Kari Mokko is a D.C. resident and the press secretary for the Embassy of Finland. A former TV journalist in Finland, Mokko is a hockey fan and a dedicated networker who hosts sauna parties at the embassy with a buffet known to feature reindeer meat.
So, what’s the big news out of the Finnish Embassy these days?
We are gearing up big-time to host our former president, Martti Ahtisaari, who just won the Nobel Peace Prize. He will visit D.C. later in the spring. It will be a definite highlight for us. Our nation is really proud of him and his achievements as a peace negotiator.
What is your favorite thing about living in D.C.?
The fact that this city is so alive, welcoming and there is a constant buzz. Locals are really open for new contacts and eager to meet people with different cultural backgrounds. Our family has lived here for 18 months now and time really flies, especially when history is made around you. And I love the professional challenge as well. If you make it here, you can make it anywhere.
What is up with those Finnish Sauna Society parties at the embassy?
Diplomatic Finnish Sauna Society of D.C. is the hottest (165 F) cool society in town! Finns own the bragging rights to the only diplomatic sauna in town. DFSS is a by-invitation-only society for D.C. journos and PR people. We have 70 local media personalities as members and I organize a couple of really casual sauna evenings every month. Warm buffet, open bar and oh, the sauna is not co-ed. In all, the embassy sauna is a great niche for us. These facts ought to make some well-known D.C. hostesses worried and restless …
Are there any common misconceptions we Americans have about the Finnish people you want to debunk here? Now is your chance.
Everybody is like, ‘Hey as a Finn you must really enjoy this cold snap!’ But the truth is I totally try to stay indoors.
