Something short about my summer in Finland
Thursday, 17. September 2009, 12:10:24
Not as if there wouldn't be anything to write of 
It's just that I don't feel like blogging so often any more. I always wanted to write something nice and well structured about how I got to Finland, but I think I'll just write what comes into my mind now - after all isn't that what blogging is all about? That was a rhetorical question - don't need to answer that. Anyway it has been almost a year since my last post and it's hard to start again.
So, I've reached my aim and I'm very happy about it!
I've passed into one of CIMO's summer courses in Finnish language with scholarship. It lasted for almost 3 weeks in July and it was organized in Vaasa - a friendly little city on the western coast of Finland (400 km from Helsinki) with a significant Swedish speaking minority.
Students from all countries participated, starting from the USA to China, the greater part from Germany and Russia. The courses were held at the University of Vaasa - a very cool one btw. We had a nice flat to stay in which belonged to the student housing.
My first impression of Finland was..well it might sound strange but it was the huge rocks I could see all around as if a little Stonehenge everywhere. Secondly those dark-red wood houses standing at the brick of a pinewood forest or even in the middle of it seemed just so idyllic. I'm so fond of them! There were many even in the cities. Finland is just so beautiful:)
Hmmmm...now I've experienced a lot in Vaasa; I forgot my keys in my room on the first morning..so practically I got locked out. I know I'm clumsy but still who the hec would have thought? I'm not used to carrying my room-key even to the bathroom. Otherwise I couldn't sleep much because it never got dark. Then I went on my first sauna which I couldn't resist that long as the others. Huh..it was boiling hot.
Surprisingly I became extremely seasick on the boat-trip in Björköby. We've crossed Finland's longest bridge, Raippaluodon silta by going there.
The weather was very friendly, one day there were even 24oC, but on the rest normally 17oC. The water is kind of cold however.
I was surprised of the many green areas there were in the city and there were actually more bicyclists than cars
Then one day I was interviewed about the summer course by somebody from the local newspaper and the second day the article appeared with a big picture of mine - next to Tarja Turunen's
Some of us went to Rockperry festival one day where we saw Tarja Turunen, Lordi and other Finnish bands. It was so exiting to see Tarja performing live! She sang a lot of Nightwish songs and lucky me I was standing in the first rows. Here's one good quality video on Youtube of her performing Nemo!
It was very nice and interesting how well Finnish-Swedish bilingualism works in Vaasa - an example which should be followed here also. And besides that, everybody knows to speak English.
We ate delicious salmon soup on an island near the city one afternoon. And still it never got dark! There was a day when we visited another town near, Seinäjoki and Isokyö village.
Then we had two days to spend in Helsinki until our plane flew back to Budapest. I could barely wait to see more of Helsinki than the Railway station. We stayed in a hostel near the harbour where all those huge(!) ships left for Stockholm and Tallinn. There were so many tourists in the harbour; I don't even think I can count how many languages I heard speaking there. Everything was so near one another. We could walk from the east side to the west just in 20-30 minutes or less. I think I would have easily managed without the map if we could have stayed a couple of days more. It was so cool to see all those sights I learned about on my Finnish history curses. I already knew a great bunch about them. Just walking around from the morning until the night..I miss it! Helsinki was absolutely brilliant!
I'm glad I've been to 2 Unesco world heritage sites, one near Vaasa - the Kvarken Archipelago where land continuously rises and new islands arose. The other Suomenlinna - also an island and a popular leisure place for Helsinki residents. It's actually a fortress from the 18th century with many canons and bunkers. There's a very beautiful sight to Helsinki and to the Baltic sea from there.
I could have spent an entire day there but well..the plane was leaving shortly; So finally we decided to visit the Temppeliaukio - which is a church in a cave and you can practically walk on top of it; It was funny after that as we got lost, only a few hours before our departure:D because of taking too many shortcuts and going in the opposite way.
Huh..at last I got here - my way back home where there was a little incident I might say on the plane. A Japanese guy sitting by my side spilt all his hot coffee on me.
I was so angry! "Sorry-sorry , I'm so sorry" just didn't do. Why me??! 
How could this happen? I still had half a day until I got home..and all wet with coffee. Unbelievable.
It's funny this was meant to be a short post though there would be much more to tell.
Don't ask me when will I write next time 'cos I don't know. Maybe in January when I'm going back again! This time to Tampere! Can't tell more, time is short - can't wait for it
More pictures to come here too. In the albums.
Edit: Uploaded album pictures.
It's just that I don't feel like blogging so often any more. I always wanted to write something nice and well structured about how I got to Finland, but I think I'll just write what comes into my mind now - after all isn't that what blogging is all about? That was a rhetorical question - don't need to answer that. Anyway it has been almost a year since my last post and it's hard to start again.So, I've reached my aim and I'm very happy about it!
I've passed into one of CIMO's summer courses in Finnish language with scholarship. It lasted for almost 3 weeks in July and it was organized in Vaasa - a friendly little city on the western coast of Finland (400 km from Helsinki) with a significant Swedish speaking minority.
Students from all countries participated, starting from the USA to China, the greater part from Germany and Russia. The courses were held at the University of Vaasa - a very cool one btw. We had a nice flat to stay in which belonged to the student housing.
My first impression of Finland was..well it might sound strange but it was the huge rocks I could see all around as if a little Stonehenge everywhere. Secondly those dark-red wood houses standing at the brick of a pinewood forest or even in the middle of it seemed just so idyllic. I'm so fond of them! There were many even in the cities. Finland is just so beautiful:)
Hmmmm...now I've experienced a lot in Vaasa; I forgot my keys in my room on the first morning..so practically I got locked out. I know I'm clumsy but still who the hec would have thought? I'm not used to carrying my room-key even to the bathroom. Otherwise I couldn't sleep much because it never got dark. Then I went on my first sauna which I couldn't resist that long as the others. Huh..it was boiling hot.Surprisingly I became extremely seasick on the boat-trip in Björköby. We've crossed Finland's longest bridge, Raippaluodon silta by going there.
The weather was very friendly, one day there were even 24oC, but on the rest normally 17oC. The water is kind of cold however.
I was surprised of the many green areas there were in the city and there were actually more bicyclists than cars
Then one day I was interviewed about the summer course by somebody from the local newspaper and the second day the article appeared with a big picture of mine - next to Tarja Turunen's
Some of us went to Rockperry festival one day where we saw Tarja Turunen, Lordi and other Finnish bands. It was so exiting to see Tarja performing live! She sang a lot of Nightwish songs and lucky me I was standing in the first rows. Here's one good quality video on Youtube of her performing Nemo! It was very nice and interesting how well Finnish-Swedish bilingualism works in Vaasa - an example which should be followed here also. And besides that, everybody knows to speak English.
We ate delicious salmon soup on an island near the city one afternoon. And still it never got dark! There was a day when we visited another town near, Seinäjoki and Isokyö village.
Then we had two days to spend in Helsinki until our plane flew back to Budapest. I could barely wait to see more of Helsinki than the Railway station. We stayed in a hostel near the harbour where all those huge(!) ships left for Stockholm and Tallinn. There were so many tourists in the harbour; I don't even think I can count how many languages I heard speaking there. Everything was so near one another. We could walk from the east side to the west just in 20-30 minutes or less. I think I would have easily managed without the map if we could have stayed a couple of days more. It was so cool to see all those sights I learned about on my Finnish history curses. I already knew a great bunch about them. Just walking around from the morning until the night..I miss it! Helsinki was absolutely brilliant!
I'm glad I've been to 2 Unesco world heritage sites, one near Vaasa - the Kvarken Archipelago where land continuously rises and new islands arose. The other Suomenlinna - also an island and a popular leisure place for Helsinki residents. It's actually a fortress from the 18th century with many canons and bunkers. There's a very beautiful sight to Helsinki and to the Baltic sea from there.
I could have spent an entire day there but well..the plane was leaving shortly; So finally we decided to visit the Temppeliaukio - which is a church in a cave and you can practically walk on top of it; It was funny after that as we got lost, only a few hours before our departure:D because of taking too many shortcuts and going in the opposite way.
Huh..at last I got here - my way back home where there was a little incident I might say on the plane. A Japanese guy sitting by my side spilt all his hot coffee on me.
I was so angry! "Sorry-sorry , I'm so sorry" just didn't do. Why me??! How could this happen? I still had half a day until I got home..and all wet with coffee. Unbelievable. It's funny this was meant to be a short post
though there would be much more to tell.Don't ask me when will I write next time 'cos I don't know. Maybe in January when I'm going back again! This time to Tampere! Can't tell more, time is short - can't wait for it
More pictures to come here too. In the albums.
Edit: Uploaded album pictures.
(66%)
WIDGETIZE
xeverdream1134x # 11. October 2009, 21:06
zoligrg89 # 13. October 2009, 09:47
xeverdream1134x # 13. October 2009, 20:41