Hello everybody!
It's a regular Sunday and we went to church as usual. It was a good service as usual. It was about not being alone on Christmas. About how we should have Jesus with us not only on Christmas but everyday. We are all sinners. And if we're dirty we can't go inside Gods house. We need to be cleaned up. There's no dirt in his house. I'm not sure where I'm going with this but I just want to say that you should invite Jesus to your Christmas. Btw..Emmanuel meand "God with us". Yeah.. Don't forget that!
So...Happy Christmas and Merry Hollydays!
This Christmas is messed up for me. The only stable thing this Christmas is Jesus.
There's no snow. It is 25 degrees Celsius outside.
One day there's 35 people celebrating Christmas and the next day I'm babysitting two kids.
We ate "enchaladas" instead of a huge pig (and all the other stuff we eat in Finland).
We didn't have any kind of Christmas thing at school. (only a weird concert).
No Santa Claus.
There's no Christmas decorations.
My real family is not with me.
We don't have a Christmas tree, aso..
BUT what we do have is:
Christmas stockings.
Christmas gifts.
Christmas movies on TV.
A fireplace (it's fake but I love it).
Christmas music on the radio.
Jesus.
This Christmas is not what I expected of an American Christmas at all. I thought it would be a huge thing but it's much bigger in Finland. I'm not complaining. I'm just surprised. And it's just a different Christmas than I'm used to. And it's a new experience. I think Christmas might be a bit of a hard time for all exchange students. Because we don't have our real families with us and this is the time family comes together.
This is maybe the hardest culture shock I've had so far because Christmas is important to me. But I'm going to take this as it is and taking all I can out of it.
Merry Christmas everybody! I love you and miss you kaikki Suomalaiset hullut! :)
sunnuntai 23. joulukuuta 2012
sunnuntai 16. joulukuuta 2012
I'm dreaming of a white CHRISTmas
Hello world!
I have a few amazing weeks behind me and I don't really know where to start.
Okay so thanksgiving and Arkansas is over. I went back to school but I'm getting tired of it. I would rather stay home, sleep in and when I'd wake up I'd turn Christmas music on and do something "christmasy".
So I've done "christmasy" things anyway. Me and my host siblings made some christmas stockings with our names on, that we hung up. And sometimes "santa" (my host mum) puts something in the stockings, or like my sister..she put her shoe in mine haha!
We also went to a christmas play at our church. It was amazing! They showed parts from classic christmas movies and songs. Like from "home alone" and that weird green hairy dude who wants to "steal the christmas". Even my hiphop teacher was break dancing in it and I was like YEY! This is how church is supposed to be! Fun but teaching!
There's one thing I do not understand...you're not supposed to say "merry christmas" anymore, You can only say "happy hollydays" That's like taking out Christ from christmas. Aren't we celebrating christmas because of Christ's birth? Oh well..nobody really follows that rule and they can't put you to jail if you say it so it's not that big of a deal. But it's still dumb.
I was to New Orleans with Charlotte on a Friday! Yey! New Orleans instead of school! No I'm not dumb because of that. I've just learned all I learn here before. So the night before we I played "guitar hero" for the first time and I'm already good at it! It's adicting.
So in New Orleans we walked around a lot of places. We shopped at the French Quarter and I got the coolest neckless that says "WHO DAT" haha! funny..! We also ate at Margarita Ville. I ate tasted fried-shrimp, -crawfich and -aligator! Tasty! We walked the whole Burbon street.. full of gangs , shops, music (also live), and things I wish I wouldn't have seen...
Okay it was really cool and I'm totally getting back there some day!
In NO there was a lot of street artists like painters, musicians, those silver and gold "statue" guys (even a transformer guy! he literally "became" a car and drove around) and a guy who does "magic stuff. That "magic guy was amazing! Never seen a guy that good at the tricks before and he was funny too!
The next day some of the exchange girls had a cupcake party. We made the cutest cupcakes! And we had a little "throwing icing in your face" fight haha!
Then I had a boring school week again until it was FRIDAY!
Okay so let me tell you something important. If you want to have fun at school in Beau Chene High, you need to work for it.
I had sold cookie dough (which tasted like sand). And I sold 8 boxes, so on this Friday, I got to wear jeans! And that's not all! I got to get out of class, get out on the stadium (or whatever it's called) and get inside one of those huge hamster balls!! I'd always wanted to try one and now got to do it! It was so fun and I want to do it again!! ...then I had to get back to class...
After school though, I slept over at Karin and Sofia ( from Slovakia and Sweden). We made these things called "snowman's poop"...in other words oreoballas with white chocolate on. Easy and yummy!
The next day we went to a christmas party for all the exchange students. Our oreo balls was successful! My friend Lars from Germany said they were nasty but he ate the last 5...sorry Lars for putting it here haha!
We had a competition in groups. We had to dress up one person in our group to santa with only red,green,gold and white paper and tape.
Later all the exchange students had to one by one go up and tell about our good and bad experiances we've had till now. The Asian people were so funny! I couldn't stop laughing! I just love them haha!
After the party, Charlotte (Germany),Sofia (Sweden), Karin, Sonja (Slovakia) and me went shopping to the mall! I got a hat, earrings and a necklace...and some christmas presents :D
Then we went to this place called "Acadia Village". It's a village with christmas light everywhere and with christmas music and everything "christmasy". Then we slept over at Sonja and watched videos on youtube of this black dude who answers stupid questions that people asks him. Couldn't stop laughing!
Then we started to watch some movie but we all fell asleep...interesting ...yes...
So! Today it's Sunday! The last day of the week! I finally got to sleep! Charlotte and me had planed to go horse riding but it started to rain like..a shower or like..a waterfall. And there were lightnings and thunders... not a good day to go riding. So we played GUITAR HERO instead! No one can win me! I;m the best! I rule the game! ....I lie..I just changed from easy to medium...and I won like once because Charlotte's guitar had something wrong I guess. But one day I;m going to rule the game!
Oh! I almost forgot! I skyped with my friend Joanna today and she was so happy to see my face. It made me happy :) Love ya'll! Miss ya'll! CHRISTmas is almost here so be prepared! Don't leave Jesus outside, knocking on your door in the cold, dark night. Open the door and have a blessed Christmas! Would you leave him outside on hid birthday? I wouldn't.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :) <3
I have a few amazing weeks behind me and I don't really know where to start.
Okay so thanksgiving and Arkansas is over. I went back to school but I'm getting tired of it. I would rather stay home, sleep in and when I'd wake up I'd turn Christmas music on and do something "christmasy".
So I've done "christmasy" things anyway. Me and my host siblings made some christmas stockings with our names on, that we hung up. And sometimes "santa" (my host mum) puts something in the stockings, or like my sister..she put her shoe in mine haha!
We also went to a christmas play at our church. It was amazing! They showed parts from classic christmas movies and songs. Like from "home alone" and that weird green hairy dude who wants to "steal the christmas". Even my hiphop teacher was break dancing in it and I was like YEY! This is how church is supposed to be! Fun but teaching!
There's one thing I do not understand...you're not supposed to say "merry christmas" anymore, You can only say "happy hollydays" That's like taking out Christ from christmas. Aren't we celebrating christmas because of Christ's birth? Oh well..nobody really follows that rule and they can't put you to jail if you say it so it's not that big of a deal. But it's still dumb.
I was to New Orleans with Charlotte on a Friday! Yey! New Orleans instead of school! No I'm not dumb because of that. I've just learned all I learn here before. So the night before we I played "guitar hero" for the first time and I'm already good at it! It's adicting.
So in New Orleans we walked around a lot of places. We shopped at the French Quarter and I got the coolest neckless that says "WHO DAT" haha! funny..! We also ate at Margarita Ville. I ate tasted fried-shrimp, -crawfich and -aligator! Tasty! We walked the whole Burbon street.. full of gangs , shops, music (also live), and things I wish I wouldn't have seen...
Okay it was really cool and I'm totally getting back there some day!
In NO there was a lot of street artists like painters, musicians, those silver and gold "statue" guys (even a transformer guy! he literally "became" a car and drove around) and a guy who does "magic stuff. That "magic guy was amazing! Never seen a guy that good at the tricks before and he was funny too!
The next day some of the exchange girls had a cupcake party. We made the cutest cupcakes! And we had a little "throwing icing in your face" fight haha!
Then I had a boring school week again until it was FRIDAY!
Okay so let me tell you something important. If you want to have fun at school in Beau Chene High, you need to work for it.
I had sold cookie dough (which tasted like sand). And I sold 8 boxes, so on this Friday, I got to wear jeans! And that's not all! I got to get out of class, get out on the stadium (or whatever it's called) and get inside one of those huge hamster balls!! I'd always wanted to try one and now got to do it! It was so fun and I want to do it again!! ...then I had to get back to class...
After school though, I slept over at Karin and Sofia ( from Slovakia and Sweden). We made these things called "snowman's poop"...in other words oreoballas with white chocolate on. Easy and yummy!
The next day we went to a christmas party for all the exchange students. Our oreo balls was successful! My friend Lars from Germany said they were nasty but he ate the last 5...sorry Lars for putting it here haha!
We had a competition in groups. We had to dress up one person in our group to santa with only red,green,gold and white paper and tape.
Later all the exchange students had to one by one go up and tell about our good and bad experiances we've had till now. The Asian people were so funny! I couldn't stop laughing! I just love them haha!
After the party, Charlotte (Germany),Sofia (Sweden), Karin, Sonja (Slovakia) and me went shopping to the mall! I got a hat, earrings and a necklace...and some christmas presents :D
Then we went to this place called "Acadia Village". It's a village with christmas light everywhere and with christmas music and everything "christmasy". Then we slept over at Sonja and watched videos on youtube of this black dude who answers stupid questions that people asks him. Couldn't stop laughing!
Then we started to watch some movie but we all fell asleep...interesting ...yes...
So! Today it's Sunday! The last day of the week! I finally got to sleep! Charlotte and me had planed to go horse riding but it started to rain like..a shower or like..a waterfall. And there were lightnings and thunders... not a good day to go riding. So we played GUITAR HERO instead! No one can win me! I;m the best! I rule the game! ....I lie..I just changed from easy to medium...and I won like once because Charlotte's guitar had something wrong I guess. But one day I;m going to rule the game!
Oh! I almost forgot! I skyped with my friend Joanna today and she was so happy to see my face. It made me happy :) Love ya'll! Miss ya'll! CHRISTmas is almost here so be prepared! Don't leave Jesus outside, knocking on your door in the cold, dark night. Open the door and have a blessed Christmas! Would you leave him outside on hid birthday? I wouldn't.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :) <3
Tilaa:
Blogitekstit (Atom)