Here We Go! (02/09/16)

Hi, there. I’m Chloe and I’m from Leicester! Leicester is possibly the coolest city in England, didn’t you know? (I guess that I may be a bit biased...) Anyway, yesterday I hopped on a plane and arrived in Kalajoki and now I’m ready to contemplate my awesome first day here.

For the past year, I’ve been a bit of a city girl. Everything was non-stop busy, busy, busy. So imagine my utter delight to be living in such a beautiful, tranquil town in northern Finland.

Today I was driven around the area (Brit on tour!) to find that Kalajoki is home to countless lush green trees, fields upon fields, and one gorgeous beach. Back home, I’m nowhere near the sea so this is an absolute treat!

Now... my job in Kalajoki is that of Assistant Teacher. This encompasses giving and assisting in lessons and various projects with schools in the area. I experienced giving my first International Studies lesson at Kalajoen Lukio today and, oh, what a lesson it was!

After a couple of games, I introduced the students to the one and only...MARMITE. If you’ve never heard of Marmite, I can tell you that it’s a British food spread (the best you can buy if you ask me). However, you should also probably know that people either love it...or hate it. Perhaps it’s due to the overly strong odour or the powerful hard-to-place flavour. Who knows?

Every student was handed a spoon and encouraged to have a little taste. The reactions: PRICELESS. Some simply nodded and (in a rather stoic manner) admitted, “That is very horrible.” Others were a little more vocal with their distaste and many scrunched up their faces in outright disgust. Don’t worry – they were rewarded for their Marmite bravery with truly delicious Cadburys chocolate fingers.

The class was so incredibly welcoming (akin to the rest of the school). Below, I've taken a photo of the wonderful poster they created as well as a couple of very thoughtful gifts they kindly presented to me. (Finnish chocolate is, by the way, truly SCRUMPTIOUS.)

Later on after class, I decided to have a little wander around the town and took a couple more photos. The river is now my new favourite place to hang out by, especially when the weather is as sunny as it is now (I am assured that the cold will soon come along though).

Overall, I can’t help but feel excited after my first full day in Kalajoki. Here’s to what is sure to be one fantastic adventure which you are of course welcome to join and read about...