HURON — Christa (Blomqvist) Gronlund of Finland has been taking in all the changes in Huron this week while visiting Joyce Watkins and daughters Jodi Even and Christina Jackson, who were her host family for the 1986-87 school term.
“Jodi was asking what do you want to do when you come, and I said I want to go to the mall,” Gronlund said. “Mom took me there, it took like 30 seconds.”
“She wanted to flip the loop like we used to,” Even added.
Gronlund, who will be in Huron until flying out Sunday morning, said she made this trip to see her son, Kevin Lankinem, who just signed with the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He is a goalie for the Ice Hogs in the American Hockey League. She also has a grown daughter.
“When mom heard I am going to be in Chicago, she wrote on Facebook to come and visit — it’s only nine hours away,” Gronlund said. “Finland is a small country. When I told my friends, they said ‘only’ nine hours away?”
It was in Huron that Gronlund experienced her first Halloween, and of course, Thanksgiving.

“Prom, toilet papering, it was really fun,” she added. “School was cool, but the most different part is probably school meals. I liked it here a lot. You could get pizza. It’s boring food in Finland during lunches.”
“The food was different, I liked it a lot here,” Gronlund said. “It tasted better here, maybe not so healthy, but it tasted better.”
Even asked if she remembered having Halloween parties in the garage — but all Gronlund could remember was painting the garage. “She’s family,” added Even, laughing.
Over the years they have traveled to Finland to visit Gronlund, and this is her second time to come back and visit her exchange family — which has grown to include Even’s four sons and a grandchild, and Jackson’s two children.
“We were in each other’s weddings,” said Even, who graduated with Gronlund. “We’re sisters.”
This visit was bittersweet since her host father, Bill Watkins, died in 2008.
Gronlund is one of four exchange students the Watkins have welcomed into their home over the years.
“We have a Dutch heritage,” Watkins said. “My dad was born in Holland, so we wanted to look for Dutch students first. We thought it was more for us to learn about Holland at that time. But we had such a good experience we continued on.”
Their first exchange student was from Holland in 1985, followed by Gronlund, Spain in 1991, and from Sweden in 1993, the year Jackson graduated from high school.
Each one became a part of the family, a connection that continues to this day.
“I hope many can give opportunity for the exchange student to come here,” Gronlund said. “It’s for the whole lifetime — for the family and students.”
Former classmates and friends who would like to visit with Gronlund while she’s here can call Even at 350-4825 to make arrangements.