Finland is country filled with different Values. Here are some of the things we really admire and hold on to.
Literally everyone has one. Yes, literally: even the kids at school have their own mobiles so that mom and dad can reach them during the daytime. Do not touch your friends’ cellphone without permission, or imagine the power-switch on it would be used even during the night. Factory-installed ringing tones are usually considered ridiculous, everyone will download a ‘personal’ one from the net. And do not ask what an sms-message is, if you want to spare yourself from the public humiliation.
If you intend to make jokes about sauna, be sure to only do it safely after you have visited one. And even then, remember to be polite (”...but that’s only a foreigner’s humble opinion”).
If you do know the difference between savusauna (smokesauna) and a regular one, remember that they should not be discussed in the same sentence, as they are entirely different with each other.
Usually Finns only have one car for the entire family. This car will be used for all transportation, particularly the head of the family will use it to go to work everyday, despite the fact that Finland has a very effective public transportation system. This will be true even if the workplace is some 5 minutes’ walk away from one’s home.
This is hilarious only because Finland has an excellent public transportation system. All the towns and cities have been designed so that you can get anywhere using public transportation or walking.
Many Finns are keen on sports. This means that whenever Kimi Räikkönen manages to win an F1-competition, he’s our hero and all the daily papers are writing about him for a day or two. Whenever he loses, the same papers will write about his personal diffulties in being a nice and intelligent person. The same applies for icehockey. We also have this game called pesäpallo, which is rather like baseball but totally unlike it.
It seems that Finns consider the medal system used in sports consisting of only one medal, gold. This means that a person or a team managing to get second in the World League of Horse Polo will usually be quoted in the newspapers as “not to have won” instead of “placing second”.
As everybody knows, Santa Claus is Finnish and lives in Korvatunturi, Finland. End of discussion, issue closed.
These lovable white blumps are the creation of Tove Jansson, who happens to be a Finn. DO NOT insult Moomins to Finns: Almost all of us have grown surrounded by them as tales heard as bed-time stories and will be terribly, terribly upset if you do.
This is a fact to be known prior to heading over to Finland. Finns are very, very law-obedient. No-one knows why this is so, but it’s one of the advantages/disadvantages of a small country. This, of course, also means that we have a huge amount of sometimes weird and hilarious laws. Here are some examples to give you a general picture.
The traffic is smooth, as almost everybody really obeys the speed-limits. In Finland you can get a ticket for not keeping enough safety distance to the car driving before you.
In smaller towns no-one crosses the street on a red light. Ever. Even if there’s no traffic.
In the smallest towns the are no pedestrian crossings, so there are no lights either. This poses a problem on crossing the streets.
If a roadsign says you should not turn this way and you’re in the middle of a tundra with nothing except reindeers and a few shrubberies and you absolutely, positively need to turn that way, you do not turn that way.
There’s a law passing in Helsinki stating that people are not allowed to smoke on their own balconies. From the summer 2007 onwards smoking will be prohibited in all bars and clubs.
In Helsinki, there’s a law which describes the times when you are allowed to take blankets and bed-sheets out to get some air. It’s about one hour in a week.
Beer or any alcohol cannot be sold in stores or kiosks after 9:00 pm. Don’t even try after this. Wines and stronger liquors are only available in previously government owned chain, Alko.
Restaurants are open to 4:00 am maximum. There’s no flexibility in this, and if you’re finishing your drink when the bar closes you can literally be carried out by the bouncer.
There is no public bribery or corruption. Money can’t buy your way anywhere. If, for instance, applying for a passport, it takes the same amount of time whether you’re a millionaire or a poor student.
The Finnish system demands a lot of paperwork. Take a pencil with you where ever you go, just in case you need to fill out a form of some sort. And always keep some sort of ID with you.
It’s illegal to drive a bicycle after three beers.
Gay couples can get married, as the law concerning homosexual relationships has passed. This is not weird or hilarious, but a huge step forward for a nation. The church, however, remains a bit stiff on the issue.