Hello to all of you dedicated readers,

I feel that there is so much to say in conclusion about my stay in Finland that I
must split it up into multiple parts.  There is no way I can thank and say
everything I want to say about Finland and my experiences in one sitting.

Before I left for Finland I wasn't really expecting much.  Not that I had
negative expectations about Finland, but I had never left the country or even
been further west than Iowa.  I was hoping to move into Finland with an open
mind and that is what I did.

There is no way to describe in words what it feels like to be in Finland versus
the United States.  Its just different and not in a bad way.  The attitude and the
atmosphere are different in both places.  In Finland I can walk downtown at 1
am in the morning and not be one bit worried about who I might run into.  I
could walk down the street and pass a group of 18 year old boys and not feel
like they wanted to jump me.  Whereas sometimes in the U.S. you walk past a
group of the same looking kids and you get stared at.  I would say people in
general are more kind in Finland.

In Finland, everybody walks in downtown.  You hardly see any cars on the
street unless its raining outside.  The United States is very much a automobile
dependent country, where people prefer a 5 minute drive versus a 15 minute
walk.  I believe that is part of the reason that Finland seems much cleaner than
the U.S.

I don't know if it is me or what but Finland just has a totally different feel than
the States.  It might be the Finnish language or the lack of fast food
restaurants, but Finland just didn't feel like home.  Or should I say it feels like
it is so far away from home.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my stay in Finland
very much and the people there made me feel very welcome, it is just that the
people I have lived with and associated with and been friends with for the first
22 years of my life were suddenly half way around the world.  I was forced to
meet new friends and new family in a different country.  I was intimidated and
quite frankly a little scared at first, but the more I got to know the people the
more comfortable I got.  Thomas, right from the get go, was a good friend to
me.  Now I feel like I know him just as well if not better than any of my college
buddies.  Others made the transition easier as well.  Hatsa from the first time
he took me out to lunch to the last play we called in the final, was a very good
friend to me.  I feel like I have known Hatsa my entire life now.  Those are the
examples that made my Finland summer most memorable.

Someone said during the final week of my stay that I can visit Finland and go to
all the old castles and museums, but I'm not really experiencing another
country.  Its not until you can meet the people and interact with the  people of
the country.... that is where you get the experience... that is where you get the
most out of your stay.

I say, who cares that I didn't go inside the Turku castle?  But what I do care
about is meeting all the nice people that made my stay so memorable.  And
most of all, playing the game I love with the people of Finland.  It is so cool to
come from the United States to play with a bunch of Finns the wonderful game
of Football, or as the Finns call it "American Football."  Its cool to meet some
young players like Mike the junior QB, who loves to play football even though
American Football isn't the most popular sport in Finland.  Its cool to hear from
fans like Bjorn and Markus, the greatest fans in the world, who love the game
of football so much.  Its neat to play for coaches like Hatsa, Ninikowski, and
Coach Haula who love to coach the game even though their glory days are
over.  And even though we didn't win the championship it was the coolest to
play with the group of guys that made up the Turku Trojans.  



Coming up Conclusion part 2....
Conclusion Part 1