Preparing for an extended stay in Finland is like preparing for a visit to the North Pole to meet Santa Clause—quite literally! Meeting St. Nick is actually on my itinerary to Finland.
Santa Claus Village is an amusement park at the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Lapland. Who can resist the opportunities to photograph reindeer, witness the Northern Lights, and cross-county ski on packed snow?
A lot goes into planning an Arctic excursion. Each step in the process requires thoughtfulness, cooperation, and initiative. Each time I checked off an item from my to-do list, the sense of accomplishment was outstanding. I can only imagine how experiencing Finland first-hand is going to feel.
I was finally able to submit my travel reservation request form once I received a medical clearance from the U.S. Department of State. My official Fulbright program begins in January, but I was able to arrange for my wife, Kara, and me to arrive in Finland earlier for some personal travel. The people at
Fulbright Finland and
IIE are extremely supportive and accommodating.
Kara is also a school teacher so it only makes sense that we take full advantage of our time off for the holidays to explore Finland together. After many pros and cons lists, we finally decided to schedule our departure for Finland on December 21st. After spending two nights in Helsinki we will be take a ferry for Tallinn, Estonia on Christmas Eve. For Estonians, December 24th is the biggest day of
celebration as this is when Santa Claus brings gifts. Our European holiday will also include a train ride to Rovaniemi in northern Finland and a New Year’s celebration in Helsinki.
Here is a tentative schedule of our vacation in northern Europe:
It is important to establish in-country contacts in case of emergency situations and to assist with any day-to-day issues. In addition to my Fulbright buddies who live in Finland, I have an awesome advisor at the
University of Helsinki named, Arto Kallioniemi. Arto is a professor in the Department of Teacher Education. In fact, he was the one who helped me secure an apartment at Töölö Towers. I am looking forward to meeting Arto in person and making use of his expertise to register for classes and pursue professional development opportunities.
A “smart” traveler to a foreign country knows the importance of notifying their government’s embassy. The U.S. Department of State even has the
Smart Traveler Enrollments Program (STEP) to ensure a safe and healthy trip abroad. STEP is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest
U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
According to
travel.state.gov, benefits of enrolling in
STEP include:
- Receive the latest safety and security information for your destination country, helping you make informed decisions about your travel plans.
- Help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency.
- Help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency.
The U.S. Department of State has established health and accident benefits for all Fulbright Fellows. The
Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) is a basic policy to offset the cost of major medical contingencies that may occur when abroad. It is not a substitute for my private health benefits coverage, but it provides coverage for illness or accident. I am thankful to have it!
Making contacts and registering for traveling programs has helped easy my pre-departure jitters. While the countdown continues, I am continuing to pack. It has been a packing marathon and I am not sure of my place in the race. All that matters is that I cross the “Finnish” line eventually.
