Wens 31st March 2010

Had pasta (spaghitti) with a sauce which contained meat tonight for tea, yum!

Helped make a castle, and is offically a jungle gym to Mr Jasse.

Rained today, took 10mins to get the kids out of the nursery not that I am complaining ;)

Nearly had snow and ice fall on me twice now, rather scary!

Umm...

They are having a witch easter party tomorrow at the nursery.

Talked to a German on Facebook, was very hard to understand. As I said normal things in english but she took them in a completely different way.

Later that day

Had spinach soup for tea :( with hard boiled egg. So I had toast afterwards.

Bad day working...

5 year olds do not like having au pairs in their homes by the sound of it.

Being an au pair is not an easy thing, worth it but hard.

For starters you shift to a different country; to join a family which sometimes like mine may not have an au pair in awhile and if so it is hard to become a member of it. Which can take awhile to join.

Secondly children do not always easily accept someone new to be in charge. Lots of uphill and downhill work there.

I'm sure there is alot more but can not think at the moment as I am tired.

30th March 2010 an average day

Well mum complained I did not put enough on my blog. In my opinion I am not doing interesting enough stuff as of yet.

I had my first pre cooked meal with the family last night it was rice, LIVER and rasins. I decided I dislike liver.

I am slowly starting to understand swedish (I know Im in Finland but they speak Swedish at home - besides to me.)

I am trying many different types of food. Such as deer. The pork tastes different here.

My average day goes I wake up around 8am, so 6pm NZ time now. Stay in my room till everyone has gone normally around 9am. But not today for some werid reason. Have breakfast, talk to mum on skype, then go have a shower and unload the dishwasher and hang up the washing. Come back and talk to mum for a bit longer and then go get Cessi, Jasse and Mia from nursery.

We normally then play outside for half an hour or longer on a good day 2 hours. Otherwise we then go inside and play games or make finger puppets or do something. Then I prepare a fruit snack at 2pm.

After they stay playing inside and I play to till whatever parent comes home first between 4-5pm.

I then generally go for a walk towards the city center or train station wwhich are in the same direction so I do not get lost and this walk takes an hour :)

Often I have been posting a letter at the same time.

I have no idea what I am going to do for easter as it sounds like I have a 4 day holiday...

Generally though my day is good.

Helsinki

Is so awesome!

Lots of old archeiture (sp)!

McDonalds (which has McFlurries), a pizza Hut.

Huge shopping centers, a place thats very easy to get lost in. Trams everywhere.

Jewllary stores that give you wine with out asking for ID

No snow well much just lots of rain!

Oh well good fun

Wenesday 24th March 2010

So not to much happening...

Working and going for walks...

The grandparents leave tomorrow so that will be good.

Can go back to last weeks routine then :)

Then I will be able to pick all the meals I eat besides tea! Some of the food the grandmother has cooked on the whole has been nice... Just not what I have wanted at that point and time.

And I will then be able to start working properly again!

Watching LOTS of Digimon and Friends...

Love you all

Olivia's Birthday

Today is Olivia's birthday... I gave her a kiwi which is one english word she said on her first try.

Been rather busy, meet an Aussie the other night and they have buses here that go a 1.20am!!!

Yea I actually went on it, was pretty fun lots of people were on it to.

Here they have to join the army when they are 19 for 6 months at least. Part of the uniform is this hoodie thing, and they still wear the old uniform hats for snow like the Russians.

There is a forest just down the road from were I am living, you have to stick to the path otherwise you end up thigh deep in snow.

Went on the train for the first time, was pretty cool. I had to ask how to pay as they do not have ticket people you just have to swipe your travel card.

I am finally now not getting lost and even managed to get all the way to a shopping center by myself :)

The snow is slowly melting and turning into slush. I made my first snowman to have Jasse sit on it a moment later. He likes trying to make me lose my temper. Which has not worked yet.

Photos from the 19th

outside the train station in Helsinki

Cessi and Mia with their colour cooridnated dolls

and again

snow first thing in the morning :) winter wonderland

Jolene's message to me

jos i love you but do you like finland it like cool no or yes what one my fox is done jos it gool cool jos i like it to it cool cool cool and funing to gool and fun to read josephine and what josephine i miss you josephine we are in feilding i am... gool cool josephine and no i am not playing ballons 4 and not 3 and not 2 josephine ok jos miss you josephine are ok reading the message josephine

and what

Had a great day to day ended up working 5 and 1/2 hours!

After which I decided I had enough of the kids so I went for a walk. Serious if you go to a country with lots of snow bring snow pants or make sure your clothes do not drag on the ground otherwise you end up wearing it.

It was snowing all through my walk which was heaps of fun. Ended up going to the supermarket and buying toothpaste and a lolliepop! Have now not had chocolate in like a whole week!!!

But to clear the record, kids eating fruit and all healthy stuff are just as active if not more then ones sugared up on lollies and sugar.

The suiermarket looks normal, nothing to intresting. They have nisquick and weatbix here as well. Tempted to buy chocolate powder for chocolate milk as as they drink heaps. Yes I meant to put two as's I was thinking :) amazingly.

Excited about the lollieop and having toothpaste I now will not need to walk downstairs each time I want to clean my teeth! and it is Colgate to.

Also they use tomato sauce here too! Quite exciting and proper heinz as well.

Had pizza for tea, was soooo yum! Love homemade pizza!

Such a loud family, is great. Except when they start yelling.

2nd work day Tuesday 16th March 2010

Worked one day so far it was fun. The people at the kindy/nusery place where I pick up 3 of them from are all very helpful. The teachers of the younger two had them already for me. So we came back and played out in the snow. I got lots of "whats this?" So they are now trying to learn english very fast well two of the younger two. My acomplishment for the day was teaching the youngest to say "Milk please" The mum was impressed when she came home.

I had one crawling all over me, whenever I sat down to play.

Starting my second days work soon. Could not figure out how to open the washing machine opps. Will have to ask tonight,also will get my calender hung up to :) So that will be good. Has photos of everyone on it. got the kids to colour some in as well :) Well Julia, Mia and Cessi. Will do more today hopefully.

Haha Ben's music cracks me up, I'll be feeling a little bit homesick and then something of his comes on and it is often very different to what was just playing so its great.

Got asked to draw a picture yesterday as well, I think my non-existent art skills will improve while being here.

Wow, just finished work and I have a fat lip!!! Oh well, still had fun mainly. Gosh little kids pick languages up so easily!

Jasse is the kid the photos is of, he is the 3 year old and the one who has given me a fat lip.

Gosh trying to price trip to Russia is going to be very expensive and for once I have to pay for accommodation. Should be great fun though particuarly if Rachel can come with me!

It is -5 degrees outside!!!

Lots of fun!

Is snowing again which is what the first picture is trying to show...

Had lasgana with jam tonight was yum!

Love you all

Badminton and a sauna

Today I was in bed till late. When I got up to get a drink. Jasse came looking for me going "Josie" so adorable and took my hand, to where he was playing.

The old au pair came over today to, so went and played badminton for an hour. Alot of fun!

Had a good talk to her on the way to pick up the kids. She agrees with me that some simple things that we take for granted in England and 'Nz (she has anawesome accent) are just not shown here. Like helping elderly ladies and smiling or saying hello to other people on the street.

Got told to stay away from finnish guys today. As the last two au pairs have had meet finnish guys and then stayed in Finland by the sound of it.

Came back and had well was in the sauna. Was really awesome.

Had ice cream and apple crumble for pudding :)

Alice in Wonderland

Ok even the movies are slightly different here. For starters they are called films! When you are sitting in the chair they have this awesome thing like in the plane so you can put your food on it. The movie was in english with Finnish and Swedish sub titles. So at the start I was trying to read the sub titles just out of habit - gave up pretty quickly as I understood the actual movie better.

Today I went for another walk by myself and managed to get lost again. Thankfully I saw the father and Cessi on the way back from the cinema.

It was intresting though on the way to the movies as, Ulrika was telling me what the buildings actually were. So I now know where the school and such are. I went to the movies with Ulrika, Julia and Olivia.

I walked back with Olivia, we were both quiet as we established she did not know english and I did not know swedish or finnish. But we meet the father and 5 kids on the way back. Two are cousins I think, they were going sledding. I went and stood in one spot so Olivia decided that was were she was going to play. she likes to say "Hello Josie" as that is all the english she knows by the sound of it and thanks.

New word of the day "Nei" guess what it means no!

Found out where the closest supermarket is. So now when I have free time if I need to I can go there.

Snow is very cold when you are playing in it and not doing much else.

I tried something sweedish today. It was really nice. Cheese on top of this pastry stuff, yummy! Also the fruit such as pears bananas and apple all tast the same here. Would not suprise me if we imported them from the same place.

I quite like the movie Alice in Wonderland, pefer it to the first one.

Also I had some sort of fish, some yummy rice and salad for tea. Am starting to really like rice again.

Love you all

Josephine (I said sometimes I get called Josie and now that is all I am called. Use to have a balance)

Giggles

Omg I have been up since 1.30am! Thankfully I have not done to much today. I woke up and managed to talk to mum for two hours! Was great, miss her heaps and everyone else.

when I got up at 7am I found it was snowing so exciting!

I watched Pipi Longstockings in Finnish. I actually learnt how to say a few words! Would be a good way to learn. Ja means and hei means hello hei hei means bye. First words I have learnt!

Played alfabet with Mia, as she was home from kindy due to be sick.

Won one lost one. Learnt how to say car in finnish through that!

Picked up Jasse and Cessi from Kindy and spent 2 hours playing in snow! Was great.

Got Jasse evil laughing and had a snowball fight with him.

First Impressions

Been in Finland not even 24 hours now. Managed to sleep most of it to from 7pm to around 10.30am. Must of been alot tireder then I realised.

Last night I meet all 5 kids, the parents and had a tour of the house. Mum they dry there washing inside on clothes horses. As it is around 23 degrees inside, and 5 outside.

For tea we had a salad with lettuce, fancy cheese, pepper and tomato in. With fancy sauce on it and this yummy pizza type thing. The mainly talked swedish so I was very confused. By the time they spoke english I was very tired so could not pay much attention.

This morning I got up, I attempted to have a shower, you have to press a special knob to get hot water I worked out and then managed to get lost on a walk. Thankfully I was smart enough to to take a photo of the street I now live on. So used that to find where I was going.

The flights were long, but not to bad. I saw someone that looked like George Baxter.

When I got off at London the first thing I saw was a Mamma Mia poster for the play. I like the look of the snow but worry as it is deep and full in it. Quite funny really.

I got a celephone to use while I am here :) And already have been given a key.

Im not yet sure how I will cope, as I alreaady miss home. I now it will get easier but thats not now.

But I will make the most of it.

Finland

After 33 or so hours of flight and some very stressful situations I have arrived!

Safe and sound with lots of snow around!

Very pretty :)

Will post more another day

2 FRICKEN DAYS

Ok I'm going to write here what I would not be able to say to anyone in person. But I still want to say. Mum you best not read this till I am gone...

I love you all, family friends and family friend's and my boss.
i hate saying bye even for a few months let alone nearly a year.
You are all great kind caring people, going to miss you all so much. You have all effected my life in so many different ways, some who read this I did not even get a chance to really know you either.
I have had some real intense days recently - as those of you at school I was still in denial that Iwas actually going on Friday. Freaked out when Becca said that lunch was over.
....
Said goodbye tosoo many people now. Just a few left. The 3 most hardest to go... Mum Jeremy and Jolene.
What am I gonna do without everyone???
You all best stay in contact!!!
My email address is: josephinedrysdale@hotmail.com



Address in Finland:
Akademivägen 17 B, 02700 Grankulla, Finland.

5 DAYS

Yesterday Jeremy turned 13!!!

Wow, this morning has been fun got to stay with the kids today :)
Different teacher, but she included me heaps. The other teacher said alot of nice stuff bout me to.
Was playing a reading game and I had won but the one of the kids 'accidently' rolled the dice down my top.Since I was playing the game maily with boys - the class quickly found out. Funny thing was I did not find this embarassing. Got to play police at playtime! After playtime it was writing and I was helping 3 kids this time. I have to say it is hard to try and make them work when it is alot more fun just talking to them... I managed to get them to do some though.
Different kids to the ones I normally deal with to so that was fun. My spelling must be improving in some words to.
After that it was maths, where at one stage I had 5 kids wanting help. I felt super loved. One of them had never talked to me till today. Now I am meant to bring them a present tomorrow, found that funny. A group was down on the mat and as soon as they were off, one grabbed my hand and made me help him. As soon as I looked finished there another pulled me away.

It is going to be tough saying bye tomorrow :(

1 WEEK

I am going to Finland now in a week, got visa and booked tickets today :)

HAPPY

SCHOOL CAN BE FUN!

Well today after a week of doing nothing. I am now going back to school :) But as a helper this time! So between 9am and 12.30am now for a few days a week I will be helping with reading, writing and maths with year 3s and 4!

I have already been asked to play with them at interval and lunch. Naturally I already have a favourite.

Jolene is not to sure to make of this, as already I am becoming friends with the boys. And I know now what she needs to work on.

Great teacher.

LOVE IT