RECOVERED

Trip 1: Finland, the beginning of my life.

---

June 2nd 2007
8/97-7/98 When I was 16, I left North America for the first time to be an exchange student. My life would never be the same again. The travel bug entered me and would stay forever. Finland was a good start for me because it was a safe, clean, and modern country that presented a minimal amount of culture shock. To this day, I am still in love with Finland. It doesn't posess the 'wow' factor tha ... read more

Europe » Finland » Uusimaa » Helsinki

---

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its f... ... read more