Viv In Finland

Hello everybody,

Today was a pretty good day, and the whole week has been gorgeous. The weather has been nothing but sunshine since sunday... except for a little clouds yesterday and today... But it's been cold... the highs this week have not reached 12C (54F). It's COLD!!!! But hey, I went to Finland so I can't complain...
SO this week I went to Sauna twice... and I have to tell you... I am gonna miss it... I am so relaxed right now (I went earlier today) that I can hardly type.... But swimming in Näsijärvi after is a kick... honestly, 12 degrees in water temp is COLD... Especially when the Sauna is 75.. But it;s amazing...
Anyway this weekend it was Tampere Day (don't ask me why it's called Day when it is actually the whole weekend... I have asked myself the same question). But anyway, it is Tampere's birthday (its 231st to be excact) So a lot of museums were for free, just like the Pyynikki observation tower (where they have the absolute best munkki!!! I love them!!) SO I went to the tower and took some gorgeous pictures... to which you will find the link again at the bottom of this message...
I also went to the Tallipiha, which used to be the Horse Stables of a huge complex called Finlayson (it was a linnen factory if I got it right). ANyway in this horse stables area, which btw is totally huge, are all these little stores with local handicrafts and foods and everything.... it;s totally cute... Anyway, they ahd an arts and crafts event and I bought a really cute necklace, made of an old decorated spoon, and it has a pearl dangling in it... it's really cute and hand made....
SO most of this I did by my self, except for the tower because I ran into some friends at a cafe... we went up the tower together and it again was COLD!!!!!!!!!! But gorgeous, as you will see...
Anyway, after the tower and crafts thing I went home... at about 4.30 we(3 friends and I) walked to the sauna again and it was awesome... we were back by 6.50 or soemthing and cooked pasta together and a totally gross kitchen... But what can you do when over 30 people use the same one... we had fun though... and it was a good week...
And next week we'll be having a prep-meeting for our St Petersburg trip to apply for a visa and everything... I'm excited about it... It;s gonnan be so awesome... I can than add Russia to my list of "Countries visited" Just like Estonia is on there and Norway will be...
Next week also my dad will be in town for work, so I get to spend a little time with him, and the week after my sister is gonna be here... for 5 DAYS!!!!God I miss her... I didn;t know we were this close until I left her... Wuv You honeybun!!!

I'll let you know more next week!!

xxx Vivian

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Hello People,

This is a Blog I will be keeping especially for my foreign/American friends. I am sorry I am only starting now, but I already keep a Dutch blog for my friends and family at home and I was still thinking whether or not I should keep a second one. But here it is.
So fisrt things first. For those of you who didn't know already I am currently on another foreign exchange. For the entire Fall Semester I am studying at the University of Tampere in Finland. It is obviously not the obvious choice for an exchange, but it is Scandinavia and therefore good education. I have to say I love it here and when you see the pictures I think you'll undersatnd why. I live in a flat with about 150 other exchange students, mainly from Germany, France and Spain. Which means I get to practice my foreign languages.

I am here as part of the Erasmus Exchange programme, which is an initiative of the European Union. Almost al European exchange student here are part of the same programme, but everybody is equally nice. I have a lot of friends and this reminds me even more of the time I spent in West Virginia. I miss you al a lot.
My classes here are mainly political science oriented, but some different subjects as well. I have Finnish language courses (don't try, believe me it is HARD!!! And I am good at languages so that says a lot), European enlargement, Finnish Politics, Baltic region... the lot... It is al very interesting, althoug I suspect the majority of you wouldn;t think so. But I'm glad we're al different!!

I have also undertaken some day trips to Helsinki, Turku (on the west coast) and Tallinn (yes I even went to another country already: Estonia). These trips were all really a lot of fun. The pictures are massive and they are on facebook. But I will include the links to all the albums at the bottom, they are public albums so you should be able to see them. (it takes to much time to post them all here).
Besides the trips I have already taken I have also sbooked trips with the Erasmus Network here. So at the end of October I will travel to St.Petersburg in Russia. This is a city I have wanted to visit evr since I was a little kid and saw the movie Anastasia for the first time.... I want to see all the palaces, the Hermitage, every thing.... It's gonna be great!!
Also at the end of November and into December I will visit Santa Clause in his home. yes that's right I'm going to Lapland!!!!!!! With a little bit of Luck I will see the northern lights, but if not I will go to the Arctic Ocean in Norway, visit a Reindeerfarm, do a SnowShoe survival course, build Igloo... it gonna be awesome...

Something else that is totally awesome is the Sauna!! I have to say I love it. I go there at least twice a week. We have a free sauna in our student flat where women can go on wednesdays and fridays and me on thursdays and saturdays. But since everybody always wears bathing suits its usually mixed... Also yesterday I went to a public sauna which is at the Lake (ow I forgot to tell you this before but I love on a lake!! it's gorgeous!! it's called Nasijärvi if you want to google it). and after you've bene swetting an relaxing in the heat you walk outside and right into the lake, which it self was not more than 12 degrees celsius (50F if I'm correct). And then after the lake you sit outside, have beer and chat a little bit and then you go into the sauna again and the whole ritual repeats itself... with friends it is totally great.. afterwards you feel so relaxed and a little rosy... I didn;t feel like doing anything after... but in a good way... The walk to and from the sauna is breath taking... the last album (Hockey, Nasijärvi and Kaupi Forrest) was taken there...

Anyway this is my first blog and I hope many will follow!! Please leave comments and if there is anything else you want to know... it's a lot to tell so I might have left some things out... anyway
till the next time.

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