General Stuff

This page is just for general stuff. I will add and remove random things whenever they come up. Maybe this stuff will give you a better view of my life, or something like that..haha, thanks for coming.

The Vermilion Standard Article

• The local Vermilion paper recently did an article on me, and it was alright, but they always manage to make you look stupid, so here is the real story, what he really asked me and my entirely real answers. There is also the real article after.
• >1) A few months in Finland, what's been the biggest adjustment for you so far?

  I've been here for just over 4 months, and this question has come up often. I think I have had to adjust to being constantly emotionally exhausted. We as exchange students are always saying goodbye, whether its to host famlies, the other students after visits, home, the other exchange students who are already going home. You can add all of this to the obvious challenge of a new language, culture, family, and life. It all takes a lot out of you.

  >2) What about the education how has that differentiated from Canada?

  Here in Finland, and generally in most of europe, eduacation is set up in a very different way. Instead of having 5 month semesters, there is 5 7-week periods. They act as mini semesters, so there are different topics which you are tested on at the end. It makes test times much less stressful when you only have to remember 7 weeks worth of material instead of 5 months.

  >3) What have you enjoyed the most about the exchange? So far this year, I have had many experiences, some bad, some incredible, and I think the most enjoyable times have been with all 130 of the other exchange students in Finland from everywhere in the world. Today I arrived home in Helsinki from a 5 day trip into Lapland (northern Finland) with all of the other students. I started a 14 hour bus ride, picking up people the whole way. 14 sounds like a huge trip in a bus, but when you are with 45 other students who have similar experiences as you, who struggle with the same things as you, and understand exactly how you feel then the trip doesn't seem long enough.

  >4) What has surprised you the most about the experience?

  There have been a lot of suprises here so far, and ironically, the most suprising thing to me is how simlilar the Finnish and Canadian culture are. There really aren't so many huge differences, just a lot of small ones. The mindset of Finns is very logical. Culture is important, whether that be through architechture, arts, music, or sports- Finns excel in all of these things which is incredible when you consider the small amount of people here, only 5 million. Culture shock didn't hit me hard at all, and I was settled quicker than most.

  >5) What do you miss more than anything from Canada?

  Though canada and Finland are quite similar, we obviously have things that Finland doesn't have- like Kraft dinner, Peanut butter, and Alberta Beef. As much as I miss these things, it doesn't compare to how much I miss my Christian support from other belivers. Don't get me wrong, there are Christians here, but not like my home crew. Finns in General are very shy people, and it takes a lifetime of friendship before they will truly open up to you.

  >6) Plans for when you get home? Or are you going to want to come home?

  At the end of this trip in lapland, there was a group of students who are from the southern hemisphere- australia, brasil, argentina, new zealand and South Africa. They are on a different time schedual than us. They leave in January. This was their last time together and it was full of tears, and hugs, goodbye speeches and prayers. It made me quite sad to think that I will be in that situation in 7 months. I have become as close to my friends here than any others and I really don't want to leave them. I can tell you now that a fair chunk of my time when I return will be spend working for money for flight tickets and travel money. Of course my home in Vermilion will be nice, though right now I consider Finland my home. When I think about going home, it feels more like I am leaving my home than going home.

• Vermilion teen having fun in Finnish experience

  Travis Unger

  Vermilion Standard

  While he's enjoyed his fair share of salmon and pickled herring, Matt Odynski sure could go for some peanut butter and Kraft Dinner right about now.

  Odynski has been in Finland since August as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program and he says although he's a big fish eater it's taken him some time to get used to a few of the different preparation methods.

This is Your Life

• This is a new song by a band called Switchfoot. I really liked it, As I am forming and growing into the person I am going to be, I want to be who I want to be and who God wants me to be.

• Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead

  Yesterday is a promise that you’ve broken

  Don’t close your eyes

  Don’t close your eyes

  This is your life and today is all you’ve got now

  And today is all you’ll ever have

  Don’t close your eyes

  Don’t close your eyes

  This is your life

  Are you who you want to be

  This is your life

  Are you who you want to be

  This is your life

  Is it everything you’ve dreamed it would be

  When the world was younger

  and you had everything to lose

  don’t close your eyes

  don’t close your eyes

  yesterday is a kid in the corner

  yesterday is dead and over

  this is your life

  are you who you want to be

  this is your life

  are you who you want to be

  this is your life

  is everything you’ve dreamed it would be

  when the world was younger

  and you had everything to lose

  don’t close your eyes

  don’t close your eyes