For my list of Finnishness, I tried to pick topics that reflect very different parts of Finnish life and consider how they affect us. Here we go:
Nature
Four distinct seasons
Living at the northern regions of our globe means we Finns can enjoy – or suffer from, depends on who and when you ask, the four seasons in our country.
Each season is quite different from each other: we have summer when we can enjoy the light and warm days in the middle of vivid nature. Autumn, that asks you to marvel its colorful ruska scenery and grasp on its great mushroom and berry picking opportunities. We have winter, although very dark, that gives you many reasons to go out and enjoy the snowy environment – or stay indoors, away from the freezing death! And spring that, uh… ummm, is rather muddy, ugly and dumps guerilla-like mini winters at us multiple times. But to be fair, it is nice to observe how the spring pushes through the waning snow and the nature comes alive again, getting us ready for the warm and light-filled summer after a long dark season.
All in all, the seasons in Finland have their own lovely and not-so-lovely characteristics that have molded the Finnish lifestyle over centuries. We have many habits, activities, jobs, holidays etc. that fit each particular season. I think Finnish seasons with their many aspects and impacts are worth praising even though it’s just easy take them for granted.
And sorry, no glaciers and polar bears.
Society
Freedom to choose your occupation
One of the best cornerstones of Finland are the vast and equal opportunities for every Finn to study for any career they like, anything from highly demanding job of a doctor to an easygoing artist. No matter what the personal background is. But of course, individual’s health or family’s financial factors might hamper the opportunities but luckily Finland’s welfare system tries to tackle those issues as best as it can.
We are fortunate that Finland’s education system does not have high tuition fees or class or caste barriers. Basically the only thing that matters is your willingness to work hard for your own education and future.
Socioculture
The Finnish language
As I have gotten older, I have started to appreciate our language more and more. There are so many different grammar rules, word structures, dialects, meanings etc. that are unique to our language. Especially our extensive use of compound words might seem daunting to foreigners. For example, what do you think about our probably longest word lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas? (=airplane jet turbine engine assistant mechanic officer student). Some words even lose their “essence” if you try to express them in another language, like Finnish curse words or very popular noni.
I think it’s important to cherish our language and keep it alive during these days when our world becomes more global and digital era slowly kills old words. You never know when you can amuse your friends and acquaintances or teach them something new by dropping an odd Finnish word or proverb!
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