Kipis (Cheers in Finnish)

Hello everyone!!

I have made it through week 3!! YEAH!! What can I report?? My practicum has been going well and I am off on a three day camping trip on Monday. It is with an agency that is very similar to AADAC. It is a three-day social skills camp for alcoholics in treatment. This includes a lot of time in the sauna, a 20KM hike, and many other activities. I think I will try the sauna and then head for a swim in the lake. It's supposed to help improve circulation to your extremities. I think this will be useful during the winter!!

I was part of a small demonstration today. Several people from the building I am living in, Lapinkaari, organized to protest TOAS' (the student housing agency) negligence in giving us internet access. The university has all of their information on-line (yup, paper copies of information are outdated and non-existant for the most part), we have to (there is no other option) pay our rent via internet banking with Nordea bank, and we have to register for courses via the net. Beyond this, we are all away from home and don't really have the option to call when we want. Many people were relying on Skype. So, as you can see, the internet is important. Beyond this, the wireless network is up and running and all we need are our passwords. We demanded to know when we could have access and we informed the TOAS worker that we would not leave until we had a definitive answer. She called the network technician, a student at the university, and spoke in Finnish. Then she informed us to come back the following Friday. Our protest didn't get the results we were hoping to get. So, we will organize a larger group of next Friday and head down to the TOAS office again. This time, we will bring a Finnish person in order to know what is being said!! This is truly frustrating!

I hope everyone is doing well. I miss home. I even miss the long drive to and from work!! Oh, strangely enough, I miss being able to relax on a couch. I have thoughts of heading to the nearest hotel just to sit on a couch a read a book for a few minutes!! Perhaps I am starting to lose my mind!!

I will be posting pictures today so please check back soon. My thoughts are with you all. I can't wait to see everyone. Finland is good but home is better.

Much love,
M