Arrival in Baltimore

Minttu arrived at the BWI train station this morning from New York!

Intro- Rotary Youth Exchange Program

June 06, 2014

This summer, I will be going to Valkeakoski, Finland with the Rotary International Youth Exchange program. The purpose of this program first and foremost is to develop a better cultural understanding and to obtain a more global perspective. By completely immersing yourself in a foreign culture, the idea is that you live not as a tourist but as a child of your host family, which includes doing chores and whatever your host sibling does on a daily basis. By living like this for a month culture shock is guaranteed, but this is all part of the process of becoming a more “global citizen” and is supposed to help students adapt and become more independent. Rotary Youth Exchange ambassadors are supposed to come back with a better concept of the importance of diversity and cultural understanding and what it means to be an American; and hopefully, share this with their communities at home. 

I applied for this program because I love traveling, but wanted to experience another country from more of a citizen’s perspective, not as a tourist. A broader cultural understanding will also help me in the near future, as I would like to major in International Relations and eventually work in conflict analysis and peace building. After I was accepted into the program, I had the choice to go to Finland, Germany, or Spain. All were incredible opportunities, but I was advised by the Rotary officials to go to the place I knew least about; to step outside my comfort zone. The Finnish culture is a blend of Scandinavian, Baltic, and European traditions. In the summer, the temperature gets to a high of around 70 degrees, and most people take off for vacation at their summer cottages on the water. Finland is often called the “land of a thousand lakes,” as the country has almost 200,000 lakes throughout. The town I am staying in, Valkeakoski, is about 150 km north of Helsinki and is in the center of the country. There are white water rapids that run through the small town, and it is known for its natural beauty. Valkeakoski is most well known for their soccer and cross country skiing teams, which have each won many Finnish national titles. While I am there, my host family will be taking trips to Tampere, Helsinki, and Lapland. Lapland is at the very northern tip of Finland, and is known for its incredible arctic beauty, the northern lights, and indigenous Sami culture. 

The national language is Finnish, and English is not very widely spoken. I hope to learn as much Finnish as I can while I am there, especially because it is regarded as one of the most beautiful spoken languages in the world. It is not an Indo- European language however, so the words are not at all recognizable to English speakers- making it very difficult to learn! Finland is an intriguing place-with the highest ranked school system in the world and many interesting cultural celebrations, which I will know more about when I return. My host sister, Minttu, is flying in on Monday June 10, spending a month in Annapolis, and then I will be flying back to Valkeakoski with her on July 8. I will also be there for one month. I am so excited to have this opportunity, and will share my experiences and pictures from this entire exchange on here for anyone who would like to read!