Damn! i wrote a nice entry about my thoughts about having only 100 days to go!

but of course that thing crashed...

well... 100 days left in switzerland. im so glad i still feel so good about it and not too afraid or anything. I know it will be very hard and difficult. but i know that this is what i want and what i just have to do... i will learn so much and i want this since 2 years... and now its so close.

IM TAKEN FOR FINLAND '04 - '05  ***  SUOMI IM COMMING

until 13th april we had to send back our application...

5 pages international application in english
3 pages for the finnish organisation

I'm very late i know but i want write a little what all happened since the first preparation weekend...

at the trainstation i already met some girls who also were at the first weekend and had together a nice trip to Aarburg. (Of course i had to tell all the time how horrible it feels to be in the Aargau at a weekend).

After we were all lost in Olten we still managed somehow to get our train to Aarburg. There we got picked up and went to the house. the house was...woah. the name was "Villa Jugend" (Villa Youth) and it really was a villa... nothing compared to the small thing from last weekend. We went to the rooms and then it already started...

we had to make a row starting with the oldest ppl and go back until the youngest. We were around 50 ppl and it wasnt too easy :P in pairs we had to do a portrait of eachother to hang on the walls. Silja was talking finnish to me all the time :/

we did a lot of "games" again this weekend to "test" how we can understand other cultures and find out other rules. its was very interesting. and also of course read all the national profiles... talk to ppl who were away for a year and watch pictures. the people were great! we even had 3 boys this time :P

favourit countries were still the same... new zealand, nepal, costa rica and colombia. noone wanted to go to finland hehe good for me! hm... i find it mean some ppl find it boring to stay in europe. i can have a special experiance in every country and because its more far away that doesnt make it better no? i love europe and i want go to finland. i respect them to go so far away but they shouldnt find us who stay in europe something "less".

we had to write a letter to ourselves. very difficult and i dont know anymore what i wrote really. i think i wrote most questions that interest me NOW but i can only answere when im there. we will get the letter around christmas.

before we left we were standing in a circle and everyone holded a bit of "schnur"... so we were all connected forever. then we cut the "schnur" as something to remember. mine is still at my school bag.

in 2 years we will stand there again... after a big adventure!

i loved it

this is like the first positive entry lol and im sure it will be a long one!
here the whole story about my amazing weekend at the preparation weekend!

Full of panic i went to the trainstation lol... already waiting for the train i was searching for ppl who might go there too and found some... but we were only looking at eachother lol
then in the train i started talking to someone. She is a teacher and already worked at waidhalde the school where i live. She wants go somewhere in europe... maybe iceland.

When we changed train we met others who went there and already had some nice talks. Then in that VERY VERY small village we searched the house and even found it :P it was wonderful weather and all in deep snow... around the house were beer everywhere :P

We met the "team" who were mostly ex-exchangees. We had to introduce ourselves with name and a small "thing" thats typical for you. and then after everyone did this you had to introduce the one who was standing next to you. lol that was mean we didnt remember too much... we were around 25 GIRLS (boys are so lame).
the team already made me feel crazy lol 4 times i heard "my name is ... i was in finland", others were in latin america, india or africa. But never as much as finland hehe.

So then inside the very nice SMALL house they introduced the program we will do that weekend which was very well planned but we were already 20 min in delay hehe. And that everyone will have a special interview with 2 ppl from the team. Starting with... ME :/ ehm...

So i went to that room where was nice tea and GREAT tea! i was really nervous but very cool was that i had my interview with Silja who also was in finland, and just a worker of the organisation. Silja asked questions and the other one just wrote all :/.
First were just questions of family...hobbies... work... and such. then about where to go and me of course FINLAND and then she asked which else if not finland and me only "hm i dont know..." and then i felt very bad because i thought that sounds really stupid and all and that its just like i would be very stubborn and such lol. Then personal questions what i would do if i would be really dissapointed at my work or country there and how i would deal there with problems in general... really interesting questions. then just in general about where i would like to work... which projects... hostfamily... city or countryside... allergies and illnesses. And then of course i annoyed Silja with a ton of questions about finland hehe... she was SO nice...

the interview took like 45 min so i missed the whole part when they introduces the organisation and aims. but the others said it wasnt too interesting. In general i already had i great with the ppl there. Its wonderful to be around all this ppl who share the same dreams and fears.  there were no groups at all i could go everywhere and found someone to talk.

Then they introduced the countries and projects where you can work at and gave us the list how many ppl can go to which country. We were 1 of 3 groups from Switzerland and we had 1 place for finland so i was a little afraid :P it was nice and interesting just so tiring (?) lol it took very long and you wanted to concentrate well on everything. Then we were waiting for food at around 20.00 lol and some went already to sleep... we poor exhausted "soon to be exchanges"...

Then dinner. Silja cooked something asian... it was good :P. After dinner which was very quiet because everyone was so tired and we were in so much delay with the program they decided that they will just go on with the interviews and the others are free. Many went to read things about the project or countries or looked at pictures from the team and their year. And i went to annoy Silja with questions lol she even said she found it funny what i said about other countries and that she understands how i love it and that i can always contact her or that she will give me adress of a finnish exchange who is at the moment in switzerland.

Then i went sitting around with some other ppl and then Charlotte came to me. She is such a funny person. She was the weekend chef and was of course also in finland hehe... 10 years ago. "So Sina... do you like it that so many *finns* are here?" OF COURSE I DO. lol... She worked with disabled ppl in Vantaa and it was so interesting what she all told me... Silja and others from the team came also and the "soon to be exchanges" left lol... i had so much fun... we talked about finland and all the others found me crazy to study the language already now and someone who was in Peru wanted to bring me away from finland lol but charlotte and silja were with me that finland was just the best lol. Peru Guy also said that i have to know that if i go to finland that i must keep in mind that i will work then for the organisation for the rest of my live lol he meant because so many who were in finland stay working for icy after their year. Charlotte and Silja said thats because the organisation in Finland is so great. The greatest was then that someone else asked me which others countrys i would choose then if not finland and i wanted to say something but charlotte already said "No we have 1 place in finland and thats for her" I WAS SO HAPPY lol... the ppl there are just so great. I mean... ME... shy me... talking to the team ppl until midnight? I NEVER THOUGHT THAT lol when i wanted go to the others... noone was around anymore lol they were all already sleeping lol

I slept very good hehe and next morning had a nice breakfast.

Then the complicated part lol... discussions about "unspoken rules in switzerland" and how we will represent Switzerland. It was very interesting and just great...
The talk about the objects that we have to bring and make a "collage" with it. We sent Schälle Ursli on a trip in Switzerland... (i wont talk more about it because non-swissies wouldnt really understand it i think), but it was so great.

Then Roleplaying about problems that we could have there in the other countries... that was very good to also think more about this side of that "trip". Then some information about finding a host family in Switzerland, which will be very difficult. :(

The next great thing was FOOOOODDDD lol silja cooked FINNISH SOUP and PANCAKES! SOOOO yummi lol. Then we only had to write our final desicion for countries again... which is for me 1. Finland 2. Iceland 3. Ghana. Oh yes and already since yesterday i knew i want go 12 months now :P its also ok with my parents hehe

then we cleaned the house, me the kitchen hehe. and then left... :(

I had a wonderful time with wonderful ppl around me and a great spirit and a weekend that gave me so much energy and TOIVO. I will go on my search for a hostfamily now hehe... and thinking about which project i would like the most... Opisto sounds so cool also... ah...

I forgot a ton i guess :(

ciao! :P