I have now lived in Helsinki, Finland for 13 and a half months of my life. The transition wasn't the easiest at first but coming back for my second season this year was pretty fun. I knew how things worked here and could fit in almost like a local (minus the whole speaking Finnish part). Along the way I have learned some "lessons" about life here in Finland and I'd like to share that knowledge with you all! Enjoy :)
I'm sure this list will continue to grow even more in my last month ! My time here has been amazing and absolutely an experience I will never forget :)
- Small talk is overrated. It's kind of nice being comfortable in silence.
- Wood burning saunas where you can throw water on the stones are the only way to go. I'm determined to have one of these in my house when I'm older.
- Salmiakki ( aka salty liquorice) is an acquired taste that can be the flavor of literally anything and I actually kind of like it now and plan on bringing some home with me!
- Reindeer are friends AND food. Sorry Rudolph.
- Cider is underrated in the states. Somersby is the best :)
- Coffee isn't just for mornings. It's to be enjoyed at breakfast, snacks, lunch, dessert, and pretty much any other time of the day.
- Sauna nights take team bonding to a whole different level.
- According to the Finns, "Finnish is easy because you say it exactly how you read it." I must just read it REALLY wrong haha
- Traveling around Europe is a must anytime of the year and is quite easy and affordable!
- Soccer is football and football is American football.
- Summer cottages are the perfect getaways.
- Midsummer is the best holiday filled with dancing, singing, drinking, and eating. I'm trying to bring this one back to the states :)
- You should know how to drive a manual car and it's almost laughable that most Americans have no idea how to. But I think getting our license at 16 maybe makes up for that.
- You don't just have a birthday once a year, you also have a name day!
- Summer nights are full of light and it's awesome.....except when you're trying to go to sleep. This also means Winter days can be pretty dark but I'm lucky and leave before this gets too bad.
- Music festivals are something to be cherished and enjoyed in the summer.
- Vappu is like nothing else I've seen and fun to celebrate with teammates at concerts!
- Don't be fooled by the Finn's initial shyness. That doesn't last long :)
- Pesäpallo is more entertaining than baseball but also more confusing.
- Americans should have more candy stores and better candy while we're at it.
- Graduation parties here are awesome and I"m extremely jealous I never had one.
- Education should be free.
- Some things just can't be translated to English and straight translations are usually hilarious.
- Sometimes eating food with your hands isn't okay. For example, burgers or pizza. But I haven't accepted this lesson yet haha
- Moomin and Angry Birds are national treasures of Finland.
- Cross country skiing is a normal winter activity. Unfortunately, but also kind of fortunately, I haven't experienced this one yet.
- Balloons and ice cream should be enjoyed more.
- Santa lives in Lapland not in the North Pole contrary to popular belief.
- You can pronounce one Finnish word just slightly wrong and say something completely different. I have an embarrassing story on how I learned this lesson.
- Shopping is so much easier when tax is already included on the final price tag.
- European fashion is 100x better.
- Broken English starts to sound like normal English and then makes you question all grammatical rules you've ever learned haha
I'm sure this list will continue to grow even more in my last month ! My time here has been amazing and absolutely an experience I will never forget :)