Meet the Finns in Finland
Services
Media
Inquiries
Hosts
Quality and Company Responsibility
Feedback - Palaute
Guests’ comments
News
Contact Us
In Finnish
Photogallery
In English
In Finnish
April, 2009
November, 2009
February, 2010
News
RSS
Cosy Finnish Sauna Evening a nominee in Best of Helsinki 2010
2/17/2010 2:51:26 PM
www.bestofhelsinki.fi/fi/northernexposure

Cosy Finnish Sauna Evening is one of the five nominees in Best of Helsinki 2010 Awards in the category of Best Northern Exposure.
The online voting is organized by Helsinki City Tourist & Convention Bureau.  The services have been shortlisted based on quality criteria and how well they fit in with Helsinki’s travel brand.
The Best of Helsinki Awards were kicked off at the Nordic Travel Fair Matka 2010.
Visitors have the chance to vote for the city’s best travel destinations and services on the competition website www.bestofhelsinki.fi until the end of October.
 
Press release 21.1.2010 from Helsinki Tourist & Convention Bureau:
 
Online voting for the 5th annual Best of Helsinki Awards has begun. Visitors to the www.bestofhelsinki.fi website have the chance to vote for the city’s best travel destinations and services until the end of October. The winners will be announced and rewarded at a special gala event in November, when Helsinki’s travel “Oscars” will be handed out.

The competition categories this year are once again: Best Northern Exposure, Best City Break Attraction, Best City Break Service, Best Winter Experience, Best Nordic Oddity, Best Family Resort & Fun, and Best Meeting Experience. Each category features five nominees that have been shortlisted based on quality criteria and how well they fit in with Helsinki’s travel brand. Consumers also have the chance to vote for their own favourites outside the official list of nominees. In addition travel industry professionals can vote in two separate categories: Favourite Travel Professional and Best Incentive Experience.
Media event in a Finnish home - by Channel TV2, Hungary
11/18/2009 5:14:04 PM
Hungary TV2/ Sauna and Hungarian Food
 
Cross-cultural Evening was organized by Cosy Finland in a free time house in Sipoo, near Helsinki in late September.
You can watch Hungary TV2 flash-tv show in this link. Duration about two minutes. 
http://webcast.tv2.hu/izdiplomata/index.php?m=video&video_id=404384

The event shortly:
ÍZDIPLOMATA - TASTE AMBASSADOR is visiting a Finnish free time home. The host would like to take him to Sauna but the guest prefers to prepare food first. Surprise: he likes to make a Hungarian dish for the hosting family.
Usually in Cosy Finnish Evenings the food is local food but this time the guest has taken some food stuff from Hungary. While the host and the guest are having Sauna, food is stewed. Both men will join to after-sauna-meal with the family.  
Unkarin TV2 Saunaa ja paprikamakkara-perunamuhennosta
11/18/2009 4:13:23 PM
Unkarin TV2 käväisi Suomessa tekemässä juttua unkarilaisen ja suomalaisen kulttuurin kohtaamisesta. Juttu on osa laajempaa yli kymmenen eurooppalaisen kaupungin käsittävää kuvauskierrosta.
 
Linkistä löytyy parin minuutin pätkä vierailusta sipoolaisella vapaa-ajanasunnolla.

Juttu on unkariksi mutta pääpiirteissään se kertoo siitä kun Eurooppaa kiertävä unkarilainen ”makulähettiläs” tulee vierailulle suomalaiskotiin. Isäntä houkuttelee häntä saunaan mutta vieras ehdottaa, että mitä jos laitettaisiin ruoka muhimaan ensin. Niin he tekevät. Tavallisesta Cosy-vierailusta poiketen vieras ryhtyykin laittamaan ruokaa, unkarilaista peruna-makkaramuhennosta.
 
Joskus näinkin – tavallisestihan Cosy Finlandin kotivierailuilla tarjoillaan suomalaisruokaa.   
 
Espoossa asuvan Unkarin asiantuntijan Piroska Szondyn tekemä käännös:
 
Media event in a Finnish home - by Channel TV2, Hungary
 
 
Saunaa ja paprikamakkara-perunamuhennosta
 
 
Kertoja:                        Suomen ja unkarin kielet ovat sukulaiskieliä.
 
Makulähettiläs:             käsi = kéz, voi = vaj, veri = vér
 
Kertoja:                        Mukamas!
 
Makulähettiläs:             Tulkaa mukaan Marjutin ja Pekan huvilaan.
 
Kertoja:                       
Euroopassa missiota suorittava makulähettiläs sai kutsun suomalaisen perheen luo.
 
Isäntä:                          Mennään heti saunaan!
 
Makulähettiläs:              Ei, ei, ensin laitetaan ruoka.
 
Kertoja:                                        
Makulähettiläs ryhtyy heti laitamaan paprikamakkara-perunamuhennosta.
 
Makulähettiläs:              Tarvitaan vähän tomaattia, sipulia, silavaa....
 
Makulähettiläs:              Miten sanotaan suomeksi ”szalonna”?
 
Isäntä:                          Pekoni.
 
Kertoja:                         Kolmevuotias lapsenlapsi, Adakin on hyvin kiinnostunut.
 
Isäntä:                          Nyt jätän sinut keittiötöihin ja laitan saunan lämpenemään.
 
Makulähettiläs:                               
Minä keitän hänelle ja hän keittää minua! (unkariksi kuulostaa hauskemmalta, kääntäjän kommentti)
 
Kertoja:                       
Muutaman minuutin kuluttua miehet ovat jo puutarhan toisessa päässä "kiehumassa".
 
Isäntä:                         Täällä on nyt noin 80 astetta.
 
Kertoja:                        …mutta tytöt ovat jo kärsimättömiä.
 
Makulähettiläs:               Hyvää ruokahalua!
 
 
 

 
 

A short history of Cosy Finland
4/4/2009 4:27:40 PM
All started far-away
 
I have travelled a lot, partly because it is my hobby and partly because I write travel articles. In 2002 I was in Gambia, Africa, writing an article. In Gambia I enjoyed the fact that I was able to get so near to the local life. The Gambians showed almost everything to the tourists: houses, schools, hospitals. Of course they got paid for that, reasonable for that poor country. 
 
After one of those home visits I was sitting comfortably on my beach chair and I came up with a couple of questions. Do visitors in Finland have possibility to see local Finnish life at all? Do the tourists discuss with the Finns and share experiences? I have always wanted to see genuine everyday life during my trips abroad, though I appreciate sleeping in a comfortable hotel. Many people have shared the same opinion. 
 
The idea did not leave me alone, not even when I returned to Finland. Around the same time I read about a system in Denmark called “Meet the Danes”. It is an enterprise organizing home dinners for tourists in Denmark. I started to plan similar system here in Finland. Summer 2004 I flew to Copenhagen to discuss with the people of “Meet the Danes”. These nice people gave me plenty of good advice.
 
Cosy Finland established in May 2005
 
In May 2005 I established Cosy Finland, went from planning to finalizing things during the summer, and finally in September I started the business. The first Media Release telling about new service for travellers was given just before Christmas 2005.
 
A lot of interest and inquiries
 
Newspapers and other media have been very helpful to spread the information here in Finland. The new idea created a lot of interest and inquiries started to flow in. Many people wanted to act as a host. Now Cosy Finland has over 200 families/singles interested in hosting. 61 of them have been interviewed and are acting as hosts. The common thing for the hosts is a genuine interest in meeting people from other cultures.
 
Next step
I have been following my dream. One part is ready now. The basic host network exists and it is growing all the time. In order to make sure that Cosy Finland and the hosts have the same idea of visits, all the hosts are visited before they join to network. So, I Meet the Hosts before You Meet the Finns in Finland through Cosy Finland.
 
Next step: in coming years I want to see lots of satisfied customers who are visiting the host families, and are eating and experiencing the Finnish lifestyle. 
 
Looking forward to your visit!
 
                                   With best regards
 
                                   Cosy Finland
 
 
                                   Kirsti Sergejeff
                                  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                                                       

Lehdistötiedote 2009/8
4/4/2009 4:09:01 PM
 
Ohjelmaa Suomeen saapuville matkailijoille
 
Kaikkina vuodenaikoina ja kaikissa sääolosuhteissa
 
Meet the Finns in Finland
 
Cosy Finland tarjoaa Suomeen saapuville liike- ja vapaa-ajan matkailijoille mahdollisuuden tutustua suomalaiseen kulttuuriin sekä arkeen ja juhlaan järjestämällä vierailuja suomalaisissa kodeissa. 
 
Meet the Finns in Finland -palveluissa on kyse muutaman tunnin vierailusta, jonka aikana vieraalla on erinomainen tilaisuus kysellä suomalaisesta elämänmenosta. Kielivaihtoehtoja on monia.
Jotta kohtaaminen olisi kotoisa, vieraiden ihannemäärä on 1-4 henkilöä. Suuremmat ryhmät jaetaan useaan osoitteeseen.
Kulttuurit kohtaavat
Eräs Suomessa säännöllisesti vieraileva intialainen liikemies, joka tarvitsee tietoa suomalaisesta kulttuurista liikeyhteyksissään, kiittelee Cosy Finland -kokemustaan: käytettyään kotivierailupalvelua hän on oppinut suomalaisista enemmän kuin kaikkina kymmeninä aiempina kertoina.  
 
Kulttuurit ovat kohdanneet. Vieraita on ollut mm. Australiasta, Intiasta, Japanista, Kiinasta, USA:sta. Monet suomalaiset ovat jo päässeet tutustumaan vieraisiin kulttuureihin ja käyttämään kielitaitoaan omassa olohuoneessaan.
Innostuneita isäntiä
Suomalaisten innostuminen on yllättänyt: pienimuotoinen tiedottaminen on tuottanut paljon yhteydenottoja, ja kaksisataa isännäksi halukasta on jo ilmoittautunut. Ilmoittautumislomakkeissa vilahtelee monia eri kieliä: englantia, espanjaa, italiaa, ranskaa…
 
Kun yhteiset pelisäännöt ja toimintatavat on sovittu, isänniksi halukkaat liitetään mukaan Cosy Finlandin isäntärinkiin. Tällä hetkellä isäntäringissä on kuutisenkymmentä kotia, pääosin pääkaupunkiseudulla.
Laatuohjelma 
Cosy Finlandin pyrkimyksenä on laadukkaiden palvelujen tarjoaminen Suomeen saapuville matkailijoille ja jatkuva laadun kehittäminen. Cosy Finland on osallistunut laatuohjelmaan ja rakentanut päivittäistoimintaansa sen avulla. Siitä on osoituksena Laatutonni-diplomi vuodesta 2006 lähtien.
 
Lisätietoa
Cosy Finland
matkailuyrittäjä Kirsti Sergejeff
Viherlaaksonranta 10
02710 Espoo
kirsti.sergejeff@cosyfinland.com
Puh. 040 596 5434
www.cosyfinland.com                      


Media Release 2009/4
4/4/2009 4:02:34 PM
 
 
Dinner visits to Finnish homes
 
Service for incoming travellers - All year around and in all weather conditions
 
 
Meet the Finns in Finland
 
Cosy Finland provides an opportunity for travellers - in business or in leisure - to learn about the Finnish culture and everyday life by organizing Cosy Home Visits to Finnish homes. Meet the Finns in Finland concept includes many different services; all are based on getting the travellers and the local people together. 
 
The most popular service is Cosy Finnish Evening, a few hour dinner visit to a Finnish Home. The guest has a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about the culture and everyday life in Finland. There are multiple language choices. In order to make the visit as Cosy as possible the ideal number of guests is 1-4 people. Bigger groups are divided in to several homes.
 
Enthusiastic hosts and host families
                
The basis of Cosy Finland’s service is an ordinary Finnish Home and it’s people, host/s. This is about people from different cultures meeting each other and discussing their favourite topics. The excitement of Finnish people has really surprised: a small publicity has produced plenty of contacts and already over two hundred willing people has registered for host/s.
 
Cross-cultural experiences
 
Many foreigners have already had a chance to get to know Finnish culture. Both the host/s and the guests have received something very special out of the home visit concept. Different cultures have met. There have been guests as far away as Australia, China, India and USA.
Quality programme
The aspiration of Cosy Finland is to offer high quality services for travellers arriving to Finland and also to maintain the constant development of services. Cosy Finland has participated in the Quality Programme and with its help has built the day-to-day operation. Cosy Finland has had the Quality Programme diploma since 2006.
More information
Kirsti Sergejeff
Cosy Finland
Viherlaaksonranta 10
FIN-02710 Espoo
Tel. +358 (0)40 596 5434

6 items total
Copyright Cosy Finland