As a Finnish person engaged to an Italian and moving to the Netherlands, culture becomes a beautiful “sekasoppa” of holding on to your roots while adapting to new cultures. Spending time away from home and adapting to new cultures opens your eyes to appreciate the beauty of Finland and Finnishness. Finnishness is the comfortable silence, politeness, abiding by the rules, and queuing even when you don’t know what you’re queuing for.
I have two nationalities: Finnish and English. I have lived in Finland for almost two decades, which is most of my life, yet I still feel like my sense of Finnishness has somehow been warped. What makes me feel Finnish? Is it the language, my understanding of the culture? Or is it simply the luck of being born half Finnish from the get-go? What is Finnishness?
For me, the forest is one of the things that represents Finnishness the most. Finland is known for its beautiful forests, and nature is an important part of everyday life for many Finns. The forest is not only a place to visit, but also a place where people can relax, spend time with family and friends, or simply enjoy being alone.
The Four Seasons in Finland Finland has four beautiful seasons, and each one offers different weather, activities and sports. In this blog, I will tell you what the seasons are like in Finland and what kind of sports you can enjoy during each season.
Finland has four beautiful seasons, each very different from the others. You can hear the differences between the seasons in Finnish compositions.
Before, my understanding of Finland and Finnish culture was limited to four seasons, cold weather, saunas, and Santa Claus. Now, after travelling, meeting people from different cultures, and having many interesting conversations about culture, I have come to the conclusion that culture is so much more than that.
Finland is a distant cold country. Yet there is a warm core within.
Living in Finland for two years has changed the way I see Finnish people and their culture. In this post, I will share my reflections on what Finnishness means to me.
My thoughts on Finnishness
