Dudeson's Signed DVD and Saturday

Nothing very interesting has happened this last few weeks, it has been all work and very little play.

Last Monday, we had the canvases delivered and they are all up now but two of them that need to be drilled into the wall. Eero also made us a frame and we made a picture with that with some fabric we got especially! YAY!!

Then Britta, Iris and Dennis came around as we have only 2 and half weeks to write up our Finnish report and the presentation for it which is Thursday 31st! Eck!!!

Then Elisa and Joni dropped by to see the apartment and say hi. Followed by Jouko and Kati who stopped by on the way home from Lapland. We had guests from 12pm to 10pm =) great day! lots of cooking 3 pizzas, cheese bread, pulla and apple and cinnamon crumble.... good day!

I finished my first draft of my seminar paper Sunday and submitted it. So much work the Finnish exam is very early too, only 2 weeks away!!

It snowed 12cm as yet over the weekend and today, once more we are at 74cm of snow! footpaths are evil as this 10cm of snow is compacted or part ploughed and there is just a thick layer of ice under it! slippery!

I got home to find the Dudeson's DVD was signed! Happy days!

Now, I must go learn some Finnish grammar

Buy Canon EOS 500D 15MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm IS Lens at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Digital SLR cameras.

Well, the link is the new camera. It's naturally more expensive here in Finland and you can't mail cameras! argh! Buy Canon EOS 500D 15MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm IS Lens at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Digital SLR cameras.

A poster session at the New Dynamics of Language Learning annual conference

It seems at least that my luck is still holding up as Friday, I received a confirmation email to take part in the poster session at the New Dynamics of Language Learning annual conference! Eck! It was an exciting few moments! This conference isn't until June so I have until April free until I have to prepare a posters and a presentation, so life is good and I am hoping that my luck holds out for April and June!

I was on the train going to Tampere on Friday and it was nice that the train was not too late! Then we hung out and talked and I made us meatballs... ew I dislike touching raw minced beef!

Saturday, we went to Raisio to visit Katri, Pekka and the new baby Kasper. Great day, eating, talking, walking. We really had a good time and I understand more Finnish though by the time I think of an answer with native paced conversation, they are subjects on lol. I got to drive home, super exciting driving the new car home, driving on proper snow and ice! whoohoo!

Sunday, we ate, played some board games and then went into Tampere city to window shop as there was nothing we needed to get. The we went to Joukos and Kati's for lunch and I got the train home to Jyväskylä which left on time but got stuck 25 minutes in Orivesi... making me late for the bus and thus not happy waiting 25 minutes for another bus, normally I walk but I just wanted to be lazy.

The snow started melting and all was looking good, then today we got another 5cm of snow! I would like to see some pretty spring flowers now, snow is getting boring lol

Harju

Above are a few images from Harju, the source of Sunday's walk. Sunny, almost warm day. Next time, I will take my proper camera and we can go when the observatory is open. Still, another happy 8.5km walk talking to Mr chatty all the time.

End of last week I ordered the flapjacks, allergy friendly kind, the canvases which got delayed from some additional postage costs but should be dispatched Tuesday or Wednesday this week. And the book I ordered January with the others has finally been restocked and is on its way!

Eero also brought me some more allergy friendly goodies but they didn't have my favourite treat in stock and I appear to be reacting to vanilla so chocolate in bar forms is no longer part of my world. So hello, cocoa covered things!

Most of the weekend, I spent baking and perfecting the new allergy friendly cinnamon pullas with low sugar content (good taste). Mmmmm, they must be as they are nearly gone and they were only done yesterday!

I enjoyed winter holiday though it wasn't too productive for school work but I had a nice break and learnt some Finnish (it was nice to do nothing).

It's been sunny and warm mostly and around 6cm of snow has melted. Just 59cm more to go and we are snow free! (until next winter). I love the snow but I hate the ice and it's icy now and will be for around a month.

For now, it's back to school then to Tampere Friday after school and Turku on Saturday =)

Ulkomaalaisen elämä Suomessa- Grammar Course Assessment

Minä muutin Suomeen 13. joulukuutta 2009, koska minä halusin asua minun suomalaisen poikaystävän kanssa. Ensimmäinen asia, jonka tein, oli etsiä suomen kielen kurssi Tampereella. Kävin yhdellä kurssilla, mutta opin vain vähän, ja emme koskaan harjoitelleet puhumaan.

Seuraavaksi minä päätin aloittaa uusiutuvan energian kurssin Jyväskylän yliopistossa. Sen jälkeen minä haen töihin ympäristöalan yrityksiin. Kun olen valmistunut, haluaisin olla työssä jäteteollisuudessa ja osata puhua ja kirjoittaa hyvää suomea. Aloitin yliopistossa elokuussa 2010 ja lopetan vuonna 2012.

Minun mielestä on hyvin vaikea oppia suomea, koska en ole koskaan ennen oppinut toista kieltä.

Not the longest piece of Finnish free writing but not the most grammatically easy piece either! I haven't had this graded yet but I am proud of it!

Happy Birthday Uncle Hubert

Hope you have a great day and I hope that our card reaches you in time!

Kalevala Day

Last week was busy, 2 courses ended and I spent the end of the week finishing off the last few things.

I applied for one summer job. Just one, which may seem a little daring but I thought I would follow dreams. Let's face it, this will be the last summer I can go without a job. I looked at a lot of companies since January but only Metso appealed. All be it, that it is one of the most competitive companies to apply for summer work here in Finland. Especially in Jyväskylä, as this city is small and the student population is so high. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Whatever happens, it all happens for a reason. I am confident I stand a chance or I wouldn't have applied in the first place. One way, or another, I find out in April. IF, it doesn't work out it's not something I am going to take to heart with so many people applying for work. It's all good life experience and practice! Besides, once you lose hope, you have lost everything!

Applied for summer school too, only 50 places on the course I want to take but I think I should get that, my CV is very strong for it and my degree program. I don't know until June though! It's only a week long course in August but you never what opportunities these things give you!

I'm waiting to hear about the poster conference too which happens in June, I think we should hear about that sometime this month (March).

Four more courses started the last week of February. One of them, gives me another seminar report to write. The others are 100% exams... eck... I have 3 exams on May 20th and maybe one in June, and scarily one in April!!!! (well 3 of them as it's the Finnish course.

Finnish is hard this time as the course is 100% exams and it's not as long as normal courses! SO many, new grammar rules to learn and master. Then the speaking which is what I have trouble with... 26 years of speaking only English, it is a challenge not to pronounce things the English way but not impossible. My free writing is improving and Eero is helping me correct my mistakes, by helping I mean I have to explain why I think that certain thing should happen and if it's wrong try and work out what should happen and why. It's hard way to learn but it is beneficial, I just hope he has the patience to keep it up as no one becomes a good writer after the first try!

Sunday's pulla experiment. After finding out I'm allergic to cardamom, I now use cinnamon in pulla buns. These ones were filled with cream cheese and berries. Indulgent! mmmmm

A great week overall, E has been as cheeky as ever and brought me a tortoise pillow/toy called "Pullero". It's soo cute!

Other fun, things happened the weekend but I am not to blog about those as it may bring bad luck! haha! but maybe I blog about them in the summer after I find some good ones and we go visit them =D

28th February was Kalevala day, so we watched the Kalevala course film I brought and Eero enjoyed it too. I was watching again to make sure there was nothing I missed from my notes the first time around. It's a great film in Chinese and Finnish with English Subtitles... "jadesoturi". It combines Chinese and Finnish folklore, it is more Chinese than Finnish though but still a nice film!