Land o' lakes, berries and shrooms!

I have almost completed my first week here in Finland and learned so many new things already! Here a few that I thought were worth mentioning on my first blog post because they are things that I wondered about before coming...

1) Finland isn't freezing... well at least not yet! I didn't really know what to expect when I stepped off my first plane in Helsinki, but it was perfect! The day I arrived it was about 65-70 degrees and I actually had to take layers off. I know it isn't really winter yet, so it will be getting colder but right now it is lovely! My host mom Leena asked me today if I liked long underwear (and if you know me well, the answer is obviously no haha!), so I know the real cold is probably coming soon.

2) People EAT jam- not on bread or toast... they just eat it plain!! Being a normal American, when I saw jam as part of the school lunch I put it on my buttered cracker (there was no bread) and every student at my table just kind of looked at me strangely haha! I don't really understand why they just eat lingonberry jam, but I will admit it is delicious!

3) Coffee and/or tea is consumed about 4-6 times a day. I don't know if it because it is usually always so cold here, but I love this, especially because it is usually accompanied with cookies, apple cake, sweet rolls, etc!!

4) Most people know English- I haven't encountered a single person who doesn't speak enough English to communicate with me. However, everything I hear on the street and in shops is either Swedish or Finnish. This is good for me because I haven't quite mastered Swedish or Finnish in my first week here haha!

5) I read before I came that Finland has the most lakes in a single country... and I believe it now. I went "trekking" (more like walking because it is so incredibly flat here) with my host parents Daniel and Leena this weekend and walked by about 4 bodies of water/marshes/lakes in just a 3 mile trek! The hike was so beautiful; everywhere I looked was forrest filled with moss, mushrooms and lingonberries. Here are a few photos to visually explain the elegance that is basically in my backyard! I can't believe how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place, and if anyone has been on the fence about Kokkola or Finland these should make you bump it up on your list of places to visit. Here's a look: