About a week ago, we two correspondents met two hockey players from Finland named Aki and Niko Uola. We interviewed Aki and Niko because Sophia is going to Finland and she needs to get the scoop.
Here is what the twin Finns have to say for themselves (they are not in trouble):
Aki and Niko are from Turku, Finland. That is where Sophia is going to be living for five months. Their favorite place in Finland just happens to be home, however their favorite place here is the New England College hockey locker room.
Have you heard of Moomins? The Moomins star in a famous Finnish series of children's books. We asked Niko and Aki who are their favorite Moomin characters. Both their answers were “Little My,” a small girl who happens to get into big trouble, and “Stinky,” a big black puff ball. The rest of his story you can tell from his name.
Kids in Finland like to play hop scotch and jump rope.
Aki and Niko's favorite sport is hockey. Niko plays forward and Aki plays defense. They started playing when they were 6. Another popular sport in Finland is beseball. It's not very easy to explain, but it's similar to baseball.
We asked Niko and Aki what makes Finland different from New Hampshire. They answered that there are different languages. Finland is a whole lot bigger and it is a country, not a state.
We learned that Niko's name day is on Ella's birthday, Dec. 6. On that day, everyone named Niko will be celebrating his name day and Ella will be celebrating her birthday.
Sophia asked one question in Finnish. “Kuinka pitka olet?” (How tall are you?)
Niko: 175 centimeters
Aki: 176 centimeters
We will be comparing and contrasting Concord and Turku, so stay tuned for more.
