| THE ROTARY GSE TEAM |
| I was over the moon when I got selected to be part of the GSE (Group Study Exchange) team representing Rotary District 3210 going to Rotary District 1400 (the Northern part of Finland). The selection held at Tuticorin, the hometown of the Rotary... read more» |
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| OFF TO FINLAND |
We were supposed to leave on the 19th of April. I was all set to leave Kottayam for Chennai on the 17th (our flights were from Chennai) when I get a call from
Mr. Ramesh, our Rotarian Team Leader that the trip was... read more» |
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| KEMI AND KOLME MUSKETTISOTURIA |
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From there our first destination was Kemi. Kemi is a small industrial town famous for Europe’s best paper mills like Stora Enso and Botnia. Kemi still has a lot of houses reminiscent of a bygone era. But some of the... read more» |
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| TORNIO |
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Tornio was great as I got to stay with a family for the first time. My hosts Matti and Tarja who were teachers by profession, were great people. Tarja took me to a rehearsal of an all woman’s choir she was part of... read more» |
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| ROVANIEMI - THE SANTA TOWN |
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Rovaniemi is where we celebrated the biggest national event in Finland – May Day. As it was my first Sunday since I landed in Finland I went to the Lutheran church with Veli-Matti Jokela my host for Sunday worship... read more» |
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| SODANKYLA |
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In Sodankyla I stayed in the Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory Campus as Mr. Tauno Turunen, Professor, Director of SGO was our host. Sodankyla is where people come to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis... read more» |
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| IVALO |
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Ivalo is an exotic location even for the Finns. Most Finns haven’t been there. Here is where you get to see a lot of indigienous people of Finland, the Samis.he Sami has a very distinct culture and lifestyle which you could learn more... read more» |
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| KEMIJARVI |
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In this small town we visited the Artists Residence which hosts a wood crafting symposium every year. Lena the manager was extremely nice to us and showed us around... read more» |
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| KUUSAMO |
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Kuusamo was a town slightly bigger than Kemijarvi. Her I went for a dance performance to the town hall and I met some Asian women (Thai and Chinese) who were married to finns. They had come to the performance... read more» |
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| OULU |
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Oulu is the silicon valley of Finland and home to the famous Nokia Company. Here the techno parks are called techno polis and the facilities inside are amazing. We also visited the University of Oulu. What is amazing about... read more» |
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| HELSINKI |
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The one day that I spent in Helsinki before I left for India was a memorable day. By this time my fellowship was over and I was no longer being hosted by the rotary. But I stayed with Pirkko Jokela who was a cousin of... read more» |
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