Saturday 12/01

On our way to Finland!

We had to get up early this morning because we were going by train to the airport. Once we arrived we checked in and ate something before boarding off to Helsinki. When we arrived at the airport we hadn’t got much time so some of us went to the toilet and bought something to eat. After that we stepped on a older plane and flew to Vaasa!
When we arrived all our exchange students were waiting and we went with them. In the evening almost everyone gathered together and we played some games. After that it was time to go to our host's house!

Sunday 13/01

Our day in Finland was rather a lazy day. To start of, we were able to get a long and good night of sleep and when we woke up we could start to enjoy our first winter day in Finland. Some of us went for a walk with the family on the frozen sea. Others went skiing or did a trip with snowmobiles. After lunch we came together with the whole group to have a drink in a cafe. After the café visit there were 'icebreaker games' in the Finnish school. Those where fun and quite handy to start to get to know each other. We ended the day with a movie night where we watched The Hangover.

Monday 14/01

On Monday we got a Finnish specialty for breakfast: karjalan piirakka. It looks a bit like a warm rice cake, but actually we find the Finnish specialty better. Then we went to school where we were given a guided tour. That's when we found out that there are a lot of differences between our school and the Finnish school. For example they can choose their own curriculum, that's something that can't do in Belgium. We  also talked about our identity through games. Then we went to eat a goulash in the school restaurant. Later, we moved into the city to get to know the city centre better. After that, we got free time with our host. In the evening we had a nice time together in a restaurant. We had fun!

Tuesday 15/01

Tuesday we started the day off with a meeting in the big conference room. After a short briefing we went to a room where a teacher gave us drama lessons. It was interactive and fun. At noon we ate pasta with tuna and pasta with spinach. An hour after the lunch the Fins were practicing their prom dance. In the afternoon we went ice bathing. First you go in the sauna for like 10 minutes. Then you quickly go outside, there is a hole in the sea where you can ‘swim’. Most of us could ‘swim’ for max one minute. After that you quickly return to the sauna. Most of us did it like 3 times. It was very cold but you get a lot of adrenaline of it. In the evening we went to the öjberget mountain. We did sledding and some of us went snowboarding or skiing. Afterwards we drunk hot chocolate and sat around a fire. Then we went to our ‘Finnish’ home. It was a fun day!

Wednesday 16/01

On wednesday the 16th we started the day like a normal schoolday. we attended some classes but unfortunatly we couldn't understand anything because most of the lessons were in swedish. after the morning we headed for the school restaurant to eat swedish balls with rice. In the afternoon we all went to different musea or other places of interest of vasa in small groups. These places we will have to present tommorow. After the interesting activity we had some free time with our host. Some people went to a ice hockey court others went to a summer house or did other activities. In the evening the whole group came back together to play some bowling it again was a long and interesting day in Finland.

Thursday 17/01

On Thursday, January 17th, we started the day with an art assignment. The goal was to express our identity by decorating our silhouet on a big sheet of paper. Some painted, others cut and pasted, and in the end, everybody had made something unique. After a vegetarian spaghetti, the silhouets were hung in the school restaurant. Then we went ice skating, and some even played ice hockey. After the ice skating we went to the house of one of the exchange students and played some board games, mostly Uno. The Belgians showed their friends some of their music and likewise and at the end of the evening we felt like we knew each other a lot better

Friday 18/01

Today was one of the coldest days yet, at a temperature of - 15°C. At 9 o'clock we went to the room the choir trains. We were talking about presentations and the walk during the afternoon.

Then we broke up in to groups to prepare for the presentations. Everybody was listening to each other's presentations and after that we ate lunch.

After lunch we went to walk outside of the centre of Vaasa. We walked through the forests and snow. Until we ended at the sea, after that we went to eat something at berny's. At 18 o'clock wen came back and had a party at 20 o'clock.