Elements of Finnish national identity
I’d summarize the elements of Finnish national identity to grumpy yet friendly people, a chilly yet beautiful environment and a indebted yet strong nation. For a foreigner the Finns might seem a bit asocial at first, but once you break the ice with them by simply engaging them into a conversation, their friendly and communicative characteristics begin to arise. Small talk isn’t a natural part of Finnish communication in general, so they’re quite bad at that, but when you get to a conversation topic they can familirialise themselves with, the akwardness begins to fade.
The Finnish environment consists mainly of lakes, forests and fields. The southern part of Finland is mainly flat, but the northern part (Lapland) has a few bigger hills / small mountains, which are called tunturis. Lakes are spread all over the nation and I’d say its one of the best features the Finnish nature has to offer; endless swimming possibilities wherever you go. The climate in Finland is quite chilly due to its location in the northern hemisphere. The winters are long and mainly damp or slushy, yet there still are some snowy periods in Lapland. The summers on the other hand are a bit chilly too, even though you get a few days over 25 degrees celsius when you can get your share of red burnt skin that hopefully turns into a light tan instead of melanoma.
The Finnish nation in general is technologically advanced yet an indebted one. The whole nation is undergoing some financial savings and the government is constantly searching for ways to bring the economy back to a debt free state. Being part of the EU is an important matter for the government yet it has been an opinion dividing subject for the people since the day we joined. The price level in Finland is one of the highest in Europe due to high taxation yet for example the health care system is basically sustained with that so in my opinion it really pays for itself. In general, Finland can be considered as a welfare state and due to working healthcare and pension systems as well as basic municipal services its a no brainer for me.
Finnish free time activities
The Finns have plenty of unique free time activities from boot-throwing to swamp football in the summer and from ice swimming to ice rallying in the winter. Not to forget the most obvious, Sauna, of course. The basic types of spending free time in Finland can include various activities but I’d say the most common ways of fighting the stress of work are having a sauna, spending time with family and/or friends, enjoying some alcoholic beverages at home or at a bar and relaxing in a cottage near a lake or a river. The best way to really maximize the pleasure is naturally to combine them all together with a added possibility for some barbeque. A Finnish TV-advertisement states that the best place for a Finn to be is alone in a summer cottage during the summer near a lake after Sauna and with a sausage in his/hers hand. As accurate as the statement is I’d still switch the alone part to with friends and family. After all, alone you couldn’t have a proper game of darts or “mölkky” before relaxing in the heat of a wood-heaten sauna in the evening.
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