Terve/Welcome to the home page for “Finding Finland,” with your host, Rudy Owens. As a Finnish-American by birth, with one quarter of my ancestry rooted in the Nordic nation of Finland, I am personally and biologically attached to this country. Today, this is cause for celebration, as suddenly all things Finnish, in the eyes of the world and social media, are wildly cool—or as the Finns say, “Siistia!” In March 2024, Finland was named for the seventh year in a row as the world’s “happiest country,” according to a United Nations report examining major areas of individual and societal wellbeing. My podcast, “Finding Finland,” explores the Nordic Nation from the perspective of a Finnish-American who has reconnected with his Finnish kin and roots. I have two great grandparents who emigrated from Finland to the USA during the great wave of Finnish immigration to mostly Michigan, where my family settled, and Minnesota. In September 2023 I visited Finland and met my Finnish relatives for the first time, after finding them just a month earlier. I returned to Finland again, in February 2024, and spent time with three of my relatives in Kurikka and Tampere for a wonderful immersion with the culture and people of Finland. I continue to publish articles and photo essays about a “all things Finland.” I am currently working on a new book about my Finnish-American story.

Copies of my “Finding Finland” podcast be found on:

EPISODES:

 


Episode 1: Jere, from Kurikka, Finland
May 5, 2024
“Two cousins, Finnish and American, talk about finding they’re related”
Episode 2: Jack Steinmann, from St. Paul, Minnesota
May 18, 2024
“How A Community Sauna Could Build Place in Hancock, Michigan”
Episode 3: Laura Aho, from Helsinki, Finland
June 2, 2024
“Bringing a People’s Stories to Life at the Genealogical Society of Finland”

Episode 4: Antti Palosaari, from Tampere, Finland
June 13, 2024
“Animator, illustrator, historic storyteller, and creator of Trolled”
Episode 5: Ronan Beckman, from Northampton, United Kingdom
June 30, 2024
“Author, Michigan native, and keen family genealogist with deep roots in Sweden”
Episode 6: Gail Bilto, from New York, New York
July 7, 2024
“New Yorker, Finnish-American, Michigan native, and family member”

(Page last updated July 16, 2024)