Finnish School

School so far is amazing. I, as an exchange student, need only to take 4 or five classes. I'm taking 4 2/3. Every class meets three times per week, but the time of day is never constant. So most days I have 3 classes, but Thursdays I have just two. Thursdays, of course, are my favorite. This period (the school year is divided into 5 periods rather than 2 semesters), I am taking a sports class (tennis, pesäpallo, ultimate frisbee, soccer, etc.), 2/3 (I attend 2 of the triweekly meetings) of a gym basics class (how to stretch, intro to weightlifting, etc.), a music theory and applications class, an english class (very difficult), and an art basics class.

Lunch is free, healthy, and tasty, and you can eat it off of real plates and silverware, not those silly paper trays and plates.

When I have free time (between classes or after school) I just step outside the school and I'm in the dead center of Porvoo; there's plenty to do and see.

Biking is the way to travel. My school is just half a mile from home, so I can bike there in about five minutes. After school I often bike around the city. Today I learned not to bike in Old Porvoo, as all of the roads in Old Porvoo are cobblestone. While speeding down a hill on a bike, it is hard to brake over cobblestone. There may be some bloody streaks on a certain fence.