One of the things I was most excited about in the FCP alumni program was a return to Rovaniemi and a reintroduction to the Arctic Circle. I have long been fascinated with Arctic issues. Since my last trip to Finland in 2013 the Arctic has resurfaced as a big topic in geopolitics – and, according to Timo Koivurova, Director of the University of Lapland’s Arctic Centre, not always with the nuance ...
Author: Valerie Hopkins
Valerie took part in FCP program in 2013 and says that a month spent in Finland made a strong impression on her. Valerie graduated from New York’s Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in 2013. After her graduation Valerie has worked as a trainee, journalist and editor for Reuters in the office for the Balkans and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. In 2010-2012, Valerie worked and studied in Sarajevo. Valerie has followed closely Finns’ reactions for the immigration crisis, as well as Finland’s EU policy. Valerie says that it is incredible how quickly the innovative Finnish welfare state developed after the Winter and the Continuation Wars. She would like to learn more about the Finnish success story, and to see whether the Finnish model could be utilised in other countries such as Kosovo. Because of her current work situation Valerie is particularly interested of the President Martti Ahtisaari’s role in the Kosovo peace process.
“Finland is much more to me than a marvelous place I spent a lovely month one summer with some cool people from all over the world. It is more than the sauna and the unspoiled forests, the technology and public transportation. It is a country for whose people I feel tremendous affection and for whose presence the world has much to be thankful.”
Rediscovering Finland’s charm and virtues
I had the good fortune to be selected as an FCP participant in 2013, and it was then that I had my first full experience of the sauna, of salmon, and of course Santa Claus. I enjoyed the whimsy of Marimekko and sampled a tenderloin of reindeer meat cooked to perfection with eighteen of my newfound friends. These pleasant experiences and many more have stayed with me, but so have the values that ...