I’M ACCEPTED!!

I FINALLY got a message from my outbound coordinator; Finland has accepted my application!!

WOO-HOO!

Now I can throw-out all this scholarship and university stuff!! …well… not quite, but I can put it on the back burner. 🙂

I still don’t know what part of Finland I will go to (the district), or anything else yet… buuuut…. better than yesterday, hey?

Bad thing is… I can’t go on the band trip anymore. I curse the fact that the orientation in Russel, MB is the same weekend as the Seattle trip (April 27-29). But I will have more fun there! I don’t really like most of the people in my band (if you are in my band, I’ll SAY I like you… if you’re reading this I assume I would like you), and the other exchange students seem like they would be my kind of people.

Well, now to wait for my acceptance packet to get back here, so I can learn about EVERYTHING. And the Russel orientation, so I can learn stuff and get my BEAUTIFUL Rotary jacket!! ❤

WHEEE!!! JE SUIS EXCITE!!! (My French is probably beautiful *sarcasm*, but luckily I don’t need it to be! BECAUSE I’M GOING TO FREAKIN’ FINLAND!!!)

~~~Jodi~~~!!!

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Waiting…

Well, hopefully the application is in Finland now. I’M SO EXCITED!! I have to hear back from them by at least the end of March, before the Outbound Orientation in Russel, MB. Maybe I’ll hear back by the end of February! That would be lovely….

Anyways, I know I shouldn’t, just in case I’m not accepted, but I’ve been reading and learning more about the language, culture and exchange itself. 🙂

Cultures Shocked is a great site, that has a forum, a wiki, everything!! I’ve been reading it a lot, since there are literally thousands who are exactly like me!! I’ve also been checking out CATSA for information on flights, restrictions, etc. And not to mention, the Rotary Youth Exchange site for Finland. 😉 I’ve learned there are 3 trips I can possibly go on while abroad!! First, there is the Lapland tour, which is when all the inbounds (that is the term for exchange students currently in their country of exchange). It happens up in Northern Finland in December or something like that. Best part is, it’s included in the cost of exchange!!

The second trip you can take is the Russia Tour! Basically, you get to go to St. Petersburg in Russia and do some site seeing. I think that’d be amazing to go on, since Russia was originally my 2nd choice for the Rotary exchange. 😀 It sounds like great fun!

The final (and biggest!) trip is the Eurotour! You get to visit, like, 8 countries! 😀 Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Austria,and back! 😀

On top of CATSA, learning about the exchange, and learning random tidbits of language (terve!), I have also been making pins to exchange with locals and fellow exchangers. It is a Rotary tradition to exchange pins. So far, at the time of this post, I have made 5 of each of Canada and Saskatchewan Safety Pin pins (I might add a photo later). Once I know for SURE that I am going, I plan on sending letters to people in the government asking for free pins of Canada, Saskatchewan, and maybe even my hometown!

Well, I guess that’s long enough for today. I’m so excited for all this! Can it be April yet?

Sincerely,
Jodi

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