Two Greeks in Finland!!!! (Bourtsoukli foreign language school)

After 10 hours of travelling Tripoli-Athens-Frankfurt-Helsinki-Tikkurila-Seinajoki-Lapua we finally managed to arrive at Seinajoki station at 1:00 am! There we were picked up by a student named Ritva.What a wonderful feeling to find a smiling face waiting for you at the station after such a long trip!

Friday 13/2/15 The moment we woke up and opened the curtains of our room we were amazed by a vast forest covered in snow.It dawned on us....this is Finland! After breakfast the day started with a bus tour, where we had the chance to admire the Finnish architecture and the beautiful snowy landscapes.First stop, Seinajoki.There we visited a cathedral made by the architect Alvar Aalto and learnt interesting facts about his work.

After our visit to the cathedral we were taken aback by our visit to the local library.A big and colourful space filled with modern furniture.Hidden magical worlds with soft carpets and pillows ideal to lure children and adults.A perfect place to read,listen to music and relax.Exiting the library we began to realise why Finnish education is one of the best in the world.

After that we returned to Lapua and visited another cathedral.There we also saw the biggest pipe organ in Finland and even heard its majestic sound when it was played by Katja and Oriol!The time to visit the Adult Education Centre came. Tina and the rest of the teachers showed us around,then the students worked together while we had our meeting.

Our first day was almost over and we were already feeling inspired by what we learnt and saw.The day ended with dinner in our hotel organised by Tina and her students.We enjoyed a lovely meal, made new friends, heard the talented music group Time it and were even given memorable gifts by Santa Claus!

Saturday 14/2/15 We left our hotel and visited Lapua art museum where we saw an innovative Finnish exhibition.Then since it was snowing we had a bit of fun with some sledges ,outside.
Then we went to the Adult Education Centre.After an informative slideshow presentation about Finland ,the students presented to us the results of their workshop and discussed the impact of the Communitek program.After that we had time to visit some of the classes of the centre and see what students learn upclose.

                                                                                                         
 

Lunchtime arrived and another delicious meal was prepared for us.Among other dishes we tried Rudolph soup...eh ....i mean reindeer soup,which was very tasty!
After a calm morning it was time for some adventure!Simpsio ski resort.We had so much fun riding the sledges and we even cooked sausages on a bonfire.Our last day couldn't end in a more spectacular way.Tina had mentioned something about swimming but none of us could imagine a sauna and then jumping into a frozen river! Team spirit helped and we all enoyed this once- in- a- lifetime experience.Then gathered in a warm room we had our last Finnish meal and sang songs along with a piano and a guitar.

Sunday morning 15/2/15  Temperature -17 celsius.Frowns drawn upon our faces for leaving, but our hearts were filled with joy and gratitude for everything that this trip offered.When in Finland one can feel a constant serene atmosphere which is coupled with the unique beauty of nature.The people we met were very warm and friendly and the quality of the  educational system in general and of the Adult education centre left us speechless.Excellent organisation,a wide variety of courses to choose from and creativity is present everywhere.We whould like to thank deeply Tina , her colleagues and her students!Memories of our visit will linger forever!