Learning Things

The end.

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:32:27 GMT

So the thing is that I decided to give museum one last chance. Mostly because I need money, lots of money, before going to university, and I decided to save every euro I get after this spring. Basically I need a summer job. Because I've been working in the museum before, I can hopefully get a job there once again.

But.

Work and driving lessons will probably take the most of my time during next summer. That's why this blog has now reached its end. There won't be any posts anymore, I'll just answer to the comments. After I'll finally manage to make a PDF out of this journal by using LJBook, I'll delete this journal. The end, officially.

I just don't have the time or the energy to post anything here anymore. I'd still like to thank you all, you have been very encouraging and lovely with your comments and compliments. I'm very grateful and happy that this journal ended up becoming so big and meaningful. Nevertheless, sometimes life just happens, makes everything busy, and because of that this journal has come to an end. I'm a bit sad to see this end, but with every end comes a new beginning, luckily.

I wish you all the best, and maybe we'll see again someday! ♥ Keep learning!

EDIT JULY 7th, 2008: Okay, after getting many pleas about not deleting this journal, I decided that I would keep this alive. So I will still answer to your comments, and you don't have to worry about Learning Things disappearing one day. After all, who knows - maybe someday, after a while, I suddenly feel like writing something about learning here anyway. I'm not saying I will, but it might happen. :)

But still, a HUGE thank you to you all, you have been incredibly supportive! Have a great life, and remember to learn and enjoy your life everyday!
♥

Lesson number 74.

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:56:01 GMT

You know what this is? It's an ACTUAL LESSON. Time for a celebration, people! :'D Well, actually I just thought I'd post something more official here now that I have done all my school work and I don't want to start reading yet... The test week is coming, but I don't care.

Anyways, what have I learned?

The biggest thing probably is that I know now that life isn't so horrible after all. You see, one year ago and before that I was going through some hard time in my life. Well, not exactly hard, but I didn't like my life back then, complained about everything and so on. But nowadays I'm fine, perfectly fine. I know what I want to do with my life and I know what makes me happy. And it's a nice feeling. To know where I'm going.

And, I learned to make a promise for this year. In Finland, it's a tradition to make a promise when the new year starts - I just have never actually made a promise (most likely because I suck at keeping them :'D), but this year I did! My promise is more like an aim: I want to read as many books as I can during this year and also keep a record of those books. Our schoolbook for Finnish had some pretty interesting classics mentioned in it, so I thought I would try to read them. I also noticed that the more books I read, the more I write and have an inspiration, so it's a gain for me in many ways. So far I've only read three books: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and two Finnish poetry books. And I just started to read Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. So far, so good. :'D

What else... Um, of course I've learned a lot in school. Irregular French verbs, a way to make shortened sentences in English, loads of philosophical questions that make my head feel dizzy and all those other things that Finnish high school teaches to you. :)

And many little things, too! I learned how to paint a house, how to dance, I learned to drink non-alcoholic cider (which by the way was good), I learned to leave out the courses or classes that don't interest me, I learned to go jogging... Lots of things in a few months!

But could somebody please tell me how I can change the place of that 'Advertisement' -thingy on top of my journal? o__O That's a thing I couldn't learn even though I spent at least half an hour trying to figure out the way...

So, learning is still going! But now I want to write something, so I'll see you again when I have the time and the energy to post something else here! *waves*

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Hyvää uutta vuotta!' means 'Happy new year!' in Finnish. It's a bit late, but anyhow. ^^
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 11:46:55 GMT

Even though there isn't much snow in Finland, I want to wish you all

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008! ♥

I'll see you again next year! :)

No lessons, this time.

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:50:34 GMT

So... I guess some of you have already heard what has happened in Finland. There was a horrible school-shooting in Tuusula and eight people died. I didn't know any of those people who really were there, but I'm still a bit shocked. It's hard to believe something like this can happen in Finland. I mean, there's nothing that can justify opening fire in school in the middle of a school day.

My life goes on and so does my friends' life, but what about those people in Tuusula?

So, I know there isn't anything we can do, but after hopelessnatx commented my previous post, I felt like writing something here. I also have an favour to ask from you.

Yesterday most of the Finns lighted a candle to mourn and show some support to the people in Tuusula. I know it isn't much, but I was hoping some of you could do the same. Light a candle and think for a while. Think how every life is valuable. And most importantly, next time you see someone having a hard time - talk to them. Ask them what's wrong. It's the least we can do to take care of the people around us.

I'm sure all of you want to go to school and feel safe. That's all.

Edit the next day: Actually, nine people died. I read today that the shooter died, too. He killed himself.

Just a quick update - sorry!

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:46:13 GMT

Hi there!

Yep, I'm still alive, even though school has done a very fine job destroying all my free-time. Actually I should be reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet right now... I just came to say something here, 'cause some people have expressed their concern about this journal. So yes, I know I haven't updated for a long time, but that's just the way life goes. I know you miss me, and I'd love to babble here about everything I've learned during this autumn - but I love school even more. (I'm a maniac, I know. :D)

The point is: Don't worry. I'm not just going to let this journal die, even though my paid account is coming to an end soon and my f-list is getting shorter. I don't mind things like that anyways. You just have to understand that the second year of Finnish high school is pretty much the busiest school year ever. And to me, being busy means being happy, in a way.

So, you can still send comments to me, even though I might not answer to them as fast as I did during the summer. I have enjoyed those few comments I've received after August a lot! And yes, I might post something here when I have some time, but that's not going to happen very soon. Just please, stop making such a big fuss about this journal. :D I'm not going anywhere.

And yeah, my life is great right now. I hope you all are still learning, like I am, and you're having a great time. Take care! ♥

The Official Goodbye Post

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:00:43 GMT

Well, here we are, I'm afraid. From the very beginning I decided that this journal would only last for this summer. When school starts tomorrow, I won't have the time to write down my everyday lessons anymore and even if I had, the lessons would probably be about those irregular French verbs I mentioned in the info-post. So this is really it. The end.

After 73 lessons, 2 065 received comments, 647 friends and too many entries posted the next day (:D), I've really learned a lot. This summer grew to be the best summer I've ever had, mostly because of this journal where I could babble about my ordinary life and write down whatever I had learned, no matter how small or stupid it would have been. And though most of my lessons were more observations than real lessons, I still had fun writing and experiencing them. I just hope you had fun reading them. :'D

So, I really did learn that it's always the little things that matter. I learned to know some of you pretty well and I learned to improve my English with writing. I learned how lovely it can be to read nice comments about me and my journal everyday and to know that I actually touched some people, somehow.

So here come the thanks. Thanks to sapphirestar_ and lacasina who were the first ones who thought it would be fun to stalk me everyday. :D Thanks to everyone who helped me with grammar-mistakes or gave suggestions for 'Word or Phrase of the Day'. Thanks to you "regular" commentators who commented most of my posts. Thanks to the museum for giving me such a lovely and hard time. Thanks to ljkrissy who gave me six months of paid account, to deana_in_texas who typed up the useful pronunciation guide and to everyone who made icons for me. And thanks to you all who added me as your friend, stuck with me to the end and thought this journal really was worth it. Your comments and compliments kept me going and energetic through the whole summer and through rainy days. So thank you all. ♥

This journal will still be open. I will still answer to your comments but probably not as fast as I did during the summer. If you have something urgent to say to me, you are free to come and throw me a comment via my personal journal, hikuttaja. Most of the posts are friends only, in Finnish and only for people I know well, but there are some public posts and from now on also some posts in English. And well, you never know. Maybe I'll post something to Learning Things, too, every once in a while when school isn't being horrible. :D

And then something I've always wanted to say. All you people - remember to enjoy your life and the lessons you learn with it. Remember to laugh and dance even if you don't know how to. Remember to take it easy and always look on the bright side of life. :D You all are very lovely, from what I've read from your comments, so don't forget that.

That's it! "Learning Things in summer 2007" is over. School starts tomorrow and I'll be getting back to my old routine again. I hope you all learned SOMETHING from my journal - if nothing else, then at least the thing I proved to myself during these months:

Life is full of lessons and learning - we just don't always notice it.

Thank you and remember to enjoy your life everyday! I'll see you around! There will still probably be some random posts to this journal, so no worries. :D

- Anna/Hikuttaja

Lesson number 73.

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 16:11:00 GMT

Yep, last lesson. What did I learn today?

That the end of summer vacation is indeed very sad.

A few hours ago I was closing the museum, and it was like saying goodbye to an era of my life. I've spent the last three summers in the museum, sitting in the guide's box and fighting with doors. Next year I'm not going back because I've just had enough: this year my "boss" aka the woman who is the main museum guide kind of used me. She made me call all the workers, made me do extra-work because she happened to had something really urgent, and kept treating me like a real guide, even though it's just my summer job. But well, I still enjoyed my years in the museum - it was and still is like my own hiding place. When I sat on the stairs of the windmill, I was in my own world. No stupid guy or annoying teacher could make me feel angry when I knew I had my windmill. So, even though I'm not going to work for the museum anymore, I will still go sit on the stairs of the mill.

Anyways, when I was cycling home I felt sad. This is it. The end of the best summer vacation I've ever had so far. I really had fun - I wrote, I met my friends, I laughed, I read, I worked. I did everything I wanted to do during the summer and now it's over. Before I've always felt more excited than disappointed to start a new school year, but now it's the other way around. But nah, I'll manage. I still love school and well, who says the summer has to be over when the summer holiday is over? :D

So that's it. The very last lesson and the last workday and the last holiday. Remember to read my Official Goodbye Post, which I'm going to write right after this. See you soon!

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Osaan vähän suomea' means 'I know a little Finnish' in Finnish. Or you can say 'Puhun vähän suomea' which means 'I speak a little Finnish'.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 72.

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 18:12:16 GMT

Well, what did I learn today?

That it's not nice to have work right before school starts.

This morning my mom suddenly said, "Well, how does it feel to have only two days of summer vacation left?" Then it really hit me. I have only two days left - and I'm working on both days! Meaning that I can't relax properly before Monday and I'm going to be all grumpy and tired at school. Oh man. Well, I can't really do anything about it, so I'll just have to go to work tomorrow and try to relax a bit after 5pm. I'll manage, at least I get a double-pay from tomorrow, 'cause it's Sunday. Humph. I hope tomorrow's not a very busy day...

Oh my. On Monday I'm going to be a second-grader in our upper secondary school. It still hasn't stopped to amaze me. o__O

Other things I learned today:

- I went to the gym again after work, and this time I was all alone there once again. It's really awesome to be the only one at the gym. I could choose the radio station I wanted to and use all the equipment in any order I wanted to. This time even the settings were right. So, I learned that I've really started to like going to the gym. :D
- Me? Paranoid? Not at all. After the robbery yesterday, I felt a little nervous going to work today. So when I was opening the doors I actually carried an umbrella with me. Not because it was raining but because I could have hit some intruder with my umbrella if he/she tried to attack me. Of course no one else but me was there, but I felt a lot safer with that umbrella in my hand. So I guess I really am paranoid.

You know what? Tomorrow is going to be the last day of this journal. :( There will still be two posts: tomorrow's lesson and then the Official Goodbye Post where I'm going to say my farewells. (Yep, I'm making a big fuss about this...) So hopefully I'll see you all tomorrow! Have a great day! *waves*

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Hyvää yötä!' means 'Good night!' in Finnish. Or you can just say 'Öitä!', it means the same thing.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 71.

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:44:41 GMT

Well, yeah, what did I learn today?

That OH MY GOD SOMEBODY BROKE IN TO THE MUSEUM AND STOLE SOME MONEY!

I almost got a heart attack this morning when I came to work and noticed that one of the flowers from the main building was lying on the yard. I was absolutely sure that I had put every flower inside, so I quickly checked that the doors where still locked. And they were, but apparently somebody had somehow managed to open one of the main building's windows and stolen some money from there. That guy had even closed the window behind him/her. o__O I called my boss who called the police, but they can't really do anything. The total sum of money was around 20 euros, so it's not a huge catch. But it did freak me out. I was all jumpy and exhausted for the rest of the day. And when I finally locked the doors after the workday, I must have checked them at least dozen times, making sure they really were locked. Phew. What a day.

In that moment, standing in the main building and seeing that some money was missing, my only thought was: "Oh my, this is so my last summer in this place. Breaking doors and strange visitors - and now this? That's it, I'm done with it." Sure, the museum's a great place and I love it and so on, but enough is enough. I'm almost scared to go back there tomorrow. Nah, I'll manage.

Other things I learned today, after this tragic incident:

- I got to see a real police officer finding a fingerprint! Whoa, it was so cool. The officer that came to the museum found one smutchy fingerprint from the window where the intruder most likely came in. Then the officer put some red powder on the print and I had to say: "Wow, this is like CSI". The officer just smiled and said, "Yeah, except this case isn't so bloody. Thank God." It was cool, I've never actually seen any police officer do that. Whoa. Something good about that robbery...

And that's all. But, I'm okay, the museum's okay, there's nothing to worry about. My boss was very nice, she kept asking if I was okay and saying how all that was not my fault. Of course I knew that, I had locked the doors and done everything right, but it was still relieving to hear someone say it out loud. *sigh* Well, I guess it can't get worse than this, right? (At least I hope so.)

Oh, and you know what I found today? I found a very small picture of the museum from the Internet - but hey, it's still a picture! I hope you can really see something in it, it's very small and bad. Here it is though, the main building and the windmill of the museum I work for:

Damn, that pic really is small... *goes to get her magnifying glass*

Anyways, that all for today. I'll see you all today, and have a great day! :D

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Hyvää huomenta!' means 'Good morning!' in Finnish. Or you can just say 'Huomenta!', it means the same thing. :D
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 70.

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:26:13 GMT

(Seventy! Awesome, awesome! *dances once again*)

Yeah, what did I learn today?

That... Um. Actually, today I learned lots of little lessons again, so you know what that means? *drums* DASHES!

- First of all, two people called me 'the cutest' and 'adorable' in their comments for my last entry. I was like "Me? *points a finger at herself*" o__O I've never been called that before. Or maybe some of my friends or family members have called me 'cute' sometimes - but still. *stunned* Anyways, thanks to those two people, I'm still a bit amazed by that. I really learned that some comments can make you speechless. ^^
- I learned some disco-moves! My brother and I played some game yesterday and when I got some good points, I did some disco-moves. My brother said "No no, that's not how you do it" and showed me one even cooler move. Whoa. Now I can go to a disco and pretend to be John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. :'D
- Taking a tattoo isn't scary at all. I didn't get a tattoo, of course not - I might get one when I'm older - but one of my friends got herself a tattoo a few days ago. She came to show me her tattoo today when I was at work and told me everything about how it had been done and so on. It was very interesting. I've heard all these horror stories about getting a tattoo, but well, if my friend survived from it, it can't be that bad.
- So I had work today. And I learned that some tourists are rather scary. This one man said only "Hello" and when he was walking in the yard he kept staring at me and I felt very uncomfortable. Luckily he left soon. (Have I watched too much crime-shows? Nah, not at all.)
- I also learned that some people don't recognize a mole hole when they see one. You see, the yard of the museum is full of mole holes and they just keep coming everyday. Today four tourists asked me what those 'sandpits' are and I felt kind of dumb explaining mole holes to them. Well, I didn't mind it, at least they asked something. *shrug*
- I love LiveJournal. A minute ago there was a short power cut and I was almost panicking when my computer started again. I thought my whole post had disappeared but ah, LiveJournal had saved it. Phew.
- The show Cold Case has some awesome music. And it always makes me cry. :( In Finland, Cold Case airs on Tuesdays and I had to record the last episode since I was in our summer cottage. I watched that episode today, and well, the ending made me sob and cry once again. Sniffle. *wipes off a tear*
- The porch of the guide's box is almost as lovely as the stairs of the windmill. Really, I sat there again today ('cause the box is still like a sauna) and it was very comfortable and relaxing. A little breeze waving my hair, butterflies flying in the air, tourists walking in the yard, me sitting on the porch reading some magazine and answering to questions - that is summer to me.

Well, I guess that's it. I better go find something to eat, 'cause I'm starting to feel a bit hungry. Yep, I'll see you all tomorrow! Have a great day! (And sorry if this post is kind of... funny and giggly, I'm feeling hyper again. ^^)

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'On kaunis päivä' means 'It's a beautiful day' in Finnish.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 69.

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:47:40 GMT

(Previous post can be found here.)

Yep, what did I learn today?

That there is nothing better than homemade food.

Today, after a depressing day in the museum - 7 visitors in 6 hours, none of them wanted a guided tour, it was still freakin' hot and the guide's box was still like a sauna - I came home, and what do I see when I open the door? My mom had made buns and berry pie and she was already preparing the dinner. I hugged her very tightly, grabbed myself a bun and felt instantly better. Ah, ain't no place like home. And no food like homemade food. *smiles hugely* I forgot the miserable workday in a second when I sank my teeth to that bun. :D

Anyways, now I'm full and I just hope that tomorrow isn't so awful in the museum. Well, if it is, I got to take some buns with me to the museum. *chuckle*

Other things I learned today:

- The gym must be the only cool place in our town today. I went there all sweaty after work (sun shined straight to my face for the last two hours) and ahh, the air conditioner was really working. And I was the only one there, once again, and I even managed to change the settings this time. Great. This day would have been perfect, if the work-part hadn't sucked so much.
- I miss writing, once again. Work is literally killing my inspiration, so I haven't written anything for almost two weeks! It's horrible! I have great ideas but I just don't have the time or energy or inspiration to write them down. Well, the summer holiday is over soon, so maybe I'll manage to write something in the weekends.

Okay, that's it. Now I'll go eat some more buns. ♥ I'll see you all tomorrow, have a great day! And remember to eat well! :D

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Lähteä' means 'to leave' in Finnish. The right conjugations are:
'minä lähden' = I leave
'sinä lähdet' = you leave (singular)
'hän lähtee' = he/she leaves
'me lähdemme' = we leave
'te lähdette' = you leave (plural)
'he lähtevät' = they leave
And hey, please give me suggestions for this, I'm running out of words! :'D
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 68.

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:16:33 GMT

Well, what did I learn today?

That I hate heatwaves. Period.

Today was (and still is) the hottest day of the whole summer so far. In Finland, of course, or at least that's what the news said just a while ago. Anyways, I had work today and oh my God, the guide's box was like a sauna! It was hotter there than it was outside, so I had to sit on the porch all day long. And remember, I'm a Finn, so I absolutely know how hot it can be in a sauna - and the guide's box wasn't too far from that temperature.

And I hated it. It was so hot that I didn't have the strength to do anything at all (luckily the tourists didn't want a guided tour). When I finally got home, I almost yelled to my parents that we have to go to our summer cottage or I'll melt. So we did. Ah, Finnish lakes, my savior. ♥

I must admit, that's all I learned today. I seriously missed the autumn, 'cause then it would be chilly, windy and rainy, not so freakin' hot. Ugh. I miss the rain! I would give anything for some rain! (Yes, we Finns complain about everything. When it's warm, it should be raining, and when it's raining, it should be warm. :D) The heatwave prevented me from learning anything else.

Oh, and I learned that the days are really getting shorter and darker. When we drove back home from our summer cottage, the street lights were already shining brightly and I actually saw some mist over the fields.

But that's it. Now I'm off to watch Bones and suffer from the heat. Yahhoo. I'll see you all tomorrow!

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Järvi' means 'a lake' in Finnish. And 'joki' means 'a river' and 'meri' means 'a sea'.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

EDIT THE NEXT DAY AT 8PM: Finally got this entry posted again. Woo-hoo.

Lesson number 67.

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:34:18 GMT

Haa, I guess the shopping didn't take all day! :D

Anyways, what did I learn today?

That I hate shopping for clothes but finding new books and notebooks makes me happy.

So, like I said yesterday, I went to Savonlinna again today. I wanted to buy new notebooks, pens and other things for school, and some new clothes, too. Well, the school stuff was a piece of cake: I just walked to a book store, bought everything I needed there (plus one new book) and that was it. It made me happy, 'cause I love buying new notebooks - I actually have an obsession for pretty notebooks. See, everytime I see a new beautiful notebook I usually just have to buy it even though I wouldn't need it. :D I like them, okay? And well, I suppose if I really want to go to an university to study Finnish, I'm going to need loads of notebooks. *chuckle*

Moving on! After that I found a lovely bag for myself and bought it. Then the disappointments began. I tried to find some nice new jeans and shirts for school but I found absolutely nothing. Every piece of clothing was either too small or too old-fashioned (I mean, most of the clothes looked like they were made for older women, not for a school girl). So, after a depressing tour in the shops I bought myself some chocolate and decided to use skirts for the whole school year.

Well, at least I got new notebooks and pens. *hums happily*

Other things I learned today:

- Oh my, I found Astrid Swan's music again. I had already bought her album last spring and I loved it, but then I kind of forgot it, when all these new bands filled my head. Today I stumbled to her MySpace-page by accident (Oh my, I just admitted that I listen to music on MySpace... :D) and noticed that she had put one new song there. And well, you know the rest of the story. I was hooked once again. I love her voice; I really wish I could sing like that. And well, some of her songs have wind instruments. :D
... Seems to me that I have begun to like more jazz-like music than I did before. Oh well.
- It's hard to write while sitting in a car. When we were driving to Savonlinna I tried to write down a sketch of this post but in the end it was impossible. My writing looked horrible.
- Out of curiosity I typed my username, 'Hikuttaja', to Google and oh my, so many of you have mentioned me in your own LJ-posts! I didn't know that! So, thank you! *flattered* It's just a pity that some of those posts are written in a language I don't understand, so I have no idea what they are saying. :'D
- Oh, and I learned today again that I want to get my driving license soon. In Finland you must be 18 years old to get your driver's license, so I have only one year to go anymore. But I want it so bad! I want to drive around Finland, keep the windows open and the wind in my hair, listen to Bon Jovi and tap my fingers to the steering wheel. To me, having a driver's license means independence. The freedom to drive wherever you want, stop whenever you want.

... Yes, I got a little carried away. :D Anyways, I'll see you all again tomorrow! Have a great day! ^^

Word or Phrase of the Day: The language names are kind of easy in Finnish. For example, 'Suomi' with a capital letter means 'Finland' but 'suomi' without a capital letter means 'Finnish. And then 'Ranska' means 'France' but 'ranska' means 'French'. This rule goes with most of the languages. And yes, language names are always written without a capital letter in Finnish. If you want to know what's the name of your country in Finnish, just ask! :D
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 66.

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:34:11 GMT

(Previous post can be found here.)

Well, what did I learn today?

That other people have also noticed how lovely the windmill is.

Seriously, today almost every single tourist was taking photographs of the windmill and admiring how big it is or something like that. One woman even ate her packed lunch sitting on the stairs of the windmill and some other woman sat there with her children for a while. My face was probably saying 'whoa?' all the time, 'cause before tourists have only taken pictures of the windmill but I've been the only one who has stopped to sit on the stairs every once in a while. Well, I guess it's nice that people find the place attracting and nice and so on. I'm not jealous, not at all. (Okay, maybe a little, but it's just because I liked the fact that it was my place and no one else sat there. Oh well.)

Yep, other things I learned today:

- Morning ideas are the best. I haven't been able to write my short story for a while because of work and the way it kills my inspiration, but this morning this awesome scene just suddenly appeared in my mind and I had to write that little scene down right away. I still miss writing, though. Damn you, work...

And that's all for today! I'm not having work tomorrow, so I'm going to Savonlinna to do some shopping for school. New notebooks and pens and so on, for example. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, if the trip to Savonlinna takes the whole day! :D

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Mies' means 'a man' and 'nainen' means 'a woman' in Finnish.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 65.

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 15:51:51 GMT

Yep, what did I learn yesterday?

That I'm probably too old for market fairs nowadays.

Our town had the traditional and annual market fair (you know, different kinds of stalls and people selling stuff in the same area) yesterday. When I was a kid that day was always the highlight of the summer: I hung in the market area for hours and bought all sorts of meaningless things which seemed very important at that moment, and I enjoyed it a lot. So, this year I woke up early to go to the market fair before my workday started. When I finally made it to the market area, I was suddenly disappointed. There were just the same old stalls and the same old things there, things I'd seen many times before. And the weather was suffocating: it was hot and all those people were walking in the same small area. Phew. It all felt too familiar, too... pressing. In the end I just walked through the area, bought some liquorice and ice cream and that was it. The old glamour was gone. I didn't even see any of my friends there. :(

... Well, at least that market fair attracted more tourists to the museum. There were 68 visitors yesterday, so it was a busy day. That cheered me up a lot after the disappointment. ^^

Other things I learned yesterday:

- Heatwave has finally reached Finland. It was so hot that I was sweating in the museum all day long. Luckily the guide's box was cooler, since it's in an old building and the wind went practically right through the walls. I was grateful for every single breeze.
- I went to the gym again and this time there was no one else there. It was rather nice, I could try all the equipment and just take my time with it. There was only one problem: When there was no one around, I couldn't ask anybody how to change the settings. So a few more experienced guys would have been great. Well, at least one of my friend promised that she could come with me to the gym someday. :)

Oh, and by the way! I noticed that you don't know my name. So hi! My name's Anna and on the Internet my username is usually Hikuttaja. :D Nice to meet y'all!

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Tänään' means 'today' in Finnish. And 'eilen' means 'yesterday', and 'huomenna' means 'tomorrow'.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Attention! (number 2)

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 18:05:14 GMT

Okay, sorry. I'm lazy again, 'cause I had work today and then I went to the gym and so on, and yeah, no post today (again). I'm a terrible person. Or something. :'D

Anyways, two posts tomorrow, I'll see you then!

Lesson number 64.

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:55:04 GMT

So, what did I learn today?

That compliments are lovely, even though they would come from a total stranger.

Today was a rather quiet day in the museum again. Just 20 visitors in six hours, but hey, it's still more than a few days ago when it rained for two days. Anyways, I finally got to talk with some tourists today - they didn't want a guided tour, but I just talked to them about the town and history and so on. I tried to be very polite and cheerful so those tourists would really enjoy their visit to the museum. Then, after over half an hour's chat and a few books sold they were leaving and out of no-where thanked me. I just said "No problem, it's my job", and they replied "Yeah, but not everyone does his/her job as well as you do".

I was speechless. So all I managed to do was thank them with a quivering voice and wish them a happy summer. I mean, usually nobody says anything like that to me in the museum (most likely because most of the tourists just say 'hi' and that's it) so of course I was puzzled. But at the same time I felt touched and like "Wow, I really can do this job!" That comment really made my day. :D

Well, other things I learned today:

- I burnt my finger just a few minutes ago when I was taking a cake from the oven and my finger touched slightly something very hot. Ouch. Not nice. It's a small scald, luckily, but now I have to keep ice cubes in my other hand and write with only one hand.
- ... Which gives us the next lesson: It's hard to write with a keyboard with one hand. Seriously.

And that's it. Now I'll go get some more ice cubes for my finger. I'll see you all tomorrow, and have a GREAT day! *waves*

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Aurinko' means 'the sun' in Finnish. So naturally, 'Aurinko paistaa' means 'The sun is shining' in Finnish. :D
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 63.

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:27:59 GMT

Yep, what did I learn today?

That the local teenagers have moved away from their usual drinking place.

Last year, when I was working in the museum, the museum's old boathouse was always full of broken glass and cigarette butts after a weekend. The boathouse is further away from the other buildings and it's near to the beach where all the 'tough' teenagers get drunk in the evenings - so naturally, it was always a mess. And I have to clean up all that rubbish so the boathouse wouldn't look so horrible when the tourists arrive. So, today I took a plastic bag and a pair of rubber gloves with me and went to see how many broken bottles I would find today inside the boathouse. (I couldn't do it earlier, 'cause on Mondays the museum is closed and on Tuesday and Wednesday it rained a lot.) And what do you know, I picked up only one crumpled soda can, one shabby pencil case (!) and two cigarette butts, and that's it. What on earth? Where have all the teenagers gone? *shock*

Then later I cycled past our high school and all those mopeds and scooters were parked there. And most of the teenagers were smoking and drinking near the school building, trying to look all cool and so on. Whoa, they really must miss school. o__O

Other things I learned today:

- My friend and I read this one magazine today together, and oh man, it was fun! It was this "girls' magazine" with lots of articles about fashion, celebrities and make-up. My friend is kind of a tomboy, so she made very funny jokes about those new styles and such, and I laughed. Hilarious. So, I learned that reading magazines with your friends can really be awesome.

And yes, I guess that's it. I'm a bit hungry now, so I'm going to go find something to eat. See you all tomorrow! Have a great day! :'D

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Hymyillä' means 'to smile' in Finnish. Right conjugations are:
'minä hymyilen' = I smile
'sinä hymyilet' = you smile (singular)
'hän hymyilee' = he/she smiles
'me hymyilemme' = we smile
'te hymyilette' = you smile (plural)
'he hymyilevät' = they smile
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 62.

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:24:50 GMT

(Whoa, August already. A few weeks left... D:)

What did I learn today?

That going to the gym is actually fun after the first panic.

Well, I got that access to the gym for my birthday, so today I decided to give it a try after work. I went there being all excited and energetic but when I finally was standing in the hallway of our town's gym, I panicked. There were some crazy sport jocks in the gym, running on the treadmill and lifting weights and looking sporty and so on. I got nervous quite fast. I felt like I didn't belong there and for a moment I even thought about walking out as fast as I could. Then I took a deep breath, said to myself "Remember, you wanted this" and stepped in. And nothing bad happened. Those sport jocks didn't even look at me, they just continued doing whatever they were doing and I tried the equipment carefully and actually enjoyed it. And I'll go there again Saturday. :D

Other things I learned today:

- It's quite annoying when they're playing a good song on the radio and you have a piece of paper and a pen ready so that you can write the name of the song down - and then the radio station just cuts the song off and plays advertisements instead. Argh.
- So, like I said, I had work again today, and oh man, it rained for most of the day once again. Not fun. I learned the hard way that rainy days really are damn quiet in the museum: Eleven visitors in 6 hours, and most of them were just passers-by.
- Finns truly are sometimes weird. I was sitting in the guide's box after the rain had stopped when this older Finnish woman walked to the yard and noticed me:

Woman: "Who are you?"
Me: "Um... I'm the museum guide."
Woman: "This is a museum?"
Me: "Yes..."
Woman: "Well, I don't need a guided tour. Goodbye!"

And then she left, laughing and without even glancing the museum buildings.
- I noticed that some wagtails have their nest near the main building. Aww. ♥
- The museum's windmill doesn't work anymore, its wings are tied down with chains - but today the wind was so strong that the wings moved a bit. It was scary! Even scarier than the noise when the door fell off, I learned.

And that's it. I'm off again to read a magazine I bought today, so I'll see you tomorrow! Have a nice day! :D

Word or Phrase of the Day: (Or, as I like to call it, WoPotD) Finnish numbers from 11 to 20: 'yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista, neljätoista, viisitoista, kuusitoista, seitsemäntoista, kahdeksantoista, yhdeksäntoista, kaksikymmentä'.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 61.

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:47:48 GMT

(Previous entry can be found here.)

Okay, what did I learn today?

That we're going back to early June's weather once again.

Remember when I complained about how cold it was during lesson number 15? Well, here we go again. Woolly socks, gloves and an umbrella were useful again in the museum. It was cold, windy and it rained for the whole day. (Actually, it's still raining.) I sat in the guide's box shivering in clothes suitable for late autumn and the radiator turned to maximum. And then there were only 13 visitors, and in addition, none of them wanted a guided tour. Oh man, how joyful. Luckily I had magazines and books with me.

Well, other things I learned today?

- What is so hard to understand in the phrase "Personnel only"? There must be something in it, I learned today, 'cause tourists just kept coming inside the guide's box even though next to the door there was a clear note with the words "Vain henkilökunnalle - Personnel only" on it. I mean, at least the Finns should understand it, but still the Finnish tourists are always being nosy and intruding to the guide's box saying "What do we have here?" or "Is this the office?" and I'm like "Yes, this is the freakin' office and it's FOR STAFF ONLY, dammit!" :/ (Well, not really, I can't say anything like that to the tourists, but I always feel like it.) The guide's box is the guide's personal space, there are all the important things like brochures and the vacuum cleaner and the extra light bulbs, and well, it isn't hard to understand why it is "Personnel only". Those tourists should just learn to read. *sulks*
- Nerina Pallot's Everybody's Gone To War is a great anti-war song. I hate war, I have to admit, and I'm glad Finland's last war (The War of Lapland, 1944-45) ended already over 50 years ago. It's like our history teacher once said: "There's nothing more terrible than war. But people just can't seem to live without it."
- Full Moon wo Sagashite's (it's a manga-series, in case you didn't know) Takuto is the best! I got the first volume of the manga for my birthday, and eeek, Takuto, I love you! I could just hug him forever! *fangirling, again*

Yes, ignore the last one. :'D Anyways, that's it. Now I'm off to listen to Nerina Pallot and eat leftovers from my birthday. Ooo, cake... *drools* Well, I'll see you all tomorrow! Have a great day!

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Nukkua' means 'to sleep' in Finnish. The right conjugations are:
'minä nukun' = I sleep
'sinä nukut' = you sleep (singular)
'hän nukkuu' = he/she sleeps
'me nukumme' = we sleep
'te nukutte' = you sleep (plural)
'he nukkuvat' = they sleep
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 60.

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:14:40 GMT

(Sixty! Woo-hoo! Just how awesome is that? *dances*)

Well, what did I learn today?

To be honest, I didn't learn anything. I just had fun. I had my birthday, and all of my friends sent me text-messages to congratulate me, one of them even visited me and we talked for four hours nonstop. Hee. :D And then all my godfathers and -mothers commemorated me, too, my mom had made delicious cakes and well, I seriously had fun. More than usual, I mean. :D

First thought about being seventeen? "Man, I'm seventeen. I feel tired." :'D

And well, of course I got presents. My parents paid me an access to the gym for 3 months, 'cause I asked for it (goodbye, aching back!), my brother gave me Nerina Pallot's album Fires (which is awesome). And my friends gave me all sorts of awesome gifts. For example, one of them (you know who you are!) had drawn me two of my favorite manga-characters: Heiji from Detective Conan and Ed from Fullmetal Alchemist! Eeeek! ♥ I had to protect those drawings from my drool...

Okay, boring. I guess no one really wants to know about my birthday. *shrug* Well, to keep this entry in keeping with my journal, I'll just say that I learned again how nice birthdays actually are. And how wonderful friends I have. ^^

Thanks to everyone who congratulated me! ♥

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Hyvää syntymäpäivää!' means 'Happy birthday!' in Finnish. Somebody asked me this and I already answered to him/her, but well, here it is for the rest of you people.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

EDIT THE NEXT DAY AT 7PM: Finally got this entry posted, again...

Lesson number 59.

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:55:38 GMT

(Oh man, the lesson numbers just keep getting bigger and bigger...)

Well, what did I learn today?

That my reading speed has definitely returned to the way it was.

I read two books today. Two books in one freakin' day! That's fast, seriously. A month ago it would have taken me two days to just finish one of them. o__O I read Eoin Colfer's books Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code and Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception (What? I just like his writing style ~~and am in love with Artemis~~!). And okay, I had read both books before, the font is rather large in the Finnish edition and so on... BUT STILL. Two books in one day! I'm so amazed by this fact that it's not even possible. Woah.

Well, wait a few months and then school has taken all of my free-time again, and I have no time to read anything at all. Except school-books and "You must write an essay about this" -books.

Oh yeah, and there's still 5 hours and 20 minutes to the moment when I'm officially seventeen. Yahhoo. Okay, I've been calling myself a 17-year-old for almost six months now (yes, I like to round things a lot). Anyways, officially seventeen. That must feel good. :'D

Er, moving on! Other things I learned today?
... *silence* I didn't learn anything else. Darn.

Yes, in case you haven't noticed it yet, I'm being a bit hyper today. Must be that chocolate I ate earlier. *ponders for a while* Or something. I'm not sure, I just know that I should probably end this entry right now, before I start giggling and screaming. U-hum. Yes. Have a nice day! And happy birthday to anyone who has the same birthday as me! *chuckle* :D

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Nauraa' means 'to laugh' in Finnish. Right conjugations:
'minä nauran' = I laugh
'sinä naurat' = you laugh (singular)
'hän nauraa' = he/she laughs
'me nauramme' = we laugh
'te nauratte' = you laugh (plural)
'he nauravat' = they laugh
And well, if you want the noun, 'nauru' means 'laughter'.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 58.

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:26:55 GMT

Yep, what did I learn today?

That the doors of the museum are seriously complicated.

Today started like any other work day. Some tourists visited the museum, the sun was shining, a few birds were singing in the trees and I sat in the guide's box listening to the radio. But then - BA-TAM! A loud noise echoed through the yard. The windmill's door had fallen off. And I mean it completely fell off, the whole door was lying on the plane when I got there. Apparently one of the hinges had broke or something, and the hinge that was left wasn't able to hold the door's weight. So I tried not to panic, even though for a moment I felt like flinging to the ground and yelling desperately "My windmill!" over and over again. But then I pulled myself together and gave a call to the museum's caretaker. Luckily, he came quickly, fixed the door and the other, almost-breaking door too, and I was relieved. Phew. What a day! I can never forget that terrible noise when that door fell... My dear windmill. *sob*

Luckily nobody got hurt. That would have been even worse. o__O

Yep, other things I learned today after this tragic incident:

- A few weeks ago all these nice children came to visit the museum, but not today. Two little kids attacked the museum, touched everything (literally everything: they touched every exhibit there was to touch and even tried to take a few of them outside :0), went to the buildings that are forbidden for tourists, called me "an aunt" and kept running around me when I was trying to help the caretaker. And they yelled. A lot. The kids' parents and I tried to stop them, but it had no effect. Luckily they left soon (I think the parents got tired of it, too). If they had stayed any longer I would have started to scream to them.
... So what did I learn? That not all children are sweet and innocent.
- And I hate the prepositions in English. Finnish doesn't have them - we have many different grammatical cases instead - so they are especially difficult for us. Agh.

And that's it. Today was a tiring day, with all the falling doors and yelling kids, so luckily I have chocolate. :'D Well, now I'm off again to do... something. Have a great day and I'll see you all tomorrow!

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Lapsi' means 'a child' in Finnish. And 'aikuinen' means 'an adult'.
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Lesson number 57.

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 15:55:13 GMT

Alright, what did I learn yesterday?

That having a picnic is both easy and fun.

My friends and I had a picnic in the yard of the museum yesterday (after work, of course). Last time I was at a picnic was over 10 years ago, so this was kind of a new experience for me. Anyways, a picnic is very easily organized: I just sent a text-message to my friends, all of us brought some food and I dragged a carpet to the yard. And we had fun! A few tourists walked through the yard and looked at us awkwardly, 'cause we were laughing and talking very loud. Whoops. But it didn't matter that much, at least those tourists can tell their friends how weird Finns are.

And then we were very wise and managed to leave just before it started to rain. And I ate too much, again. Actually, I think we all ate too much. Oh yeah, we are made of awesome. :'D

Well, other things I learned yesterday:

- Finnish summer weather is strange. Yesterday it rained for 10 minutes and then the rest of the day was very sunny and warm. Then it started to rain again in the evening. o__O
- Nobody wants a guided tour in the museum. And that makes me rather bored.

And that's it. My memory's a bit fuzzy so that's all I can remember from yesterday. :D Anyways, I had fun. This summer has clearly been the best summer of my life so far. ♥

Well, now I'm off to write today's post! ->

Word or Phrase of the Day: 'Syödä' means 'to eat' in Finnish. The right conjugations are:
'minä syön' = I eat
'sinä syöt' = you eat (singular)
'hän syö' = he/she eats
'me syömme' = we eat
'te syötte' = you eat (plural)
'he syövät' = they eat
Help with the pronunciation? Go here!

Attention!

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:19:55 GMT

Sorry, no post today. I just came home about two hours ago and I'm very tired, so nothing today. Then again, you will get two posts tomorrow, so no worries. ^^

I'll see you all tomorrow!