Halloween

Halloween was pretty awesome. I was prepared early by buying halloween stuff from Walmart for my costume. At first I was planning to be clown, but then the costume looked awful and luckily I got new idea. I picked my sisters winter boots and snowpants, I borrowed Tom and Jerry hoodie. (which was really small :D) put two low pony tails, bows to each side and little bit make up. Oh, and I carried a teddy bear and a baby bottle.

  So is it trick or treat or just a treat? What I can remember from my childhood (those few times I saw someone going trick or treating...) that if someone wasn't home or they didn't have any candy you would really do some tricks. Kids actually carried toothpaste with them and really used it. Here people either sat outside, they had basket filled with candy somewhere near their door but most common was to leave porch light on (and then kids knew that you can go there). People gave so much candy it's crazy!! I have enough for the rest of my year, haha. My sisters gym teacher had grill outside of his house and he gave kids candy and hotdogs. That was so good idea! Our trick or treat was on thursday though. Usually it's on friday but here where I live it's thursday because it's safer, it is not friday (because usually people have halloween parties), there can be drunk drives etc. If this change helps I don't mind. That only means we have longer halloween! ;)

  Halloween in Finland is nothing like here and maybe that's why people won't open their doors for kids. We don't ''celebrate'' it and adults/old people are confused when kids with creepy costumes come to knock their doors. We have halloween parties, nightclubs maybe have costume contests, there might be halloween lunch at school (yeah right, ''halloween''...) and expensive halloween stuff/costumes but trick or treat is not a big deal. I feel really old because I can't remember have I done it before?? I think so but I am not sure!

I am really glad that I experienced american halloween and it was way better that it is in Finland, no doubt. Next year I'll promise carve pumpkins (lots of them <3), throw a halloween party and try to change Finland's halloween, haha.

 On friday, sleepover at Cady's house. I was there after 11pm but we spent the whole next day together! We watched American Horror Story (ooh, I just love that show!!) and next morning we went to The Hearth for breakfast. First american breakfast and it was so good and under 8 dollars??? Cady and I are soulmates we LOVE breakfast, I like her. She curled my hair and I have forgotten how nice my hair can actually look.

 Later on saturday Cady's church had some halloween event and I went with her, her big brother and dad. We dressed up as cat and bunny. There was different activities, food and hay ride.

I had really nice halloween and weekend. I have been here two and half months and just saying it feels really weird...

-Ella

Second month

2 months in Pennsylvania...  I don't know how I should start, first thing that confused me is that two months from now is almost christmas. And then is new  year's eve, what? When I'm thinking how fast these two months went it scares me to imagine time after new years.  It always goes really quickly, and now I'm here!!

I really do like my family. We get along really well, they're caring, we have so much fun together and I can be myself around them. I really enjoy being part of this family and that's exactly how I feel, I'm one of them! I love that they're joking all the time but they still know when to be serious.  I think we've got much closer after month and it's neat to see that.  First month was kind of getting know everyone  and adjusting  to be here. Now, I feel more like home, this is not just some place I'll spend next 8 months. Believe or not, at first it was hard to say  "I'm going home " or "We're going to our house".  Now house where I live feels like my home and it's nice to say so.

I played soccer this fall and actually I still do.  We made it to districts and it's the first time ever our  soccer girls made this far. Our first game is on monday and I am really excited.  Our team has had dinners together, breakfast and we also raised money for us by washing cars!  I love when we are doing things like this together and we'll have more.  I feel our team is close and everybody support each other. I have got good friends because of soccer, so I can't  recommend enough to start playing sports while your exchange year.

My everyday life is nice, no doubt. I don't have much homework and usually it won't take long (=because every other day I have two studyhalls "läksy tunti".) when I'm back home after school we eat dinner together and share things that happened. I really like to help my parents here with food because it's good time to talk about everything what is on my mind. I always try to go to bed early, but it usually doesn't work because a) I always stay up hanging out in the kitchen talking or b) our day was just really long and busy. There is five kids in our family (including me) so we have always something. Now, when soccer season is over our life calms down, haha. Last two months we had soccer games every week, sometimes we had almost ten in a week! All the kids play soccer and my older sister plays softball. Sports definitely keep us busy!

School is going okay! Tests/quizzes are much easier than in Finland because usually we have multiple choise tests or matching. Some words are harder for me and I have no clue what they mean, but I try to learn them! Spelling isn't that hard though. In Finland teachers were really strict about english words and their spelling so it's quit easy to write them correctly. However here it seems to be harder for students. That's why I love finnish. You write it how you pronounce it.

 I am really happy right now I love to be here and I try enjoy every day. Time goes soo fast and I have so much things that I want experience while I am here. 3rd month started today and we'll see what happens. On sunday we had pumpkin carving and dinner with soccer team. I carved my first pumpkin and I'll totally do that next year it was really cool.

Have a great week!

-Ella