For the next day, Rotary had planned another day of skiing, but once again me and this time several others, opted for a day at the hotel building ice sculptures. Well, it turned out that only took us an hour, so we hung out in the hotel, did some sledding down a fairly steep hill behind the hotel, and visited an igloo the hotel was building for tourist purposes. The igloo was really incredible! First, they blow up a big balloon and set a machine beside it that blows snow onto the balloon. Then, after a day or so of freezing in the Finnish winter, they deflate the balloon and start decorating. There were "beds" made purely of ice, and carved out designs on the walls of reindeer, suns, and other wintery dreams. There were several rooms inside the igloo, and I have to say that was one of the more incredible experiences I had while in Lapland! Anyway, once every one else came back from the slopes, we all headed to sauna. Not only was the sauna itself interesting (two separate saunas, connected by a door made of hanging branches), but once we got hot, we all headed outside... and straight into the snow! I know I'll remember that for the rest of my life, even though for Finns this is a really normal activity. We all had scratches on our legs from jumping onto the icy mound directly outside the sauna door. I can't wait to do it again! After sauna, we were in the bus again, this time headed for a lukio in Muonio. There, the students had prepared something for us. Some 7th grade girls did a dance, and there was a band, too. Everyone was really into it. Then, every country had to perform something. The Mexcians had a great dance sequence, as did the Brazilians. It was a great night!
The third day was probably the most interesting day for me. In the morning, we headed straight for the cold after a breakfast of "puuroa" or porridge. We were all fitted with snow shoes, and then we made for the reindeer. After a 15 minute walk, we finally arrived. There was a sort of teepee shaped building (I'm still not sure exactly what it was!), and then a man dressed in typical Lapland attire taking care of 3 reindeer. After a short discussion about his attire and the reindeer, we were loaded onto three three person sleds. The reindeer were attatched, and off we were! The reindeer behind my sled accidentally hit me in the head with his horn, too. I forgive him though, since I'm sure I'd hit people with my horns too. After that, we walked just a few minutes over to where they kept the sled dogs. We're all loaded on to sleds, this time with dogs pulling. That was really incredible! The dogs are so coordinated- and fast! After we arrived back, we got to pet the puppies (no gloves, apparently these dogs have a taste for mittens), and our guide told us everything to know about the dogs. We had free time, then, to pet the dogs and take pictures. It didn't take us long to get back to the hotel, though, since it was so cold outside. That afternoon, we went to a real Sami (the original inhabitants of Lapland) person's house. We saw some traditional clothing, and were explained what the marks signified (every family has a different pattern and colors). We talked about reindeer herding, and how the reindeer aren't kept in fences. They get to roam anywhere they want- even Sweden! They mark their reindeer by cutting their ears (don't worry, they don't have nerves there) in different shapes. In the spring, when they count their reindeer, the herders go to Sweden to check if their reindeer have wandered over, and the Swedes come to Finland too. After checking that stuff out, we had a taste of lassoing reindeer. I got an entire horn on my first try! Then we visited the Sami person's house, which looked pretty similar to any modern day Finnish house to me. After visiting the house, we headed for the Swedish border! The border is actually a river, so we parked on the Finnish side, then walked half way across the bridge, took pictures with the sign, and headed back. I have to say, Sweden looks a lot like Finland: snowy with lots of trees. But at least now I can say I've been to Sweden! Once back at the hotel, we had dinner and got to have a party in one of the hotel buildings to say goodbye to all of our friends. I was sad to see the end of the trip, which was one of the most valuable memories I'll have of Finland, but I know I'll get to see my friends again, and maybe even visit Lapland again!
Here's Sweden:
