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By PHILIPPA KIRBY
Rappahannock News Special Writer
Kyosti Lankinen, a 17 year old boy from Finland, is staying in Rappahannock County with the Paul Nichols family. He is here through the Lions Exchange Program, and will split his visit between the Nichols in Flint Hill and the R. H. Ingles in Washington.
Kyosti finds it difficult to speak English, even though he has been learning it for eight years in Finland. But this is understandable: he has never been out of Finland before, and now he is suddenly presented with a huge, foreign country where very few people can understand his own language, and he has to try and make himself understood. He has been here for a week, and began his stay with a visit to New York, which, though somewhat overwhelming, he enjoyed immensely.
Kyosti comes from a small village called Pukaro, and he is a farm boy. So he is not totally unfamiliar with the kind of life in Rappahannock in which he is involved. The Nichols family has included Kyosti in everything that they do: “We do our regular routine, and he does it with us as a family,” says Paul Nichols. The family went on holiday to Nag’s Head, North Carolina, and Kyosti went with them; he fished, crabbed, and swam with the rest of the family, and grins broadly in agreement when asked if he had a good time.
So far, there don’t seem to be any problems on either side. Kyosti is adapting well to new life, and isn’t homesick—“he’s too busy!” says Nichols-and the family enjoys having him with them, and including him in their activities.
“He likes a lot of the things that he sees in this country,” Nichols explains. One of the main reasons Kyosti wanted to come to the States in the first place was to see all the things that he had heard so much about, according to Nichols. Curtis Nichols, Paul Nichols son, went to Finland on an exchange last year so the family is already aware of many of the differences between the two cultures. Nichols is determined to show Kyosti what being an American is all about, by giving him an all encompassing view of American family life. And judging by Kyosti’s easy smile, and friendly manner, the transition from Finland to the U.S. has been successful.
This is the third year of overseas exchange for Rappahannock County. There have been Philippines, Finns, and Germans in the area during past years, and this summer §ees a continuation of this successful program. Arranged through the Lion’s Club, the youth exchanges are intended to further understanding between the peoples of different countries. Two brothers from France will be arriving in August. They will be living with the Gordon Thornhill family and the Wesley Harris family during their stay. A German boy is also expected in early fall by Capt. and Mrs. Howard Holschuh.
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