A weekend for the orientation...

After a both busy and funny week (means: university and party), 80 mostly exchange students went to an "orientation weekend" to the countryside close to Helsinki. We spent the weekend in a boy scout camp next to a lake, the beds reminded me a bit of my time in the army but still - we're in Finland - a huge sauna was available.

We started in the afternoon with a funny quiz about Finland and some strange facts here, every team had to complete those different tasks in the forest (well, was a bit childish, but we're still young). Lateron, every team had to do a roleplay about a speciality of Finland. My team (the squirrels) had to play the Finnish drinking "culture". Nothing easier than that. We just took a barkeeper, two Finns, two Italians and two girls - and you can easily show the differences in drinking (and communication) between Finns and other people. Still, this play started around 6pm, some guys already started their party in the early afternoon - everybody can imagine the noise level and perception ;-).

A must was going to the sauna after dinner, not forgetting to take a (very short) swim in the ice-covered lake next to it. It's refreshing, I have to admit (but I'm pretty sure, still nothing for my father nor my brother ;-)).

After sauna, relaxing and so on, the party started (congratulations to the guy who took one CD! We heard the same songs about 10 times) and went on until the morning. It was great fun (including a "delicious" salmiakki liquor).

Besides all positive experiences, I got one of my opinion confirmed: French people are everything I expect from them. At home arrogant and snotnosed; away from home worse than the average Ballermann-tourist from Germany. The only language is French and everybody who refuses to speak it (like I do here because I also talk English to Austrians and Germans) is not communicable. Alcoholism is also an issue with the French (three guys took 72 litres of Vodka from a trip to Tallinn), and their behaviour when wasted is comparable to Swedish people on summer holiday in Greece.

Last but not least I have a little quiz (no prizes, sorry): The guy on the last photo is actor in some teenager movies. What's his name (in those movies)?