Friday morning provided me with another little adventure through Helsinki since I now had a new location to find on my own - the Embassy of the United States. Passports in hand, we arrived sporadically as a group at the entrance to the embassy which, in all honesty, did not present itself as a very welcoming foundation ( at least in retrospect to the consoling blush pink of Great Britain across the street). Everything was very orderly and secure; passports were checked, all bags, cameras and personal belongings had to be left behind ( my camera!!....) and metal screenings were part of policy. At that rate none of us really knew what to expect while only nervously laughing at what was going on.
Everything changed very quickly when we were all through the front entrances and were greeted by a representative of the embassy who was a cheerful woman with a very calm, approachable persona. Once inside the embassy was when everything was at ease and at that point we were led to the Ambassador's residence where we would meet for our morning agenda. Walking inside the house, the entrance way was ornamented with very American or 'New England Colonial' style decor, along with a carpet adorned with stars. It was as if we were in D.C. again, and like our visit to the Finnish Ambassador's home for his hosted gathering, this invitation created the same form of nervous anxiety within all of us; We were still collecting our thoughts on where we really were. As we clustered in the vestibule, the Ambassador herself, Mrs. Marilyn Ware, came out of her office from the right and proceeded to greet us all individually with a handshake and welcome. As we were ushered into her home we signed in her guestbook and viewed her homes furnishings ( complete with pictures of the Ambassador with high American officials including President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney, and others). Along the walls was a collection of American art which was revealed as part of the "Art in Embassies" program in which an ambassador selects American art pieces to bring to their new home abroad to further enhance their guest's experience with American culture in the arts. This detail alone in the very impressive room had us all very intrigued by what we were going to be learning throughout the morning. Further in we were then escorted outside to a very nice courtyard aligned with patio tables and a display of refreshments. For the morning we were going to enjoy listening to the Ambassador and her fellow American representatives outside in the scenic courtyard during an enjoyable coffee. The experience was already extremely amazing as we sat, devotedly awaiting the speeches ahead for us.
Starting off, each representative gave a brief introduction and one even welcomed us 'back home'; we were on American soil. However cliche it may sound, I did feel back home. Each representative was so very passionate about their position and dedication to their country and that was reflected in the very comfortable, friendly community that made us teenagers find a new reason to make us proud to be Americans. Myself calling all of us teenagers here brings about another motivational detail at the embassy. Ambassador Ware never referred to us as teenagers as she spoke to us; we were Ambassadors to Finland. Before helping ourselves to coffee, as we stood up to take a photo as a group, Ambassador Ware had us grouped in a circle almost huddled as a team. This was a surreal feeling. As she spoke to us in the center of our tightly knit circle, she referred to the connections in the world, with a specification on Finland and the U.S., that made us feel as if we had a mission. We were the next generation and the next step in leadership and the words that she spoke to us were extremely motivational. She gave us a determination and drive to return to America and take the step in connecting our communities with not only the lessons gained by learning about Finland, but also those of experiencing and understanding a new culture. Specifically on Finland she spoke how there is an important connection between the nation and the U.S. that must be realized. Finland has shared a very similar history, as she mentioned, being denied independence from a number of neighbors in its past. She commented how the motives of the countries are similar in terms of citizen's rights as well as equal suffrage and this led to her concluding message: It doesn't matter how small or how populated a nation is to take notice of it globally and politically. What is important is that we keep close and associate with global partners pertaining to our connections in history and values. History was a major vision of Ambassador Ware and she was a firm believer in the values we could learn from history as well as the positive connections and understandings we can make about a nation and culture through our pasts. Breaking from our huddle, I could only turn and see everyone's expressions replicating my own. We were amazed. We had just received such an intimate connection with a truly elite leader in our world - Ambassador Ware's position did present her as the representative of President George W. Bush directly while delegating overseas. Everything that was said to us was so personal and deep and we really felt as if we were recognized as well as given a purpose and motive to achieve with our futures.
As we sat down at our elegant tables with our coffee we were moving on to hear a little bit about the embassy itself as well as the U.S. foreign service from the representatives in Helsinki who were all directly affiliated with its purpose. I sat there ringing my finger around the gold 'Embassy of the United States of America' emblem on our napkins encircling our symbolic eagle, smiling - I still couldn't believe where I was. The representatives spoke very conversationally and really connected to our group. Even in the relaxed atmosphere, their positions and backgrounds were incredibly impressive. The representatives had an array of top degrees at a number of famous universities, a mastery of dozens of languages ( each person knowing 5, 7 or more!), backgrounds of assignments in all corners of the globe, and for one, high honors within our air force assembly. We all were all enthralled by the prestige of their pasts, and also their futures, since they all shed light that their assignment in Finland for a few years was by far not their last. In affiliation with futures, while socializing with my friends from all different states and backgrounds of America in the FUSYE program, we all had role models and newfound aspirations from the exceptional experience at the U.S. embassy. With are summer almost entirely focusing on Finland, many of us had not made large associations back to our home country. However, having the American-specific memorandum, all of us received new outlooks on our roles in our global communities, and new perspectives and determinations to take with us through our educational careers and futures.
Unfortunately since we were not permitted to bring cameras, many of the great moments that occurred within this 'community' of the embassy were left uncaptured. However, many of us had a great chance to recount our favorite quotes and messages and discuss how we felt about every detail from career positions to our roles as ambassadors as we had a nice sunlit lunch at a seaside restaurant patio.
Just down the street from the cluster of international embassies, we all were able to recollect, possibly just like real ambassadors would do during their breaks, down the road at the beautiful site of Cafe Ursula.
In addition- To our surprises while searching online, us FUSYE students found ourselves on the front page of the embassy's headlines in accounts of our visit with Ambassador Ware:
Ambassador Ware Hosts Youth for Understanding (YFU) Finland-U.S. Senate Youth Exchange Program Participants
On August 10, a group of thirteen American YFU exchange students visited the American Embassy to meet Ambassador Ware, receive a briefing about the Embassy's operations, and learn more about the U.S. Foreign Service. The group spent seven weeks in Finland touring the country, establishing friendships, and promoting mutual understanding between Finland and the U.S. Finnish host families introduced the students to Finland's society, history and culture.
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