Living in Lappeenranta

So we have moved. This move wasn't easy to me. Normally I kind of enjoy the packing and I'm excited about the new. This time was different. I really enjoyed living in Vantaa close to my friends and family and working in Mikkola school. During those five years I worked in Mikkola school I learned A LOT and grew a lot too. That school represented me everything I wanted from a school: Multicultural, warm and caring with values I appreciate, children from 6 to 16, motivated and high quality staff, excellent music education, creative place where one could express oneself, there was room for ideas and encourament to go for it. I also got many kinds of challenges during the time spent there and I have to admit that it was a pity that I couldn't do the substitute of the vice principal to the end of the due date.

Most of all the move came too quickly to me. While packing I had to process the fact that I have to give it all up and I didn't have time to say good bye to my collagues and friends. At the same time with my personal sorrow I had to listen many people complaning that why we have to go so far. I also had to act strong and positive in order to make the move easier to our daughters.

Well, now that we've lived here for 10 days I don't regret the move at all. I got work as a special teacher in a small school (in my eyes after the second biggest school in Finland) five minutes bycicle ride from our home. And on that route I can enjoy lake Saimaa! That's such a treat to me who grew up on a lake and most of all I've missed a lake close to me. Our daughters got into the music class and to the music academy for violin lessons here too. I've been amazed that studying in music academy is here free for the kids on music class while we had to pay 1200 euros a year for the violin lessons in Vantaa and on top of that our children get a free snack at school when they have long school days including violin lessons.

What I enjoy the most is the five minute walk to the beach. Let me take you there with these pictures:

This is the closest beach but not good for swimming for possibility to step on broken glass.

So let's continue...

Next beach. There's a bench in here for resting and for admiring the view. But still a little to walk...

Pass the little harbour and here we are!

Needless to say that we've been swimming every day since the hardest unpacking has stopped. It's been such a warm summer here in Finland that the water is still very warm. Let's see when we have to give up swimming. Hopefully not soon.

Tour of Homes

I found a great blog through Amy's blog. BooMama invites all the bloggers show their homes with pictures to all the blog readers. There are already over 200 hundred links to people's homes. I love peeping into homes! You find this blog here. Have fun!

We are in the middle of move to Lappeenranta so I won't show my home yet. Now I'm concentrating on packing...

In Taivalmaja

(Last post of camp school in Ilomantsi to find out more read 5 previous posts)

During the camp school we also spent time in the camping center called Taivalmaja. In the evenings we had sauna and because we had the opportunity we also swam. The first day we were in Taivalmaja there was still little pit of ice on the lake so the water was freezing! It didn't stop us. We also enjoyed the lake just watching it, canoeing etc. The weather was beautiful and I could have stayed on the dock hours. I love watching how the sun sets on a calm lake.

We also ate a lot! And the food was good! Simpel, tasty, ordinary home food with local specialities like carelian pies which are nowadays very common all over Finland but the real good ones you get in Ilomantsi, vatruska which is a pastry made of potatoes and inside of it is rice (I love vatruskas and will buy them whenever I find them but the best place to eat them is in the Parppeinpirtti restaurant where you can actually see ladies making them) and the unique speciality sultsina! See how we ate it:

Voilá! I can assure it's good! I remember when I was a child how I ate them one after one in one wedding. And I was a very light eater. I especially asked if we could have them one evening. I really appriciate how our camp school leaders wanted to have all our wishes filled so we also had sultsinas even tough they had to have an extra person in kitchen that night because it's hard job to brown these crusts on a cooker. The crust is made of rye flour and the inside is plain rice borridge.

Well, on a camp one must have pancakes made on campfire!

We really had a perfect camp school! I would do it again and maybe with the next class I get to do it again after few years. I also hope that my pupils had lifelong memories from the camp school. It's time to say goodbye for Ilomantsi - at least for now!