The End of Training

So my training's over now!!! Phew! I asked for an informal certificate, since the firm who organizes this course wants us to get one. I think it's a splendid idea!!! I'm quite happy with my certificate, since I had NEVER done anything like this my entire life he he he he...

However, I still have some homework to do for tomorrow he he he...Yeah, it seems that we're still going to continue the grammar book for the next 3 days. That's WONDERFUL for me!!! I'm starting to forget some of the grammar. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...I REALLY need to brush up my Finnish once everything's over.

The other day hubby's eldest brother called and asked what we would do on his summer holiday next week. He said that we could stay at his place if we wanted to (in Pori, that is). Last year when we went to Pori to get the car (remember that we bought this current car from him), we didn't have time to do anything as Arttu couldn't take more than a day off. So even though I have been in Pori, I still don't know anything about that place. We're not sure yet whether we're going there or not. Arttu has to fix the car's exhaust pipe first. We'll see, we'll see...

glitter-graphics.com

What's for sure is that I'm going to start my Finnish blog later on he he he he...and I'll also try baking again HO HO HO HO HO HO...I'm SO EXCITED!!! After all, I've gotta learn how to cook and bake MANY different kinds of food before I have a baby, so that when the baby comes, I can feed him/her many types of food hi hi hi...

These days I've been thinking about what to bring home (other than chocolate). And probably I'll also need to list those people I want to give something to. Too many!!! HA HA HA HA HA...I've been browsing around the store where I had my training to find gift ideas, but I haven't decided on anything yet. If we go to Pori, we'll probably be able to go to many stores there, so I wanna see what they've got there first before I buy anything in Sodankylä.

glitter-graphics.com

Okie dokie...time to blog-hop a bit, then I need to do my homework!!! Another piece of good news is that my coughing's almost cured HO HO HO HO HO...YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! ;-D

I Passed YKI testi!!!

WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I passed the test!



Got the certificate today, sent to our address he he he he...One has to pass level 3 to be able to use the certificate to apply for Finnish citizenship after one has lived in Finland for a number of years. I was worried that I wouldn't get a solid 3 for the speaking part, since it was really HORRENDOUS he he he...I knew that I'd get a good mark for the writing part, since I thoroughly enjoyed that part he he he...

I got 3 for speaking comprehension, speaking, writing comprehension, grammar + vocabulary, but I got 4 for the writing part.

YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

I felt like jumping up and down, you know? Receiving the certificate gave me a huge burst of energy he he he...so I was like a tiny ball of fireeeeeeee he he he he...or a cute pinkish pig jumping up and down LOL LOL LOL!!!

I sent SMS to my family right away and after Tae-bo and shower, I also notified my teacher. She was pleased to hear the news, of course. ;-D

OK, now time for me to blog-hop he he he he...

On Learning Styles

Last night I discovered something while talking to my Brit friend who went to the same Finnish classes. She said that she had had trouble following our teacher's explanation. Our teacher's someone who loves languages. She loves giving explanations to us using linguistic terms.

This is something that she said to us last night: "Today we're learning about modal verbs which will be followed by the nominative form or the basic form of words. There's an equivalent of this in English. For example: They can read. He can ride a bicycle."

I have no problem following our teacher's explanation 'coz that's the way I've learnt the language, as well. Before the course, I had studied Finnish on my own using my grammar books and from online resources and I had tried to memorize all the linguistic terms that I had studied in order to create a "rough map" in my brain. I LOVE learning a language not by practicing it first, but by learning the grammar first. I want to know everything about the grammar as best as possible so that I know how to create the right kind of sentences using the right form of words.

On the contrary, my Brit friend has been learning Finnish by practicing these past 3.5 years. So she hasn't really learnt the correct usage of grammar, but she's probably able to survive better than me in the real world if we are put together with a bunch of Finnish who don't speak much English. She learns Finnish by doing instead of by learning the grammar first. She wants to learn the proper usage of Finnish grammar now, but since she'd never learnt about linguistic terms and how to dissect sentences, it's all muddled in her brain. It takes her time to absorb everything and to connect the "linguistic" dots in her mind, so whenever the teacher explains something very quickly during our classes and then she asks her to give an example or to do an exercise, she gets confused.

All of this makes me think about our learning style. Even my Brit friend herself said that her learning style was different from the teacher's. Thus sometimes what she wants to know isn't exactly in line with what the teacher gives her since they both have different learning styles. I guess the learning style kind of influences our teaching style, as well.

I remember one close friend of mine who has a unique learning style. She absorbs things differently from I do or from anyone else I know. Thus she also has a unique teaching style. She can take a teacher's explanation and turn it into her own, so if somebody else has missed the lesson and asks her about it, she'll explain it in her own special way. it's hard for me to give an example, but I'm sure you know what I mean, right? I bet you've probably met one person whose learning style is SO different from yours. Isn't it amazing how different our learning styles can be? ;-D It's fascinating for me!!! ;-D

P.S. I woke up early this morning 'coz I got HUNGRY (I "worked too hard" last night HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA). Couldn't go back to sleep, so I woke up and had some bun and warm milk. It was almost 8 am outside, yet it looked like 5 am in Indonesia. SO DARK!!! All the street lights were still on. Now it's almost 9 am and it's already rather light outside and it's SNOWING again he he he he he...WOOOHHHHOOOOOO!!!!

P.P.S. I'll probably collapse some time during the day, though ha ha ha ha...'coz I'm such a sleepyhead hi hi hi hi...*wink*

Linguistic and Grammar

Funny. I never thought that learning English grammar and linguistic would do me any good in learning another language, but it does. Yesterday in my Finnish course, Michelle (my Brit friend) said that she was confused whenever the teacher used any linguistic terms to explain the grammatical structure of a sentence. She said that she had been experiencing a similar problem with her sons as in Finnish school, they dissected everything in a language.

I've found that after trying to learn Finnish on my own for 6 months, I can absorb Finnish grammatical structures more quickly since I was taught how to dissect sentences at the university I attended in Bandung, Indonesia. Back then I took it for granted. I never thought it would do me any good other than for learning English, but it's NOT true. I'm now SO VERY grateful that my lecturers and my High School English teacher taught me how to dissect sentences and to differentiate clauses from phrases, etc.

Boy, now I wonder what other things I took for granted in the past that might prove to be SO useful for me in the future. Such is life, I guess. ;-D

Anyhow, I accidentally found this WONDERFUL site where you could download lots of WONDERFUL Power Point files. In case you're interested, go here:

A Gift of Inspiration

They have such breathtaking images that make me realize how WONDERFUL God's creation is he he he he...I haven't had time to browse all the files, but I can assure you that you will NOT regret visiting this site! ;-D

Okay, now let me end this short post with this poem:

Nine Requisites for Contented Living

By Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Health enough to make work a pleasure

Wealth enough to support your needs

Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them

Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them

Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished

Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor

Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others

Faith enough to make things happen

Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future