newbies #2

Continuing on the theme of my last blog, I remember when I first met the family that would become my lifeline for the first 10 weeks of my service.  During our first week we  had  voluneers come and speak to the "newbies" (yes it's kinda hard to remember we were once in this position) about anything and everything surrounding the life during PST, pre-service training.  I remember one of the guys saying how attached he got to his family after only 10 wks, how they kept in regular touch, and how he went to visit them after his pst.  I thought he had to be exagerating!  How could anyone get so attached to someone after only 10 wks?  I thought he was nuts and wrote him off, quickly forgetting what he said.  What do you know!!  Flash foreward 10 wks and I was tearing-up at the a bus station saying goodbye to my host family.  I never thought it possible but I was saying goodbye, now I know better, to a family who had taken me into theirs and loved me like one of their own for a time.  They showed my the B. lifestyle, showed me how to make some of the B food (I DID take notes, I just don't cook!), took me places, and even let me listen to "Gentlemen and Ladies!  Start your engines!" at the dinner table!  I say I didn't say goodbye for long because I've taken my mom and step-dad to visit them for several days and as I type this am sitting in my Baba's apartment and spent most of the day with my "other" family.    I remember that car ride to my new house and how anxious things were.  Other volunteers asked me if I was nervous to meet my family and I told them I wasn't because "they're just people."  The day after I met them we had our first B. lesson with our B tutor.  My sister walked me to the training center where we had classes and then went home.  The next day was Tues and I knew the way; the training center was real close to my new house.  I set out, walked only about 3 minutes when I heard someone screaming my name.  I looked around and saw my teacher leaning out the window shouting for me to turn around.  It was so close to my house I had passed it!  I remember when we were learning how to order in a restaurant and all about foods and we practiced in class.  I didn't feel like I had a handle on it so a sitemate and I went to a restaurant to practice.  The menu had pictures and we thought "great!"  We ordered by pointing at the pictures and thought we knew exactly what we were getting because we had ordered by the pictures.  Imagine our surprise when our meals came and they weren't what we (thought we) had ordered.   I told my host mother about this and she invited me to go to lunch with her and then I could practice with her at her favorite lunch place.  When the waitress got to our table I asked for 2 menus and the waitress looked at my host mother questioningly and then left to get our menus.  After lunch was over I asked why she had looked at my host mother funny and she said because she always has lunch there and doesn't need a menu.  Oh well!  I really can't thank Dani,Aleksi, Krisi, and Vesi enough!!  THey did so very much for me and treated me as one of their own and I am now part of the family.  Before this gets too long, this just might have to be the subject of tomorrow's blog; I'm kinda having fun, I'll just say the B27s have their work ahead of them!  You learn so much about yourself and otherwise during the first 10 weeks!  It's hard work and at times the last thing you want to do but it's all necessary.  You learn how to work as a group even when sometimes that's the last thing you want to do.  You develop friendships with your sitemates, some of which will last a lifetime.  It all seems like forever ago!  Love and hugs!