Janvier est presque fini

Apologies from a very busy me to you my dear readers. This is hard because I don't really know what to start writing about, so just bear with me if my writing is a little all over the place.

Tomorrow I have my last exam, and the hardest one too. I have my math exam tomorrow, and that is the hardest of all. I am nervous, but I feel like I have been stressing out enough during this month already. It is about time for me to cut myself some slack and just enjoy life. Last week I had a french exam, and a biology exam, which was by far the hardest exam I have ever had in my life. I don't know why I was so stressed out about them. Even though they were hard, I tried my best and I have a feeling I did pretty well in the end.


I feel like I have learned so much during this exchange year, but there is yet one more thing I really need to work on. I must learn how to stress less. That should be my motto for the year: "Stress less". Cause I always end up digging a hole for myself, burying myself under all the stress until there is no air and digging the way back out is hard.


This weekend has been great! I am a little bit crippled because of snowboarding on Friday, but it was all worth it. I had an amazing day with amazing people. My alarm clock rung at 5 AM that morning and the bus left at 6.15 AM from our school. I am not sure exactly what time we arrived at Kanasuta, but the bus ride was around three hours or so. As soon as we arrived a the ski resort, you could tell that we were in Quebec. No-one really speaks English there and they look at you funny if you speak it. I was a little rusty when we hit the slopes and it took me a couple times to get the feel of it. The board I rented was also a little longer than mine, so that might have made a small difference. The second time I was going down the slope I really took a good tumble and somehow, don't ask me how, I pulled a muscle in my chest. All I can say now is, ouch. Every time I sit down, get up, put my coat on, laugh, sneeze, cough etc. I am in pain. It's nothing serious, but still quite painful. My knees are also completely bruised up, because I tried going on small jumps and well most of the time I ended up on the ground. I'll get there someday still.


Last week was kind of a dull week I must say. Studying took most of my time and I barely left the house. Last weekend we went up to my host mother's friends house, which is in the bush. When I say in the bush, I really mean it. You cannot get there by car. You have to either take the snow mobile, or the boat during the Summer. It is the most gorgeous place to live, and so calm, but never could I live in a place like that. I really dream of having my own summer cottage when I grow up, but that's it. For me it would be a place to get away from the city hassle, but if I had to live literally in the middle of nowhere I think I would go mad. 


We had a lovely day out there. We went sledging, snow shoeing and at one point we just laid down in the snow in our huge snow suits just listening to the birds, letting the sun blind us. Diane and Marcel live right by the lake and I can just imagine what a beautiful place it is during the Summer. They really live a primitive life out there. They have no electricity, so they have their own generator. They have no running water, no toilet inside the house and they warm the house with a wood furnace. After dinner we went out to use the outhouse with Emma and all we had for light was a small oil lamp. I waited for Emma to go first and I stood out in the dark, looking up at the clear sky. It was a breath taking view and I just stood there like a fool with my mouth wide open. I don't remember ever seeing the stars so clearly. Even the big dipper seemed so close I felt like I could reach out my arm and almost be able to touch it. 


January is coming to an end and I am half way through my exchange year. It feels bittersweet honestly. A part of me cannot wait to see my mother and my friends. A part of me can't wait to just return to Finland, but the other part of me still can't really handle the fact that I will have to leave so many great things and people here. The strongest and most amazing memory that will stick in my mind for ever from this specific month is the biggest accomplishment so far, which I will tell you in my next post. I will need inspiration to write about it and    I am lacking it right now, so dear readers just be patient please.


Wish me luck for my exam tomorrow, I will really need it.

Dock spiders, whom apparently can grow much larger than that and who also bite...

I promise more pictures and text soon. 

Here is a French Canadian song that I am obsessed with right now. Just thought I'd share it with you guys.
xoxo

tattoo lovin'

This will be a very short post because I am ready to go to bed. I just witnessed something I have been wanting to see for a long time already. I saw a tattoo being made and on a person very dear to me! I have watched several tattoo shows, oh ask my mother she hated those shows, on television but seeing it in real life was something memorable. I felt like I was more nervous than Riley. I was basically jumping up on the walls. I could tell he was a little shaky too, but he kept his composure pretty well.


When we entered the tattoo artist's house it felt like I was walking into a smoke cloud. When we got past that cloud we saw three tattooed guys sitting at the dinner table. Two of them left quite quickly and as soon as they left it was time for business. Joey began to trace the tattoo and you could instantly tell that he knew exactly what he was doing. It felt so unreal when he pressed the stencil onto Riley's back.

Then it was time to start tattooing. The sound was so loud at first, but in the end I didn't even notice it. At first when Joey pressed the needle into Riley's skin his face didn't even flinch and I thought to myself: "Wow maybe it doesn't hurt that much after all! I can do it myself some day too!"

The guy who did it looked exactly like I imagined him before hand. He was a tattooed, mellow guy who was really nice. The last picture above was when the outlines were done. I thought it looked super cool like that already, but an hour and a half later it was finally done. After making the outlines he colored the black in.

After the coloring it was time for a break. I had heard that tattoo's bleed in the making, but I was still shocked to see the blood running down his back.

There! The finished result! I think it looks amazing. It's funny to think that two hours of poking a needle into his skin, ripping the layers and squirting ink into it will be there for the rest of his life. But it is a decision he made, and I really think he will not regret it. 


It apparently hurt, but not too much. That made me so glad to hear because now I think I can start gathering up the courage to get one myself one day. Or two. Mom please don't kill me yet, ok?


Now it is time for me to go watch some Sex and the city with the best sister I could ask for! Bonne nuit à tous !

nouvelle année, nouveau moi?

I know it might be kind of late to say this now, but hey I still consider this year to be quite new. So, happy new year everyone! Life's what you make it, so make this year count.


2011 was a year filled with joy, tears and big changes. I feel like I have grown so much as a person during the last few months of the year. This exchange year has made me a stronger person. I somehow feel like the year went by fast, but when I think back at last winter it feels like it was for ever ago. Same thing with August. I feel like the four months have just rushed by, but the day I got here feels like it was ages ago.


I never make new year's resolutions cause to be honest I never keep them. So what is the point? I do though want to improve myself every year. So I'd rather just make a promise to myself than a crazy new year's resolution like "yes I will not have chocolate for the next six months!" Everyone knows that is not happening. Anyway I want to try to promise myself that I will become more confident, and I will learn to love myself. People have told me that I seem like a confident person, but deep down I still struggle at times. It's an ongoing progress, but this year I will really try to work on it. I really want to learn how to fully accept myself. I am who I am, and I should love it.


You might now be reading this and thinking why am I writing this, but it somehow has been on my mind a lot lately and I felt like writing about it.


The last couple of days have been quite lazy. New year's eve was a fun night! We actually hosted a party with Emma and it was a major success. I am not usually the one to be hosting parties because I live in an apartment and apartments just aren't ideal for hosting a party. So I was a little nervous of having so many people over, but I am so glad we did. Everyone had a super fun night and it was wonderful to see the year change while being surrounded by some of the greatest people. Plus, I got my new year's kiss, so I am pretty content.


I am loving the winter here by the way. It is so gorgeous, and even though the fact that I haven't gotten to go snowboarding yet is bothering me a little bit I am so happy when I go outside and see the snow. Even though the cold pinches your cheeks and makes your fingers numb it is just so breath breathtakingly beautiful. I also love "skidooing" or well snowmobiling. It's super fun! I never thought I would be so into it.


Yesterday I spent most of the day at home in my pj's then we went to the movies with Emma and some of the girls then we sat at Timmys for a while. Oh and I did skype with a good friend of mine for two and a half hours. It was really good to talk to her. I feel like even though we don't go to the same school anymore and even though we don't talk nearly as often, she is still there for me. We had so much to talk about and I feel like that will never change. Same with all the friends from Espoo International. That group will always be close to me no matter where life takes us.


I feel like there is so much I would like to write about, but I don't want to go over board with my mixed thoughts. Oh by the way, if anyone out there has anything they would like me to write about, or any questions, don't be shy!

Attempting the airplane.

Woah, not quite there.

Pretty good job I must say.

A nap to reward us after that triumph.

Random dogs just walked by us.

We took down Mel!

I got one of the skidoos stuck...

Not the best video, but I had to stop because my fingers were about to fall off.

I am gonna go try to find Mamma Mia online, we want our host mother to watch that movie with us because she has never seen it before. Bye.