John Hughes, between Hameenlinna and Altamont

John Hughes of Altamont stands at the Aulanko Nature Reserve in Finland near Hameenlinna, a city north of Helsinki where he lives with his Finnish wife, Tuulikki. The couple met at an educational media conference in Honolulu — she was a college professor in Finland; he was a media producer for SUNY. Both are retired now. They married last April, in the midst of the pandemic, in front of the Guilderland Town Hall, and now split their time between Altamont and Hameenlinna. For the fourth year running, a report sponsored by the United Nations has named Finland the happiest place in the world. The joke in Finland, Hughes says in this week’s podcast, is: “It wins that year after year because all the sad people kill themselves.” Finns have a very dry wit, he said. But, he said, there is a feeling of safety and contentment in the country with a socialized medical system that takes care of needs, and faith in the government and the police.

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