Travel-Fall 2022 Finland

So arrived in Helsinki on Wednesday afternoon. Ready to on-board, begin outreach and participate in some team-building. First school visit in Espoo today along with spending some time at a Finnish sauna.

It was a later start to the morning. We left @ 10 am and headed out for a cultural excursion, taking on the capital city by bus. We saw and discussed several prominent and important historical sites of the city. Our lunch stop included reindeer as an option. Sorry Rudolph! We spent the afternoon visiting other Fulbright alums throughout the city. My evening ended with a visit to Hesburger – a local Finnish hamburger chain. As they say, when in Finland, you should eat like a Finn.

Wow! Yesterday was a very long trip from Helsinki to Joensuu, a city about 5 hours to the east (209 miles) of Helsinki. After a quick 45-minute stop at ABC, a chain of Finish highway gas/food markets, we reached Joensuu around 3 pm. We checked in to Lietsu Aparthotel, a modern apartment-style room with an ensuite washer and kitchenette. We then headed over to a home economics class where we learned how to cook a traditional Finnish Dinner. What fun! I have a real appreciation now for Carelian pastries (prepared crust stuffed with rice filling) coated with an egg butter spread. Don’t knock it until you try it!

Today, we headed out on school visits in the area. I traveled to Heinavaara School about 20 miles outside of Joensuu. With a student population of only 200 students (100 in the primary school, 100 in the middle school), Heinavaara was charming. Students roam the hall in socks (no shoes) and there is big, wood-burning furnace in the center that provides heating. Back at the hotel, we began to plan for our presentation for the upcoming Internationalization Days for Finnish students Conference.

Today my travels took me and another fellow Fulbrighter to the Hammaslahti School. The school is located about 15 kilometers from Joensuu in the city of Nittylahit. There, we me met up with 4th-grade English teacher who quickly put us to work. We shared our stories with the children, starting with a geography lesson about our respective states. I ended with a discussion of Homecoming activities and that’s where Katrina picked up. We met some very eager students who had prepared a list of questions for us to answer. We were asked about our schools, personal and professional interests, and our classes. The children were eager to use their English skills. After a very brief lunch of fish balls and boiled potatoes, we visited a 5th-grade class and then promptly presented to the 6th-grade classes as well. We had a very long day! After the school visit, we headed over to the campus of the University of Eastern Finland where we talked about teacher education. The evening ended with a networking dinner with Fulbright Finland Alumni Experts from the University of Eastern Finland. We had a delightful dinner which included elk!

We began the day with a guided tour at the North Karelian Museum where we learned about the local people and their customs and traditions. North Karelia is a region in Eastern Finland which shares a border with Russia. In fact, the Republic of Karelia is the land conquered by the Russians in WWII from the Finns. Did I mention that Joensuu is located about 50 miles from the Russian border! We then headed to the University of East Finland for the first of two Internationalization Days. We met with a public affairs officer @ the US Embassy and talked about Sustainable Education. Our last workshop got very emotional as one speaker shared out information about the Ukrainian Education System and what problems students are facing as they seek out learning. We finished the evening with a reception for local Fulbright alums along with a reception hosted by the city of Joensuu,

Still in Joensuu today to enjoy Day #2 of Internationalization Days for Finnish Schools. Fulbright Fellows worked in trios to present Applying Transversal Competencies to Facilitate Virtual Classroom to Classroom Collaboration with US Teachers. We spoke to a host of Finnish National Office educators, school administrators, and teachers. I’m looking forward to working with Finnish educators in many transatlantic partnerships in the coming years. Our Fulbright trio highlighted ways to spark creativity and multi-disciplinarity through the lens of Sustainability. There much to be learned from our Finnish friends in doing our part for the environment and sustainability issues. Do you know that many schools and restaurants have a digital scale near the garbage cans to weigh your bio-waste? Bio-waste is the amount of food that you do not eat and that needs to be disposed of. Finns encourage thoughtful eating choices but also remind eaters that they shouldn’t be wasteful with food resources. The highlight of the day was joining two other Fulbrighters to present the closing plenary session: Introduction to the US Education System: Building Sense of Community in US Schools. We were a last-minute stand-in for the closing presenter who had to cancel @ the last minute. I was honored to speak about my school community and ways that we ENGAGE all stakeholders to CONNECT. When I encouraged Finns to fist-bump each other, it was the first time that they had heard that English term! We then bordered a bus, and headed back to Helsinki.

We’re back in Helsinki and had a very quiet day. We traveled to the Helsinki Central Library to reflect and to plan for closing presentations. The Central Library is an architectural feat and is unlike any library that I’ve ever seen. There are video game rooms which families can reserve, recording studios, kitchens, makerspace resources. You can reserve everything from a sewing machine to a guitar to 3-D printers! After finishing up at the library, we then traveled to Heurek, the Finnish Science Center, where we engaged with (mostly science)hands-on exhibitions.

It’s Father’s Day here in Finland and that means a much-needed off day for us. We over-planned the day to maximize our exploration of the Helsinki area. First up, a trip to the port where we took in a view of the Allas Sauna and Pools and the city’s Ferris wheel (which includes a cabin with a sauna!). Nearby, we visited the Uspensky Cathedral, the main church of the Helsinki Orthodox diocese and parish. We weren’t able to see the inside, but the outside was architecturally stunning. We then boarded a ferry for Suomenlinna, a sea fortress. The fortress stretches over six separate islands. It has served to defend three different sovereign states over the years: the Kingdom of Sweden, the Russian Empire, and most recently the Republic of Finland. It has been recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site as a unique monument of military architecture. We returned to Helsinki and then headed to Kappeli. Kappeli's Café is one of the most traditional meeting places in Helsinki. After grabbing coffee, we then headed to the small, quaint town of Porvoo. It’s the second oldest city in Finland. Porvoo Old Town is a popular tourist destination, known for its well-preserved 18th- and 19th-century buildings, and the 15th-century Porvoo Cathedral. We returned late back to our hotel and prepared for our last day in Helsinki.

It’s graduation day. We started the morning with a visit to Temppeliaukio Church. It’s a Lutheran Church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki. Designed by architects for a competition, the church was opened in 1969. Built directly into solid rock, it is also known as the Church of the Rock and Rock Church. We then continued to the Natural Museum of Finland. The exhibitions start by showcasing information and artifacts from the Stone Age, Bronze and Iron Age. It gives you an idea of the sophistication of the swords made, jewelry, pottery and other tools.

Moving onto the Middle Ages and up to the period when the Swedes took the country over, Finland was governed by the church. There are many artifacts showing how significant the church played in governing the country. Once the Swedes became the rulers the guilds for tradesmen was formed and the Finns were influenced by the Swedish culture. The Russians then governed until 1918, when Finland became an independent state. There is an interesting exhibition of photos on the ground floor explaining about the economy, politics, industry and social reforms over the past 100 years.

We ended the evening with culminating presentations by Fulbright groups and a graduation ceremony. We capped off the evening by heading to Ravintola Linnankellari, a unique restaurant location. The restaurant and hotel there sit on the historic premises of a former Helsinki county prison. Inside the red brick walls, we enjoyed a farewell dinner.

It’s going to be a long day. Travel by taxi, Uber, and planes -- Helsinki to London (Heathrow) and then a push to Miami, only to arrive late back to Sweet Home AL very late!