Sari, Jarno and Aada were all waiting for me just past customs. Ada immediately ran and gave me a huge hug. First we all drove around Helsinki and they gave me a short little tour of some cool spots. I got to see the President’s house, City Hall,and they pointed out their favorite restaurants and where they used to live. Then we dropped Jarno at his job and set off to get an early lunch at around 10:30. We ate at this awesome fast food restaurant called Hesburger. My first “what the heck” moment happened when I asked for water. The lady gave me a weird look and Sari turned and looked really surprised. The woman behind the counter said, “If you want something healthy we have orange juice and apple juice,” and I was so surprised it took me a second to say, “No, no water is good, thank you.” Later when I asked Sari she said people in Finland don't usually order water from fast food restaurants, almost always soda. I guess I’m gonna have to start drinking more soda. Then we dropped Aada off at her English Kindergarten. All the kids were playing outside when we got there and as soon as they saw us they all started calling out her name. It sounded like a little chorus, and they ran over and said “Moi Aada!” over and over again. (Which means “Hello Aada") It went on for five minutes until Aada finally finished putting her jacket and outdoor pants on. Today was also her birthday, but the Siitonen’s decided today would be my day and we would celebrate her birthday tomorrow. She turned 4 today! After that Sari took me to the house and showed me to my room. She then had to go to work for a while, so I took a three hour long nap and woke up when they came home. That was when I met Aatu and Venla. They were very excited, like me, but also very shy and it took a lot persuading from Sari to get them to hug me. The 5 of us went to the grocery store and I got to try some traditional Finnish pastries. One was sort of like a cinnamon bun and it was called korvapuusti and the other was a savory cheese and rice pudding bun called karjalanpiirakka. We all got chased by bees which came into the house and Sari ended up killing two of them. I then went to Aatu’s soccer game. They lost, 4-0, but I was so impressed at their level of skills. They did such a good job, especially considering that the team they were playing were a year older than them. When we went home I helped Sari bake a cake for Aada’s birthday celebration and Jarno put up decorations around the house. I hung out with the kids and figured out some tech related stuff with Sari and my Dad. Then, after a nighttime snack, the kids went to bed. They all left saying “Hyvaa yota,” I decided I would try to take a shower. Have you ever noticed how dumb you feel when trying to figure out how another person’s shower works? I mean, seriously, I can write an AP essay no sweat but I can’t figure out how to use another person’s shower. After switching the SIM card in my phone, I got in bed. I have to wake up early for Aada’s birthday. It has been the most incredible first day and I can’t wait for more to come.