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

Happy Holidays From Denmark!

Hey everybody,

It has been a while!  I have been extremely busy around the holidays with Christmas parties and New Years as well so it has been a crazy last few weeks.  

Christmas was different for sure! It was an odd feeling not having family and friends with me but it is a big part of exchange.  Learning  about the culture and experiencing Christmas in a different country is a great thing!  I will never have another Danish Christmas like this so I made sure I appreciated every second of it.  

Some of the Danish Christmas traditions that interesting is that; We opened presents on Christmas Eve.  We decorate the tree only a few days before Christmas.  Before we open presents we hold hands around the tree and sing Danish Christmas carols.

Jule Frokost (Christmas Lunch) are very important.  You have them with your class from school and your family, both your host mom and dads.  They have the same food (Danish Christmas food) at every Jule Frokost and the drinks are the same as well.  Schnapps and beer.  So all in all a great time.

New years is was also a great night! People in the part of Denmark that I live in do certain things every new year.  They are known for going door to door, dropping in on anyone who has their lights on, or hosting a party.  It is a fun way to get to know people that you might not of known before in your neighborhood.  

Fireworks are only legal to light off with out a permit on New Years, so when New Years eve creeps up on the people of Denmark, they don't let the opportunity go to waste.  

I celebrated New Years in the streets of Copenhagen with thousands of Danes and some exchange students!  Fireworks were going off through out the night, been blasted off in the middle of the street, and out of peoples hands.  It was absolutely amazing!

Last minute surprise was thrown at me yesterday.  I got invited to go skiing in Sweden on Saturday!  Its a day trip and I can not wait!!!  It will be so great, and I will make sure I will take many photos.

Vi ses,

Dillon Rahkola

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com 

Also, I would like to say goodbye and safe travel home for all my oldies. I love you all and will always remember the good times we have shared together.