Canadian Update!

Hey everyone,

I am back home in Canada after 11.5 short months in the wonderful country of Denmark. I flew from Aarhus to Copenhagen, then to Iceland, and finally arriving in Toronto. My family was there to meet me and I couldn't be happier.

I have been home for over two weeks now and things are going smoothly. I have cought up with the people I needed to catch up with and I have already started my job at the Ontario Land Registry in Bracebridge.

I have finally getting used to regular life again. It is a rather weird and wonderful feeling to be home. I think it will really kick in when I go back to attend school and all my classmates from the years prior are at their respected Universities, but that is something I will just have to deal with in my own way.

I just want to take the chance to thank everyone that has helped me in any way shape or form before, during, and after my year exchange. Your kind words and friendly smiles will always be with me. Thank you to Rotary International and my clubs in both Canada and Denmark.

Rotary exchange is the best thing I have done in my life and I encourage you, your kids, your grandkids, your neighbours, anyone to go on exchange. You won't regret it.

I will keep this blog going until our final "rebound" get together that will be held in a few months by District 7010 so check back in with me soon.

Love,
Dillon
dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

Roskilde Festival 2009

Hey everyone,

After a few showers and countless hours of sleep I think I am ready to tell you all about my Roskilde experience.

Roskilde Festival is an eight day festival with four days of music consisting of around 180 artists on seven stages (the biggest one being Orange Stage).  The festival scheduled to open its gates to the public on Sunday June 28th, but as it turned out, the public ripped down the fence early Saturday morning due to the excitement. My friend in I turned up early morning on the Tuesday to set up camp and explore the site.  We had "volunteer" wrist bands to the festival so we got to explore the music scene before it was opened to the public on the Thursday.

The music started on Thursday and the already worn out crowd was ready to go!  The big act of the day on the Orange Stage was Kanye West. I decided to miss the first half of his set to see this great upcoming band called St. Vincent, and I made my way over to catch the rest of his set. It was a terrible set to say the least and I was rather disappointed.  Other bands that I saw on the Thursday was Toronto's "F--ked Up" who put on an amazing set on the smallest stage.

Fridays big names on the Orange Stage were; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Faith No More, Oasis, and Nine Inch Nails. I was working for most of the day but I got off work early to see Oasis.  The Gallagher brothers were amazing with their sour look on their face and all.  Liam Gallagher dedicated a song for the kids who died a few years back during the Pearl Jam show and it was rather beautiful.  Earlier in the day I walked by a stage, not knowing what band was playing but decided to stick around. It turned out to be a French heavy metal band called "Gojira". It was heavy fast music and it was the perfect way to wake me up (they played at noon). It was also the biggest mosh pit I have ever been a part of so that was eventful. Also that day, Liam Cormier  (Lead singer of Toronto band "Cancer Bats") came to my place of work for some Thai food with his girlfriend. We got to talking and I mentioned that I met him back in November at his show in Copenhagen. He surprisingly remembered and asked how Caitlin (my girlfriend at the time) was doing.  It was nice to know that a guy I look up to so much really cares about his fans. 

That same day I also say Fleet Foxes who put on a great set, and I actually ran into the band after the show, walking around the festival grounds. So I got pretty lucky.

Saturday was a stressful day because Cancer Bats was playing during my work shift and I had to work some magic to switch/get someone to cover my shift. It ended up working out and I was front row at the show and it was one of the highlights from my festival. I got the set list from the guitarist and I have it up in my room! The big act on Orange stage was Slipknot.  I am not a fan of Slipknot at all. I have never got into their music and always thought the whole mask idea is a silly gimmick. It turned out that they put on an amazing life show and I was quite surprised! They had everything going on, including pyrotechnics and many other things.  Lily Allen  also played on the second stage and she put on a lovely show.

Sunday was the final day of music and you could feel a certain buzz of excitement around the festival.  Maybe it was because Coldplay was closing the festival with their show starting at 10pm that night.  I made my way over the the site at around noon to get a bite to eat and see Pete Doherty play the second stage at 14.00. I arrived at the Orange stage and already people were lining up to get up close in the first "pit" to see Coldplay.  Keep in mind that it was noon and there were three bands scheduled to play before Coldplay. It was absolutely crazy. I was working when Coldplay started but I got off one hour early and only missed the first 30 minutes of their set.  It was an amazing show and one I will never forget.  I was very excited that I got to see them play my favourite song (Politik) live and it was better then i could have ever imagined.

That night my place of work needed to get rid of all the kegs that they didn't serve to the public, so we helped out with that and got up early the next morning to beat the rush of people making their way over to the train station. Overall it was the best shows I have ever seen, and any festivals in North America will ever top what Roskilde has to offer! I can't wait to come back in a few years time.

Coldplay

Fleet Foxes

F--ked Up

Lily Allen

Oasis

St. Vincent

Slipknot

(ALL PHOTOS TAKEN FROM www.roskilde-festival.dk/uk )

I have six days left of exchange, so I will make one final blog post and I will see you all back home.

Love,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy fathers day Dad!

Sorry our Skype chat got cut off. Need to buy more credit!

Love you Dad!!!

Love, Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

It has been a while!

Hey everyone,

First off I just want to say sorry I never got around to telling you about my Euro Tour. I really don't have the time or the patients to go through every city and give you a bunch of stories. I will tell you all about Euro Tour + the rest of my exchange when I see you all at home (which is very soon by the way).  

But here is a quick overview.

Berlin, Germany: A lot of walking around looking at beautiful buildings!

Prague, Czech Republic: A really fun city. Yup.

Vienna, Austria: Amazing city. Beautiful horse and carriage ride. 

Venice, Italy: Very beautiful. Got lost so many times and I love it!

Lido Di Jesolo, Italy: Beach city! Lounged around and played frisbee in the water!

Verona, Italy: A quick stop in a sketchy area of town. Fight out side of our hotel left blood spills for us to walk around the next morning.

Monaco, Monaco: All I have to say is ... F1 RACING!!!

Avignon, France: We had a lovely time here, enjoying the bridge to nowhere and ultimate frisbee in our boxers.

Paris, France: Three nights in the amazing city of Paris wasn't nearly enough time.

Brussels, Belgium: Chocolate and blues festivals filled our days.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: A lot of "herbal cigarets". But not for us exchange students. Drugs are bad kids.

And thats it! I had a pretty wicked time and when I come home I will talk more about everything when we meet again.

Love,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com 

Pictures From Europe.

Hey everyone,

I just returned from Euro Tour and it was the best 18 days of my life. I just posted pictures on facebook and they are below for your viewing pleasure. Press the "HERE" button and enjoy.

Photos of Berlin, Germany HERE

Photos of Prague, Czech Republic HERE

Photos of Vienna, Austria HERE

Photos of Venice, Italy HERE

Photos of Lido Di Jesolo and Verona, Italy HERE

Photos of Monte-Carlo, Monaco HERE

Photos of Avignon, France HERE

Photos of Paris, France HERE

Photos of Amsterdam, Holland HERE

I am going to catch up on some sleep and post stories to go along with the photos afterwards. 

Stay tuned.

Love,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

Email To Dad

To: Dana Rahkola
From: Dillon Rahkola

16:19 pm

Hey dad I'm really sorry that I didn't catch you when I phoned you in Prauge. I am at an internet cafe in Avignon France. Euro Tour is the most amazing thing ever. When you two old farts retire you better travel europe or you are missing out. I miss you guys a lot. I wish you could see all the beautiful and amazing things that I am getting to see. It is an amazing experience to say the least. A lot of fun stories to tell, and some crazy ones too. But don't worry we are good kids. We take care of each other and make good decisions (remember to tell mom that!!!!) I have one more night in Avignon and tomorrow we are leaving at 7am for a long trip to Paris. I have a good polaroid collection going now of all the places I have been too. They look great man.

Every single place we have been too is so amazing and breathe taking. It doesn't even hit you when you are in those amazing places. And I don't think it will until Euro Tour is long over and I am sitting at home with you looking at photos from months back.My buddy decided to get a tattoo today and I went with him to watch... it was too cool. But I didnt get one dont worry. Also my friends got their ears pierced... but I didnt get mine done dont worry!!!BUT YESTERDAY WE WERE IN MONACO!!!! AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT THE F1 RACE WAS ON THE SAME DAY. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY EVER AND THE LOUDEST NOISE COMING FROM THE RACE CARS I HAVE EVER HEARED!!It is too weird to think that I am in France right now and you are in boring Bracebridge.I don't think I will ever stop traveling. There are too many places I haven't seen yet.

I love you and I will call you as soon as I get home.

Love you Dad,
Dillon

The Time Has Come...

Hey everyone!

EURO TOUR IS FINALLY HERE! I am leaving tomorrow morning at 9am. First stop on the trip is Berlin, Germany.

Here is the list of the the cities we will be visiting in order:

Berlin, Germany

Prague, Czech Republic

Vienna, Austria

Venice, Italy

Lido Di Jesolo, Italy

Verona, Italy

Monaco, Monaco

Avignon, France

Paris, France

Brussels, Belgium

Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

Hamburg, Germany

I am so excited! It will be a trip of a life time! I leave tomorrow morning and I still need to pack so I better head off!

I will not have internet access on the trip (other then internet cafes) so I will update you all when I return on May 31st.

Love,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

PS. I just found the map for Roskilde Festival on the internet. Look how huge the site is! Just another thing to look forward too. It seems like it is just one adventure after the other for me! It is non-stop and I can't get enough. I love it.

Andrew Bird Show

Hey everyone,

It is two days after the Andrew Bird show, and I am still tired. I saw the show with my friend from that States, Brian.  We met up in Copenhagen at around 4 and grabbed a bite to eat. The show was sold out, so we decided it would be in our best interest to go to the show early, so we started to walk to the venue around 6.

We were the first ones in the venue, got some merch, got a drink, and glued ourselves to the front of the stage. There was no way possible that we were going to give up our spot.  Andrew Bird came on an blew us away.  He was absolutely incredible. He played a two hour set, with funny stories in between some songs.  

After the show was over, I was determined to get the set list that Andrew Bird used for the show, so I got up on stage and grabbed it before anyone else could.  Brian then asked the guitar tech if he could have the guitarists set list, so we both had one by the end of the night.

By this time it was around 11pm and our train home wasn't arriving for another 1.5 hr so we thought it would be worth it to stand outside his bus and maybe if we got lucky we could meet him.  Just as we sat down on the curb, a random person walks up to us and says, "You guys waiting for the "Bird-man" ". He then tells us that a few minutes ago he was just standing at the bar with the guitarists having a beer. So we rush back into the venue and there he was, just sitting there with his feet up on the table.

We introduced ourselves and we got him to sign our set lists. It was an amazing experience.

Here is a video that Brian took. I was standing right beside him. Look at how close we were!

I have a school music festival this weekend. From 12pm - 2am. It should be a lot of fun.

Euro Tour is just around the corner. I leave May 14th. I will update you before, I leave. When I come back I will sit down and write the longest blog post ever.

Vi Ses,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

Concerts Concerts And More Concerts!

Hey everyone!

I don't know if you really care for me talking about my concert experiences in Denmark, but it has been a huge part of my exchange so I really don't care I am going to talk about it anyways!!!

I went to the last day of a small music festival here in Århus called "Poprevo".  There were four bands playing that night and we were without tickets. We swung by the venue to see if we could get some tickets. Doors didn't open until 7, so we were just hanging out behind the venue and my buddy Brian spotted the lead singer of the opening band (Sunset Rubdown). We bumped into him walking down the street and got to chatting with 2/5 of the band, Spencer and Camilla. (When I say bumped into them, I really mean we chased them down on the streets of Århus) We mentioned that we were going to see them play tonight but we didn't have tickets yet. They said that they have never been to Århus before and know nobody here. Therefor they don't have anyone to make up a guest list for. They offered to make a guest list and throw us on it. Our names ended up being Brian Benson +3. It was very eventful night. Brian was very patient and got his photo with the band and everyone had a good time.

After the show I met Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and got him to sign the 7" I bought earlier that night.

Photo of Spencer from Sunset Rubdown. (Taken on Brians fancy pants iPhone ohhhhh ahhhhh)

Next up on the agenda is a trip down to Copenhagen tomorrow with Brian to see Andrew Bird play a show at Lille Vega. Should be a great shows. Maybe this time I will remember to bring my camera and I will have a video of two to share with you.

This is a video of Andrew Bird on Letterman promoting his new album "Noble Beast". Im expecting something like that tonight!

I'll try to remember to update after the show.

Love,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

My Birthday Weekend!

Hey everyone,

I have been very lazy on updating the blog about my birthday.  I will just give you a quick update. Two weekends ago my host brother and I celebrated our birthdays. Jonas turned 20 and myself, 18.On the saturday we had my host mothers family come over and celebrate with us, and on the sunday my host fathers family.  Both sides of the family are very lovely and they made me feel like a part of the family which always feels good.  On both days we played a really fun Viking game in the yard (picture below) and had a lot of fun having drinks and relaxing in the sun.  It was also fun to see the Danish Flag go up in the front yard in honor of our birthdays.

I got some gifts from my host familes, other family members, and Brædstrup rotary club so I want to say thank you!  Only one more year until I get to FINALLY have a taste of beer!

This weekend I have my final school party and then I am off to Legoland, but with exchange students this time. Should be a blast!

Check back soon,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

Third And Final Host Family

Hey everyone,

I moved to my third and final host family this past week and everything is running very smoothly. I am living about 4km away from Brædstrup in a tiny village town called Tyrsting.  The host family I am staying with are all very lovely.  My host dad is Jørgen, host mom is Karna, and host brother is Jonas.

Jonas and I happen to live in a "guest house" sort of thing, where we each have our own room, and we share a living room and a full bathroom.  The living arrangement is not too shabby at all!  I am not complaining at all, life is good.

I am living on a farm on the beautiful country side in Denmark and everything is wonderful.  On the farm we have sheep, roosters, a pony, and some other animals I can't name off the top of my head.  In the past three days, nine baby lambs were born and it is just the cutest thing to see them running around.

This coming Saturday is not only my birthday, but my host brothers as well and the family is having a nice birthday weekend for us.  My host mothers family is coming on Saturday, and my host fathers family is coming on Sunday.  It will be a busy weekend to say the least and I will update the blog after my birthday.

It is very late and I should get to bed but I just want to share with you some pictures I took quickly of the house to give you an idea.

Talk soon,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

End Of March

March was an extremely busy month for me, as my time is running out here in Denmark, I find myself cramming in many things I want to do before I leave for Canada.  The last two weeks were a great time, because I was all over Denmark having a great time with my host family, and my friends from school.

Two weekends ago, my family took me on a weekend trip to the top of Denmark.  We visited many places, but the main focus was the town of Skagen.  It is located at the very top of Denmark, and it is famous for its beautiful landscape, and the tourist hot spot of the two seas located on both sides of Denmark, meeting and crashing into each other.

It was unlike anything I have never seen before.  Two seas meeting and crashing into each other at the very tip of Denmark is a very neat thing to see and experience.

This trip was filled with things that I would have never of thought to have seen in Denmark.  Another cool thing was a massive sand hill, in a random spot in northern Jutland.  It is not only a sand hill, but it was a moving sand!  The wind is so strong off the west sea, that it blows the sand slowly and it actually “moves”.  It is estimated to move 10-20 meters every year.  The moving sand hill causes concern for many families who have houses a few kilometers away.  It will never reach the families house in their lifetime but it will be a challenge to sell the house with a big “moving” sand hill in the distance.

To see a full album of all the pictures click HERE

This past Wednesday I was lucky enough to have a class trip down to Copenhagen to about the economy and different things about Danish politics.  Luckily, we had a lot of free time.  More free time then actual school activities, so the trip wasn’t too boring for me.  We took the train down to CPH with another class in the school and all together there was about 50 students and two teachers.  We stayed at a five star hostel where we were six to a room, and stayed for two nights. It was my first time on a overnight class trip and I didn’t know what to expect.  I knew that Danish schools don’t watch over you like hawks, unlike Canadian schools usually do when you are on a trip.  We ended up having no curfew and many of my classmates took that to their advantage. We were all very tired the next morning, to say the least.  We visited the Danish parliament buildings and the national bank, to name a few.  It was a great 3 days and I really enjoyed my time with my class.

When my class left for home on Friday, I was able to stay in Copenhagen because on Sunday, I had tickets to Bob Dylan.  I was going with a friend from USA (New Jersey) and I was going to stay at her house until the show.  We went to her school party on Friday night, and had a lazy day Saturday. 

When Sunday came along, we were super excited and went into Copenhagen early, hoping to look in some shops and have a nice early dinner before the show started.  I would have guessed the venue was at maximum capacity at 5000 people (even though tickets were still on sale at show time).  Also there was about 500 seats at the back and at the sides, and the rest was general admission (standing room).  When we heard it was mostly standing room, we promised to our selves that we would get there about an hour before doors opened (6:30) to get a good spot, thinking that people would start lining at around the same time as us.  At around 3:30, it started to rain and the shops were already closed so we decided to catch the Metro to the forum to see the venue, and maybe get a bite to eat before starting the line.  When we get there, it turns out that about 50 people are already in line so we decided to sit down, and stick out the two and a half hour wait until the doors opened.

When waiting in line, we met a traveler from Tennessee, named Daniel.  He was carrying his guitar, hoping to play some Dylan songs for some extra cash.  We mentioned to him that he should write on his sign “Will play Dylan songs for a ticket or money to buy a ticket” and thats what he did.  Time flew buy when he was playing great old Dylan songs, and many people in the line enjoyed it.  By the time doors opened, he didn’t have a ticket but he managed to collect about 150 kr ($30) and a can of Tuborg.  Unfortunately it was not nearly enough for a ticket to the show.  

A few months prior, I thought I misplaced my ticket to the show, so I called up the ticket company to send me another ticket, and asked them to cancel my first one.  That is what they did, and I was very grateful. Then about a week before the show, I found my original (and now cancelled) ticket in my room somewhere.  To play it on the safe side, I brought both tickets down to the show.  I mentioned to Daniel that I have a cancelled ticket that when you scan it, it won’t allow entry, but we were hoping on the odd chance that they would rip the stub rather then scan.  He was grateful and gave it a try.  They scanned the ticket, and of course it didn’t work, but he didn’t give up and talked to the head person scanning ticket.  He elaborated a tiny bit, and the ticket people caved and let him into the show.  We were so happy our newly enquired friend was able to join us for the show.  Waiting in line for two and a half hours payed off because we some how ended up front row, right in front of Bob.

The show was so amazing, and it was a completely different experience to my previous Dylan show.  When I hear his announcer say “Columbia Recording artist, Bob Dylan” I get chills down my spine.  It was amazing being so close, because you could see the emotion and the energy that he and his band show.  His bassist is amazing, and the drummer is unbelievable. As usual, it took Dylan a few songs to get his voice, but after that there was no stopping him.  He played a strong set, and came back for the encore with All Along The Watchtower, Spirit On The Water, and a totally unheard of version of Blowing In The Wind.  At the end of the show, he introduced his band, said “Thank you friends” and walked off.  Being so close, I could see that he really enjoyed the show, and when walking out it look like everyone who saw the show had a coat hanger stuck in their mouth they were smiling so much.  Bob Dylan only comes to Denmark every so often, so the Danes really appreciate the show and don’t take it for granted, as I’m sure some people in North America do when he comes and plays shows 2-3 times a year.

This is a video of the show I found on youtube. I was right in front of Bob, the guy who filmed the video was a little bit back. One of the highlights of my night because it was my first time seeing him live when playing guitar.

It was an amazing experience, one of the highlights of my exchange, and a night I will never forget.

Vi Ses,
Dillon
dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

Update! (Outings + more!!!)

Hey,

It has been a while since I have updated the blog, but I have just been busy, and nothing really new.  I have been out a lot on the weekends with friends from Rotary and I have been to a few local concerts in Denmark's second largest city, Århus.  Århus is just a short train ride away, so traveling to get there and back is not a hassle at all.

In February I went to two shows in Århus at a small bar called Musikcafeen which is a really fun way to spend the night.  So much better then any club or dance place.  It is a much better place to have a good time, because I hate dancing and I love live music, so it is a perfect fit.

The first show back in early days of February was a random show on a Thursday night.  We were looking for something to do and it was the only show we heard about going on that night.  We were in a record store, and saw a poster for a man named Joe Buck.  The genres were listed under his named, and it said "Joe Buck (Rock/Hillbilly/Punk)"  Those three genres caught our eyes, and we went out on a limb and went to the show.  Joe is a colourful character to say the least.  His show is just him, his guitar and a bass drum that has the words "Joe Buck Yourself" on the front.  He put on an entertaining show to say the least.

After the show we found out that he is the bass player for Hank Williams III, and this was his solo project!  We met him after the show and got a picture.  I would post it but he was making a rude gesture with a certain finger between the index and ring finger, so I will keep the blog clean, for fear of Rotarians seeing it and thinking I am up to no good over here.

TAKEN FROM JOE BUCK'S MYSPACE.

The next show we went to was one that we planned on going to minutes after the Joe Buck show finished.  We got a schedule for the shows in the next month, and we planned on going to a show with a Danish musician who goes  by the name CALLmeKAT, and an Icelandic musician called Helgi Jonsson.  Both were absolutely amazing and my buddy and I ended up meeting them after the show and getting their records signed.

We were blown away, stood in the front row, in the middle in the stage, in awe of the whole show.  I wont even try to begin how to explain how good everything is, so instead I will just post a video of each artist I took at the show. 

TAKEN FROM CALLmeKAT's MYSPACE. Video taken by me.

TAKEN FROM HELGI'S MYSPACE. Video taken by me.

It was a really great show.  One of the best shows I have been to in a while, and it is so great to have friends in the area that are ino the same music as me, so it is a real treat to see great live music with them.

This past weekend was "Rock in Randers" which was the last exchange student get together of my exchange and it was held in Randers, just and hour north by train.  It was a very weird feeling, thinking that it will be the last time all of us would be together.  And it feels like yesterday that I was saying goodbye to my oldies at their last get together.

The weekend was focused on music. We had karaoke, a live band and we all got in groups to sing a song for a panel of "judges".  It was a real blast.  

Even though it was the last time we were all together, of course I will make the effort to see all my close friends. We are even planning a Legoland day sometime in April.  So I am looking forward to see everyone again.

Unfortunately, I took zero photos, but thankfully many other friends did so I stole some of them and here they are!

The Dylan show is coming up soon so I will update when I can.

Love,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

Two Words: ROSKILDE FESTIVAL

Hey everybody,

Something that I have been looking forward to ever since I heard that I was coming to Denmark! Two words.  ROSKILDE FESTIVAL! 

Roskilde Festival is the largest festival in Northern Europe and the fourth largest in Europe.  Over 180 of the worlds biggest bands come and play in front of over 80,000 people.  So far this year less then 10 bands have been named to the public but we can expect a full list my mid April.  This years big band is a band that has been called "one of the best in the world today", which is Coldplay from the UK.  

One of the regulars that comes to Roskilde Festival is Neil Young.  Last year he said while preforming on the main stage, "Roskilde rocks! The best festival in the world!"  This will be one of the highlights of my exchange to say the least.  I can not wait.

When I attend Roskilde Festival this summer, I will be volunteering at a Thai food restaurant with a friend from USA.  There is a man from Rotary helping run the Thai food stand so that is the main reason I am allowed to go.  Many Rotary clubs don't allow their exchange students to go at all, even though Roskilde police say that Roskilde Festival is one of the safest festivals in Europe.  With a rotarian watching over us for the festival, my Rotary club feels that it is a good idea for me to go and experience an amazing festival

The agreement that I have when working is that I work for 6 hours a day for 4 days.  All the rest of the time is ours to party with 80,000 people from around the world, and see amazing bands!

One of my favourite hardcore bands from Canada (Cancer Bats) will be there and I am so excited to see them again.  I have seen them once at the Molson Amp in Toronto and at a small club in Copenhagen back in December.  It was funny because I asked the lead singer of Cancer Bats (Liam) when I talked to him after the show if he has heard of Roskilde Festival, and he said no but he will look into it, and now they are on the bill!

This is all very exciting and I can't wait until the festival begins.  It will be the craziest and intense 8 days of my life!

CANCER BATS

COLDPLAY

ORANGE STAGE AT ROSKILDE FESTIVAL

When more bands come up on the bill and I feel the need to share with you all, I will do so. I will probably do an update on the bands in attendance every month or so.

Love,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com  

PS. And how funny and so typical of Denmark, that Roskilde Festival's main sponsor is non other then... Tuborg Øl (Tuborg Beer)

Sweden Ski Vacation!

Hey everyone,

This past week I was with my host family on a week ski vacation Idre Fjall in Sweden.  

We left at 4 am Saturday morning to catch a ferry to Norway.  We stayed in Oslo for a night and it was a great chance to get to see the beautiful city of Oslo.  We went to a park where it had many beautiful interesting sculptures, and we also went on this huge hill to go "GT Racing" down a long winding path that goes on for many kilometers.  It was a great time because I haven't been GT Racing for the longest time.

We then headed off to Sweden where we had a nice apartment flat with a small kitchen, living room and kitchen table.  We had two rooms with bunk beds where all of us slept.  The best part about having the apartment is that we walk out the door, and maybe in 20 meters you are on the ski hill.  It was a great set up and made skiing a lot easier because you can come and go as you please.

Frederik (my host brother) and I both wanted to try something new so we decided to try snowboarding for the week while the rest of the family skied.  Frederik and I had snowboarding lessons everyday to build our skills.  We had a instructor to ourselves and that helped us out a lot.  He showed us different carving techniques, how to go through powder, and even how to get over jumps and grind rails!  It was an awesome experience.  I think I will be buying a snowboard on my return to Canada.

The week of snowboarding was a lovely break from school, and a good way to spend some time with my host family.  It was also great to visit two countries that I unfortunately don't have the chance to visit on Euro Tour.

OSLO, NORWAY

To see more pictures of Oslo, click HERE!

IDRE FJALL, SWEDEN

To see more pictures from Sweden, click HERE!

On the 18th of February I will be presenting my power point to Rotary all about Canada, and all in Danish.  I will let you know how that goes!

Vi ses,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

I Love Canada Post

Hey,

After a few weeks *cough 5!!!* of waiting for the arrival of my Christmas package from mom and dad, it has finally arrived.  Thanks to Canada post, my Christmas package that was supposed to come a week before Christmas, arrived 5 weeks after Christmas day.  But enough complaining I am just happy I have my hands on it and I am so excited! It was like Christmas day all over again!

The photos below are just photos that i took of some of the gifts I got. It is the closest thing Mom and Dad will see of me opening up this years Christmas gifts. PS. The last one is to show what I treated myself on for Christmas. A new vinyl record of one of my favourite bands.

I have one more week of school starting on Monday, and then on Saturday at 4:00am we are getting in the car and heading off to Oslo, Norway to visit family friends.  From there we continue on to Sweden where we will be skiing for a week.  I will hopefully have many photos and fun stories to share with you all.

Love,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com