'Today was the day

that I put Everything in perspective.'
This song from that lame commercial on TV gets stuck in my head...from watching a different commercial on TV with a similar sounding tune. I'm pretty sure every time I turn off the TV this song is in my head.
This is less than ideal.
Though the song is quite nice, now that I'm listening to the whole thing for the first time.
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So here's whats going to happen: I'm going to sit here and complete this blog for once. I have started a bunch of drafts but once I leave them and come back, its all old news. Plus I have nothing better to do today until this evening. :)

OK.
My previous entry mentioned the start/preparation for the Finnish Seniors' celebrations. Those were pretty cool. Here's what happens in Finland on the last week of the 4th Jakso (6 week semester).

Monday, not much to the public eye. Just more banners appearing around school. The art class fills up with people making costumes.

Tuesday, the Abi's wore pajamas. The 2nd years were stressing out about the kick out party they organized.

Wednesday, after school - 6pm, our school turned into the Moulin Rouge. Cool, no? This was the GTFO party, Potkiaset, hosted by the 2nd year students.  There was music (mostly from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack (with the exception of 'Gay Bar.' lol) and costumes (the sort that would be [dress]code-red back at LNHS. I mean c'mon, it was Moulin Rouge themed. And these people go all out.) and contests (which also would NEVER be tolerated, back home) for the Abi's. Each homeroom had their own contest along the lines of Spinny Bat, a Lap Dance championship, or Guys-do-pushups-on-top-of-a-girl-to-eat-the-banana-in-her-mouth, and a few others. It was all very entertaining. Throughout the whole thing there was a decent amount of clothing loss and PLUS, a pole dancer who came and danced for the school... She had some guts to do that in front of a bunch of teens, but being in Finland...it's different, I suppose. The whole atmosphere was quite admirable in the way that all though there was an incredible amount of indecency (as American high school administrators would say) left and right, the teachers and peers who were watching all understood that 'twas all in good fun. And it was good fun. Well done 2nd years.

Thursday morning the school sat in the gym for the beginning of the Abi's Penkkarit -- their own peace-out party. They were all dressed as various characters. My favorites were the pair of Bananas in Pajamas. Classic. And then Big Bird was great. That guy never ceases to look creepy, especially in the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. Just picture it. Shudder.
Moving on.
The Penkkarit included music and teacher impersonations (hilarious) and teacher awards and teacher contests (Top Model, SYTYCD, Don't Forget the Lyrics) and a slide show of the Abis' party pictures. Drunken, trashed out, and drawn on pics included. You know, for the whole school to see. NBD.
After the show in the gym we all went to eat (omfreefoodnom). Then after lunch the Abi's hopped into the backs of 4 or 5 large cargo trucks while the 2nd years taped the banners they'd been working on to the sides. Each Abi had a few bags of candy to be thrown down into the rest of the school's outstretched arms.
Once the banners were secured and everyone was thoroughly frozen (it was around -28c that day) the Abi's parade of trucks drove towards the center. The rest of the school walked in pursuit or waited for the next bus. My friends and I took the next bus. Probably not the best choice either...since it was late and we ended up missing the parade around the city with all the other schools' Abis. Bummer. But whatever, I got a lot of candy anyways :)
Once Thursday's celebrations came to a close I think the Abi's all left for their 24hr booze cruise trip...organized through the school. Nothing out of the ordinary, you know.

Friday was a day for the 2nd years, who are now the schools ...elders. Or Wanhat. The day is somewhat comparable to the American Prom, in the sense that everyone dresses up fancy and goes to a dance. The dance, however: completely different. It's totally traditional. All the 2nd years (myself included) take a gym class throughout the 6 weeks prior to learn 6 traditional dances and a more modern one choreographed by the school (the  best one, in my opinion.) So in the morning, we go to our school's gym in our schmancy attire and go through all the dances for the student body and parents. It's cool. Then there's cake and coffee afterwards. Between 1 and 4 everyone goes off on their own, usually out to eat. At 4 everyone meets up at Hipposhalli (this gigantic sports center. it's huge). Everyone, meaning all the dancers from all six or seven schools in JKL. We did a run through of the evening's program (half of the people do three dances, then the other half do the other three, then each school does their own.) before the audience came around 6. The run through went fine, except Petja's and my Tango. Good grief. Luckily it went better during the real thing.

After all the dances were finished and my feet were thoroughly sore for the day I went home, changed and headed right back out for the after parties in the center. Which were fun :)
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There you have it, now. That's how Finland rolls when the Seniors get out of school. Oh, and they get out so early because the next few months are part of their Studying holiday. At the end they have a bunch of huge tests for college and whatnot. So ..that sounds stressful.
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Lately a lot of other stuff has been going on. Namely: auditions. and music. :)
Auditions: I finally finished all 3 of my college Musical Theatre auditions (WOOO! KAJDSHFLKAJHSLDKFJYEA!!). So that's nice.
On Tuesday, the 22nd, I auditioned for 'STAGE.' It's a new tv show coming to Finland. The basic outline of it is 6 schools around Finland have a group of 16 or so kids that perform (in parts?) a musical written by the school. Each week in Helsinki they'd film a part live and then there'd be voting and eventually a Finale and such. Sounded cool, and our school was chosen, and on Tuesday Marco  Bjurström, Arja Koriseva, and a film crew came to our school to choose the group of kids to perform. It was a cool experience, though the waiting around was madness since I was nervous. Even though I hadn't heard of Arja and Marco before in my life, I knew they were big names...and that I'd be singing in front of them in a moment.
Eventually my turn came with three other girls, and we headed into the music room to audition. I was first. I went in, stood on my X, acknowledged the camera before me and behind me, gave my music to the accompanist, talked to Marco and Arja, said I was from the States, and then I sang.
and it was awful!!
Ohh gosh I was bad. I got nervous and I never got a full breath to sing with...and then my voice got that shakey nervous vibrato thing for the whole time I sang. Jeez.
After it all I hoped that...you know, perhaps they'd understood that it was just nerves. Aha, doubt that!
Maybe I should have stopped and started over...or mentioned that I was freaking out. Or whatever. But, naw. And it's definitely too late now.
So yea, once everyone had auditioned (the 35 or so from our school) they posted a list of who had made it to the next round to sing 'You're the One That I Want' in Finnish and dance. Was my name on there? No sirree. Was I bummed? Sure, but I'm not like..offended or put down by it. I mean, it would be like freaking awesome to have made it, but I know there are plenty of other singers in our school that trumped my audition. So no big deal. Here's me, brushing it off my shoulder. Besides, it was fun doing the whole camera act thing.
But if they put that audition on TV as one of those embarrassing ones (think American Idol, William Hung) I may have to infinitely facepalm. Or at least until I leave Finland.
In the end I think the right people made it. Though some of those right people do not need much more of an ego boost before it goes to their head.

Also in auditions, (this one has a happier ending) my host sister, Linnea, had one for a popular choir here in JKL, Vox Aurea. It was in the JYU Musica building where I rehearse with the JYU Symphony (more on that later...) so I was to show her where to go. I decided that I'd audition as well, if the director would let me (Linnea's was scheduled and stuff so I had no idea.) We went, she auditioned, made it in (woo!) another kid auditioned, also made it, and then I asked if I could ('sure, why not?), though once I said I was an exchange student the director was like 'oh...well...hmm' since I won't be here long and all (and they begin rehearsing for a show in S. Africa in the fall. uhh. COOL.). Ultimately she was like, heck, we'll see how good you are and maybe you could join us for the time being.
So woo, I auditioned and made it. Heck yea. She put me as second Alto (even though Rita says I'm a Soprano, lol) to help out the section. It's mostly youngsters so they could use a stronger voice down there. So, sweet. I start rehearsal after the ski break.
Wo0t.
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JYU Symphony: yea, I started playing there a few weeks ago --> LOVE IT. ahhhhh. We have fun music from movies and such. Like Phantom of the Opera, Pirates, Psycho, Edward Scissorhands!! It's super fun. I love playing with strings. It makes the music so much more legit. Esp. in Psycho.
The horn section is three foreigners strong. We got a German, and Netherland..ian and me. It's fun.
Even though I'm 5-7 playing years behind both of them, I feel like I'm holding my own well enough.
With most of the same musicians I also joined the JYU Wind Ensemble. But I've only had one rehearsal so far and it wasn't quite as enjoyable as the Symphony, but no worries.
I also started playing with the professional school's Conservatory. It's another Wind Ensemble. So that's all very fun. Kudos to Oula for getting me into those ... :)

So life right now is all very musical and relaxed. It's quite nice. It's currently the end of exam week (and did I have any exams? Nope.) which is to be followed by a Ski Holiday; I'm going to a ski resort by the name of Tahko with my host family. Sounds good.

Now, if if would only start to warm up. Frankly, I'm tired of temperatures below -20 or even -10 as well as tights/leggings under jeans.
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That's a pretty good update for you all, in my opinion. I may get around to adding some explanatory pics or videos sometime. If I care enough once I remember.
I'm off to either go skiing or watch a movie and plot around until I go see a Finnish production of 'My Fair Lady' tonight (yaay!).

Keep it real, folks. I know I am. :)