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My Experiences of Finnishness

Tag: Finland

What Finnishness Means to Me

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.

Emptiness and Kindness

Sunday morning walk to work or an evening hike in the north - empty and quiet. Outside of rush seasons and rush hours Finland is quiet everywhere from big cities to the nature. It's often completely quiet even with people around. This is the stereotype of the Finland and it is pretty accurate. But there is more than the silence and emptiness and it's kindness.

Understanding Finnishness: Trust, Silence, and Work-Life Balance

Before coming to Finland, I had heard that Finnish people are quiet, honest, and highly organized. However, after living and working here, I started to understand that these characteristics are deeply connected to their culture, education, and social system. In this post, I would like to share my personal experiences and observations about three important aspects of Finnish culture: honesty and trust, silence and communication style, and work-life balance.

Finding Comfort in Finland’s Quiet Culture

Moving to Finland as an international student two and a half years back, I expected to notice the cold weather and dark winters. Instead, the biggest change I felt was something I had quietly needed for a long time: silence and personal space. I come from a culture where life is always loud. People talk over each other, public places are full of noise, and personal space is small. Community is strong, and being close to others is a sign of warmth and connection. I value that part of my background, but as an introverted person, I often felt overwhelmed. It was hard to find time to breathe, think, or be alone without seeming distant. Living in Finland has been very different. Here, silence is not awkward it’s natural. On buses, in classrooms, and even among friends, people are comfortable with quiet moments. No one feels pressure to fill every pause with small talk. At first, this felt unusual. Now, it feels peaceful. Personal space is also deeply respected. Standing a little farther apart and speaking more softly feels like a form of everyday kindness. Finnish culture hasn’t made me reject where I come from instead, it has helped me understand myself better and feel that my need for quiet is something to respect, not fix.

I'm glad to be Finnish

Let's tackle the positive aspects of Finland that make me feel glad I live here.

Finnishness

Being Finnish for me is not just about where I come from, but about the feelings and values I experience in everyday life.

Finnishness in Me

Finnishness in Me. That is a difficult topic to answer at first, I even had to rant to my friend about it before I was found my answer to the question. In the end the answer was right in front of me. 

Dark days, sauna and salmiakki

What Finnishness Means to Me To me, Finnishness is defined by dark days and sunny nights, solitude and community, and, of course, salmiakki.

Finnishness for me

Finnishness, to me, means many things, but what I love most is the stillness. There’s something magical about experiencing Finnish summers, hearing birds chirping outside your window, or the quiet of winter when people stay indoors, enjoying their favorite podcasts. It’s in the laughter shared with friends, sipping coffee while soaking up the sun. For me, Finnishness is about embracing life’s little moments, even when the sun doesn’t shine as brightly.

Getting to know Finn-land

Finnish culture is often described through its simplicity, resilience, and deep connection with nature. When I came to experience it myself 3 years ago, I created my own understanding of what it means to be Finnish, with sauna, silence, and the Finnish concept of sisu on the forefront.

My Finnishness as a foreigner

Everyone that visits Finland leaves with a piece of the country still within them, so even as a foreigner you can have Finnishness in you.

Some thoughts about Finnishness

I step out of the sauna. I take my towel and a bottle of beer. Walking down the stairs, I feel how the soft wind sweeps my face. I look at the darkening sky and hear some lonely blackbird whispering. Time stands still and I know I’m safe here. For me, finnishness is somehow a mix of a nature, peace and presence.

Finland Swedish Finnishness

My name is Miranda and I’m a Finland-Swede. Fennoswede, is another word for it, and it simply means the people in Finland who speak Swedish. And I am one of them. In this blogpost I will dive in deeper into what being a Finland Swede means to me.

What is Finnishness made of?

Finnishness is a sum of many great and unique elements that sets us apart from other nations and their people. In my blog post I will open a few of the elements which I believe are cornerstones of Finnishness.