Out of time, Full of life!

Sorry guys that I haven't posted anything for two or three weeks but I have just been so busy doing all my stuff! But now I am spending my weekend up 4 hours north from Murray Bridge in a town of Orroroo with my host parents and lots of old people at some uncle's 90's. → Reason why I have time. Haha, just kidding.

During last few weeks I've done heaps stuff! The first friday of september I went to play golf and I fell in love with it immediately! Now I have been playing golf three times and it is just so fun! I am not the best golf player you've ever seen but at least I like it and I have something to aim for! I'm playing it with one husband of a rotarian who has played golf for over 50 years.

There is annually organized 'Royal Adelaide Show' in Adelaide which is a big event for South Australia! It lasts for 8 days and there is just everything there can be! It's almost like an amusement park for 8 days (there were a great amount of amusement park rides which were SO AWESOME!) but there is also heaps of other things like riots, farm show and many organisations having a tent where they were advertising themselves, for example I was there with our venturer group helping in the Scounts SA tent. But when you are going to the Show you are not going there to save your money. Ticket to get inside the show area costs already 20 Australian dollars and everything at the show area costs. Some of the rides may cost over 50 bucks! But yeah, I spent there just too much money but we had heaps fun!

Also I've been to few friends' places. I've been many times to a French exchange student's place and she is sooooveryvery nice and fun but unfortunately she's leaving in two week time and it is so sad! But I just manage to be with her as much as possible before she leaves. I've been to other friends' places too but mostly at her place. Some people have had bonfires but they are quite small compared to Finland's midsummer bonfires! Haha.

Last monday I was at Adelaide with my counsellor and his wife. There is going on an event called OzAsia Festival where has lots of Asian cultural things come to Adelaide and there are smaller events for example we were at 'Moon Lantern Festival' where was heaps people gathered around to see some Asian performances at the stage and over 20 hand-made lanterns, some were dragons, some tigers and some were what they were and they were from all around Asia and they were very nice!

The rest of the time I've done my schoolstuff which is compulsory for me. Here in Australia at school is more individual assignments than in Finland. Or the homework we have is more like projects than homework. But my studying is quite casual here. I already selected my subjects for next year and I decided that I'll study Drama, Photography, Art and Biology. I don't know how you reckon but I think my later half of the year is going to be quite casual. Or at least I hope so, haha.

In Orroroo we were supposed to have a birthday party for 90-year-old uncle og my host dad but unfortunately he was terribly sick and he had to be in Adelaide hospital. But we had the party anyways without him so I saw how Aussies celebrate old people birthdays. Most of the guests were over 55 years old but there was no one who was anything as old as me, they were either younger or older. But I got known to the family elders.. Orroroo was a beautiful town! The poulation is something about 600 people and the town was just so old fashioned by it's looks and all!

And also when we went there we saw the landscape of South Australia and I just have to say that I am deeply in love with it! It is so wide and different to Finland's landscapes!

I am very glad if you read this post and you enjoyed it! 

I'm sorry about the lack of photos but it takes so much time to load them here.. I'll put sometime :)

I miss you all but I'm just not saying it out loud...... I'm the tough guy. Haha!

Take care of yourselves! That's what I'm doing to myself :)
Teppo

One month been here and feeling like the king of the school!

In my last post I told you that I nominated myself to be a house captain at our school and guess what, NOW I AM!! We had our house meeting today and we had to keep speeches. I had my speech rehearsaled with my friend Elyse and we included German and Finnish also in it and our house just loved it! So now I am the house captain with Elyse and this is just going to be so great!!

I reckon drama is my favourite subject at school and now we begin rehearsing the play 'The lion, the witch and the wardrobe' and I got the part for the faun Mr. Tumnus which I really wanted and also the part for Father Christmas! I am very eager for the play and I also have the opportunity to make the costume for Mr. Tumnus!

Two weekends ago I had my first party in Australia! It was a birthday party for one of my schoolmates and we had heaps of fun! There was a bonfire and a lot of music! There was also food and drink. I drank only soft drinks, don't worry. There was in the party this one guy, Owen, who was so enthusiastic about Finland and it was so funny! He liked the dudesons, he listened children of bodom and he said that Finnish girls are beautiful!

This weekend I went to Adelaide for the whole weekend to stay with my counsellor. On saturday I had a briefing day with all the other rotary exchange students from our district and we had just heaps of fun! The group was just so great! I can't wait for the other events I'm going to spend with that group! This time we went to Warrawong wildlife sanctuary and that was my second visit there. There we saw heaps of kangaroos and we had the chanse to walk with them and touch them and it is just so extraordinary!


I'm having so much fun here!! I think I don't want to ever leave this country!

Seey'all
Teppo

!!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!

Last friday we had drama (school subject) and the teacher told us that some of us might have an opportunity to go for a working experience to Sydney to Shakespeare company to learn about working in a teathre!! And on the last days I've realised how much I really like acting and all drama stuff! This opportunity would be just so amazing! The only sad thing is that we have to write a letter where we tell why I would be good for the work experiencea and I don't have any bigger experiences of acting or theatre work. But still I'll try to apply for it! It'd be a whole week in october. I am so excited about it!!

I also have second thing what makes me excited!! On monday we had school house meetings (Yeah, we have houses like in Harry Potter!!!) and we were wondering who would be our house captains and I nominated myself!! In two weeks I have to keep a speech why would I be a good house captain but I believe that I'm going to be the captain anyways because I'm an exchange student, everyone knows me and I believe that I'll get the votes of the students who just seriously doesn't care at all. And it'd be so great experience!!

Also!! Last sunday I talked first time Finnish in three weeks! I was on a boat cruise to see some dolphins and there was a group of international university students and I decided to ask one of them who they were and actually the person right behind me was Finnish and it was just so strange to speak Finnish when everyone around us was talkinjg English!! But that was awesome! And I saw some dolphins too.

(I wrote this on my photography lesson.. it tells how much I enjoy playing with photoshop... that's all we do here..)

Seeya!! :))))

Murray Bridge, Bunyip, River Murray, My swimmingpool, the somethingtail lizard, Murray Bridge High School and Me

I'll write when I have time. I wish you enjoy the pictures and don't be afraid to comment :)))

C'ya!!

My last week briefly

Sunday 31/7 : Art and footie

On sunday morning I went to an art gallery in Murray Bridge which I liked very much. I was there with Sam and Liz (my first host parents), I give my thanks. After the gallery one of my host dads, Robin, picked me up and we drove to Adelaide to see a footiematch (Australian Football) where Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide were put against each other. AND CROWS WON! Footie is a wonderful game!! :)))

 A Drawing of a Bunyip

 Abstract.. I think it tells something about death

 Sandyy

 Footiefootiefootie

GO CROWS!!

Monday-Friday 1-5/8 - The schoolweek

My first full schoolweek was which very.. experienceful. I had many awkward situations with these Australian students for example the way they run around the schoolyard and hallways, the way they yell at each others and teachers and the way they ask a bit personal information at the first time we meet(YES, I'm talking about you Tahlee!!).. But I've found many nice people from the school who to hang out with but sometimes it is a bit uncomfortable when people start yelling at me just because I am an exchange student.. 

Also the schooldays are a bit boring because in english we just do some sort of advertisements(?), in maths we do thing's I've been learning when I was on the 9th grade, in PE(Physical Education) we do only theoretical stuff and in photography we just sit on computers and play with photoshop(?!). I have also history, which is just fun because the teacher is so casual and we are just mythbusting in the classroom and I have arts and drama which are both just amazing because arts is arts and in drama we'll play Narnia's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, after few weeks I'll know if I can be Mr Tumnus!!

Friday 5/8 - Amadani Scouts

At friday I had a scout meeting again and it was just amazing! This time I had planned some Finnish scout program for them and it went so well! I begun by showing them the Finnish scout uniform and it's all meanings and it was so cool when everyone was listening so carefully. Then we went outside to play "törtsän kaatoa" (let's translate it "schmuck's knockdown") and they all liked it! After schmuck's knockdown we went inside and I showed them some pictures of Finnish scouts and I commentated what was happening and they all were confused because there were snow all over the place! In evening we played "let's give birth"-game, "Nazi police"-game and for new to me ¡¡¡ sock wrestling !!!

Saturday 6/8 - Victor Harbor

Woke up early, an hour in a car driving to the coast to see Sam and Liz's daughter and her family. First we saw Sam and Liz's grandson playing footie and granddaughter playing netball. In Victor Harbor we went geocaching to a small island called Granite Island. We had lot's of fun and in the evening we had a barbaque and I got to taste kangaroo's meat(!!!) and I can tell you that IT WAS GOOD!!

Miss y'all! 

C'ya!!

The first day of school!

Yesterday I had my first day at school and it was so exciting! The first two lessons were just wandering around and collecting the odd looks from other students and I just was so confused when sometimes just people walked past me and they just shouted hey and waved at me and then I waved them back and I don't know were they just mocking me or are people here just so polite and friendly that they greet even strangers? Oh the confusion!

But later on it all went well. Some girls came talk to me and they took me to their 'group'. The day went pretty well but maybe monday will go better!

Yesterday evening I went to a local scout meeting and it was just amazing! The people there were so nice and I'm going to attend their meetings for this half of a year!

Tomorrow I'm going to see an Australian football(footie) game to Adelaide and I don't know much about it but maybe soon I will! All I have heard about it is that it is a lot like 'original' football but there's no rules!? Well, we'll see!

See y'all!

Hey Y'all!

Here I am on my third day in Murray Bridge! I arrived Australia last sunday and I was first two nights at my counsellor's in Adelaide and all I can say about my counsellor and his family is AWESOME! They all are so nice and kind and just perfect!

Also this my first host family is very nice! I have an old couple for parents and both of them just are so kind all the time! We live on the countryside just outside the city.

Murray Bridge is very flat city as many of Australian cities. Adelaide was also a bit except there was few towerblocks in the centre.

Last tuesday I had my first rotary meeting which had around 50 heads over the age of 50. I introduced myself for the club and it went all well.

Today I went to my school (Murray Bridge highschool) and I got known to the school and I got my school uniform! Tomorrow will be my first attending at the school and I am a bit nervous but maybe it'll go away.

And that sort of stuff!

The Biggest Differences:
- Inside a house we keep our shoes on.
- Driving on the left hand side
- Breakfast and Lunch very small meals

C'Y'all!!!

From Finland To Singapore. From Singapore To Australia!

Hey everyone,  I am alive!!  I am having maybe the best time of my life! I will tell all about my flighttrip from Finland to Australia! This will be a long blog post but it is worth it!


The Flights
Our Flight path was Finland(Helsinki)-Denmark(Copenhagen)-Singapore-Australia(Adelaide). The flights were very comfortable because two of three flights we had Singapore airlines and there was all drinks and food free so I just felt like a god! Also there was a little television screen for each and everyone and it broadcasted the best movies, series and music at the moment and it was just AMAZING! The flights lasted altogether 20h 30min and the longest from Copenhagen to Singapore lasted approximately 12 hours.

The first flight 

 Beautiful sky over Turkey

 The Black Sea

India by night

Singapore Airport waiting hall


I would refer definitely everyone to go Singapore Airport; You can find there swimming pool, gym, lots of restaurants, movies, butterfly garden and more and more!


Singapore
The day we arrived Singapore it was at least 27 degrees of celsius and the moisture was like in a shower! In Singapore we were for four days and there was activity for each day! We spent the days with every Rotary student who was going to Australia or New Zealand and then there was Mikko who was the one watching over us. There were altrough 21 students and Mikko.

The first day was for going around the places nearby and in the evening we had this one fabulous Singaporian fire dance and a night safari which is the one and only in whole world which was kind of lame because the animals seemed to be drugged because they were just laying there but I would refer it! Also there was this wild animal show where were approximately 10 rare wild animals doing tricks or just being there in front of an 500-headed audience.

The fire dancers

  

Like a jet plane

 We actually saw a lion!!

 Massive rhino!!

The Animalshow stage and the audience


The second day we spent touring around Singapore with ANDREW, our best tourguide ever! We visited a mosque of Little India, a hindu temple and a buddhist temple in Chinatown. All of them were very interesting to visit. That evening we were allowed to go out wandering around or go with Mikko to the city. In the end every one of us went with Mikko. We saw the centre of the city where were lots and lots of skycrapers and we ate this local food called satei and it was just so nice evening! We even saw a statue of a merlion and we tried the local taxi-system succesfully!

The way people dried their clothes after the loundry

In a mosque every man had to wear a robe like that

 A praying hall in the mosque where actually were people taking their naps?!

 The dome of the mosque. The lower edge is made of used glass jars!

 That's India, all right!

 Inside the Buddhist temple

Sugarcane juice!? (=sokeriruokomehu) It was good first but after few sips it started to taste disgusting!

 I can tell you, that is a small tree!

 High you ask?

 The skycrapers were so beautiful at night!

 Merlion Junior

 FattieBird

 ANGRYBIRD!!!!!

At a part of the city called Clark Quay, which was all covered with those freaky looking umbrellas but they were actually very handy in the case of a rain and also they conditioned the air!




The third day we went on a boatride to Singapore river which was kind of lame because there were walking paths in the edges of the river. After the boatride we went to the island of Sentosa where was so many things that  even  I can't count them! For example we went there with a cable cart which was HIGH! Also we visited the wax museum, an underwater aquarium, the beach of Sentosa and we saw the bigger merlion.
The last thing we did in Sentosa was going to see a show called Songs of the Sea and it was very impressive! There were some asian actors but they were really bad, the impressive thing was thet there were fountains what sprayed water or mist in the air and there was projected all sorts of stuff in the mist and the sprayed water was coloured with some lights and it was just absolutely gorgeous with the sound! That was something that will have to make an impact for you and you have to go and see it if you ever go to Singapore!
After returning from Sentosa we went to a Restaurant called Hot Stones where we cooked our food ourselves on heated stones and it was a really good experience and the food was that good as you could make!

The last day in singapore we spent mostly by the pool of our hotel and on Singapore airport. We left to the airport after four and then students begun taking off; First those who went to Perth, then those to Sydney, then those to Melbourne and for the last we who went to Adelaide and there was only two of us. I waited on the airport for something like 8 hours and I can tell you it was a bit exhausting even at Singapore airport.





If you ever go to singapore you will be sure to want to go there again!



Hotel Royal
In Singapore we  slept our nights in a three star hotel called Hotel Royal. Maybe the funniest thinig of our staying there was my and my friend's (Jaakko) room which was definitely the biggest room of the hotel! Also the hotel had very good and variety breakfast and there was a swimming pool behind the Hotel and oh boy we spent time there!

 Our room

 The view from our window on a clowdy day

 

 There were fish everywhere around the hotel!!

 The pool

The group
I met the other 20 students first time at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport and that's where it all started! There was 4 boys and 17 girls. There was people from all over Finland and I got known to almost every one of them! The four days I spent with this group was just absolutely one of the best I've ever get known to! When we had to separate we all were kind of sad but we knew that we'll surely meet again and we'll be in contact during the year.

The boys!

Soon you'll hear more about me!
Seeya Mates!