Finnishness is a combination of many characteristics and stereotypes. These are my opinions about Finnishness and I am proud to introduce myself as a Finn and also tell people about these characteristics when I’m travelling.
Finns are punctual and honest people especially when it comes to business life. People arrive to a business meeting 5 to 10 minutes beforehand and if something is agreed you can trust that the Finnish business partner keeps his word. Don’t be hurt if a Finn address you with your first name since that is the common way to address even strangers. In business life you might call your manager with his/her first name and that is totally normal. You might also want to know that Finns don’t brag about themselves and usually success should be kept to yourself because otherwise someone might feel bad or even jealous.
People really appreciate their personal space and you should remember this because otherwise a Finn might feel uncomfortable. Using a public transportation is a good example. You shouldn’t stand too close to the person next to you at the bus stop and also everyone likes to have the seat next to them free if there only is still room in the bus. Oh, and small talk is sometimes difficult for Finns so you can try to speak about the weather if the person next to you doesn’t look to indifferent and is willing to continue the conversation. It’s funny how this personal space and inability for small talk doesn’t apply in sauna. Finns turn out really social in sauna and I don’t really know the reason for this.
Finnish nature is clean and really one of a kind because its four seasons. In the fall season you might be delighted with all the fall colors that you can see in the leaves and also in the ground. In my opinion Finns hibernate during winter because people usually stay at home when it’s cold, snowing and dark outside. On the other hand, this is the best time to play ice hockey which seems to be the Finnish national sport. Spring is the second best season because you can see more and more light and you can go outside without freezing. But Finnish summer is the best, people are more positive and they’re spending their leisure time outside for example in their summer cottages or at festivals.
Finnish food is something really special. We seem to love salty liquorice and rye bread. These are the foods I usually miss when I’m travelling. If you don’t want to shock your foreign quests I would say tasting Karelian pasty with egg butter might be a good start exploring Finnish cuisine rather than make them taste for example Mämmi. Mämmi is rye pudding and people usually eat it with cream and sugar.
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