Good Citizens

Our last days in Helsinki were filled with Finnish culture and art. On Thursday morning we went to our academic visit at the Institute for Health and Welfare. We had a lecture, but had to leave early because employees of the Institute were staging a walk-out to protest governmental budget cuts. They were all wearing black and holding signs, and were preparing to walk to the parliament as we left.

That afternoon we went to another sauna - this time, it was the oldest wood-burning sauna left in Helsinki. All of the girls in the group piled in together to sweat it out. After about 45 minutes in the 100 degrees Celsius room, I called it quits. I went back to the hotel, took a shower, then primped before going out again.

Allie, Caitlin, and Me: Outside of the Finlandia Opera House

Our evening activity was a trip to the symphony, to watch the Helsinki Philharmonic perform. The show was lovely, and set everyone in the mood for a night out. After the show we found a restaurant where the hungry crowd could eat, and where we could sit at a big table and enjoy each other's company.

After lasting the last metro and getting impatient waiting for the bus, we decided to walk back to the hotel. On our way we passed by what seemed to be a hopping bar - there was a lot of noise, and a ton of people outside. As we walked, some fellows said, "Americanos? English?" Of course we said yes, and it turns out that they were with another DIS group. The bar was a karaoke place, and the best find of the entire trip.

Finnish people love slow songs for karaoke. My friends and I signed up to sing a Backstreet Boys song. While we waited, we witnessed a ton of odd choices. Some random Finnish man sand "Space Oddity," which turned out to be pretty good. There was also a rousing rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody," plus some Finnish songs. But we were easily the best performance of the night. My friend Allie gave her camera to some locals in the bar so they could photograph our rousing rendition of "I Want It That Way," but I guess they got distracted since they ended up taking pictures of themselves. But we did get a few winners out of the night.

Our last day was pretty quiet. We paid a visit to the Chiasma Art Museum, where we saw the exhibit Elixer. It was pretty trippy, but the museum as a whole was very interesting. In the book store, I saw a book that I had worked with when I was an intern at HNA. That was a really cool feeling. But the day was quiet, and after a short lunch we went to the airport and flew back to Copenhagen after a wonderful week in the Baltic states.

As a whole, the trip was pretty incredible. It was a great opportunity to get to know my classmates and to bond with friends. But aside from the socializing and having fun, our group did some amazing things. We went to two countries that I would never have visited on my own. We immersed ourselves in culture, and got to know the feeling and flavor of each locale. We learned about healthcare, and the plight of real people in the post-Soviet era. We had a unique experience, a gratifying experience, and an enlightening experience - but most of all, it was a positive experience.