Travelog for: Ronja

Hello!

I am Ronja and I am about to start my travels here! I hope to see you soon!

Bye,
Ronja

Mommy hello!

I'm so exited, because my adventures finally started, and I arrived to Finland today! I just can't wait, what I will going to experience.

When I came out from my envelope, I saw many other toys there. They all were smiled and they said I'm warmly welcome here. So nice!



Others are: Telie, PinkLady, Tokki, Finfin, Porridge, Mo and Sylvia.



They all gave me a group hug as a welcome! Mommy, I feel so welcome here!



Mommy, this town located in Central Finland, just take a look at the map and the red spot, there's this town Jyväskylä.



Mommy, this is the flag of Finland. Did you know, that blue colour symbolises the blue sky? And white colour symbolises pure white snow? And the shape of cross symbolises the Nordic country?

Well, now you know! 




Love you mommy,
Ronja
xxx

Hey mommy!

When I had arrived Finland, I watched through the window, and I noticed there were so many clouds in the sky. Everywhere looks blue and gray, and that was so sad...

I was thinking that there must be at least one way to feel better, and bring sunshine and happiness inside. So, I decided to make a sun myself. Maybe my sun will bring some light here...

And I did it! 

Others did, too!     

And it worked, we all feel much better now.

xxx
Love,
Ronja

Hello mommy!

The making own sun was really powerful thing, because in the afternoon it was sunny weather outside! How cool! We had sunshine inside and outside, too!

In the first photo there's a white house, where my hostmom is living on the second floor. 

Because it looked so nice outside, I went there, and relax in sun bath. 

Look mommy, so much of snow has already melted away. Spring has come, and snow is dissapearing really fast. And the ice on the lake is melting, too.

Yeah, summer will come soon! 

xxx
Hugs,
Ronja

Hey mommy!
Smile, please!
Say cheese!
Thanks! 


xxx
Ronja

"Hi mommy! ... Hello! ... Are you there? ... It's me, Ronja, I'm here.

Wow, this macine is amazing! I can chat with you, even though I'm so far away from home. It's so nice to talk with you, mommy! Hostmom told me this small macine is a phone, and in Finnish it is puhelin or kännykkä.

Well, let me tell you something, mom. Today was quite boring day, just because it was raining outside during the hole day long! So, I couldn't go outside to play or see places at all today.  We all were inside and tried to think something nice things to do. But guess what? None of us has any idea, and it made us all very sleepy. And we went to sleep... Quite boring day, isn't it?

Hmmmm, nothing else to say for today. I hope tomorrow is the better day, and fun.

Bye for now, mommy! Love and kisses!
Ronja"

Hey mom!

Today was much better weather outside than yesterday, so I went to outside.





In the evening I was in the playground to have some fun time there. The place's name is Eilan puisto, and it's located very near of hostmom's home.



I was swinging. It was really fun! 





Others came, too! 
There were me and Telie, Mo, Sylvia, Porridge, Finfin, Tokki and PinkLady.



Then I was swinging in other swing!



I was in the same side of the swing as Mo, Tokki and Porridge.



Then we all decided to go to slide.
First must climb the stairs...



...and then it's time for the funniest part!







We decided to slide all together in the same time. Oh, how crazy idea! 
But before that, we must climb the stairs once again.



Paikoillanne, valmiina, hep!
(Ready, steady, go!)










It was fun! 



Look, mommy! We all are having really much fun together!





Look mommy, I'm here top of the bird! 



Others came, too. We wanted to go flying...



As the way back inside, I saw some real living birds there. And there were so many of them! Cool!  (Mommy, just take a look at the photo very carefully. Can you see those small white spots flying just in front of trees? Yes, they are birds!)



While walking back inside, hostmom took some other photos, too.









It was a really nice day! 

Love,
Ronja
xxx

Hello mommy!

Today I played in the climbing tree of hostmom's cat. It was really fun!

I climbed on it so long, that I get hungry. But that's no problem, because I made funny sandwich with a smiley face on it. 

Love,
Ronja
xxx

Hey mom!

I was outside today, because there's so nice sunshine there.   

It was nice to walk next to the lake and see how spring is totally here. 

I saw the first small flowers of this year's spring, and first leaf in the trees. Also some birds and beautiful landscape!

Hostmom is living just next to this beautiful lake. Oh, she is so lucky! 


Love,
Ronja
xxx

Hey mommy!

I have had such a great time today! 

It's a day before the May Day, so it's time to celebrate and have a party! 

In the May Day Eve (April 30th) and May Day (May 1st) Finnish people are celebrating, too. May Day is almost like a spring carneval or festival in Finland.

We decided to have a fancy dress party. It was really fun!
We dressed ourselves as ourselves.

Mommy, I'm here!!! (No, I was only kidding!!!  It's Tokki, who has dressed and now pretending to be me!) 



But here are we all:





Mommy, guess who I'm pretending to be.



Yes, I'm like Sylvia 



We all have so much fun! 



PinkLady is pretending to be Finfin, Tokki is pretending to be me, Finfin is pretending to be Telie, Telie is pretending to be Mo, Mo is pretending to be Porridge, Sylvia is pretending to be Tokki, Porridge is pretending to be PinkLady.     








Love,
Ronja
xxx

Hello mom!

Party goes on! How cool! 

It's May Day Eve today, and I tasted something Finnish May Day sweet. They called it as tippaleipä (=funnel cake).

Wikipedia says this about funnel cakes (click) "Funnel cakes are made by pouring unleavened batter into hot cooking oil in a circular pattern and deep frying the overlapping mass until golden-brown. When made at concession stands, a pitcher with an integral funnel spout is employed. Funnel cakes are typically served plain with powdered sugar."

And a drink is sima.

Wikipedia says this about sima (click)
"Sima is a sweet mead, still an essential seasonal, sparkling brew connected with the Finnish Vappu festival. It is usually spiced by adding both the flesh and rind of a lemon. During secondary fermentation raisins are added to control the amount of sugars and to act as an indicator of readiness for consumption — they will swell by absorbing carbon dioxide and rise to the top of the bottle when the drink is ready."



It was so yummy! 



Every year in May Day Eve, the statue of Minna Canth has got a special hat, ylioppilaslakki (=white cap). It's always few students, who can put the hat on the Minna Canth's head.
Here's some pictures about that seremony:









Hostmom told me, that not all can own this special white cap. Only they, who has successfully completed the upper secondary school final exams, matriculation examinations, can have those white caps. And this time of the year, Vappu (May Day), is the time for celebrate this. 


When we were back inside, I could try hostmom's white cap.
Do I look cool, mom?




Love,
Ronja
xxx

Hi mommy!

Because it's May Day, there was a flag of Finland in the flagpole. The flag looks quite nice, when the sky is so blue (today it was!)


Today I did also something exiting! I went to see some very cool cars! 

There was a Car Show in Jyväskylä, so there were SO MANY old and new, and cool cars there!     

Love,
Ronja
xxx

Hello mommy!

Today I had really exiting day!

Guess what I did? Hostmom took me with her to a postcrossing meeting! The meeting was in a postcard shop named Harjun Paperi, in the Jyväskylä city center.

It was really fun! I met other nice Finnish people, and a real living dog, too! But don't worry mom, the dog was very kind.

I wrote postcards, eat some little snacks, and have a little adventure in the shop between all those wonderful postcards and other little stuff there. I had a great time as you can see from photos.

Love,
Ronja
xxx

Hello mommy!

Ooooh, I found a picture of a cow who slides! 

The picture is in a milk carton. Mommy, do you think they got milkshake in Finland by shaking cows by letting cows to slide?   

Well, I was kidding!!!    It's only a picture. But I think it's a cute one.

Love,
Ronja
xxx

Hello mommy!

I found this cute thing today. It's quite interesting... What it might be?
Mommy, is this thing perhaps a rocket? Is it going to space?   



Can I go in? Mommy, can I go to travel in space? I would visit the Moon, and many planets, and I want to see the black hole, asteroids etc... (I'm dreaming...)



Ooooh, mommy! Look! 
There is happening something! The white part on the bottom is being bigger!!! 

Hmmmm...  ...maybe it is not a rocket...



This is so exiting! The white thing is moving, and it changes its shape all the time! 



I have to take a look little closer. How cool! 



Hostmom told me that it is laavalamppu (= a lava lamp).



It's magical, isn't it? I could stare it the hole day... 



Love,
Ronja
xxx