August 2009 in Finland was a life-changing experience. Even today, months after, I can still see how the summer I spent there has affected who I am, both professionally and personally. Before the Foreign Correspondents' Programme all I knew about Finland was Nokia, and that it's cold. But from the second I landed in Helsinki, I saw how wrong I was, even before the program started. The people I met at the airport, the taxi driver who took me to our accommodations – I never felt so welcomed anywhere.
The first day was very intense, a sort of preamble of what's to come next. After a short introduction, we dived into our first Finnish lesson (1 of 4), and headed to a group introduction session in Suomenlinna castle. That's when I realized that I'm surrounded by eighteen other fellow journalists from all around the world, and that we will be sharing this experience together.
This is where we also met the mythological King Gustav of Sweden, who once ruled this country, for a very brief and funny Finnish history lesson.
Throughout the month all the doors were open to us. Our program included meetings with all the biggest names in Finnish politics, business world and culture: President Tarja Halonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb, Nobel Peace prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari, A celebrity Finnish chef, and even a Finnish trademark guitar maker. We also visited almost every major landmark and company in the country. In Dragsvik, The Finnish navy took us on a little “bootcamp” to show us how they protect the country from the sea (including a speedboat ride of a lifetime).
In Moomin World, we met the famous characters who made the Finnish children's books a household name all over the world. During our visit to Iittala, we learned the Finnish design philosophy of usability and simplicity. Our last week was spent in Lapland, where we got to know local Sami culture, visit a reindeer farm, go on a breathtaking hike, and finally do extreme white water rafting. All of these experiences we squeezed into 4 weeks where we stayed all over the country: in Helsinki, Turku, Naantali and in Kuusamo, Lapland.
My most memorable experience was the weekend I spent with a Finnish family in Helsinki. We took an overnight boat trip to the Finnish Archipelago and travelled to their beautiful beachside hometown of Porvoo, but mostly we got to share stories about real life both in Finland and in Israel.
Even though it may not seem that way at first, I think there are a lot of similarities between our two small countries. It hit me only when I took the time to walk around the streets of Helsinki, in the parks, shops, bars and restaurants. The views, flavors and scents are amazing, but it's the people who made this an experience of a lifetime: The Finns, who make you feel like you are no stranger and always at home, and my new eighteen lifelong friends from all around the globe.
Since August, Finland has really become an enormous part of my life. I was excited when I heard it was snowing in Helsinki for the first time this winter and when Finland was chosen as the world's most prosperous nation. Four unforgettable weeks made Finland my second home. Koti.
Lior Friedman
