Anni & Jenna, Spain

Greetings from Spain! 

Last weekend we went shopping in Feria, there is a big market every Saturday. The weather was nice, not too hot for walking around. We also checked Fuengirola's Bus Street and all of the little boutiques there. When we got back home we decided to goo out for a dinner, because it was Jenna's birthday! We ate wonderfull paella in restaurant Santa Ana, and drank some sangria too! 

We have now almost finished our empowering photography course, last lesson is next tuesday. For this week we have talked about camera technique and design, discussed about colors and our course members homework photos and also photographed our course members portraits in Fuengirola. Anni got a new haircut, it's awesome!

 On Wednesday Anni was sick. Jenna and Sanna went to Mariposario Benalmadena (Butterfly Park). It was very beautiful. They also checked the Buddha Temple, there was an photography exhibition.

Kiia, Ireland - Finland is calling

Hey! So my time in Ireland has passed and I'm going back to home. I feel sad and happy same time. I will miss so many people who I left behind! But I will keep touch with them.

Last weeks were so crazy! I spend my 19th birthday, spend time at town with many people, celebrate host family's older girl's confirmation, visited sheepfarm and cliffs of moher. One of the coolest experience was horse riding at local stables. 

Cliffs of moher was one of the biggest things I really wanted to see. And I was speechless! It was incredible and spectacular experience to see! I will recommend that to everyone who is thinking to visit Ireland. 

My birthday was great. I loved when the youngest kid came to our apartment door and asked me questions like "are you sad that you're not with your family" and he wanted to know how excited I am. And like we expected the host family invited us to their home and when we went - girl had made me own place on the table and baked delicious chocolate cake. It was so weird for me when they lighted the cake and I got to blown off the candles! I haven't done that in years. I had so good day, literally one of the best days I had there! 

Anni & Jenna, Spain

Hola everybody !

We arrived in Spain on Monday. After a long and sweaty journey to Benalmadena we finally got our keys to our apartment and took a deep breath. First we spent the evening with GoogleMaps trying to find a Mercadona nearby so we could fill our fridge. I don't know what went wrong, but we actually found it. What we didn't found was our room, because our hotel is quite huge.

On Tuesday we unpacked our luggages, ate breakfast (we had strawberries and all!) and went to the Paseo Maritimo to buy sunglasses, because Jenna broke her glasses on Monday, and I am THE best tourist and left my own in Finland. We also bought some cards and stamps. After siesta we went to the pool, but we didn't got tanned. Later that evening we ate dinner at the balcony, and watched the thunder on the mountains.

Wednesday was Jenna's lucky day (or not): TAN DAY! We went to the pool with our notes about our empowering photography course, and planned the first lesson while enjoying the sun. Unfortunately the day was too bright, and we didn't noticed the damages until getting back in four hours later. The result: two bright red burned crabs.

Thursday was our first course day. We went to Sofia-opisto by bus and met Minna Kantola there. We introduced our course plan to her and we gave her our mobility papers. We have six person in our course, all of them are women. This day went good, we got to know each other, talked about the cameras and camera technique. We also gave their first homework. Looking forward to it!

Alma, Ireland

I'm finishing up all my work at school. I hope I can finish all of them by the time we are at GTI for the last day. I had made some sketches of my new comics-idea when we were on Easter holidays. I showed those sketches at school and many people liked them.

On the last week we started buying souvenirs and we have visited new places and attractions.

We celebrated Kiia's birthday last Friday (happy 19th birthday!). All Finnish students who are still here and who we know (and one Irish) gathered in a pub named Front Door. We were there for a couple of hours just chatting, drawing (Iida had a skecthbook with her) and having a drink, then we went to a place where we could dance.

Taneli Hungary: Busy times

Hello!

It's been a while again since the previous post, but here we are again... sorry.

So our teachers left about two weeks ago and we have been here together with Heikki now. We also started our jobs at the cultural house and that went well! We edited some videos and and took some pictures too from the house. It was fun and we learned some new things too.

Then I went to work at the local theater and Heikki went to A-team, this advertising company. There he has done a lot of photography and I have been working with the theater's lights. So far we have liked it here very much.

Now there is only a week left, what is a shame. The last week we are going to work at the local TV of Gyula. We are looking forward to it, because that seems to be the most interesting place.

P.S. I promise to write something before we leave! (and now it's Heikki's turn actually)

-Taneli ja Heikki

Eva, Juho, Minttu & Neea in Spain: Only one week left anymore

Exactly one week to go... It is so weird to think that next Thursday we will be back in Finland. Bilbao has shown its best side by letting the sun shine all day and the temperature to rise up to 27°C or so. And of course, when the weather is this nice we all have been more or less sick – coughing our lungs out or just having a Cold.

Anyway, we have enjoyed the sunshine by going to the beach in Sopela. Juho was the only one of us who was brave enough to hop into the sea amongst the surfers to see how cold the water was. We have also taken a funicular railway to nearby mountain of Artxanda to see the view of Bilbao from above. It was really beautiful to see the whole "valley" between the mountains and of course the city of Bilbao also.

Everything is going on really well at our workplaces, too – we have continued doing a variety of stuff related to graphic design and illustrating. We still have a couple of days to go so we're going to get the most out of them, although the weather is probably going to turn into the basic rainy mood again.

Alma, Ireland

A week and three days left... This week has been really sunny and warm. It's so funny how I do not get used to this because first weeks  here were so rainy and cold. Although yesterday was sunny but then rain started (the legendary Irish weather...).

One day Kiia and I went out to draw. Kiia drew with pastels and I mostly did sketches with my ballpoint pen. It was amusing when our host family kids and a couple of their friends came to watch what we were drawing.

We went to Dublin last Thursday. We went there early and came back late the same day. Mostly we went shopping there and wandering around. I really like Galway more than Dublin. Maybe one of the reasons is that I think Galway is not so busy and I know where to go in Galway (or I hope so)  - I don't like the Finnish metropolitan area either.

Kiia, Ireland, Last days of Easter holiday

Hey! Our last holiday has being quite lazy. We have enjoyed the sun with host family at the beach, I have done little bit drawing, went to Galway city couple of times.

Oh and we went to Dublin city one last time. In Dublin we just got something to eat and then went shopping. It was nice, but the evening wasn't so much because started to rain again. It was so nice to give a second chance to the city because last time was way too many people and we had little less time to be at the center of the city.

This weekend we have taking it easy and today I got to borrow Sapsu's computer while she's still in Dublin with her mother. I have editing pictures and done so much blogging!

- Kiia

Sari & Reeta, Fuengirola, Spain: The first weeks

We have been here now for two weeks, and the first week went by really fast. Now we have started shooting material for the video about Sofia-opisto. We have participated as photographers to spanish lessons and singing lessons and one lecture about local history. 

On the free time we have been shopping and eating and watching sports. Last week we even went to Malaga to see football on a huge stadion called Estadio La Rosaleda.

The Easter in here was crazy. The Easter parades marched on the streets for the whole week.

P.S. For our schoolmates in Finland; we forgot our long johns at home and now we´re freezing because of the arctic wind you send here. THANKS ALOT.

Eva, Juho, Minttu & Neea in Spain: Easter in Bilbao

The last weeks have been really nice! Neea's sister and Juho's mom and sister were visiting us, so we spent a couple of days being proper tourists doing sightseeing and exploring museums, local restaurants etc. On the same week we also celebrated Eva's birthday and went pintxo hopping, as the locals would say.

Today was the first day of work after a little Easter holiday. On our holiday we did a nice little trip to a nearby town called San Sebastián. Not many places were open on that day because of the Easter, so we basically just walked around and enjoyed the beautiful views. On the weekend we had a picnic in the park called El Parque de Doña Casilda. We also went to see Procesiones de Semana Santa, which was a very different Easter tradition from the things we're used to see back in Finland. It's a part of the processions of the Spanish Holy Week.

Now we're going to try to get the most out of these remaining two weeks, so to the next time! Here's a couple of pictures that Neea have taken with her phone:

Alma, Ireland

So this was our first week of Easter holiday. We have met other Finnish students in Galway. I continued my previous schoolwork and started a new one, too.

 

It's been really relaxing just to stay in our "Irish-home" (we call this apartment like that).

This weekend there was a food festival in Galway. On Friday I was there with Kiia and Sandra and today I was there with Kiia and Sabina (we met Iida and Kaija later). On Saturday we and the Hume family and their relatives went to the mountains of Connemara. It was really spectacular.

It was so warm and sunny today. I heard that next week will be sunny as well.

Kiia, Ireland, Don't take life too seriously. Nobody gets out aliveanyway.

Hey! These couple of weeks have been splendid. Last week of school (before Easter holiday) was relaxing. We didn't do much, mostly just stayed in our apartment, but on weekend we saw Sandra and went to Galway.

This week has been crazy stressful for me. Last week to get all the school application works done. I have taken so many pictures, been in Galway and we went to Fort Lorenzo to see Sandra's and Lenita's amazing apartment.

We got lost with Alma and got wet because it was raining so much. It was hard to find the right place, because Sandra didn't have prepaid on her phone. But we made it there to warm and cozy apartment. We stayed there one night and then went back to Spiddal.

Yesterday we went to Connemara's mountains with host family and their relatives. It was really splendid and breathtaking experience. After climbing we had a picknik at the beach and all the kid's went to throw away their winter fur. (Okay not all of them) and we ended our day by visiting Noel's sister and her family. 

Today we watched the kid's Easter bunny hunt. (Chocolate eggs) and after that we enjoyed the sunny day in town with Kaija and Ida. Now we are going to have a dinner with host family.

- Kiia