“The coldness drives people to move more and to do more than people from hot and humid countries.”
When I came across this sentence on social media, it made me pause. Almost instinctively, I started connecting it to a question that had been sitting in my mind for a long time: why are so many countries in the Northern Hemisphere, especially Nordic and Scandinavian countries, ranked so highly in terms of quality of life and wealth?
Finland is one of them. A country with no significant natural resources, around seven months of snow each year, and a population of only about 5.5 million people yet it is known as the happiest country in the world, a pioneer in technology, and a hub of innovation. How?
The moment I landed in Finland, the difference was already there. The air I breathed felt unbelievably fresh compared to what I was used to back home. From that moment on, Finnish culture slowly started rooting itself in me. Later, when I left Finland for a short exchange and traveled to other countries, I found myself craving things I had never consciously valued before, Finland’s sense of safety, its accessibility, and its “less, but more meaningful” way of living.
The more I learned about Finnish history and culture, the closer I felt to understanding Finnish behavior and mindset. Visiting museums from the Finlayson Museum and Moomin Museum to various art museums and studying the roots of Finnish companies helped me see how deeply history, resilience, and simplicity are embedded in everyday life here. From the night less summers to the long, dark winter days, I am learning to embrace what Finland offers rather than focusing on what it lacks.
Coming from a country where sunrise and sunset follow almost the same rhythm throughout the year, Finland’s dramatic contrast between day and night was shocking at first but also exceptional. The extremes force you to slow down, to notice time, and to adapt.
That said, as an international student in Finland, my euphoria is not constant. After almost three years of living here, the excitement I felt at the beginning has softened and fluctuates more than before. But perhaps that is also part of truly settling in, not being constantly amazed, but quietly appreciating. Finnishness, for me, is no longer just something fascinating to observe; it is something I am slowly learning to live with and live by.
I use AI as a tool to help refine my sentence structure, but all ideas and experiences shared here are entirely my own.
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