I was living with my first host family for the week because my current host parents were out of the country on respective vacations. We didn't have school last Thursday or Friday, because of religious holidays, so I had a 4 day weekend to celebrate my birthday! Marika and I made plans to go out to dinner on Wednesday, after school. We were going to go eat at a restaurant in Varkaus, a nearby town, but when her grandpa came to pick us up, instead of driving us to Varkaus, he made a turn to the local hotel and dropped us off in front of a summer cottage! Inside, all my friends from the Wanhat Tanssi (that dance we had in Februrary) were waiting for me, with cake and presents and all! I'm still in shock from the surprise party-- I've always dreamed of having one, but it's one of those dreams that you can't really fulfill on your own. Thankfully, I've made some really amazing friends here in Finland who love me enough to throw a party for me. We danced and ate pizza, and stayed up until the sun rose (which was around 3 or 4AM). This is one of those memories that I know I won't forget for the rest of my life- I've had a lot of those this year!
After a "recovery day" on Thursday from my surprise party, I was back at it again on Friday, my actual birthday. I was woken up by a cheerful round of "Happy Birthday", first in Finnish, then in English, and got hugs from all 4 of my Finnish sisters, and my (host) parents. We don't do that at home, so it was really surprising to me when, before I could even brush my hair, people were singing to me. Around 10 o'clock, we left for Kuopio, where we first did some shopping (and I guiltily bought myself some birthday presents), and then went to eat at a Viking restaurant (that was a surprise too!). All the waitresses and waiters were dressed in period pieces, and we had traditional Finnish food from the viking times, like smoked reindeer liver and smoke sauna pork. It was delicious! Once our pants started feeling tight, we left for some coffee, because we're in Finland, and we can always make coffee fit, no matter how full we are. Once we got home from Kuopio, I didn't have any plans, so I called my friend Jenna, and she asked me to come watch ice hockey with her and her boyfriend's friends. After the game, we just hung out, and then decided to go to the local bar- my first bar experience as an adult! It was fun, although very empty. We ended up going home around two, but it was still a fun way to spend my birthday. I always have fun in Jenna's company!
The next day, Saturday, I slept for a long time, and then headed over to Julia's house, a girl from high school who lived for a time in the U.S. We had all kind of little snacks and flavored coffee drinks, and we got dressed up to go to a bar in Kuopio. That was quite a different experience from the local one, and we just danced all night long. Needless to say, I was exhausted on Sunday! But I still got up to celebrate Mother's Day with my host mom. She's done so much for me, getting up early on a Sunday is nothing if it means I can show her I care! She's really become like my own mom, and, like the rest of my host family, I love her like my own. There's no question that I will see her again in the coming years!
Here's a picture from me and the girls in Kuopio:
Me and Jenna on the lake at a summer cottage earlier this week. <3
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