The past week or so has been amazing, especially this past weekends, probably some of the most fun I've had in an extremely long time. I had the chance to go around the city and explore. The weather wasn't exactly the best, but it was on and off, it only poured down two or three times. And when it wasn't raining, it was sunny, so that was nice. It wasn't completely the things that I saw, but the two other exchange students I was with made it even better. Then that night I went and met my host cousin and her friends and just hung out. It was a lot of fun and I got to make new friends with people from a nearby town, Hamina, which is about 25 kilometers to the East.
On Sunday, I was able to go to a nearby national park with my host-family, and extended host-family, the nature was amazing. It was like something out of a dream. The air was so pure, and the sights so awe inspiring that I couldn't help but hike in silence, just trying to take everything in.
I think I'm finally getting the hang of public transport, and everyday life in general. I can do simple things, like get myself around town pretty easily, I can also do little things, like order a coffee in a shop, or a sub from subway without having to rely on English (granted my Finnish probably isn't the best).
School is school. Except I like it more. No surprise that English is my favorite class, except for the fact that they teach British English, so I occasionally get something "wrong" because I use American English, it's no big deal though.
I'm still getting used to Finnish social practices. I'm mostly used to it by now, but I was on a bus with over 35 people today, for a complete ten minutes, nobody said one word. Like absolute silence. And I thought it was the coolest thing to see. In the US that would never happen.
I'm still doing things here in order to fully adapt, like get my student's card, and my library card. But eventually I'll have been able to have everything I need  in order to do anything I need.
Obviously the idea of consistently updating this has failed. But, all is not lost, and I'll still post more and more.
Today is my one month mark for being here. I feel like I've changed and experienced so much, it makes me excited to even think about what the next 10 months have in store.

Jo kaksikymmentäyksi paivät. Already twenty-one days.

It's been 21 days. And the main word that comes to mind when trying to sum everything up, is wow. All the big things, and little things, make up the differences between Kotka, and Traverse city. The biggest changes so far would be the people, the city, the environment, and obviously, the language.  But then, the little things add up as well, constantly reminding me that I'm actually here, living what I've dreamt about for years. The little things are usually, the road signs being in kilometers, the absence of small talk on public transport, and even they way I eat breakfast. It's all different, but for the better. I've started school, and am taking, Maths, History, Art, English, and Sports. My schedule is pretty nice, on three days, I get to school at 8, on one, I get there at nine, and on another, I arrive at 10. There's only one day where I don't get out at 2, and on some days, I have three hour breaks in the middle of the day. I got it easy on the number of classes, because I'm an exchange student, but it helps give me time to study Finnish, which is really needed. Tomorrow I have my first language lesson in my second language course, which should really help out a lot.
 I finally have my own mobile, and of course it's a Nokia, I didn't feel right buying anything else.
School is pretty good, but in the end, school is school no matter where you are. One thing about it that I really  enjoy is that the lunch is free and healthy for you. I really appreciate that, and the fact that I'm able to study in one of the best educational systems in the world.
The people. The people are some of the most kind, straight forward, and frank people I've ever met. Also, some of the most shy at first. That has to be the biggest things to get used to. The lack of unimportant conversations is almost shocking at first. But I appreciate it, no need to listen to people talk about the things they know you don't want to hear about it. The people are shy, and I was expecting that, but I wasn't prepared with what I found. The social norms are this, don't confront a stranger in public by saying Moi, or smiling or something like that, because people don't do that unless they're crazy, or drunk. Next, expect people to be shy when you first talk to them, but as the days go by, they'll get more comfortable around you and you'll talk more and more. Third, when somebody is talking to you, listen, and never interrupt, because it's not common for people to ramble on about pointless things, so when they say something, they usually mean it. Unless they're joking. Finally, don't be loud, if you have loud conversations on the bus, you'll often annoy someone somehow, so respect their silence. These are by no means concrete social norms, but they are what I've observed when comparing American society with that of Finland.
I've done a lot, I went to a Finnish amusement park, Tykkimäkki. I went to my summer cottage today, and went rowing, the nature was amazing. I sauna almost daily. And I've been on a ferry on the Baltic.
It's been the time of my life so far, and if the rest of my year is half as good as my first 21 days, I'll have the year of my life.
If you have any questions, email me at syancho@gmail.com