I have lived my whole life in Finland. 19 years I lived in the countryside of Orivesi, a small town about 30 minute drive from Tampere. As I started my studies, I moved in Tampere, where I have lived a bit over three years now. It took me some time to adjust to all the noise and action of Tampere. And even when I got used to it, I still missed the peace and quiet of the countryside.
And as I have lived for so long in the countryside, I’ve grown accustomed to being very close to nature. And like many Finns, I like outdoor activities, hiking, swimming (and ice swimming in winter), etc. And I do enjoy saunas. So, I’m quite the stereotypical Finn, on the exception that I don’t drink coffee or beer.
One time an exchange student asked me a question, What does it mean to be finnish? It was hard to find a suitable asnwer, because it is everyday life for me. Having access to good social healthcare, being able to venture in nature almost everywhere and having access to great education system. These are only few things that are normal in Finland, but maybe not so much in many other countries.
I hope that during the exchange period, I can come up with a proper answer to the question. And I am also interested seeing, how do I express the finnish culture through my normal everyday actions. Will the other students from different countries notice it or not? Apart from the accent of course…
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