Finnishness to me as a foreigner is:
Snow
Every winter, for around half a year, this land of Finland will be covered in white sheets of snow that gets annoying after a few months, yet it is beautiful and soothing to see.
Nature
It’s something that surrounds me every day, I live right next to a forest and a lake when this is the so called second biggest city in Finland. I am sure that this is not only me and if that is the case then nature is literally a representation of Finnishness. It soothing and nice, both in winter and summer and it just around the corner.
Proudness
I find Finnish people very proud of their race to a point that they become offensive sometimes. In a foreigner’s perspective I think this is such a great thing to be so proud of your race and live happily amongst it. Yet as a foreigner that got offended, I think there are other ways to be proud of your race offending a group of foreign students.
Sauna
It is the most Finnish thing to do and almost every family or apartment building has one. It’s a luxury in other countries yet it’s the simplest form of entertainment and relaxation of the country. It’s honestly better in winter.
Getting drunk
A Finnish person before and after getting drunk is two people, they are so quiet and shy before getting drunk and after that they become the nicest and funniest people in the world. There are always exceptions which are alcoholics but generally the same person can change so much after a drink.
Personal Space
I am definitely enjoying a nd accepting this as a foreigner, everyone respects each other personal space and to be honest it’s very quiet on the streets or anywhere. It feels nice to walk around with your own personal space considering growing up in a metropolitan where personal space doesn’t exist. Then again, too much personal space leads to being distant which also is a very Finnish problem.
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