Changed by Rovaniemi – South Africans at the Arctic 6/7

In our new “Changed by Rovaniemi”- blog series, we share unique stories from travelers of Rovaniemi. We asked, what makes Lapland so special to them, why they have fallen in love with Lapland, and what makes some of them return time after time. Have a look at the story of Carin, who visited Lapland with her five colleagues all the way from South Africa.

“We went as colleagues to Lapland and returned as lifelong friends, partially due to the amazing experiences and memories we share.“

Carin and her five colleagues from South Africa all studied a post-grad diploma in higher education at Haaga Helia University of Applied Sciences. Together they started to embark on a travel journey to visit Finland and University in Helsinki for a few days.

As they did not want the trip to be only work, they decided to add a few days to the trip and visit Rovaniemi for the play part. The group had numerous conversations about the time of the visit, as they were worried about the extreme cold in winter. In South Africa, people are not used to temperatures below 0. However, they decided to experience something totally different and booked the flights for February – one of the coldest months in Lapland.

“Visiting Rovaniemi was one of the personal highlights of my life, and if possible, I would love to visit again. There are still so many more things I would love to do there.”

Carin and her colleagues really got closer to each other during the trip, while enjoying reindeer and husky rides, driving snowmobiles through the winter wonderland, meeting Santa Claus, and admiring the northern lights in the temperature of -26C.

“Rovaniemi is a truly amazing place and a bucket list destination for all”, Carin summarizes.

Missed the previous part of the blog series? Read it here: Anni and the dogs 5/7
Have a look at Changed by Rovaniemi Film based on true stories: