4. Irish see Green Everywhere

Winter EYOF 2022 Vuokatti

With bleary eyes, I read the email that arrived in my inbox on a Sunday morning. Any tiredness I felt disappeared instantly as I read the email’s content. I walked towards the living room to share the news with my family. “I am going to Finland.”

Three things I did in the land of a thousand lakes. See the Northern Lights. Visit Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. Take an ice bath.

Two Truths and a Lie.

A number of sports-mad students from different European countries were selected to take part in the Erasmus+ project “International Youth Media Camp” during the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival in Vuokatti. The aim of the camp was to increase the media visibility of youth sports events such as the EYOF by producing media content.

On my way to Vuokatti, Suomenlinna, a World Heritage Site in Helsinki, took up most of my time during my one-day stopover in the capital city. A quick visit to the uniquely designed central library Oodi rounded off my day, along with a selfie in front of the cathedral. The next morning, I met other participants of the programme on our 7-hour train ride.

Visit Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. Truth.

I spent seven days in a winter wonderland. Discovering new types of sports, with speed skating being particularly intense. Attending a series of lectures on how to approach media assignments, conduct interviews, and create content was very educational. Taking part in leisure time activities such as taking an ice bath in a frozen lake. Iceman who? Just kidding, I only lasted about five seconds before I got out.

Take an ice bath. Truth.

The night of all nights had arrived. An 80% probability of seeing the Northern Lights. Wrapped up in layers of clothes, we embarked on the hunt for the spectacle of green lights in the sky. Standing in an open field with a clear view of the sky proved to be the best location for our mission. Seconds passed. Minutes flew by. The first hour soon followed. Nothing. Absolutely nothing in the sky even remotely resembled the colour green in the slightest. Groans of frustration broke the silence as the realization dawned on a few of us that this was going to turn out to be a failure. But some remained determined in their quest to summon the Aurora borealis with their penetrating gaze.

At one point, an Irish student was convinced of seeing a hint of green and even pointed out the area where he thought he saw it. Snellen eye charts are used to help you determine the clarity of your distance vision. I am familiar with them, as my glasses have been my loyal companion since kindergarten. I am also familiar with seeing things that are not there. D instead of O. F instead of T. Northern lights instead of total darkness. After insisting that there was a hint of green, one of the Italians said something that makes me laugh every time I think about it. “You’re Irish, you see green everywhere.”

See the Northern Lights. Lie.