Elio’s Journals
My beautiful day in Jyväskylä
Spending time chatting in Jyväskylä church park
Meeting up with friends from school
Pride celebration in Jyväskylä with friends
Delicious donut treat!
My favorite shop: iCare secondhand
District camp in Tampere: time by the lake
Autumn is here!
Friends at camp: Eidan, Bea, Faye, Lily, ja Doortje
September 30, 2026
Syksy alkaa
Syyskuu/September
My second month has mostly just been time for me to settle in and grow more comfortable.
I've been going out to spend time with friends and I'm starting to get more familiar with Lahti! I have been using the bus a lot and went on the train for the first time.
There are a lot of amazing baked goods here. One of my favorites is Voisilmäpulla, which translates to "butter eye bun". Oh, and of course Finnish candies! Grocery stores, buffets, and even movie theaters have candy ailes.
The thrift stores here are also really nice. I bought my first wool sweater!
This month I got to visit some other exchange students in Jyväskylä for a pride festival. It was really nice to explore the city! We went to Kirkkopuisto, Lounaispuisto, and saw the city call.
The next weekend I had a district Rotary camp in Tampere. We played games, did crafts, and prepared presentations. We also went on a scavenger hunt in the forest, looking for Rotary themed reflectors that the Rotex had hidden for us. It was a lot of fun!
Last weekend I went to the Mall of Tripla in Helsinki and had a lot of fun exploring. It's huge with five floors and over 300 shops and restaurants.
One thing that I've noticed is how prominent the seasons are here. It's already getting much darker and the leaves on the trees are all beautiful colors. Everyone is starting to prepare for winter already!