Changes Of Scenery

Hey everybody. Well it looks like I lied to all my faithful readers. I told that I would post roght after Russian tour however (obviously) I did not. You see I switched families yesterday and I wanted to combine two short/ interesting/ anticipated enteries into one. Also another kinda big thing, a few months back, if you remember, Thomas had some french friends come up her to visit him. Well this week Kristian's friends taking the frenchies leave and are coming up to visit. Also it's the first week of a new semester at school here so it's gonna be a fun post. :P

Well I'm gonna start out with the one that I know you kittens have been dieing to hear. St. Petersburg Russia. Well we crossed a line on the road and were instantly sent two hours into the future due to Russia's time zone. The jet lag we recieved from walking two meters over that line was more than coming from france or germany to finland. Well anyway we went to a Russian folk show that was easily for me the highlight of the trip. We also went to a russian ballet (classy I know) I really enjoyed it but it was mostly a naptime for most of the others though. The best part was seeing the other exchange students again and mostly getting to meet our new aussies. They are really cool and I'm glad that I'll be able to get to know them better :) Lastly we got freetime to explore Russia in all it's glory, also a few museums but you guys don't want to hear about them. I really had a good time and I even picked up a nive Russia/ Soviet hat, which I have decked out with Rotary pins.

Now for the new family. I really love my new family, I already get along with everybody very well. The father is a fisherman and a boxer, the son is a football player and an allaround cool guy and the mother works at a local university. The son and I already get along very well. Yesterday we went and played pool together. He is good but I managed to beat him a couple times, we will be playing alot more in the future. I really think I'm going to enjoy my time here in this familyit's already been fun and it's only day 3 (well 2 days 3 nights but who cares.) Also it is really close to the city center so if I need to go into town it will take ten minutes walking instead of 1/2 hour by bus.

And finally the last thing of this update, Kristians two friends who are visiting.this week. There is 1 boy and 1 girl. They are pretty cool. I had them oer at my new place today to watch a movie in the home theater system (:) that's right, y'all are jealous :) ) We all get along nicely so I think it's going to be a good week. I will put a more detailed post on their time here in finland when you know... they've actually spent time here in finland.

Well that's all for this time. it's been a busy week and a bit, also I got my computer fixed up by Thomas. It's running a lot faster now. I also have 1 favour to ask all the people who read this and are subscribed to a little site called Facebook.com. One of the exchange students here, Diego will be leaving the great country of Finland to return to Mexico in just under 20 days! I need you guys to all send him a message on Facebook telling him how not cool that is for him to leave all this behind. You can message him at Diego Hvv on facebook, show him how not cool this is of him. Well that's all for this time, stay frosty keep your stick on the ice and I'll post again soon from across the Finnish line.

Robert

News and Unfortunetly Olds

Hey everybody, I know it has been a long time since my last post however I did have one writen but due to what are called tecnical Ihatemycomputer-alities it didn't save so I lost it. This really made me mad (like extremly mad I spent a good couple hours on that post, all I'm saying is that I'm lucky I didn't punch a hole through my computer) and discouraged me from writing for a while. Anyway I have some news to catch up on mainly prom night, ice fishing, march break, and my new host family. Also I am taking a trip to Saint Petersburg Russia this week so I'll let you all know how that goes as well.

Well first things first what you have all been waiting for, Finnish prom night or oldies dance. I had a wonderful partner named Ella (last name withheld for her own protection ;-) ) As well as being my dance partner she is also one of my closest friends this side of the ocean. We danced a simple waltz, a tango, a boogie woogie and a freewaltz. most of the videos are up on youtube but youtube isn't my friend so I have to reload a few. If you would like to check them out just go to my youtube channel at bigbluenote1010320. There is an old saying, "there comes a point in every mans life when he must shut up and learn to dance." Well ladies and gentlemen I agree completly. Sometimes we all just need to shut up and dance.

Next up is the march break, it was a week off school and not much really happened for me. Just chilling in the sun enjoying my new sunglasses and hanging with my good friends Thomas, Diego and Kristian. As well as Rod from France Veera and Ella both Finns. I also went fishing for the first time since coming to Finland. It wasn't the best fishing I've ever done but it was still fishing. ICEfishing, unlike most of the readers to this blog we are not experiencing the warmest of weather. It was even snowing today. Well when it comes to the fishing we cault 11 perch the bigest being about an inch (3 cm [that's right this blogs going metric]) All of our fish were cault by Kristian and his rotary presidents husband but I enjoyed being on the ice again.

In the time since my last blog post I have met my third and hopefully final host family. They are great, I really think I am going to have a great time in this family. The father is a fishing fan, the brother is a cool football player (soccer for all you north americans) who I have heard nothing but good things about. The mother is a cool girl and the dog is a little yappy but he'll get used to me. The father was showing me his movie collection and he pulled out a film called Predator. He asked me if I'd ever heard of it and (as anyone who knows me will tell you) I told him it was my favourite movie. He just chuckled and said that now he knew what we were doing the first night I was there. Really I think I am going to like it there alot, it is also really close to the city center so I won't be away from home for as long as I am now so that will be good.

Before I wrap this up I would like to give a shoutout to Barbra Trew. I would just like to say grandma thank you for caring enough to correct every spelling and grammar mistake in every blog I have written, I know when I come back our games of scrabble will be much more interesting, and P.S. barreller is so a word.

Anyway in closing I have the St. Peties trip this week, I will be sure to bring a camera, I will try to take pictures but people know me and I am not good at that kinda thing. But I promise I will write a blog about it on sunday. That is a promise ladies and gentle man. I had a fun bus experience this week, and if you guys would like a fun little wednsday post about it and a few other fun stories hit me up on the facebook or send me an email at rapter_17@live.ca also you could leave a comment. Well that's it for this week, stay frosty keep your stick on the ice and I'll post again soon(er) from across the finnish line.

Robert Kluke

Happy Friendsday or As We Know It Valentines Day

Sup gals and gents, how are you today? (please tell how you are actually feeling to your computer it may make it feel special) Well anyway it has been another regular week in the land of Angry Birds and less then Canadian maple syrup. Nothing big happened it was another week of sauna, friends and school (once all that was at the same time, true story.) This week will be different though. Thomas (the Frenchman) has three friends from France up to visit. I'm getting things all strraightened out with my third host family ( :-) ) and as I'm sure you are all aware tomorrow is Valentines day, now who's excited?

Now for all you people who thought life with 1 frenchie was bad enough, now I have a week with four. Mon deau. No I'm kidding with you guys (mostly) Thomas is great, but this week is going to be crazy. It is also a big week for finns, it is graduation week for the third/ fourth years and also the "prom" of course I will be attending and I will make sure that I get a video. These proms are different than what we are used to so be sure to check up next week to get a video of myself in a kinda tux dancing waltz and tango.

Now time for My question for all you boys and girls. As we all know tomorrow is Valentines day (the most romantic day of the year and ironically the day with the highest suicide level.) Okay question time. And I expect an answer from every single person who reads this. Who is your date this year? Because I know you're all wanting to know my answer, my date(s) are four frenchies a german and a long sauna. Not my first choice for a date but it will still be very very cool. you can answer me through this sight, or facebook or at rapter_17@live.ca (email) make your answers serious or funny.

Well that's all for this week, if you want a fun game read through all these blog entries and you can see how my english is getting progressivelu worse through the months. I now speak what we call Thomas English. Well adults, babies and everything in between, stay frosty keep your stick on the ice and I'll post again soon from across the finnish line.
Robert

"If you don't get in that bathroom right now I'll kill you"

Just some friendly words from Thomas Zanon, one of my very good friends here. Hey everybody how are you guys doing? Sorry it has been so long since my last update, once again Finland has been keeping me away. Anyway, it has been a busy couple weeks and now that I'm in test week when everyother student in Finland is crazy busy I finally have time to update my blog, ironic eh? Love being an exchange student. Well anyway, this weekend I spent at one of the local ski hills, way to many people for a not that good ski hill. It was fun to go snowboarding again though :-) . The weather was -25. Warm for Canadians but to finns and germans and french people it's very cold so I got a good laugh out of it.

Anyway over the last few weeks I've been skating snowboarding and so on (winter stuff) alot. It's so fun. However it has a big down side. Because I live an hour away from the city center, where everything happens, I end up being away from home for 12-15 hours a day. It is wierd to be gone so long from the house because I never see the family I'm in. It's wierd but when you live so far away you either spend all your time away from home or all your time at home.

Okay that's basically it for now, I hope you guy are all enjoying your test weeks and are studying hard. Stay frosty keep your stick on the ice and I will post again soon from across the finnish line.
Robert Kluke

out of the holidays, into the hollow-day

Hey everyone how is it going on this the first day of 2012. (only twelve months and twenty days until the end of the world :P ) So I hope santa was good to all you Canadians and Finns and Rotarians. Well I had a good holiday. Christmas was spent with the family new years was spent with friends and in between was spent as a mixture of friends and helping babysit my three year old cousin with down syndrome. It was a fun finnish learning experience.

While I am on the topic of Finnish learning I should probably bring up a deal that myself and the french student made that we are no going to only speak Finnish (as much as possible) from now on. for me this started on the car ride home last night/ this morning at 1:30 and by 2:00 I was so frustrated I just went to bed, to anyone who thinks learning languages is easy let me tell you this. Some languages are (i.e. english, spanish, italian, even french) But Finnish Is Not By Any Means An Easy Language To Learn Or Speak.

Well as my title suggests school starts again tomorrow. So now everything is going to be ask back to normal as an exchange ever is. Sorry for the short blog, Stay frosty, keep your stick on the ice and I'll post again next week from across the finnish line.

Robert

Christmas..... 1 Week? Miksi?

Hey everybody, I know it's been a while but my weeks have been full. Almost too full but not quite. But things will get better in a bit because christmas will be done. Presents for past family, and current and I'm poor, great. If I may give any advice to any rotarians reading this. Never change a students families in december. Because then we have to buy gifts for people we don't know, but people we are supposed to know. Well that's my little complaining for this week now time to get to the update of what I've been up too, probably the reason you guys still read this blog.

Well it has been a very school orientated week, I've been doing my art homework most of the weekend. Also yesterday I went to the dance recital of my friend Thomas. He is a good dancer. I filmed his dance and it will be up on facebook and youtube soon so you guys should check it out.

I start Christmas Vacation on wensday, I think. I'm not quiet sure because I haven't got a straight answer out of anyone. Finns are very bad for that. Well unfortunately that is it for this week. Not much happened. I'll post again after Christmas. Stay frosty and keep your stick on the ice and I'll talk to you soon from across the Finnish line.
Robert

So It IS a Small World After All

Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since my last update, the last week I have been very sick (like the kind of sick where moving is out of the wuestion let alon blogging) and I went to muonio in the finnish lapland. Also I have made a great discovery about my friend Santu that the boys and girls back home will probably never believe.

So as I said I was sick over the last week. first time in a long time, and afterwords I was so thin it was scary so now I have to hit the gym harder than ever. I started going back this morning and nobody told me my relax class was going there, so two and a half hours with diego then to school only to find out I would need another hour and fifteen minutes. that ought to do it ;) (winky face)

Now the part that everyone reading wants to hear about. Lapland. First off I want to say, I missed snowboarding so much. Even though I can do that one back in the great white north I can still say that it was my favourite part. I was able to snowboard with a south african girl and an american guy who were both pretty good. I also taught a few people how to carve. And on the "jump run" I am pround to say I showed off a little for Canada. We also visited a reindeer farm went on dog sled rides and partied like foriegners (ya a know we are) I love those other exchange students. It's good to have a network of other boys and girls going through the same thing as you, and how I loved to be able to talk to the other Canadians because they are cool and even though we ended up singing bieber on a stage to represent our land we still represented it well. I can't wait to see those guys again and if you all want to see the photos check out facebook they are all there.

Before I sign off I would like to say that little something I found out about my good buddy Santu (to all fins reading this you probably wont get this right away so bear with me to the end please) I was hanging out with Santu and I was talking to his mom, she mentioned that Santu's cousins lived in Canada. I said o cool where? and she replied....... Blind River Ontario!!!!!  (a small town outside of my small town about 15 minutes away!!!!!) I mean holy crap what are the odds? So if anyone is going to Blind River anytime soon and you run into anyone with the last name Repo let them know there cousin is doing fine

Well that's all for now my friends this post will be linked on facebook, and I'm sorry it's so long. I still love to hear your comments, it lets me know people are still reading this thing. Stat frosty, keep your stick on the ice and I'll talk to you all again soon from across the finnish line

Robert