Softball Banquet

Banquet (May 4th) was lovely in every way. We had our last softball game and I had my senior night. I started in Varsity's game and then went down to JV's. Both teams won, and then was time to go to the banquet. We started with dinner, everyone had brought something to eat (seniors were lucky we got to bring drinks).

Coaches made their speeches for us and seniors, and I got to tell you that I will miss softball so much... Even if I was really struggling at first, and I was so ready to give up in January, this was one of the best decisions I've made here. I got new lovely friends, I got to know amazing personalities and  I learned something new. I never thought I would start a completely new sport as a almost 18-year-old. Even if I still don't know how to throw the ball correctly, I think I did something right, haha. I am just saying, it's pretty hard to go from soccer to play softball, but I loved it.

When I get told that I actually did really great this season, I am hitting the ball in varsity games and that how I have developed as a player these past few months makes me so happy. Sometimes I'm too hard to myself, but then I remember that I just started, and there I am playing with the girls, who are super good and I should be proud!

Every senior got a basket full of her favorite sweets, goodies, and a poster that other players had written a little messages. I looove these posters so much! I have couple more at home, and I am taking all them with me to Finland. After all this, seniors still got this huge, framed picture (our yearbook photo) of all of us and couple individual pics. It was coolest thing ever, I really appreciate that amount of work they did for us...

One of my best friends Emma made a lovely speech for me. There was/were always a player(s) talking one of our seniors. The people who know me well enough, know that I am very emotional (crybaby) and especially during my exchange year... I am glad they had tissues there, haha. You don't even know how happy I felt that night. Maybe middle of my exchange my mom always kept asking me ''Whose your best friends there?'' I always told her that I have many close friends. As many of you know (exchange students) in America best friend label is a little different... Anyways, right now,  I know who my best friends are, after eight months. Being without your best friends back home is really hard. So, when my ''ex'' close friends tell me I am one of their best friends during speech (or whenever!) feels incredibly good. I was always afraid to say to someone that they were my best friends because here, it's so different. But not anymore!

Tomorrow we are having a senior trip to Baltimore. I am really excited! I will take my camera with me so hopefully I'll make time to take some pictures. AND when I find time, I will put pictures from prom which was awesome!

Sad, but happy
-Ella

My Exchange Year

Does it feel like I have almost been here eight months? No. Does it feel like I was in Finland yesterday? No and yes.

When I get home in June it will be weird, so weird. This year already feels like a dream. I miss soccer season a lot and everything just happened so quick when I first got here. Finland just feels like something that's so far away but still so close. When I talk with my friends or family I never think about that they're actually that far away, but that tells something. It means that I feel like home. And this place, town, is my home. I bet lot of you (exchange students) have heard this sentence ''exchange is leaving your home twice''. Oh yeah, it's going to be rough. I really wish I could buy flight tickets to everyone and they could visit Finland. I am already planning when I wanna come back and visit PA again.

I haven't written here too often about my 'hard times'. I KNOW. It helps some people to write down their anger or depressing feelings. That's not me, I'm too lazy to even grab my computer. The first thing that I do is I talk to someone, maybe eat my feelings ooor try to do something else to forget it (sleep).  I have had bad days and, there has been little problems but we've figured them out. Trust me every family has their own problems, that's life. I have great 'american' parents here and they are really experienced, I trust them because they know how to handle these situations. That's why I am glad to say that my host mom will be a representative next year and I know she'll be the best one!

I have had a great year so far. I am usually pretty positive person, and I don't have time or don't wanna use it to negative thoughts. I do worry about stupid things but when I get over them, I'm good. There will be times when you'll be sad and life is miserable, so why would you be negative when everything is actually okay? And that's the key, I am always trying to find positive from everything. I remember that my friend Roosa asked me this, when we were like in 3rd grade

''Ella why do you always have to be so positive?''

And the funny part is that I have met the most enthusiastic people here (surprise). You couldn't even compare me to them, haha.

It's amazing how quickly your friendships develop here. I got to know some people better in December and we are so close now. Can you imagine, just in about 4 months I've gotten friends who are so incredibly important to me!? I also have friends that I got to know after I came here and I love how we're still really good friends. They have never left me <3 I have never had that situation and it makes me so so happy.  The start is harder though, but don't worry. It takes time to build friendships and some of your friends you might meet later during your stay, like I did. Don't expect anything, just work for it! Even if you're cool foreign it doesn't mean people will be interested in you later and want to hang out with you. It takes time to find the right people, but it's definitely worth it!

I was reading my old blog posts and I was thinking that what I wanted from this year. I wanted to be a  part of american family/experience their everyday life. CHECK. Learn the language and speak fluent english. CHECK (it'll be better eventually, I promise...) I wanted to experience all the American holidays. CHECK (still easter though!) Try a new sport. CHECK (softball :D) To be a part of American high school. CHECK

I appreciate this experience so much (kiitti mamma ja isi) and couldn't thank you enough. I'll be 18 in about two weeks and I should be an adult? Well, at least when I go to Finland, not sure if I'm ready though...  I am telling you, I'll be the same Ella who left from home almost 8 months ago, but also the new Ella who has changed in many good ways. Ella, who learned to appreciate where she comes from, my Finnish family, friends, nature, school system and many other things. I will enjoy things definitely in different way.

I am trying to live my life here as much as I can because I love it, and I'll miss it a lot. Especially going for wings on monday, choral, my crazy family, mine and Nathan's car rides, and eating with the best lunch table ever!!


Have a nice week everyone :)

-Ella

Musical 2015

Before ''the'' day...

3/11/15 Tomorrow is the day. We have our first Hello Dolly performance. I have been waiting for this so long and honestly I am really nervous.  First we're going to perform for elementary school and then for high school, although we're just doing act 1 or 2. Tomorrow night at 7:30pm we have to be ready to do the whole show! It's going to be a rough and a long weekend, but definitely worth it! I will write about this later next week with pictures. I am so glad that I got a chance to do musical in my school, it's just so cool.

 My beautiful waiter

 Rachel the Granny

 My lovely brothers <3

 The best reps ever!

3/15/15 And now it's over. Can't believe it. This week has been amazing, it's so hard to tell how good I feel with these people. Past three day have been so much fun and I've learned a lot. I never knew that I'd do musical during my exchange year, but it was definitely good choice! I've come so close with some of the people and musical was one of the reason why. Nothing like this would happen in Finland. We don't have anything like this is our school system and if we would, not ''everyone'' would get in. I learned to ''throw myself'' in, and singing, dancing, and acting at the same time. And guys believe me, it wasn't easy for me...

 Yesterday was emotional in many ways. My grade, seniors, had their last musical experience. I have good friends that are seniors, but there is a huge, talented group of seniors graduating this year. I think five of them had a lead role in our musical. They're amazing. And the other hand, this was my first - and probably the last musical, plus I am leaving in about 3 months. Well, at least it tells that I have so many great people in my life and I'll be missed, haha.

 Parasol ladies

 The best people

Softball girls

Thank you, thank you and thank you. I had an aaamazziing experience, I'll never forget this. We still have cast party today before everything is over... Love you all!

-Ella

Palma De Mallorca

Tässä tulee kuvia Mallorcan matkalta, jonka vietin rakkaan mamini kanssa! Paikka jossa olimme oli nimeltään Magaluf, joka siis kuuluu Mallorcan pääkaupunkiin Palmaan. Oli aivan ihana paikka. Rantaa riitti, mutta oli myös hyvät shoppailu mahdollisuudet ja nähtävyydet. Sanoinkin mun parhaille kavereille, että tonne me niin mennään joskus!!! Annetaan kuvien puhua puolestaan. Herkut oli edullisia, hahaa.

Ella