Two Worlds United Programs in Finland for High School students
Finland
is a land of dualities, of wilderness and urbanity,
primitiveness and sophistication, melancholy and joy. Although
the Finns have created some of the most beautiful and elegant
home designs, no one loves nature more than they do. The Finns
will drop the trappings of civilization to run for the hills;
they will leave the warmth of the sauna to plunge into the icy
sea; they will spend the day skiing across rugged terrain in the
coldest and darkest of weather, then come into town to dance the
night away at a local nightclub.
This duality is apparent in other areas too. For years, the
extremely difficult Finnish language was considered the language
of peasants, scorned by the Swedes and Swedish-speaking Finns.
Now Finnish and Swedish co-exist, with street signs in both (the
Finnish version appears first), and towns are often referred to
by both their Finnish and Swedish names.
In the matter of food, as well, Finland offers two distinct
cuisines. There is, so to speak, a fork in the road to the
kitchen, with attention given to Russian as well as Finnish
cuisine. And in matters of religion, Finland again has something
of a split personality. The state religion is Lutheran, and a
portion of every citizen's taxes goes to the church; and yet the
Finns rarely attend service in their beautiful old wooden
churches. The most religious Finns seem to be the Greek
Orthodox, who worship in churches that were built by Russian
soldiers during the time when Finland was a Grand Duchy of
Russia.
It is said that the Finns are a silent people, and many Finns,
on first meeting, do appear somewhat reticent and shy—but once
they have crossed the barrier of introductions and the usual
polite exchanges, they are not in the least tongue-tied. In
fact, these feisty residents of the fifth largest country in
Europe have had to speak up loudly and clearly to retain their
own identity and gain their independence. Having clawed its way
out of the grasp of both Sweden and the czars, in the late 20th
century Finland has proven itself the equal of any
nation—savvy in business, skillful in politics, and creative
in design. No longer do people speak of "little
Finland." The only country to pay off its war debt, Finland
has emerged from centuries of struggle with pride in its own
accomplishments and identity. |
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TWO WORLDS UNITED
Admissions Dep't.
Tel: 1 (805) 581-9191
Fax: 1 (805) 581-6079
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