Blog Post by Shelly Sommer

Coming directly from the airport, I slid into the icebreaker late and exhausted from travel. How welcoming it was to enter a beautiful old house, receive a registration packet and glass of wine simultaneously, fill a plate with local delicacies, and catch up with friends new and old. I heard about changes in the lives of people I met at my first Colloquy in 2004, and got to chat with some who were at a Colloquy for the first time.

The location of the icebreaker, Alaruokanen House, also gave us a good introduction to Rovaniemi. The house was built in 1860 and is now owned by the city. It is one of the very few older structures in town; the rest were burned during the Lapland War of 1944-45. Once the home of a wealthy family, it showcases the log construction and floor plan typical of the region and was furnished in historic colors and woven rag rugs that are still favorites here.

Starting the Colloquy by bringing us together as a community was a wonderful way to set the tone for the entire week.