When I am asked to describe Finnish culture, the obvious first picks to mention are naturally sauna, the Moomins, nature and lakes and sisu or persistence – as well as Käärijä as of recent. Finland is a cold country covered in snow for nearly over half a year and likewise the people here are reserved and quiet. As a Finn I can say that while there is a sprinkle of truth in every stereotype, it is never the whole picture.
A few months back I was in the sports hall dressing room packing up my stuff after volleyball practice. That day there was a new woman, an Italian exchange student on traineeship, joining the practice. She was very bright and kind, and packed hell of a punch in her spikes! But what got me by surprise is her analysis of me that she explained to me: “You don’t feel like a Finn, you’re very bubbly and talkative.”
I was obviously confused by the comment because I’m as stereotype-brand of Finn as you get, that being quiet and private. Heck, I was too timid to talk to her before practice because I wasn’t sure if she was there for volleyball or something else, which is why I ignored her completely and only began talking to her when she first introduced herself to me. However, that was her takeaway of me after the practice as she told me I felt very different from the Finns she had met before. Thinking about her analysis of me now, I believe it must have been because we were playing my number-one past-time that being volleyball. I am very passionate about playing and when I do so, I want everyone on the court to feel the same enjoyment I do. I would say Finns tend to have a cold mask on the outside that melts when we get to partake in activities we adore whether it be ice hockey, rock festivals, volleyball or something totally different. When a Finn is passionate about something, it won’t take long to find it out!
Finns approach life with a laid-back mind. We do not take ourselves too seriously and – most of us – are happy to joke around and have jokes made at our expense. I think this is especially noticeable in Finnish advertisements and movies, since both tend to lean heavily towards comedy. Because of this lack of seriousness in our daily lives, I would also call Finns modest on average. We like to keep to ourselves and not stand out too much despite being quite individualistic. In this way we resemble the nature of our country: calm lakes, and forests with a minimalistic number of colors and shapes. It is simultaneously nothing too fancy as well as beautiful in its unique simplicity and tranquility.
I would also characterize Finnish culture and people as adaptive and open to new ideas and experiences. A perfect example of this would be our national food culture at restaurants. Often foreigners have little to no idea what our local food is like as there are very few restaurants that serve exclusively Finnish food. People are aware of the most common foods like reindeer, salmiakki and rye bread, but these foods typically appear on menus as a part of an originally foreign dish made in Finnish style. We know Finland is a small country and thus we continue to become more international not just by learning languages but by widening our cultural knowledge and applying our culture to mix with others.
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