Every year FCP has one weekend in the programme when the young journalists have an opportunity to travel to different families located all over Finland. The purpose of this weekend is to show what Finnish family life is about.
-So how was the family weekend this year?
I spoke with the families and the FCP participants about this weekend and asked their opinions and thoughts about the weekend. It proved out that the family weekend was again really something special that gave both the families and the FCP participants memories that last a lifetime. It really seems that the participants found another home hear in Finland! It was truly a joy to see these young people meeting their families also in the final reception at the end of August.
Here are a few examples of the feedback we received from the families:
“We had the pleasure to have as many as two young women as our guests, Aurelie and Cristina. The weekend was most fun and rewarding! There were stories to tell from both sides from universal issues to just everyday stuff. There was also a lot of laughter! The girls were equipped with the best sense of humor. My previous experience with FCP guests has been similar, obviously people applying for the program have already a good attitude to go abroad and meet new people from different cultures. They were also willing to try ‘our things’, such as a sauna and different types of food. We would be happy to continue to be a host family!
Arja / Konnevesi
“Our weekend with Polish Iga was great. We spent time in a summer house in Pargas, at home in Turku and exploring Turku and Naantali. We traveled both by car and by bicycle. Our discussions went from Finland and the EU’s policy to cooking and children’s activities. We also had time for rest and relaxation. We agreed to stay in contact also after the weekend and also received an invitation to visit to Poland.”
Riitta / Turku
“It was great to be as a host family and to get to know two young journalist. Our family has a dairy farm in Hankasalmi. One of our two guests, Mayo from Japan, wrote about this weekend to FCP blog. It was amazing to read her text. We were also reminded through our guests on how clean Finnish countryside really is. Discussions with our guests were rewarding. Through them, we got a bit of information on their countries and their lives. An open-minded attitude to new people and things, is something that is nice to teach also to own children. Big thanks to the possibility of an international weekend here in the countryside.”
Hänninen family /Hankasalmi
“We had Alex as a guest from France. At first we were little bit nervous about the weekend, but the nervousness turned out to be all for nothing, because the weekend was absolutely great! We all had a great time. I think the weekend was quite a success. We learned a lot about France. It was frankly wistful to take him to the train station, because we had such good time with him. We had a really nice feeling about the whole FCP and the FCP family weekend. I believe that our friendship and our contacts will continue.”
Ulla / Lahti
“We had Hend Kortam in our countryside here in Nilsiä. We live on a shore of a big lake called Vuotjärvi and the forest and the lake surrounds our home. We went to the woods to pick some chanterelles, fished, did some rowing on a rowing boat in the beautiful sunshine and cooked pancakes in a cast iron pan on the beach campfire. Hend helped in the kitchen and chatted with us a lot. She went walking to the beach, ate berries and wondered the trees and other natural wonders of Finland. Hend also enjoyed the complete silence, counterbalance the Cairo´s 2o million peoples noise. On departure day we went to Kuopio and to Puijo tower and drove in the beautifully built archipelago of Kuopio. The weekend was one of the best of our lives. We could never had thought how wonderful and unforgettable it would be. The weekend exceeded all of our expectations. At home, we opened the guest book where Hend had written two pages in beautiful handwriting, at times, the text was Arabic. We were happy because she lived a memorable weekend.”
Kirsti and Pekka/ Nilsiä