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Karkku Language Camp

By far one of the most exciting camps and experiences I've had the pleasure of having. I met so many new friends from all around the world who are about to embark on the same Finnish journey as me.


Brownie points to anyone who can spot me in this picture

We studied Finnish for five hours each day. Three hours in the morning after aamianen (breakfast). And two more hours after lounas (lunch). They made learning Finnish interesting and fun, cracking jokes throughout the lessons. My teacher, Mimmu, was very funny and kept referencing her exchange when she was in High School. Each group also had a tutor/Rotech (a Finnish person who had been on exchange before). My tutor's name was Karoliina and I really enjoyed having her as my tutor. She was very funny and told us a lot about the Finnish lifestyle and language.


I tried many new interesting and tasty foods at the camp as well. I tried makkara which is Finnish sausage. They roasted it over an open fire for us and it was so delicious. Finnish bread is also so much better than American bread. I don't know how to explain the difference between them, but just trust me. You'll have to come and experience it for yourself.


Inside this hut there was a bonfire where they roasted the makkara

On Thursday we went to the second largest city in Finland, Tampere. For such a large city it surprised me how clean it was and how much space there was to walk. Usually I would feel very crowded in a big city, like Seattle, but I always had room to get around.

It was also surprising that Tampere had the mix of a big city and a rural aspect as well. In the main part of the city there was many places to go shopping, such as Marimekko. Marimekko is insanely popular brand in Finland, my host mom has many of their items. For the rural aspect, there is also a high elevation point in Tampere that is full of trees and a great view, it really lets you forget that you're in one of the largest cities there.


This city reminded me of my parents because my mom loves shopping and I feel like she would love to explore the stores and the yummy food that it has to offer. My dad doesn't like crowds and that's why he never goes to big cities. But have a feeling that he would really like Tampere though because of the amount of space there is to move around and because I noticed that there are many museums there. My dad is somewhat of a history buff and I think he would enjoy visiting them and learning about all that Finland has to offer.


the view from the highest elevation point in Tampere

I made so many great friends at language camp that it was very hard to say goodbye to them on Saturday. They made the camp hilarious and fun to be at and an overall positive experience. During the camp we were always together, whether we were at sauna, jumping in the lake, or just sitting outside sharing stories about our friends and families back home. Luckily, Finland is a small country so it is very possible to meet up with them again before I have to go home.


Some of my friends at camp (Zak, Chiara, Noah, Me, Jack, Matti) (Also Taylor but he's not pictured)

Thank you for reading :)

I hope to be adding more posts soon when I become a bit less busy!

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