Two weeks later, and some 9000 miles travelled, my journey is over. Since my last post, I have gone from Jyvaskyla to Copenhagen to London to Ireland and finally back to NYC. I am exhausted but so glad to be home and among all my friends and family. Alas, there is much to tell and I know all of you are eager to hear all about it. Because there is so much, I am going to break it up into several posts. So let me begin with my last few days in Finland....

My last week at Suvimaki went much too fast. On Tuesday, I went with some friends from the clubhouse on a lake tour. We couldnt have picked a better day. Hopefully you all will be able to tell from my pictures just how beautiful the scenery was. The boat that tooks us around is 100 years old, though you wouldnt know it to look at it. I spent much of the three hour tour (ha) sitting on the back deck and watching the world go by. I dreamed about someday owning a house by the lake and sailing everyday in the summer. I love boats!

On Wednesday afternoon I sat in on my last English Only table. We talked about American cculture and what I had liked best about Finland (the scenery, the people, and SAUNA!). We had no trouble filling the hour, which is a testment of how comfortable everyone had become speaking conversational English. Practice makes perfect! Well done guys:)

On Thursday, I went out with a bunch of folks to the Harbour Festival, where we listened to the worst cover band ever (no really). Despite the atrocious band, I had a lot of fun. I was bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning though for my last day at the clubhouse. The morning was spent working and people were suspiciously absent from my presence. By lunchtime, it was clear something was going on that I hadn't been told about. In fact, the folks at the clubhouse had organized a going away party for me! Very nice things were said all around and it was probably the first time in my life that I really enjoyed being complimented and the center of attention. Shocking I know! I would like to take this opportunity to say hello to my friends at Suvimaki. Thank you so much for welcoming me like you did. I can't wait to hear from you all! Expect a note from me soon.

On Saturday, I went sailing with a few folks. It was another beautiful day. We took the boat out from the harbour and headed for an island in the middle of the lake. We would have gone farther but there was not enough wind and the engine seemed to be having some problems. But we managed to make the best of it still. The island we came to is one of many in this particular lake, and the type not uncommon in Finland. On the island are bathroom facilities, as well as a sauna, a reception hall, and a cookout pit-where we spent most of our time roasting sausages and drinking cider. The best thing about this island is that it is for public use and therefore FREE. I don't know if there are places like this in the States but if there aren't, there should be! It was absolutely wonderful.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning my apartment and packing. I went to sleep in my bed in Jyvaskyla for the last time. Although, to be truthful, there wasn't much sleeping going on as the sun did not really go down that night. Yeah...not really going to miss that!

Now here are some pictures:)

*to be continued*