I spent three months in Bulgaria during my Erasmus program, and I was the only Erasmus student from Finland at that time, and actually only one from the Nordic countries overall. So, people in general were very interested to hear about Finland and Finnish culture. Here are few topics I often discussed with other people, and how I represented Finland for them.
Nature
During my time abroad I really learned to value Finnish nature. In Finland even in bigger cities, nature is always close by. Here is thousands of lakes, and endless forest. We have this thing called Every man’s right, which allows everyone to go freely anywhere in the nature. Late summer there is blueberries everywhere in the forest, and anybody is welcome to go blueberrypicking. Nature and also everywhere else in Finland is always very clean, which I really learned to value after spending time abroad.
Sauna
Sauna, probably the most known part of the Finnish culture. Many people came to asking is it true that there is sauna in almost every house? Well, maybe not every house, but almost. Also in apartment buildings even if there is not sauna in the apartment, there is usually a shared sauna in the common areas. Sauna is a very important part of Finnish culture, and it is not a special occasion, it is part of our daily life. Finns enjoy sauna together with families, friends or even colleagues. And apart from the social meaning, sauna is known to have many health benefits also.
Finnish atmosphere and customs
During my time abroad I learned that Finnish mindset is sometimes very different compered to other European countries. Daily interactions and customs are overly friendly, people talk a lot and to everyone. It is a custom way to ask how are you from basically anyone, and some people even give a kiss on the cheeks when greeting eventhough it’s first time meeting them. This needed a little bit of adjustment from me, because in Finland we don’t really do small talk. We like to keep things to ourselves, and only ask something if we actually care to know the answer, and in a deeper level. Part of Finnish atmosphere is also quietness. It is true that people in Finland are kinda reserved, and even in public places it’s often very quiet.
Comments