After arriving in Helsinki, the other FUSYE scholars and I kept on repeating, "I can't believe we're in Finland!!"- we were all truly in awe, for this was the first time it really hit us that we were embarking upon the journey of our lives! In Washington, everything still felt pretty unreal, like a regular summer camp, but now that we were breathing Finnish air, everything was becoming tangible.
My host family, the Topparis, was waiting to greet me! Despite the fact that they were my temporary host family, I was very excited to meet them! Anyways, I was exhausted after my flight so we gathered around the kitchen table to eat pulla, a traditional sweet Finnish bread and cookies. Later, they decided to take me to Stockmann, a huge department store in Helsinki to shop for groceries. I don't think I've ever seen a department store that sells both groceries and clothing/accessory items! It was wonderful just to walk around the store, learning some new Finnish words for vegetables, fruits, and various meats.
My family also took me on a driving tour of downtown Helsinki, and pointed out significant monuments, buildings, and places along the waterfront.
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