Hyvää Uutta Vuotta!!

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. Every year brings a new adventure and this past one did not disappoint.

I think we all are settling in to our Finnish life nicely. The kids seem to be doing well in school and enjoying it. I've been enjoying getting to know the culture and lifestyle here, while also taking some night classes to learn the language. It's a slow process, but it's getting there!

Amy's school is one thing that amazes me. Many of the things people in the US hear about Finnish schools are true, but not all of them. There are also things I had no idea about. First of all, one thing I hear about most is that there is no homework. That's not true at all. Amy has homework every single day, sometimes even quite a bit of it. She does only go to school for 4-5 hours a day though, depending on the day of the week. School schedules vary, so she starts and ends at different times each day. They do so many different activities as well. Tomorrow she starts learning parkour, which she is super excited about. They've also gone swimming, ice skating, orienteering, to museums and plays, and other things I can't remember at the moment. And this is only in second grade, older children do even more activities. So far, that's one of my favorite parts, all of the fun things they do. My other favorite part is school lunches. They are free and all of the children eat whatever is served, they do not bring their lunch. (If a child has a special diet or allergy, the school will accommodate that). This, mixed with some strong enforcement at home, has led to Amy trying and eating so many new foods. She just doesn't have any other option. It was really tough at first, but we're so proud of her for it.

I also hear the kids, especially Cole, throwing in some Finnish language in everyday conversation. Tonight they were playing together and showing each other dances. When Amy was finished, Cole said "Hyvä!", which means good. They also often says "kiitos" for thank you and "moi" as a greeting to people on the street. All of our language skills still have a lot of work to be done, but I'm proud of their progress.

The weather has finally gotten cold here, today was -13C. There is snow everywhere and the trees are beautiful. Growing up, when I saw a fake tree that was made to be white, I never liked it. I always thought it looked too unrealistic, like they were trying to be whimsical and it failed. Here though, the trees are actually white! I now realize why manufacturers make fake white trees!
One of these days, I hope to take my camera on a walk to get pictures of the nature. Every time I step outside, I am amazed at the beauty, so I want to share it!