uusi

means new. everything is new here.

I don’t think there’s any way to really be prepared for exchange. You don’t really comprehend what you’ve done until you’re on the plane.

Frankly, what I signed on for back in January (when none of this was real) suddenly seemed like a horrible idea twenty minutes into my first flight. I ran into some more kids in bulky Rotary blazers at Chicago-O’Hare, and it made me feel even less sure of myself. But 12 hours later, ready or not, I landed in Helsinki.

There are 120 kids here at language camp in Karkku to study Finnish: dominantly from the Americas, with a scoop of Japanese-speakers and some Europeans sprinkled in. Four days into this, I almost always have someone that I can sit down with if I arrive somewhere alone. Rotary kids are generally interested in making connections. Or at least getting rid of some of the damn Rotary business cards weighing them down – I was given 500, some people have even more.

This place is beautiful. The air already feels like late fall, but the trees are still alive. I went swimming in the lake today under rainclouds, and watched two rainbows hit the island out in the middle of the water. Direct quote: "Wow. Shit. This is Finland."

Lessons are going slowly, because pronunciation is hard. Written Finnish is also quite different than spoken Finnish. I can say some of the longer words by now though… try "Aamupalaverihuone" and laugh. The camp has also given us useful instruction on what to do when we are attacked by bears. Note the “when”…not “if”.

I just had my first Finnish sauna experience and, well, there’s no wonder these people are so good at everything they do. I feel fantastic right at this moment...and lots of Finns sauna every day, even for business and political meetings! If saunas weren’t limited to Finland and remote Vermontian cabins, I feel like there would be far fewer problems in the world. Wouldn't it be nice, hey?