Over the course of the past week I have once again experienced so much. Me and my family were off to the northernmost part of Finland called Lapland which is also in the Arctic Circle. My mom had a conference in Oulu for her Fulbright which had many fun and educational activities for the families and the researchers. But after the conference was over we were off to Rovaniemi: the official home of Santa Claus.
For the first two nights we stayed in a hotel near the city center and where able to walk around the town. But after that, a man named Jorma came to pick us up. He brought us up to his humble home about an hour away from the city. He had an old beagle called Poncho who at night snores very loudly. Jorma was very kind and guided us cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
While we were in the Arctic we had the amazing opportunity to go dogsledding. When we first got there a happy dog was walking towards us who I later learned was called Cookie. I was able to pet her and rub her belly. The people who worked there told my dad how to control the sled and I sat down with my sister in anticipation of a wonderful ride. Once all the dogs were strapped in we were off! The dogs were happily yapping and running, and the whole ordeal was amazing. When we came to a stop back where we began I was buzzing with excitement from the exhilarating ride.
On our way back down to Jyvaskyla me and my dad shared a cabin with bunks on a sleeper train which was a new experience for the both of us. Overall the trip was a new experience that will stay in my mind for a lifetime.
