Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Finnish Visitor Enjoys Warmth, People

Not everyone has been complaining about the heat this summer.

In fact, Heidi Honkala, a cultural exchange student from Finland, spend six weeks enjoying South Arkansas' sweltering temperatures. She spent her time in Prescott with Martha and George Ivy, driving around the state and seeing the sights.

Honkala's home is a city of more than 35,000 in central Finland, called Kokkola. The summers there, she said, see the mercury climb to the 70s and 80s, while it falls to the 20s during the winter months. The heat in Arkansas has been a shock to her, but an enjoyable one.

When asked about the differences between Arkansas and Finland, Honkala said children there start school at age seven. To graduate from high school, they must learn several languages. She speaks four herself, English, German, Swedish and Finnish.

English, she said, was easy for her to learn as the language is spoken everywhere in the world. The hardest, though, was German.

Her travels with the Ivy's took her to northern Arkansas and Western Oklahoma, along with southern Missouri. They visited Mountain View's folk center, Branson, Mo., Eureka Springs and Blanchard Springs Caverns.

But Honkala was fascinated by Native Americans and wanted to visit a reservation. So, the group ventured to Talequah, Okla. to visit the Oklahoma Cherokee Indian Center. "I enjoyed it," she said. "It was a wonderful experience."

Martha Ivy said she learned about the educational exchange program through the Lions Club, but didn't do anything about it. She then learned about the cultural exchange program and decided to get involved.

Ivy, in talking with Honkala, compared the lifestyles of Finland and Arkansas, and learned they are similar in most ways.

Honkala, however, is a typical teenage young lady. She enjoys watching the "Bold and Beautiful", spending time hanging out with her friends, shopping and folk dancing. She has been with a folk dancing troupe for four years, and will travel to Holland in December to perform.

When Honkala got involved with the exchange program, she never envisioned a trip to Prescott, Arkansas. In fact, she'd never heard of Arkansas, let alone Prescott. But, she discussed the trip with her parents, with everyone agreeing it would be a good experience. From there, she filled out an application and made the trip.

"When I learned where I would be going," she said, "I got a map and found out where it was."

She arrived on June 23, and left Aug. 3. "I will miss the friendly people," Honkala said of her leaving the state.

One thing she won't miss about Arkansas, though, is the bugs. While she has been enjoying the heat, the bugs have been less than a favorite of hers.

Talking about her family, Honkala said her father raises foxes, which are used for coats. Mom works at a restaurant, her twin brother repairs machinery at paper mills, while her sister works at a casino.

Getting a driver's license in Finland differs considerably from getting one here. There, driving classes are mandatory and cost about $1,000. The course is composed of 15 hours of driving and 20 classroom hours of study.

Those seeking a license must be 18-years-old, and six months after successfully completing the course, they are tested again, with this test costing about $400.

On the other hand, Finland has a form of socialized medicine. Doctor visits can run either $10 per visit, or $30 for an entire year, with the patient going as often as needed.

A night in the hospital costs about $24 there, compared to the astronomical amount here.

College is free in Finland, Honkala said, but few people take advantage of it. When boys graduate from high school, they must serve at least a year in the military, which keeps them out of college for a while.

Honkala plans to attend college and study something in the health field. She hasn't decided on a specific area of study.

Her diet changed considerably from Kokkola to Prescott. She said corn on the cob and catfish were two things she likes here, but wasn't thrilled with all the vegetables traditional in the South, especially okra.