Mat Seila (left) and Chap Kimhoeung in front of the Hotel Arthur where we stayed during our week in Finland. It's a three-star hotel used regularly by the Finnish Association of the Deaf when they bring in guests and representatives from their projects around the world. The hotel is in downtown Helsinki, close to the train station, and within walking distance of everything. Kim found the Helsinki weather, in the high 50s F, very cold and uncomfortable compared to Cambodia.
At the Fair Centre, leaders of the Finnish Association of the Deaf welcomed special guests. Here a group of Lutheran clergy, all women, arrive and offer their congratulations. The presiding minister at the Lutheran mass in the morning was also a woman. It was a little surprising to see so many women priests but apparently it is the norm here in Finland.
Liisa Kauppinen (right) assisted by Pekka Mikkola, presented awards to several deaf people who have had significant roles in the development of the Finnish Association of the Deaf and also to other individuals who have supported the FAD in significant ways. Liisa Kauppinen also received a special award herself for her many years of dedicated and energetic service to the FAD and the World Federation of the Deaf.
After the closing of the ceremony, cakes and coffee were served for the 1,500 people who had attended. Kim and Charlie met and talked with two deaf people, one from Iran and the other from Sweden.