Family day: Emma & Fredi

We were the first pair to be dropped to our family. When we first got to the family's house, we didn't really know each other well and we were quite nervous. The family consisted of eight people, exluding cousins and grandmothers. We introduced ourselves to the family, who seemed to be very excited to have foreign guests visiting. The ones we spent the most time with were Elizabeth, the mother's first-born daughter, and her cousin, John, whom were  18 and 17 years old, respectively.  The atmosphere was at first quite awkward and quiet.

Then, Elizabeth and John suggested that we'd go out for a walk by the river. The family had a field that wasn't that big and four goats. When following the river, from which the water is carried to the house, we met up, to our suprise, with Jyri and Sara, another pair who were visiting a Kenyan family for a day. The views that were by the river were amazing; there were even small waterfalls. We arrived to a water supply, where a lot of water is stored for the use of Taitan families. Then, we continued to a nearby hill. It was quite hot and we were tired and thirsty, so we rested atop the hill, which, in fact, had a great view. After that, it was time to go back to the house. During the trip, we got to know Elizabeth and John better.




















We were served tea in the house with some kind of pastries. The tea had milk, which raised our eyebrows, but everything turned out fine. After that, we talked with the family quite a lot, and asked them some questions about the farm and the plot. Then, were were served traditional Taitan cousine, which was ugali, which was basically corn mass. and zukumawiki, a vegetable similar to spinach. It was good, but not the kind of food we are used to. Nevertheless, it was a nice experience(maybe).

Then, we went out to another place near the river to relax. It was nice, and afterwards we visited a school, where there were unfortunately no students because of a strike among teachers. However, we met the principal and some other staff at the school.

After that, we went back to the family's home. We told them some Finnish stories that they had never heard of, such as Santa Claus and the Red Riding Hood. They had a lot to ask about Finland, and we showed them some pictures of Finland and our families. At the same time, Jaana and the others paid us a suprise visit and told us that they would pick us up in about fourty minutes. Then we almost ran out of things to talk about, and it was a little akward again. But soon the day came to an end, and we were picked up and brought to the station.

The day taught us to appreciate the things we have and take as granted.