Finland August Post 1 - My Scintillating Suomi August

Kippies to new friends

I'm not sure that August 2011 was the best month of my life. Some incredible and good things may have happened to be in other months of my life, which are still significant to me. Nevertheless, last month was filled with brilliance. I met interesting people and enjoyed excellent hospitality. Last month, I lived in a Finnish bubble.

But why was I in Suomi (Finnish for Finland)? Every year, 20 journalists from selected countries can apply to a scholarship where they visit and learn about Finland. It starts on August 1st and ends four weeks later. It includes briefings on Finland today, meetings with professionals, politicians and other folks and visits to business enterprises, cultural sites and institutions. It includes a weekend as a guest of a Finnish family as well as visits to different parts of Finland.

Before applying to Finland's Foreign Correspondents Programme (FCP), I had wanted to visit the country but it was not at the top of my "things to do list" and I did not expect to visit it within the next few years. If anything, I would have stayed maximum a week in Helsinki or Lapland and then would have gone to Sweden or Latvia. Therefore, the FCP looked like a nice programme when I stumbled upon it on the Internet a few months ago. However, a few days into the programme, to call it nice would be to insult it. I may have been a bit too busy with my formal programme to see as much of the nightlife and other events and to get to know some Finns, a clearly reserved people, as I would have liked, but I enjoyed so many activities.

This series of posts opens my travel blog. Outside of SA, I have been to Germany, Scotland, England and Mozambique before and I may write some blog pieces on them in future but, I am beginning with Finland.

Alistair Anderson