun... I am going to Joensuu also on Monday so I'll have lots to talk about still.  I'll write soon!