So many versions of Finnishness

Shyness, silentness, sauna, forests, thousands of lakes, large consumption of alcohol, summer cottages, Sisu, free education, great Pisa ranking, high taxes, nightless nights, and polar nights might be the first things you hear or think about Finland/Finnishness.  They are all true, but only a part of the whole truth.

Finland is a big country, compared to many other European countries, with a small population (approx. 5,5 million). Because of this, Finnishness in different parts of Finland means totally different things. A typical finn from Helsinki acts, speaks, and dresses differently from a typical finn from Turku, Iisalmi or Ylitornio. You may live your life in a 15 square meter apartment in the center of a “big” city, getting your income from writing a blog about hair extensions, or you might spend your days farming potatoes, hunting and fishing, hundred kilometers away from the closest town.

Still there are some similarities. Most of people around Finland are always waiting for another season, typically summer. But when it’s summer, we’re not happy, because it’s too hot, cold, rainy, cloudy or sunny. That’s why we wait for the next summer to be better. The same thing occurs at winters. Winter is always too cold or warm. There’s not enough snow, or there’s too much of it! Being unhappy about the current season and weather brings us closer together.

Too much snow.

Not enough snow.

Too foggy.

Too windy.

Too serene.

Summer ended too soon.

Every finn is different from another. Don’t be afraid to get to know us. We might seem quite impolite and distant, but that’s usually because a stranger looking at us straight into the eyes and saying “Hi” most often scares the crap out of us.

From Finland with love
-Markus