Things that pop in mind first when speaking about Finland and Finnishness are free education, shyness and sauna.
So education in Finland. Not only it’s free to study in universities but you also get financial support from KELA (the social insurance institution of Finland) for your living. Sounds good doesn’t it. Especially when compared to countries where you might have to spend thousands just for a semester of study.
”While having a conversation a shy Finn looks at his own shoes while an outgoing one looks at the other persons” or how the saying/joke goes. As shyness is one the biggest stereotypes of Finnish people of course not all Finns are shy and to be honest in my own experience Finns have started to be more social in the past few years. And I’m not sure if it’s always shyness or just not having anything to say except yes or no when asked something.
Finland the country with 5 million citizens and 3 million saunas. You know saunas the hot ”rooms” where you throw water to hot rocks and it vaporizes and then you just sit there sweating, feeling hot and relaxed.
Fun fact about Finnish shyness is that it’s pretty much forgotten when it comes to sauna. When it’s difficult to stand close to each other while waiting a bus at the bus stop there is no problem getting naked and sitting side by side with strangers in a sauna.
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