Most of the Finns are kind-hearted, who care about your well-being, but they tend to be shy. This varies depending on the age of the person, usually elderly people are more talkative, and younger people are less social. This is most likely due to smartphones or other electronic devices which elderly people didn't have in the past.
After living in Finland for 15 years, you start to wish that you can live elsewhere, possibly abroad, as places get too familiar and boring. Also, the products in Finnish grocery stores are, some could say, worse than abroad. There are numerous snacks and sweets that they do not sell here, and every time you go abroad, you are fascinated by how amazing the foreign snacks are compared to Finnish snacks. Don't get me wrong, some brands such as Fazer are just as tasty.
If anyone decides to step foot into this cold country, be prepared for anything. The weather in Southern Finland is horrible, especially during the fall and winter. It gets pitch black at 16:00, which basically means that travelling via public transportation becomes more difficult. Also, the temperature drops drastically during the winter, so I advise everyone to dress up accordingly. As for the sun, it shows up in around April and disappears in September. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 20°C, and can drop to a whopping -25°C on a bad year.
The culture of Finland is fairly simple. People enjoy using the sauna, consuming alcohol and watching ice hockey. Finnish people are extremely nationalistic, not only in ice hockey, but in general. This isn't usually that big of a deal, but for example in 2011, Finland defeated Sweden in the World Championship of ice hockey in the final, which lead to approximately 100,000 gathering in Helsinki Kauppatori to celebrate. This is a problem for especially the authorities, as Finnish ice hockey fans are extremely passionate and go mental over a World Championship.
Every country has its own ups and downs, and are unique in their own way. You might find something special in only one country, but there are always other companies making replicas, which do not differ in many ways. All-in-all, no country is perfect, and I feel blessed to have lived in Finland and experienced something that can only be experienced here. Meeting great people and creating possibly lifetime friendships are all possible because of Finland. I also feel lucky that I haven't moved abroad, because that would mean that I would've lost all the closest friends in my life that I never wish to lose.
You have a nice topic, however I think there could have been a more suitable topic since in the text you are referring to yourself and your own life. There are a few grammar mistakes here and there however they don't impact too much. The text gives a nice personal view and you show your opinion and experiences which I think is quite interesting. I love the cute picture at the end! It makes a very good ending!
ReplyDeleteVery nice post, you described really well your personal experiences and opinions from your point of view. The title could have been more eye catching to really get people's attention and make them want to read it, but otherwise the content was interesting!
ReplyDeleteWhile the things that you say in your post aren't generally untrue, you do mostly focus on the Finnish stereotypes that many know. You could make this even more personal, focusing on your own experiences even more. I don't see how the title is connected to the content.
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