Finland is filled with graduation parties in late May and early June, and this year is no different.
In 2020 many of these parties were cancelled because of the pandemic, but this year they are largely going ahead for the some 24,700 people graduating from upper secondary education this year — with some changes.
Helsingin Sanomat spoke to one teenager in Tampere who is planning his own celebration. It will be outdoors, in the garden at his home, and guests will arrive at specific time slots, rather than in one big group.
That's in line with THL guidance, which warns against having large groups gather in one small area, even if it is outdoors.
Even though many guests will have had at least one dose of Covid vaccine, the risk of spreading the virus is still there, so if parties take place in enclosed spaces masks are recommended.
The school's graduation ceremony, on the other hand, is in most places taking place without an audience: just staff and students will be present.
Dole office misses the mark
Ilta-Sanomat reports on the difficulties faced by Gajane Bottinelli, a 39-year-old archer in the Finnish national team who is aiming to qualify for the Olympics in Tokyo.
She only took up the sport in 2015 but quickly advanced to the elite level, and now competes internationally. The unemployment office, however, now views archery as a full-time job and has stopped paying her unemployment benefits.
Their reasoning is that she trains for 15 hours a week and competes internationally, so she is not available for work.
Bottinelli counters that she has never turned down a job and regards the sport as a hobby rather than a profession, especially as it costs her money to practice and compete.
She has appealed the decision and the rest of Finland's sporting fraternity is observing closely, as hundreds of other sportspeople are in a similar boat: competing at the elite level but not earning any income from their sport.
Mein Schiff arrives
Iltalehti reports that there's a sight to see off the Turku shoreline on Friday, as Mein Schiff 1 returns to the city where it was built.
The gigantic 550 million euro vessel will pass the Meyer shipyard at around 2pm, before sailing around the archipelago. It was due to arrive on Thursday but delayed its voyage from Stockholm because of high winds.
The sailing is part of a new Covid-era trend whereby cruise ships don't dock at harbours, as their passengers cannot disembark. They merely sail close to interesting sights so that those on board can have a look at what they might have seen if there wasn't a pandemic.
Kuier debut
IL also reports that Finland's new basketball star Awak Kuier made her WNBA debut on Thursday evening US time when her Dallas Wings went down to a 101-95 defeat against the Atlanta Dreams.
Kuier played six minutes and 45 seconds, scored one point and notching up one assist and one rebound.
Her arrival in the US was delayed substantially while her visa and work permit were processed.
After her arrival and quarantine she only managed to train with her new team once before making her debut.
