Even in Finland the time flies by and Vojta and Karin are also experiencing a lot of new things, learning new things and interacting with new people. Here is what they wrote about their third and fourth weeks.
Introduction by Romana Vančáková
Karin Pichertová
Week 3: More sauna and Riverside in Turku
This week has Elsa left for her Paris trip so it was just me and her mom at home. Although I was a bit scared at first, everything turned out perfectly fine. I spent my afternoons cuddling with Kerttu and of course relaxing in sauna. The lake water warmed up to 10 degrees and because of that I encouraged myself and I managed to swim full 25 meters! I was really proud of myself and so were the Finnish regulars at the sauna.
School went quite well, especially since we only had four school days this week due to Easter Monday, which we spent relaxing after our cruise to Sweden. On the first morning back at school, it actually snowed a little – my first-time seeing snow in April! But it melted right away.
During the time I spent alone, I also discovered a new hobby: walking. Over the past few days, I went on many walks and found some beautiful places I hadn’t seen before. One of them was the summer swimming lakes in Humikkala – they were truly stunning. The area also has walking and cycling paths that separate the lakes, which made the walking even more enjoyable.
On Saturday Elsa came back from Paris, therefore in the evening, we all went to Turku to explore the riverside. The cherry trees were already in bloom. It was a beautiful scene. We also visited Turku Cathedral (although personally, I preferred the one in Helsinki) and took a walk through the old part of the city. It was lovely to see this side of Finland’s former capital.
Week 4: Vappu
This particular week marked the end of the sauna season - at least for the public sauna that my host family and I have been visiting as it’s mainly used during the winter time. But now we can try out the summer swimming spots and their local saunas. I really hope I get to visit some of them before I leave.
The school week was rather short, we only had three days of school because of Vappu, an important Finnish holiday celebrated on the first of May. On Wednesday, the day before Vappu, my host family and I went to Turku to watch an amazing tradition. At exactly 6 p.m. students and anyone who has ever graduated, no matter their age, put on their graduation hats. They looked like sailor hats to me, which made perfect sense. After that the celebrations could begin, especially for the students.
On Thursday, Vappu day, it’s traditional for people in Finland to have a picnic with friends. We had one too - an indoor one. The weather was awful and the temperature dropped, so there really wasn’t any other option. I got to meet Elsa’s childhood friend and several other people, which was nice. Some of the family’s friends were Estonian living in Finland, which made the picnic even more interesting.
Nevertheless, what I actually enjoyed the most about Vappu was trying the traditional munki, which reminded me of a Czech kobliha though it had a diabolical amount of sugar on it. On the other hand, the traditional Vappu drink called sima was probably the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. It’s a yeast-based lemonade - not exactly appetizing. I really didn’t like it.
On Friday, the school arranged online classes for students but since I don’t have any Friday lessons, I basically had another day off which I spent walking around Masku.
Vojtěch Trejtnar
Week 3
The third week started with a visit to an after-school hobby club, where we played board games and Mario Kart.
On Tuesday, we went to Turku to play laser game. It was kids versus parents—with the kids chaotically running around and the parents calmly waiting in safe spots to shoot them. It was super fun, with some hilarious moments along the way.
We spent Wednesday afternoon at the scout cottage, helping take care of the place and playing games outside.
The next day after school, people from the Scouts and the Lions Club went around Nousiainen picking up trash to help clean up the area. We finished with a sweet buffet as a reward.
On Friday after school, we packed our backpacks and set off on a three-day hike in a national park near the city. We carried all our food, clothes, sleeping bags, and tents on our backs. The national park was beautiful, with watchtowers overlooking vast swamps and huge lakes. Although it got a bit cold at night, the warmth of the campfire and the company of others made it all the more enjoyable.
Week 4
The fourth week was all about Vappu.
Vappu is one of the most important holidays in Finland, celebrated every year on May 1st. It combines International Workers’ Day with a traditional student celebration. People wear colourful costumes, white student caps, and gather for picnics in parks. A typical drink is the sweet, sparkling sima, which smells of yeast and tastes quite similar to orange lemonade. Popular treats include sugar-coated doughnuts called munkki. Whether store-bought or homemade, they’re even served in school canteens. My host mom made some for Thursday lunch, and they were delicious.
Over the weekend, we went to Turku to watch a scout parade featuring over one hundred different scout groups, each with their own unique shirts and scarves.
„Financováno Evropskou unií. Vyjádřené názory a stanoviska představují názory a stanoviska autorů a nemusí nutně odrážet názory a stanoviska Evropské unie nebo Domu zahraniční spolupráce. Evropská unie ani poskytovatel grantu za ně nenesou odpovědnost.”
