Finnishness

For me, Finnishness means trust between people. I feel that Finns are also very honest. If something is said, it is usually true. In my own experience, Finns keep their promises well. While traveling in different countries I have had to face numerous scams and a lot of lying. Of course, those things are happening in Finland also, but in principle, I can trust the word of the people here. When walking alone outdoors I am not afraid that someone will want to rob me or attack me. I feel privileged to live in such a safe country.

In Finland, we have clean and fresh air and four different seasons. I like to do a lot of different outdoor sports, for example, snowboarding, wakeboarding, disc golf, hiking, and long-distance running. All my outdoor hobbies are possible thanks to the diverse and clean nature. We have a sparsely populatedarea in northern Finland, it’s called Lapland. Especially hiking in Lapland is a very Finnish thing for me and for many other Finns. You can hike there for days without seeing other people. You can drink water straight from the mountain stream and sleep in a tent or hammock.

Finnish people love to watch different sports. Especially winter sports are close to our hearts. The feeling of togetherness during the World Hockey Championships is wonderful, especially when we win! Finns encourage Finnish athletes a lot. We are very proud of all the Finnish famous athletes and other famous Finnish people. We are happy to tell about them to foreign people.

All photos taken by Lotta Viljamaa