Gemma lives at Rosedale and attends Rosedale State High School - Grade 10. She is Discovery Coast's first ever Youth Exchange Student, and we are immensely proud of her. Gemma talks about Summer in Finland.

Summer has finally rolled around! After a somewhat disappointing winter I’m extremely pleased with the summer turnout. In Finland COVID-19 is under control and no longer a huge threat. It is still recommended to wear a mask in public transport and other areas where social distancing is more difficult, but most restrictions are lifted. Our south border to Estonia is now open and I have been fortunate enough to travel with my host family to Estonia during June and stay the night in Tallinn.

So, what have I gotten up to this summer in Finland? Well for one thing, who knew such a Northern country could have such warm summers? In June Finland had hit its hottest day in over 80 years, reaching 32.7°C. Sure it’s nothing compared to an Australian summer but when you take into account Finland’s northern location and typical summer temp of around 20°C, it really shows the true effects of global warming.

Although all Rotary Exchange planned trips in Finland have been called off, I made multiple trips around Finland and even to Estonia with my host family. On June 25th my host family and I took a ferry to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia from Helsinki. It is very common in Finland for people to travel to Estonia for day trips as shopping is much cheaper than in Finland and the ferry trip is short and inexpensive. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay the night in a hotel, giving us lots of time to explore Tallinn and I have to say, Tallinn’s old town is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in.

During the month of July, I was able to see many new parts of Finland I hadn’t seen before. We first travelled to Kortesjärvi, Pohjanmaa to stay a week with my host grandparents. They lived on a farm and there I was able to see the gorgeous Finnish countryside. During my time in Kortesjärvi I was interviewed by a local newspaper about my exchange so far, and how it has been affected by COVID-19.

Following our stay with them, we travelled up North to Rovaniemi to stay with my host auntie and uncle. In Rovaniemi I was able to go above the Arctic circle and go to Santa’s village, and meet the jolly man himself! I also was able to ride a bike to Rovaniemi centre, Lordi square, named after the band from Rovaniemi who won the Eurovision title for Finland in 2006 with their song “Hard Rock Hallelujah”.

Finally, on our way home, we stayed in a summer cottage in a small ski village called Ruka in Kuusamo. In Ruka I was able to see reindeer for the first time in my life. In Northern Finland during summer the farmers just let their reindeer run free to go about as they please, there were hundreds of them roaming the streets of the village and covering the roads.

Due to the coronavirus situation I have unfortunately been unable to attend school since March, but I am really looking forward to the start of school next week to finally be able to meet new people and make new memories once again. My exchange year certainly hasn’t been your typical Rotary Youth Exchange but I am so grateful to be spending it in Finland where we have had COVID-19 under control from the start.