Even though I often find myself only mocking Finland and its culture, it is not hard for me to recognize the parts that I truly adore in being a Finn and living in Finland. Maybe that too is one of the fundamental parts of being Finnish, not giving credit for yourself or for your country, being too negative.
Anyhow, first thing I need to bring to the table is the nature. I think Finland has quite an unique nature and there is a lot of it too. I´m pretty sure that there are not many places in the world that have such pure air and waters and so many clean lakes and forests as Finland does. It is quite amazing too that in Finland everybody is allowed to roam around the nature freely, no matter who happens to own the forest or field. For myself this huge resource of nature means relaxing, which I think it is for many other Finns too. It gives a great balance after a busy week at the city to go on a hike to a forest on the weekend and enjoy some campfire food. Then of course the nature in Lapland is even more unique than in the rest of the Finland. Almost once a year a get this urge to visit Lapland and to enjoy the peace of its winter.
Being a Finn there is one thing you simply have to say when speaking about Finland. It is the Sauna. Sauna is the place where otherwise shy and bit reserved Finns share their stories and emotions. In the sauna we Finns can be our true selves and there is no need for any disguises. Going to the sauna is also a perfect way to relax. It helps to relax both your body and soul. Moving to abroad, sauna will definitely be one of the things I’ll be missing the most.
Apart from the clichés I love how in Finnish culture it is totally ok to be silent even when you’re spending time with someone else. It is not awkward, and you don’t have to quickly come up with something to say. Quite the contrary, I think that Finns take it as a sign of true friendship when you can be with someone silently and it doesn’t feel weird at all. This said I don’t mean that I and neither Finns would like to be silent all the time.
Another trait that I just love about Finns is that they are truly trustworthy. When you agree on something with Finnish people you can be sure that they act by it. If a meeting starts at nine o’clock it will start at nine o’clock. And if you have agreed that someone will for example come and repair your TV they will come and repair your TV. Also you can be pretty carefree in Finland, since there aren’t a lot of robberies or other small crimes like that.
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