Finnished without Finland

picture taken by me
Kuusamo, Finland

At a younger age I always saw Finland as this boring "default" country without anything special to do. Every other place had so many new and exciting things to do and places to see while I had lived here my whole life. In media your first time experiencing snow is shown as something magical, but I was just a few months old when that happened to me. I didn't get to travel often but every time I felt it was one of the highest points of my life. Every trip felt too short, but somehow I was always happy when the plane landed and I got to breath the finnish fresh air. I slowly began to realize that even though new places felt special, there was something even more special about a familiar place - this sense of familiarity makes it my home.

 

taken by me
Out in the woods

The more I got to learn and appreciate different places, the more I started to also appreciate Finland. It wasn’t a boring default country, it was an exciting place with its own culture just like every other place in the world. I started to see the beauty of Finland’s nature: the four seasons each distinct and different from one another, the countless lakes with fresh water, the bright green forests providing the area with lots of oxygen and the white snow and colorful aurora borealis lighting up the dark winters.

Image taken by me
Ruka, Finland

I’ve never felt that being finnish is a big part of my identity, but at the same time I see how it has affected me in many ways. The blunt and honest yet awkward way of communicating, the relaxation from going back and forth between the sauna and ice cold water, the love for winter sports and many other habits I’ve grown because of living here. I am thankful to be from Finland!

taken by me
beautifiul lakes

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