Moi!
We wanted to open up a Finnish mindset and common behavior. We believe, it is very important to know certain things from Finns before you spent time with them, because we can sometimes be understood wrongly.
A Finnish person may seem like quiet and shy at first, but it is just our way of staying in our comfort zone for a bit longer than in many other cultures. We are listening rather than speaking at first. We don’t want to be in the spotlight or get too much attention, we like to listen other people and think our sentences before we say them. We also need a bit time to figure out what kind of a things we can say in different situations and with different people.
Finnish people may not speak much, but when they speak, they have something to say. We are not very good at small talk. It is strange to Finns that you ask “how are you” and actually not getting a real answer. We like to go straight to the point and usually if we say something, we mean it. We are very honest and straight with our words, so for some cultures it can be taken as rudeness even though we would not mean to say anything bad.
It might take a while to get to know our spirit, but when you get to know us, you’ll see that our mindset is something everyone can benefit in their lives :).
Best regards,
Iida Masonen and Anni Jalli
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