It is time for many new things after the summer that was spent mostly waiting. Yesterday was the first day at school, starting the teaching practise period, which involves not only going to the school to teach the kids but also planning and watching lessons, practical and theory lessons, groupwork, projects, and a lot of stuff I did not get at all. We had two info lectures, all together four hours, and they poured so much information that it was almost impossible to keep a track over everything. There is a lot we need to do this year, and all of it both compulsory and out of our control, and we are just responsible that we somehow know every meeting and lesson that we need to be in and then are there. But besides the initial confusion, all of it sounds challenging, exciting, very new and fun. I'm sure it is going to be a lovely year (and a busy one too)!
When I spent last year in Taiwan, I did not speak much Finnish, nor did I practise in any way the stuff we learned before. Now, suddenly, I need to start teaching Finnish to kids and I am supposed to be a professional. The thing is that I have forgotten most of the stuff and I'm even in need of practise with speaking Finnish myself.. I notice myself forgetting some words midspeak and just using really weird sentence structures. So for me this year is also going to be a lot of relearning of the stuff I'm already supposed to know. Anyhow, this year I will surely learn a lot, about myself and about the future job of mine.
This month I have been living the life of a monk, practically. Not that I have been praying or anything, but I had a temporary appartment for only a month so I didn't bring most of my stuff there. So, I've had just a mattress on the floor, some clothes, computer on a cardboard box and one bowl, cup, fork and knife, basicly. Also some other stuff, but mostly just that. It was a learning experience, to notice how much a person is dependent on the most simplest stuff.. I did not miss my books really, neither did I miss my extra clothes or even a computer desk.. But I was horribly in need of a microwave and a plate. Honestly, I got really annoyed that I lack those things for about six times a day.
The reason I wrote that last part in past tense is that yesterday, besides first day in school, I also got the keys for my permanent appartment (a studio flat, yay!) and I moved my monk-life in. Tomorrow my parents will bring all the rest of my stuff here (namely, my life), and I can start to unpack and organise. That will probably finally give me the feeling of really living here again, and not just being here.
As an ending comment, I borrowed a chinese book from library, one of the two that were in traditional characters. It's really interesting, the only problem is that I do not understand most of it. :D
Nice idea, Reetta! :) This way your friends in Taiwan/Sweden/Central & South Africa etc. can follow your life in Finland after your exchange year.. And me too, there is still those 249 kilometers between us, even though it`s lot less than it used to be during the past year! And to comfort you, we just spent one joyful rejoining evening with two of our friends from Texas and after that night I started speaking "Fingelska" and forgetting Finnish words :D So, you`ll get over it soon and just suffer from it every now and then! Love u! BigSister
VastaaPoista