To me Finland is one of a kind country, having its distinctive characteristics that foreigners will never fully understand. Even though most of the Nordic countries are known for cold weather, personal space, no chit chat small talks, love for alcohol and people being preserved and cold, still I think Finland has something special in it, so called “Finnishness”.
When talking about “Finnishness” a few things immidiately come to my mind:
- Nature
Even though Finland is not architecturally rich country, it is especially famous for its clean, fresh air, loads of greenery and hundreds of lakes. Despite having shitty weather throughout the whole year, one can witness breath taking summer sunsets and sunrises, winter wonderland and, above all, amazing Aurora Borealis.
(all pictures taken by me)
(found this one on google)
2. Ice hockey achievements
I think Finns are one of the craziest ice hockey addicts in the world. They get so passionate when cheering for Finland on Ice Hockey Worlds and get extremely frustrated when the country loses. It is good to avoid a disappointed Finnish ice hockey fan 😀
3. Salmiakki or whatever related stuff
Candies/chewing gum/ice cream/shots/other alco beverages – everything can be produced from this mysterious salty liquorice. It is quite challenging to find a Finn who does not like black candy or anything that countains it. Foreigners describe it as “unlikeable” and disgusting and i totally agree with this statement 😀
4. No direct confrontation
it is not a secret that Finns avoid direct conflict and they are totally non-confrontational people. They do not like getting into situations that make themselves and other people uncomfortable or simply, as one might say, do not have the guts to get in someone’s face. Famous comics character Matti perfectly portrays the typical situation with Finnish passive resistance 😉
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