I seem to have missed this big news which appeared a few days ago in all our local newspapers.
An old friend, Pentti Vuorinen of the English Club of Oulu was awarded the title of Vice Consul by the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen for services rendered to his country in the field of journalism.
I searched my archives and found a picture of Pentti and Raija Pohjanpalo with Annikki and me at a English Club festive occasion on the 11th of December 1987 - 19 years ago. Mika is sitting in the foreground with his back to the camera.
at the English Club International Gala in 1987
Pentti is now 80. He has been a friend from 1984 when Annikki and I met him when we were invited to join the English Club of Oulu. Pentti was young and energetic then, just as he is today.
I met him just the other day at the Stockmann Coffee Shop and we exchanged some memories. He is such a jovial person and a wonderful companion. He is a linguist speaking (alphabetical order) English, French, German, Latin, Spanish, Swedish and his native tongue, Finnish. And he is fluent in every one.
He had a long career in the media in Oulu. That was one of the reasons he took up languages with such great fervour. His complaint to me was that he does not get as much chance to practice his languages these days - and he promptly took out a Spanish newspaper from his bag and was reading it with great aplomb!
He is still an active member of the Tuira Rotary Club. Retirement does not seem to have slowed him down at all. To me he seemed the same gentleman that he was when we first met 22 years ago.
Congratulations Pentti on a well deserved award from the Finnish President.
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