Rwanda, Japan and Finland...

Time to catch up on some International Studies magic!

At the moment, IS1 is focusing on what we mean by "culture" and they have been learning about different countries from around the world.

Firstly, we turned to Rwanda. There were many reasons for this. For example, the students admitted that their knowledge of African nations could be improved. Also, I visited this beautiful country when I was 17 and wanted to share the experience.

A good Rwandan friend, Jean, kindly wrote answers to some questions from the students about life in Rwanda. The students asked about school, sports and all sorts of things. When asked about Africa, the reply was: "I do love the whole of Africa as a continent with a lot of diversities and a very touching historical background in every nation there."

In our next class, we turned to a very different country: Japan. We mainly explored the arts and music. The students' first challenge was to recreate Hokusai's famous Great Wave in three minutes. In pairs, one student had to paint without looking at the picture. Meanwhile, their partner could look at the picture and had to instruct them on what to do. Needless to say, it was pretty entertaining!

We also learned a bit about the history of origami and made some swans...

Afterwards, we listened to some of the popular music in the Japanese music charts right now and discussed how each song made us feel, whether we liked it or not, and how we would describe it. My friend, Emma, who is from England but currently lives in Japan told me that she (and many others) love this band...

We ended our lesson with a quiz and a photo in the snow - as you do!

The next week, our lesson saw us exploring the school and Kalajoki to take small video clips. These video clips are supposed to represent what we think of when hearing the word: "Finland". Check out our Instagram page for the completed version which was posted on the Independence Day!

From Sweden to the USA!

It's been a little while since my last blog post. Where to begin?

Well, last month, I was in Malmö with Tanja and four amazing students: Erica, Milja, Aino and Johanna. We visited this southern Swedish city as part of the Nordplus project.

While there, we saw some pretty spectacular sights including the Twisting Torso which loomed over us in all of its glory.

The whole city is a wonderful collection of lush parks, skyscrapers and open water.

As part of the project, the students had to create activities to promote Malmö and think of ways in which to market them. It only made sense that they should see some examples of successful activities already available within the city. One of these examples is Bounce, an Australian trampoline company. We simply had to test it out for ourselves...

While the student hosts showed their guests around, Tanja and I were lucky enough to have two of the teachers (Carina and Jonas) as our tour guides. Check out this stingray that we saw in the aquarium...

It's often the case that these project weeks are over far too quickly and this one was no exception. The students were soon presenting their week-long work to a member of Malmö Tourism. She was extremely impressed (while Tanja and I watched on like proud mothers)!

Soon enough, we were flying back to Kalajoki with broad smiles and newfound friendships. I must admit, I also discovered a real appreciation for Swedish food - delicious!

Returning to Kalajoki meant one thing though: AMERICAN PARTY!!! Our International Studies classes have spent week learning about different aspects of the USA and preparing for one big old party. This was to celebrate the arrival of another international assistant teacher in the area, Ahren, who lived in and loves (a lot of things about) the place!

Many chocolate brownies, one hundred hot dogs, and some games later...our party was a success!

Most recently, we enjoyed some classes on Halloween and Bonfire Night. The International Studies carved pumpkins and created their own villainous characters. They also acted out the origins of Bonfire Night which is an English celebration from 1605 created after plans to kill the king were stopped just in time.

Well, that's all for now! Stay tuned for more weird and wonderful things...

An American Party is Coming...

Awesome games? Check.

Delicious food? Check.

A big US-themed party in the lukio? COMING YOUR WAY.

On Tuesday 17th October, we are going to be partying like we're in the USA. 

"But, Chloe," I hear you ask, "Why are we having this party?"

We're having this party for a few reasons...

Firstly, we're celebrating the arrival of Kalajoki's latest international assistant teacher, Ahren. He lived and worked in the USA for several years so we'd like to pay tribute to that. 

Here is Ahren lighting a campfire in the USA!

Secondly, we're an international school so why not explore another culture in the form of games, food, and music?

Thirdly: chocolate brownies. Need I say more?

Our IS1 lessons have focused upon all things USA. In fact, students got the chance to ask a group of Americans some questions that they had about life over there and other stuff. We even challenged the Americans to say some (RATHER DIFFICULT) Finnish words (*evil laughter*).

You can watch the full video of Gaia, my friend from California, talking here. She tries to say "Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas":

For now though, I hope that you enjoy the rest of your week!

Autumn is Here!

There’s a chill in the air which can only mean that Autumn is truly underway. Kalajoki is all berries, yellowing leaves and slightly darker mornings. I love it.

This week was test week in the lukio and so I have found myself back in Pohjankylän and Raumankarin. It’s been strange (but wonderful) working with younger kids again. Since I’ve already told a lot of the students all about England, I decided that it was time to focus upon Scotland which is where I lived for four years as a university student. We listened to the bagpipes, marvelled at deep fat fried Mars Bars and even made our own kilts.

Prior to this week the International Studies 1 classes learning about the USA and doing further preparations for our big party. We’ve got some real artists! We’ve even been making some little trailers for the party so keep your eyes open for those.

In International Studies 2, we’ve come up with a seriously exciting project idea. What is it? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see! .

Last Saturday I visited the local energy event which proved to be extremely interesting. My favourite part was using the virtual reality console - so much fun! I played a toboggan game where you have to tilt your head in order to control the vehicle’s direction while riding along a busy road. I was a bit of a safety hazard…

Things are about to get even crazier though. Next week we’re planning for another lukio project and in two weeks I’ll be flying to Sweden with Tanja and four students for the Nordplus project. Some of us have never visited Sweden before – it’s all very exciting. We’ll be staying in Malmö which will be quite different to the small island in Iceland that we visited last time, I’m sure.

For now, I hope that you all enjoy your weekend! 

Merenojan Meets Maakalla

I couldn’t resist writing a blog post about Monday’s visit to Maakalla which is all things stunning and rustic.

Makkalla from a distance

A group of of students from the Merenojan are part of the International Club which is now focused upon an Erasmus+ project called: “Keep on shining: a project on lighthouses”. The students have visited and are continuing to visit: Italy, Germany, Crete and Spain as a result. Their aim is to explore local lighthouses in different ways with a focus upon history, literature, art, science, and digital techniques.

It only seemed right that we should visit two old islands, including one with a lighthouse, for inspiration: Maakalla and Ukkokala. After taking one large boat to Maakalla, we boarded a smaller one in order to wander around Ukkokala first. This was lots of fun as we got drenched in water! When we arrived, the first thing that caught our eye was the lighthouse of course! The island was full of rugged beauty as well...

On the boat to Maakalla!

The lighthouse!

Ukkokala

After this wonderful first visit, we returned to Maakalla. The church looked like something out of a fairytale while the museum exhibited interesting artefacts from seal hunters. Inside the old vicar’s cottage was an array of books available for borrowing…

The Church

Inside the church

We climbed this ladder to get a better look of the island and (despite my fear of heights) I must say that it was definitely worth it. There was something incredibly peaceful about the place.

It was soon time to go home, however. Following a boat ride back to the mainland, there were plenty of smiles. This had been one very adventurous day!

The Marmite Returns...

These past couple of weeks in the lukio have seen the return of the Marmite, some Japanese visitors, and a lot of play doh.

Last week we welcomed our new batch of International Studies (IS1) first years. It only seemed right that we shared some incredible* Marmite with them. This has become a tradition of mine whenever meeting new students. They couldn’t quite believe it when I exclaimed that I could easily eat Marmite sandwiches three times a day!

*Unfortunately, my opinion on its taste was not shared by too many students :(

This served an important lesson though: that this class is all about exposing ourselves to different things from around the world. Our lessons so far have focused upon getting to know one another. Cue all sorts of crazy games, from making newspaper clothes to acting like Batman to trying to figure out where different songs come from. It was an honour to introduce them to the likes of The Proclaimers, a Scottish band, and Shania Twain. Of course, Ed Sheeran proved to be a popular musician.

Newspaper Kimono

Here's a bit of The Proclaimers! 

It’s always exciting getting new students. However, revisiting last year’s IS1 students (who are now in their second year) has been awesome. We’re currently planning a big project for the school this year while preparing for next year’s Dublin visit - an annual course trip which never fails to impress.

Oscar Wilde in Dublin

We have plenty of travel projects taking place in the school. For example, the Nordplus Junior project is still in progress. Last year’s Iceland trip was amazing and we’re now looking forward to Malmö, Sweden, in October.

Iceland Throwback

Last week, we had some wonderful Japanese visitors who explored the school and the area. The teachers enjoyed a sauna evening where the conversation was broad and the lingonberry cake was delicious. Seriously. In a couple of months, some incredibly lucky Merenojan students will have the opportunity to travel to Japan. Having heard about previous visits, it sounds like they are in for an absolute treat.

Speaking of Merenojan, that is where I spend a lot of my time now. I’m teaching small groups of students English every day and it’s a lot of fun. We’re busy molding words out of play doh, kicking around my precious football to practice translations, and playing with some beauuuuutiful unicorn cards. In fact, all of the students are now acquainted with Sebastian the Unicorn who we like to throw around when asking and answering questions.

Today ended on a fun note with a lukio football competition! The crazy English football fan in me was screaming. 15C were victorious but all of the students played so well - a big congratulations to all involved. Overall, it's been an excellent start to the year...

A New Teacher...

Meet Ahren. He's a new native-English teacher in the area. He'll mainly be working with kindergarten and elementary school children but you might see him around the lukio every now and then! Let's see what he has to say...

Hi, everyone, I'm Ahren. I’m proud to come from the beautiful city of Leicester in England. It’s famous for its pork pies, stilton cheese, gorgeous countryside and amazing sports teams. I could probably spend this entire blog post talking about how Leicester City Football Club and the Leicester Tigers are the greatest teams in the world.

This is a pork pie in case you were wondering:

I'm a keen fan of baking too. In fact, you probably tasted some of my cakes if you attended last year's British tea party and summer fete.

I also love the United States so much - I’ll even be hosting an American themed party in the lukio this Autumn! I’ve visited the USA over fifteen times. As a huge fan of ice hockey and American football, I support the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills. I’m still looking for a Finnish ice hockey team to support so feel free to make any suggestions! My love of the USA has also influenced my love of rap and country music (yes, I am a huge fan of Taylor Swift!)

I’ve even worked in some American summer camps. I worked in Texas and High-Rock, Massachusetts, with children of all ages. I taught activities like Outdoors Skills and...you’ve got it...American football. Fun Fact: Lady Gaga went to Hi-Rock before she became famous.

I do have to say that I can’t wait to finally teach in Finland. It’s going to be so much fun and I’m so grateful to be here! See you all soon.

Fun Facts:

Scariest thing I’ve ever done: Skydiving - the part when we were hanging outside the plane and waiting to jump was kind of terrifying!

Favourite book: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It’s a science-fiction book in which the Earth ends and one human called Arthur Dent travels around the universe with a cast of quirky characters. It's a lot of fun to read.

Role-models (people who inspire me): My parents. They have done so much for me and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them.

Weirdest moment: When I was visiting the Kiasma. I walked into a room with a wooden hut in it and spent two hours talking to Shia LeBouf.

HELLO AGAIN!!!

There are certainly lots of new, intriguing and impressive things happening in the school this year! We have so many projects to prepare for with many students getting ready to visit some very beautiful countries. We also have our special morning activities, International Studies and one big American party this Autumn...

Heypa! It's me, Chloe from England in Great Britain. I'm here for another year of teaching, exciting international stuff and pulla (yassss).

Channeling my inner Harry Potter

When I was last in Kalajoki it was graduation time! We don't have anything like this in England, at least not in the city that I'm from. When I finished school, we just had a "prom" (an American-style excuse to wear fancy dresses and ride in a limousine if you're really lucky).

It was awesome to see this Finnish tradition, with all of the students enjoying a very well-deserved day. I especially like the hats that graduates receive. After the graduation ceremony, I attended a couple of houses belonging to the graduates whose parents are teachers here. Again, this was a new concept to me. It was lovely to catch up with everyone and THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS. I REPEAT: THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS. I'd never even seen a cake with salmon in it before that day - I'm a fan!

I spent another week in Kalajoki before hopping on a plane for some travelling in Rhodes and Amsterdam. Both are extremely beautiful places.

Some photos from Rhodes:

The Acropolis in Lindos

Some photos from Amsterdam:

The Royal Palace:

Rembrandt Statue:

On a cat boat! It's a boat where an organisation gives help and homes to stray cats. Visitors are free to stroke and adopt them.

The best part was probably when we visited the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam where they showcase lots of his famous paintings including my favourite: Almond Blossoms.

The rest of my summer was spent in sunny England (no sarcasm, it was actually sunny)! Before I knew it, I was on a flight back to Finland. This time, however, I am not the only native English teacher in the area... More on that later...