Piha pääsi Pihaan (ja Aucklandiin!!)

English speakers scroll to the bottom!

Heippa taas!

Nyt on nimikkopaikka tsekattu ja hyvältähän siellä Pihassa näytti! Kyllä siellä kelpaisi asustella. Seuraavaks täytyy varmaan tuoda äiti ja iskä paikan päälle tarkastamaan kohde, jospa ne innostuis ostamaan talon "meidän" rannalta ;)

Leikki sikseen, olihan se Piha Beach enemmän tai vähemmän puskassa ja talot parhaat päivänsä nähneitä - hinnat tosin hipoo miljoonia sijaintinsa vuoksi. Tää kyseinen Piha Beach on siis Uuden-Seelannin kuuluisin surffauspaikka, joka sijaitsee maan länsirannikolla noin 40 km päässä suurimmasta kaupungista Aucklandista. Ihmeellistä miten vain reilun puolen tunnin ajomatka erottaa pilvenpiirtäjien ja betonirakennusten täyttämän keskustan vehreistä luonnonhelmoista!

Tosiaan siis lauantai-aamuna suunnattiin Hamiltonista pohjoiseen kohti Pihaa, jonne kesti ajaa n. 2,5 h. Siellä sitten töllisteltiin ja tutkittiin ympäristöä - ja otettiin paaaaaljon kuvia! Olihan se kumminkin varmaan mun vaihtovuoden tärkein tehtävä ottaa selvää tästä Piha -nimisestä paikasta ;) No, tehtävä suoritettu nyt! Onnekkaasti (koska viime viikot on ollu hyvinhyvin sateisia) meille sattu ihana auringonpaiste melkein koko viikonlopun ajaksi, vain tuolla Pihassa saatiin pari pisaraa. :D Ja olihan se niin kaunis paikka. Kyllä tän maan upea luonto saa vieläkin mut ällistymään - etenkin aina kun ollaan reissussa. Hamilton tuntuu jo kotoisalta enkä tunne oloani enää turistiksi täällä, joten aina kun mennään vähänkin tuttujen kulmien ulkopuolelle tulee taas kunnon matkailija-fiilis ja muistutus siitä että ulkomaillahan tässä ollaan.

 Matkalla Pihaan!

Koska tämä oli niin tärkeä tutkimusmatka, täytyi tietenkin parkkeerata tien sivuun ikuistamaan todistusaineistoa että neiti Piha todellakin on nyt Pihassa.

 Ensisilmäys varsinaisesta Piha Beachista

 Piha on tunnettu myös tosi tv-sarja "Piha Rescue":n ansiosta, joka seuraa rantavahtien ja meripelastustyöntekijöiden arkea Pihassa. Kuten koko länsirannikko, tääkin ranta on epävakaa ja usein epäturvallinen ja tossa ohjelmassa seurataankin miten onnettomia turisteja tai uhkarohkeita paikallisia joudutaan pelastamaan esim. rantaa ympäröiviltä kallioilta kun nousuvesi pääsi yllättämään tms.

 Mutta niin kaunistahan siellä oli! Kyllä siinä valtameressä on sitä jotakin. Kun ei maata oo näkyvissä horisontissa niin tuntuu ihan että maailman reunalla seisoisi.

Paikallinen julkkis ??

Pihasta ajeltiin sitten "suurkaupunki" Aucklandiin, jossa me yövyttiin ihanassa pikku asunnossa lähellä keskustaa. Olis kyllä ihan unelma asua tän kaltasessa asunnossa jossain suurkaupungissa (kenties Aucklandissa??) jonkun aikaa elämästä. Välivuosi lukion jälkeen? Yliopistoon ulkomaille? Jaa-a, aika näyttää ;)

Aucklandissa suoritettiin sightseeingia ja lauantai-iltana mentiin kattomaan Cirque du Soleilia joka esiintyi paikallisella Hartwall Areenalla! Ja olihan se upea show, en oo ikinä elämässäni nähny mitään vastaavaa. Ihan käsittämätöntä lahjakkuutta ja mahtavat erityistehosteet - toooodella vaikuttava kokemus!

Oli ihanaa päästä takasin Aucklandiin; oon ollu siellä kerran aikasemmin aikalailla mun vaihtovuoden alussa ja kyllä siinä city-elämässä on sitä jotain joka kiehtoo. Auckland on niin erilainen muusta Uudesta-Seelannista ja siinä mielessä uniikki reissukohde täällä, joskaan monet paikalliset ei niinkään välitä Aucklandin kiireisyydestä ja liikenneruuhkista yms. Aucklandissa asuu vajaat 1,5 miljoonaa ihmistä eli maailmanlaajuisesti katsottuna ei se mikään jättiläinen ole, mutta asuu siellä silti lähes kolmasosa koko Uuden-Seelannin väestöstä. Oon tainnu sanoo tän aikasemminkin mutta Auckland tuntuu kyllä paljon isommalta kaupungilta kuin se onkaan ja etenkin keskustassa on kyllä hyvinkin kansainvälisen suurkaupungin tuntua!

 Sky Tower (328 m), eteläisen pallonpuoliskon korkein torni ja Aucklandin tunnetuin maamerkki

 Ja sama pylväs päivänvalossa!

Auckland ylhäältä...

Ja alhaalta!

<3<3<3<3

Että semmonen viikonloppu täällä! Täytyy sanoa että näistä hostvanhempien kanssa tähän mennessä tehdyistä pikkureissuista tää oli kyllä ehkä mun suosikki. Jotenkin vaan oli niin kiva fiilis koko viikonlopun ajan ja tietenkin pääsin taas näkemään uusia ja ihmeellisiä paikkoja ja juttuja. Aucklandiin on tiedossa vielä toinenkin reissu hostvanhempien kanssa, kun tullaan viettämään uutta vuotta tuolla! Ai että, voin jo kuvitella ilotulitukset Aucklandin skylinen yllä.. Mutta siihen on (onneksi) vielä pari kuukautta!

Ei muuta kun ensi kertaan..!

- Eve

In English:

Last weekend I did a trip to Auckland (New Zealand's biggest city) and Piha with my lovely host parents. We were so lucky with the weather and got heaps of sunshine and only a little bit of rain, even though the last couple of weeks have been pretty awful weather-wise. My most important mission here in New Zealand is now complete as I have walked on the beach of Piha and checked the place out - next step is to bring my parents over and convince them that Piha would be a great place to live in! Or well, anywhere in New Zealand would suit me tbh. But they sure should see Piha with their own eyes! 

Piha was absolutely beaaaaauuutiful. New Zealand's nature doesn't seize to amaze me and it always takes my breath away - especially whenever I go somewhere outside of Hamilton (because Hamilton feels like home and I don't consider myself as a tourist here anymore) I start feeling like a true traveler again and I get reminded that I am, in fact, abroad.

Auckland didn't let me down either; it was awesome to get to go back there. There's just something about the city vibes that intrigue me... I could even see myself living in Auckland for a couple of years of my life. Perhaps I'll come back to live there after I finish school in Finland?? Many locals dislike Auckland because of it's busy atmosphere and horrible traffic jams, and Auckland is indeed very different from the rest of the country. However, you only have to drive half an hour from the concrete jungle city centre to get to a place like Piha and after all, there are only around 1,5 million people living in Auckland. It is about one third of the whole population of New Zealand though! And to me Auckland definitely feels bigger than what it is - I claim it's because of the skyscrapers in the city centre!

We did a lot of sightseeing and walked around the city centre and the harbour area; we went up the Sky Tower which is the most famous of Auckland's landmarks (and the highest tower in the Southern Hemisphere!) and took the ferry across to Devonport where we could see the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the skyline of the city. We also went to see Cirque du Soleil and that was just aweeesome. I've never seen anything like it before (and whenever there will be a chance to go see their show again, I'm going)!

Overall it was a fantastic weekend and I got to see and do so many cool things once again. Auckland is just awesome! Luckily I get to back there on New Year's - I can't wait to see the fireworks above the city skyline!

Suomen koti kutsuu tammikuussa

English translation at the bottom!

Moi taas!

Pientä kuulumisten päivitystä taas, tällä kertaa ihan suomeksi. ;) En voi käsittää että yli puolet mun vaihtovuodesta on jo ohi ja loppu alkaa vähitellen häämöttää - niin mielessä kuin kalenterissakin. Mutta onnekseni kotiinpaluu ei koitakaan ihan niin pian kuin alunperin ajattelin! Tää mun vaihtariohjelma päättyy joulukuun alussa, mutta sain mahdollisuuden pidentää mun aikaa noin kuukaudella ja Suomen koti kutsuu sit tammikuun puolivälissä. Tiedossa on siis joulu keskellä kesää ja uudenvuoden juhlinta ennen muuta maailmaa!

Oon tositosi onnekas että tää on mahdollista ja epäröimättä otin tilaisuuden vastaan. Kyllä äiti ja iskä yhen kuukauden lisää pärjää ;) Ja ehkäpä kaikista eniten tää kertoo vaan jälleen siitä miten paljon rakastankaan mun elämää täällä ja miten hyvät välit mulla on mun ihanien hostvanhempien kanssa. Kuukauden lisäaika tai ei, aika kiitää väistämättä kohti Suomeen paluuta. 4 kuukautta saattaa kuulostaa pitkältä ajalta, mutta ei se sitä ole. Oikeastaan epäilen että nää viimeset kuukaudet tulee hujahtamaan entistäkin nopeemmin... Täytyy vaan muistuttaa itteensä että ottais kaiken, ihan kaiken mahdollisen irti tästä ajasta, niin ainutkertaista kuin se on.

Oon jo tähän mennessä päässy näkemään enemmän Uutta-Seelantia mitä kuvittelin näkeväni (ja enemmän kuin monet mun paikalliset kaverit!) ja vielä on tiedossa useita reissuja esim. pääkaupunki Wellingtoniin parin viikon päästä ja ylös maan pohjoiskärkeen ens kuussa. Ja ens viikonloppuna mennään viikonlopuksi Aucklandiin ja käydään myös Pihassa (heh, heh). Niin, ehkä se olikin kohtalon johdatusta että päädyin just tänne Uuteen-Seelantiin kun täällä on kokonainen paikkakunta (vieläpä meren rannalla) Piha -nimellä. Ja aina kun esittelen itteni koko nimellä niin nää paikalliset jaksaa intoilla tästä aiheesta, joten pian pääsen vihdoin itse paikan päälle tsekkaamaan!

Eikä Uusi-Seelanti jää rajaksi tuleville reissuille, nimittäin mennään joulukuun alussa mun hostperheen kanssa viikoksi Australian Gold Coastille! Voi siis sanoa, että oon hyyyvin onnekas - en olis ikinä uskonu että mun vaihtovuoteen sisältyis näin monia uskomattomia mahollisuuksia ja kokemuksia! <3

Reissujen lisäksi edessä on vielä koulun puolesta päättökokeet sekä valmistuminen, ja Year 13 oppilaille järjestetään myös Leaver's Dinner  - vähän kuin Suomen abigaala. Kaiken kaikkiaan koulua on enää 6 viikkoa jäljellä ja se oli sit siinä!

Muuten koitan parhaani mukaan nauttia täysillä jokaisesta arkisestakin jutusta. Yks elämän iloista täällä on kevään tulo; joka paikka kukkii, lehdet alkaa ilmestyä puihin ja päivät on valosampia! <3

 Kotikulmat! // this is what my neighbourhood looks like

 Ulkoilmalounas ihanan Julien kanssa <3 / lunch with my lovely friend Julie (she's an exchange student from Switzerland!)

 Mun hiukset on kasvanu ihan hurjaa vauhtia täällä!!

 Mut ei se kevät täälläkään oo pelkkää auringonpaistetta... Oikeastaan nää paikalliset puhuu että täälläkin kaikki vuodenajat raahaa jäljessä ja että nyt vasta viime viikkoina ollaan saatu tyypillistä talvisäätä eli kylmää viimaa ja sateita. Ja raekuuroja! Tuntu ihan kotosalta kun nää paikalliset ryntäs kesken historiantunnin ulos rakentaan "lumiukkoja".
/ Spring is not just sunshine though! The weather has actually been pretty cold and wet this past week and we've even got a couple of hail storms! Everyone ran outside in the middle of our history lesson to play with the hail and build "snowmen".

Herkuttelu kuuluu elämään täällä ;) Hyppärin herkkuja koulussa ja synttärikakku jonka leivoin hostäidille tällä viikolla! / Treating ourselves is part of the culture here... I made a birthday cake for my host mum this week!!

Ens kerralla kerron varmaan sit mun vierailusta Pihaan!

- Eve

in English:

I can't believe that more than half of my exchange is already over and the end is getting closer; not only in my mind but in the calendar as well. However, I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to extend my stay in NZ with a month, which means that I'm heading back to Finland in mid-January! That means I get to experience a kiwi Christmas in the summer and to celebrate New Year as one of the firsts in the world!

I'm so lucky to have been granted this opportunity and I didn't hesitate to say yes. Mum and dad in Finland will survive one more month without me ;) And I think this only tells, again, of how much I love my life here in NZ and what a great relationship I have with my lovely host family.

Despite extending my stay the end is still approaching. 4 months may seem like a long time, but it's not. And it will go by sooo quickly. I just have to remember to make the most of every single moment of this incomparable experience!
I have already seen more of New Zealand than I ever thought I would (and even more than most of my Kiwi friends have!) and I still have some trips planned for the next couple of months. The next school holidays start in a couple of weeks and I'm then heading to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, with my friend Julia who's an exchange student from Germany. And next month I'm going up north for a long weekend with my host family! 

This weekend I'm heading to Auckland and Piha - finally I get to see "my" place in the world!! Every time I've introduced myself by my whole name the locals point out that I should go to Piha, since it's spelled and pronounced exactly like my last name. Perhaps it was meant to be that of all the places in the world I came to New Zealand ;)

Not only do I have trips coming up within New Zealand, but in December I'm going "across the ditch" to Australia for a week with my host family! You could easily say that I'm veeeeery lucky. I had no idea that my exchange year was going to offer so many incredible opportunities!

There are still a few things coming up at school as well before my year is over, like the final exams, Leaver's Dinner for the Year 13's and then, graduation. Altogether I only have 6 more weeks of school left and that's it done! Otherwise I'm trying to enjoy every little thing and appreciate even the most ordinary stuff. Spring makes me so happy at the moment; leaves are starting to appear in trees, flowers are blooming and mornings and evenings are getting lighter! <3

Next time I'll probably write about my trip to Auckland and PIHA!

7 months in NZ! (in English)

Hey there!

I decided that it was finally about time to make a blog post in English, since I've talked about my experiences with so many people and I know that some of you out there have tried to make sense of my blog posts by using Google Translator with not so great results, so here ya go! ;)

I've been in New Zealand for exactly 7 months now. I can't believe how fast time has gone by... In a way it feels like I would've been here forever; that's how settled in I feel. On the other hand I can still remember my first days here like it was just last week. So many incredible things have happened and I've got to experience things I never even knew to dream of. It's easy to say this has been the best year of my life so far! So let me tell you a little how I feel about it...

This is from a speech I prepared for my English class earlier this week:

Exactly 7 months ago today, on the 1st of February, something that I can now call the adventure of my lifetime, began. I left my family, friends and everything I thought I knew about the world and myself behind. And I thought I knew a lot; I was happy and satisfied with the life I was living and I thought I knew who I was and what I wanted.

Turned out, I was wrong. My life was about to change in a way it could never be the same again. I didn't realise it at the time, but the person who said goodbyes to my friends and family at the airport wasn't going to be the same person to return after a year. They were goodbyes forever.

Going on exchange is the craziest thing I've ever done in my life. To leave your home at a young age to travel to the other side of the world, alone, to a completely foreign country where you know nothing and nobody. To leave behind everything that is safe and sound, and deep-dive into the unknown.

It's not that easy, being an exchange student. A lot of people incorrectly think that going on exchange is like going on a long vacation, skipping a year in school and just travelling and having fun. Well, it's not. It's not a vacation, nor a holiday. It's not always fun and it most definitely isn't easy.

When you go on exchange you suddenly get thrown into a culture that is so very different from the one you had been immersed to for your entire life until then. Everything is different; the language, the food, the people, the manners, the nature... Things that I took as granted back home are things that have never been heard of here and vice versa.

The culture shock was inevitable - I had come to this weird new world as the foreigner and it was my job to adjust to it. Respect it, accept it and learn from it. And there have been many times that have really shattered my comfort zone, times when I've felt frustrated and misunderstood. It's incredibly frustrating when you can't express yourself in the exact way you'd like to, but that sure does teach you patience.

I was lucky because I knew English before I came here. Still there have been numerous times when I've had to keep asking what someone was saying and eventually give up because it got too awkward and then hope it wasn't a question. Even more often I've made my friends and host parents laugh because I've spelled a word incorrectly, and they seem to find it absolutely hilarious. (Give me a break!! In Finnish we pronounce the words just like they are written, so I've never had to try to figure out how to say stuff before. At least I try. I challenge you to try spell Finnish words.)

Small talk is just one of the many things I've had to learn and get used to here. Just earlier this week it was my last time at a gym I've been going to, so I said goodbyes to the staff as is appropriate. The guy wished me all the best in life wherever I'll end up to, and I replied with saying "thanks, have fun!" even though what I wanted to say was "take care". I thought to myself; seriously, am I still not capable of flowing small talk even after all these months. 

Small talk isn't something we do in Finland. Finnish people, stereo-typically speaking, are quiet, shy and unsocial, and avoid any non-necessary communication with other people - especially strangers. I don't cast myself as a very typical Finn, but I still get asked if I'm OK or if something's wrong when I don't say anything for a couple of minutes. Yup, just having a Finnish moment!!

Another thing I get asked often is if I miss home a lot. In the beginning it was easier to answer that because the word "home" instantly brought Finland to my mind. But now, it's different. Home that I have in Finland is 17 000 kilometers away, hence the fact that New Zealand is one of the furthest places you can go from Finland. In the beginning my life in Finland was clearly in my memory, but now the memory has faded. I can't remember what it feels like to be at home, I can't remember how I act around my friends and family. I can't even remember what my dog's fur feels like, or what it feels like to drive on the right side of the road. 

The thing is, that my life is here now. It's a life I've built for myself within the past 7 months. And I can with full honesty say that this is my home now, just as much as my home in Finland is, if not even more. I came here on my own to live with a host family who were just names on a paper sheet before I arrived and in a school community I only knew what their website had told me. For the first time I was put into a situation where I needed to start making decisions for myself; the responsibility of making the most of this experience was on me. And you truly learn a lot of things about yourself when you're forced to stop and think: what do I want to do and who I want to be. 

Before I left Finland, AFS, my exchange organization, held an orientation camp for all of us departing students. They told us that as exchange students it is on us to put in the effort to adjust to the new environment and learn what's culturally appropriate and what's not. That we need to be active in making friends and learning the ways of the house we'll move into. They told us that the Kiwis won't need us but we will need them.

And here I am after 7 months, enjoying my life more than ever, amongst people who this time last year I didn't even know existed. Some people have asked, aren't I frustrated because I need to repeat the studies I miss while I'm abroad and doesn't it bother me that when I go back I'll be a year behind my friends. I ask, how the hell am I so lucky to get to experience everything I have experienced this year. It is mind-blowing to think of all the things I would've missed out on if I had never left.

Going on exchange is the best thing that has ever happened to me. There's a very accurate saying; "exchange isn't a year in a life, it's a life in a year". Going on exchange is like being born again; it changes everything. Your whole view of the world changes and you see everything from a new perspective because of the things you're being exposed to. Being an exchange student has shaped me and my personality in a way no other experience could. It has opened up my eyes about so many things; for example, I've never appreciated Finland as much as I do now. I've learned to appreciate many things about Finland, big and small, because I no longer have access to them here.

But, despite all the differences, I love my life here in New Zealand. I've seen and done stuff I had never even known to dream of, met so many amazing people and made friends with people who were just strangers in the beginning - and now they mean so much to me. Everything I have experienced this year is so overwhelming. From small things like having a good conversation with my host parents or friends to seeing some of the most beautiful landscapes and places I've ever seen in my life. I've learned a lot; about myself and the world we're living in. It's all about realising that there isn't only one "right" way of doing things and that "it's not right, it's not wrong, it's just different". I've also learned to enjoy the small things in life in a completely new way and I've found that there are so many things around me that make me happy.

This has without a doubt been the best year of my life. It's so easy to get drifted away from reality in the moments when life feels endless and the whole world seems to be at my feet. But all of this - the life that I've built for myself here in New Zealand - as real and as true as it feels to me right now, is only temporary. I feel a cold weight on my chest, a lump in my throat and a fist twisting my stomach whenever I think about it; that every passing day and week takes me closer to the day when I get onto an airplane and fly back to Finland. From the very beginning it was clear that time was flying past faster than ever before but at least then I could think that even if another month passed, I still had most of my exchange ahead of me. Now, it's not like that anymore.

Most of my exchange is already behind me and I only have a few more months to go. And I know that time won't slow down; if anything it will only go quicker from now on. And just like that, by stepping onto an airplane, this whole little world of mine will come to an end.

The thing is, that when I said goodbyes to my friends and family I knew I was going to see them again in a year. It was more like "see you again when I come back!" But saying goodbyes here is truly saying goodbyes. Goodbyes to the people - for now, because I have no idea when I'll be able to see them again, and some forever, because it's likely that we'll never meet again. It's goodbyes to the home I have, and the country and culture I have learned to love so much. It all feels so absurd; I'm leaving my home, family and friends only to return to my home, family and friends.

And I'm scared of going back. I wonder if I've changed so much that I won't fit back in. What if I've changed so much that my friends and family won't be able to understand me, or I them. I think everyone will get sick of me already after a couple of weeks because all I'll talk about is New Zealand.

I know that my time in New Zealand will eventually feel like just a distant dream to me as it slowly fades further away in my memory just like my life in Finland has. But I don't want it to. I'm not ready to say goodbye. I'm not ready to let it go.

And luckily, I don't have to just yet. I still have four months to go; four months to make the most of my time here. Four months to spend time and make more memories with my amazing friends, four months to cherish the relationship I have formed with my host parents, four months to embrace the Kiwi culture and to soak up every smell and sensation there is.

And if I manage to do that, to enjoy my time here the fullest until the very end, even though leaving is going to be the most painful thing I've ever gone through, at least then I'll know; that I did it all, I have nothing to regret and a bunch of amazing stories and memories to carry with me for the rest of my life.

So yeah! Those are some feelings and thoughts I have at this stage of my year. This has definitely been a very intense experience but I wouldn't change it for anything. I'm so incredibly thankful to get to experience all of this and everyday something reminds me to think how lucky I truly am.

But hey, thanks for reading this long post ;) if you're an English-speaker reading this it's very likely that you've been a part of my exchange year somehow, so thank you. To all of you Kiwi friends that I have: I don't really have words good enough to describe how much it means to me that you've let me into your lives. I'm so happy to get to spend my exchange year with such amazing people, because after all the people matter more than the place. You make me laugh and smile and I'll never ever forget the moments we've shared together! x

Writing in English was a new experiment to me and it's actually quite funny how it almost feels more natural to write in English than it does to write in Finnish these days. But hey, let me know if you'd like me to write English translations into my upcoming blog posts!! Again, thanks for reading and 'til next time! ;)

- Eve