It’s kind of funny to be an international student studying abroad and go on exchange because I have to write the blog as if Finland is my home country, or I don’t.
After living in the 3rd country including my home country Vietnam, I have explored so many things about the world and people and myself. Even this year’s experience changed me so much that this blog would have been so different if I would have written it at the beginning of my exchange, but as usually procrastination won and things got in the way and now I’m spending my free days at the end of it writing EVERYTHING.
To the point, what is Finnishness for me?
Kindness and genuineness
Of course, there are different people everywhere but I believe in general the majority of Finnish people will return a wallet to the owner if they can. Or else how can this country be so peaceful? I forgot my wallet at the printer at TAMK overnight twice and always got it back at the info desk. Finland gained my trust in people but also spoiled me as it made me less cautious of the “dangerous world” out there.
Incredibly freezing winter
Experiencing half a year of snow then was so extreme that I don’t think I will ever forget the filling cycling across the city when it covered in snow or how my hand freeze after few second without a glove on. Being away for a year after 2 years spending winter in Finland, I did miss it quite a bit.
SAUNA
This is the thing I miss the most when I’m away. When I was in Vietnam, it was already so hot that I’m afraid of sauna but in Finland, it was so cold that it makes me freaking love sauna. I think, sitting in a sauna is meditation, I’m not patient enough to meditate myself but when you sit in a sauna, it’s so hot that you just want to sit there and breath. I also love the feeling when you go out to the freezing temperature and your body is still hot like a piece of coal from the sauna.
Summer sunset
I’m from the capital city in Vietnam where it’s packed with houses and building. The only place we can see the most of the sunset is near the biggest lake in Hanoi, West Lake, which is not even as big as Säijänselkä lake. I enjoyed every single time watching the sunset from Rauhaniemi where I used to live. When the sky is clear, the water is still, reflecting the orange ball slowly slides under the skyline. But the sun is too strong it can’t hide in the summer as you still see the light move under the skyline.
<3Chi
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