Progress.

This is the place.
Where mommy wants to do progress.
In the Finnish language.

This is of the adult education centres of Jyväskylä.
This is where the Finnish for Immigrants-courses are held.
Unfortunately part of the school area looks like this.

Not so much fun to be surrounded by construction sites.
Mommy gets enough of that at the house.
The expectations were again high.
This time is was for real.
Mommy now goes to school full-time.
Finally getting out of the house.
Finally getting to hang out with adults.
Finally learning Finnish.
The first day of class.
Humiliation.
Never has mommy felt so degraded.
Three groups of immigrants from 21 countries.
Gathered in a large room.
The teacher explains what lays ahead.
In a very degrading way.
We were treated like it was the first day of school.
Ever.
Like we were seven years old.
The teacher explained among other things.
The following.
That the students are to listen.
When the teacher speaks.
The students are not allowed to.
Laugh at each other.
Students are supposed to actually attend.
The classes and be on time.
Students are also requiered.
To actually do homework and participate in class.
Imagine that.
The teacher also told us.
In a firm voice.
That it is important to eat and sleep properly.
In order to have energy when at school.
Last but not least.
Students are requiered to think.
That learning is fun.
As if having to sit through this crap.
Wasn't enough.
The next day we got a test.
With questions concerning the information we had been given.
The day before.
The test consisted of statements.
Which the students were to define as correct or false.
Statements like this one.
The schoolday starts at 8.15 but I can show up at 8.45 if I want to.
I can skip school if I want to.
I can park my car wherever I want.
If my friend from Helsinki asks me to come visit for two weeks I can go if I want to.
As if answering them wasn't stupid enough.
The teacher also checked that we had all answered correctly.
Mommy tried to find the logic behind this.
But find none.
All the students in this Finnish class.
Has taken at least one class before.
All of them are over 7 years old.
All of them have some sort of education.
Many of which on universitylevel.
So why degrading these people to this extent.
Mommy can only think of the underlying racism.
That seems to be a part of it.
The idea that people from other cultures.
Have difficulties understanding rules and regulations.
Have no actual interest in learning Finnish.
Only want to get unemployment money.
Without attending class.
And so on.
Sickening.
Mommy evetually got over the shock.
The days since that first one.
Have been great.
Mommys class.
Which happens to be the fastest of the three.
Has 15 great people in it.
From 8 different countries.
The only common language is Finnish.
Which means speaking.
Listening.
Learning.
A lot more.
Our teacher is also quite good.
The second week of class.
We all went to a small island.
To get to know eachother.
Mommy spent most of the day.
In the sauna.
Swimming in the lake.
With two russians, a brazilian, a canadian and a man from Burma.
Nothing like hanging out in the sauna.
With non-Finnish people.
Mommy likes going to school.
Likes being away from home.
Likes the idea.
That sometime.
Finnish might not be so hard.