Reasons why I am proud to be a Finn

When someone asks me to describe what Finnish culture is, the first things that come to my mind are material ones such as liquorice, rye bread, saunas and Moomin. The more important things may lie beyond the surface as we might easily take those for granted. I’m talking about cleanliness, nature, education, healthcare and safety to mention a few.

As we all know, Finland has a very high tax rate. It’s not very ideal but because of it, we have free education and a somewhat working healthcare system. We still have lots of things to improve but essentially a lot less than most of the other countries which I am very proud of. 

The thing that I’m most proud of, is the safe environment. I have to confess that I do take safety for granted. It’s hard to suddenly have to make plans and decisions based on when there is still daylight and it’s safe to walk outside alone. In Finland I hardly ever give those things a second thought. It’s not to say that all other countries are not safe, but I do consider Finland being one of the most safest countries to live in.  

Not many countries have four seasons as clearly as we do. I love summer and the heat but not so much winter. I used to wish I lived in a country that always had warm weather. As years have gone by, I’ve come to realize that four different seasons is the best way to live. If it was warm all year round, there wouldn’t be so much to wait for in the summer. And it can be really pretty in the winter too despite the freezing cold weather… 

I grew up in a house surrounded by forest and therefore the nature means a lot to me. Having lived in Tampere a few years now, I have noticed that not even all Finnish people realize how much nature and forest there is in Finland. The nature means peace to me but above all it means that there is a whole bunch of lives living in the woods, lakes and soil etc. In my childhood home you can see lots of different species of birds and animals but my favourite by far are the squirrels! 

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