AMERICA VS FINLAND | my pros and cons
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- hello and welcome back to my channel! this is a bit of a different video. i wanted to talk a bit about my experience living in finland and my pros and cons of life here. i can already think of so many more pros and cons, so i will just have to make another video in the future lol!
anyway, please enjoy me rambling about my opinions
p.s. play a drinking game and take a shot every time i say "compared to america" if you want to destroy your liver
𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆
IG | / kayleecreates
web | kayleecreates.com/
You should do an update in August. Helsinki is going to blow your mind in the summer. It’s such a different city when temperature goes above +20c 😊
I am so excited to experience it! Already loving the spring weather and the sun until 20:30...
True, summer Helsinki is the best.
@@Pippis78 Yes.. it's always the best day of the year!!
@@gozamite 😂😂
@@kayleecreates Pretty much any city in Finland is at its best during the summer. I don't know how you experience it, but if you feel like overcrowded down there during the summer, take a trip to somewhere not so Helsinki. Archipelago near Turku, for example.
As a small business owner I see it as a good thing that we do not have a Wallmart etc here! Prisma and Citymarket are way big enough!
S and K group are way too large, It's a downside that Auchan, Carrefour, Tesco, etc, don't even operate here.
@@ash3rr Yeah the lack of variety and competition is definitely a negative in Finland with the S and K group.
My father (a finn) visited Raleigh, North Carolina on a business trip and people were constantly small talking and stuff. When he came back he was basically like: "I don't care about baseball! Stop talking to me!"
I think it is hard for a finn to strike a random conversation on topics that doesn't really matter one way or another. Also, respecting other's personal space and expecting the same in return.
I actually love the darkness of the Finnish winter, especially when there is snow. It's so cozy and calming :)
Awesome video and thoughts!
Not many realize there are actually two countries named Finland. One is Summer-Finland and one is Winter-Finland, they are two toooootallly different countries. Summer Finland is like Winter Finland without any of the cons (nobody shall mention the mosquitoes!) and I hope you get to experience it 😁. I also hope you have or will experience some nice traditional countryside saunas, they are a totally different experience than city saunas, the countryside is what Finland is all about 😍
Hahaha, thank you!! This comment gave me a laugh. It's so true that it's 2 "different countries." I am looking forward to experiencing more of the countryside for sure.
@@kayleecreates 5:36 Just ginger things ;) :'D Im just like you, I love the sun but I cant see anything, its burning, I get sweaty, a headache, etc etc, haha!
...I mean winters are kinda nice and I hate it how summers are becoming hotter and hotter so.... And as you said if you are near a water mosquitos will eat you
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I am a Finn. The first time I travelled to the US many years ago I did not know the culture at all. I remember how confused I was, when people were all the time asking me "how are you" and I did not know how to reply. Because for us Finns, that' s a very private question. Another thing that I hated was how totally strangers called me honey, sweetheart or something similar when they were talking to me.
I still know what to reply to "how do you do?" I feel like it would be disrespectful to ignore the question and not answer at all, or lie (for example to say "I'm good" when I'm not. And a fun quriosity is how in here the typical answer to "what's up?" is "nothing worth mentioning". Otherwise you're gonna be asked more questions. "You're doing good? In what way? What happened?"
I am an American, born and raised in the U.S., and I've never understood why people ask, "How are you doing? What's going on?" when they really don't want to know. My approach to this is to start telling them, at length, everything going on in my life at that moment. They will start trying to get away from me very quickly. Lol. Don't ask questions if you don't want to know the answers.
In Australia people ask
How are you going
You don't have to tell them. It just means hello
The fact that in Finland you're given a lot of personal space has its pros and cons, I like it most of the time. I've traveled in the opposite culture, in Morocco and Turkey which almost made me panicking. And upset the locals who tried to be friendly (well some tried to get my money) :P
Liked your observations. Dependability, turstworthy and honest. If a Finn says yes it means yes. If a Finn says no he or she means no.
Sauna! People in the other countries always laugh about it, but to be honest, it wouldn't make to modern era, if it wouldn't be just such awesome thing :D Once upon a time, in Oulu (much closer to arctic circle than Helsinki), in University, we had a German professor. He went to a small party when it was like -30C (-22F), and we put him to sauna because he was freezing to death. There he told us, that heck, now I understand why you have saunas everywhere :D
The daylight thing is quite funny. I moved to Helsinki from northern Finland last august. It was suprise for me that sunset came so early here, even though I moved within the country. During winter there was the opposite since we actually have daylight which is of course a positive change.
I'm from NYC and I've been in Helsinki for three weeks now, and i have to say, it's shockingly similar to life in NYC. It's obviously better in many ways, but NYC is a good place in the states for people who aren't "in your face." The things I miss about NYC is the sense of community that the various neighbourhoods/Burroughs have, the variety of food available (food in Helsinki is strange in so many ways, even Chinese food and sushi has a weird taste), and my personal ease navigating my surroundings because everything is in English.
Finn here. :) This was a really... sweet video. You radiate positivity and are so introspective. Thank you for your lovely views on Finland. And yeah, the culture shock when visiting the US was reversed for me regarding small talk and people approaching you just because it's a thing you do... Oh dear, I was so confused and exhausted after the first day or two. :D Hahah! As an introvert I really appreciate how you don't have to be ON all the time while living in Finland. You can just sink into your own bubble in public and only be mindful of other people. And yeah, we're not that into small talk. It's nice to know how you're actually doing and what makes you interested and how excited you are about something or what meaningful things you've experienced lately. It's hard to be interested in the superficial things when there is a whole shared world to get to know together. :) However, the friendliness and kindness of people in the US was really nice and after the first days, I got more used to it, and it was rather sweet that everyone showed some interested in me. :) Thank you for your thoughts.
Great that you moved here. Study, work, learn the language and enjoy life! I agree that people are not as helpful compared to US what comes to small things like helping carrying your shopping but they will help with the more relevant things. Finland is a silent country what comes to nature and most people. At least to me silence creates a deeper bond than constant chit-chat.
Yes!! I absolutely agree ♡
June and July might be another extreme experience. Midnight sun might interfere good night sleep. If someone gives you compliment, then that person really thinks so. If you like small talk then you have visit country side. Small talks in towns are rare.
Hi. I’m from the Baltic state and I can’t what you mean about very short days, but you will find out very soon how it is in summer these long days, then Sun coming out at 4 and coming down about midnight. I visit so many times Finland and I love it, enjoy your new experience in the Nordic state. Hi from South France
You seem like such a sweet person! You radiate kindness, honestly. Also as a finn I always love hearing what other people think of this country
That transition from "I don’t like being hot and sweaty " to moments after "I love a good sauna" 😂
Also the coffee in here tastes different cause of the water...Paulig (one of the biggest coffee makers in Finland) has tested their own coffee with water from around the word and they tasted different depending where the water was from!
Surviving winters in Finland: Vitamin D, get a bright light lamp (kirkasvalolamppu in Finnish). Enjoy outdoors when you can, get enough sleep, maybe take melatonin to help sleeping if experiencing sleeping problems. But, yeah, it can be tough.
+ a trip to a sunnier climate at the darkest time, easy and not necessarily that expensive either
Thank you!! We loved our sunshine lamp throughout the winter, it was amazing to have it turn on at 7 every morning. I'm grateful for my new appreciation of the sun;)
Oh yeah, the vitamine D! I forgot it for most of the winter, then wondered why I'm in a flu so often, until it clicked... duh! 🤦♀️
Thank you, I liked your video😊❤
One thing I must say about the sunlight in autum and winter in Finland, the sunrises are amazing if it's not too cloudy❤: I love walking to school before 8 and seeing the sunrise. It just looks magical.
Hey. Nice to hear that you had a good time in Finland. lack of sun in winter and summer All-day sun is also a problem for some of us Finns, but because of the dark time, I personally love the long bright days of summer. good vlog. kiitos
I think you'd probably find most of the things you listed off in a Prisma or a Citymarket... I know that those aren't necessarily on every corner in the centre of Helsinki but Tripla and Ruoholahti are pretty close. But as far as I know those are kind of the equivalents here to stores like Target, Walmart etc.
Medicine you can only really get in apteekki (pharmacy).
Yes. It's more a car-centered vs. public transit -centered thing.
On areas of Finland - most of it - where people move primarily with cars there are these huge hypermarkets that contain anything and everything.
But those are hard to fit into urban space, and without a car you usually don't want to buy everything you need for two weeks at once because it's inconvenient to haul.
But to compensate for that, it's a lot faster to just quickly stop and buy couple of things coming back from work when you move with bike or public transit. With car you need to find a parking spot etc.
And deliveries work smoothly in Helsinki area. It costs something like ten euros to have whatever amount of stuff delivered to your door, and frozen goods stay frozen a lot better because the trucks have freezers.
And you don't have to pick it all, just copy last weeks order and edit.
Glad you shared your experiences, as a Finn I totally get your points. One theme that you didn't mention is the nature, and that is big part of the Finnish culture. I really recommend you try to get to know our woods, lakes and islands. Even in Helsinki there is plenty of nature to be experienced - naturally the seafront is nice and lively during the summer, but national parks and hiking trails are within reach via public transportation. But you can enjoy nature all year long, as we have truly have 4 seasons, each offering something. (ps. Wooden fire-powered (pun intended) saunas by the lake or by the sea far from cities is something else, add midnight sun into the equation and you are in for a treat!)
I love the darkness here, there is something really calming to it and it also makes me appreciate sunlight more
Ayyy, Nashville, had some family living in there back in the days, it's always such a joy to have people from US talk about their differences and experiences here in Finland.
Hi Kaylee and thanks for this video. You mentioned you had never traveled out of the US before. How very strange. I somehow cannot imagine spending my life in one place and missing all the fun and interest of visiting foreign countries. I have been traveling ever since I was a toddler. Distances in Europe are not too long. You mention cultural shocks. Leaving the US and going anywhere else, yes. Once in Europe, not anymore. After having lived in 4 different EU countries for many years and partly in Finland after that, I´d say I never had cultural shocks. I visited America several times and felt perfectly fine. I´d say the differences start to feel noticeable once you visit other continents outside Europe and the States. Darkness, - visit Lapland in winter. No sun at all for weeks, it is charming and beautifully mysterious. Southern Finland has sun and in summer you´ll wish to see darkness. Wait for the white nights in summer, - what an experience! Stay happy and enjoy your life.
Canadian-born, semi-British raised, living in Finland 3 years here - great observations! I enjoyed your section on efficient conversation. I too can be clumsy and when I am, the Brit in me will make a silly joke of it, and I feel this perplexes Finns, as if they wonder, 'why would you do it the wrong way like that, let alone derive humour from it?' On the plus side, there is a near total lack of awkwardness when conversation falls to silence, which has been a great learning experience. Like, let's just share this and wait 'til conversation organically starts up again. People really respect quietness here, I think it's a core value. I've learned to be more considerate of others' boundaries in this way.
The extremely patchy service culture outside of Helsinki is still a struggle - for instance, it sometimes feels almost antithetical to the Finnish cultural DNA for waiting staff to show any enthusiasm, but on the other hand we couldn't believe it when we went to Toronto and the waiting staff were all over us. Smothering and totally put-on. I do like that after a meal at a Finnish restaurant, there's often a section to put your dishes. Feels more collectivist.
Now, the language...
Haha, the language is a tricky one for sure. I used to work with Americans here and not a single one of them learned the language up to a conversational level. Not even the ones who had been here for years. Some of them truly tried as well, and having Finnish clients should've helped but if you're getting by just fine without it it seems most just won't learn. It's honestly a bit sad although I get it, it's hard. The one thing I feel you guys are missing out on and what would also help with the culture shock and feeling left out is learning the language though, it's hard to put into words how much different the "Finnish brain" works just because our languages are so different. I have completely separate mind space for thinking when I speak English and I don't know if this is true for others but I certainly think that the easiest way to integrate and understand foreign people is to study their language.
@@styrofoamsoldier Itse asiassa, olen samaa mieltä, vaikka joo, se on niin vaikea 🙂 at first I was a loud complainer about how difficult the language is, but now my outbursts are less frequent. My wife is a polyglot and all of our friends here speak amazing English (plus decent Swedish of course), usually alongside a few bonus languages like Russian, German, French etc. I have very few British-born mates who speak any other language than English. It's embarrassing. FWIW I certainly don't demand good English of anyone here.
I did, at one point, get my Finnish to the point I could venture child-level conversations, but very few Finns will slow sufficiently. It's like ah, you speak some Finnish, let's go full speed! And when I struggle to keep up, it's back to English. And my Finnish wife doesn't even understand half the stuff they post in my hockey Whatsapp, so how am I supposed to 😅
@@alexstory3756 haha yeah I can see how the better half might not be useful there lmao. We finns have a horrible track record of being patient with foreigners trying to learn. It’s kind of the darker side of the matter-of-fact or blunt thing we have going on. As I’ve understood the French are a bit similar when it comes to their language so maybe we should stop being like the French, nobody wants to be like them lmao,
Finnish is often considered one of the most difficult languages to learn but its grammar is also quite regular. You need a lot of effort to learn the language but it is possible. I once had a Swiss exchange student flatmate at university who after a year in Finland could hold a conversation in Finnish. I was so impressed. She was not a language student but whenever she learnt a word in Finnish she immediately used the newly learnt Finnish word in her English conversation with me.
@@styrofoamsoldier the good thing about it is that no one expects you to be fluent. Everyone here knows how difficult the language is and usually if someone knows Finnish my first question is "why on earth" lmao. So you don't have to be perfect at all. At university I interact with a lot of exchange students and people from other countries who have moved here and are learning the language and it's amazing how we can communicate very effectively, mixing English and Finnish, sometimes a bit of French, German, Russian, Swedish or Spanish if we're trying to find a word that we don't know
Prisma is a One-stop-shop.
As they are large shops, they usually are not allowed to be situated in city centers, by city planning office, but there is one exception in Helsinki: Prisma in Tripla Mall, located in Pasila train stop, 4 minutes ride with train from the central train station.
Lovely Summer to you, and thanks for the vid!
It sounds like you're fitting in great here - Finland can be great if you love sauna, personal space and some peace and quiet. :)
As I understand it you have only experienced wintertime Finland so far. Then I can say that you're in for a treat - our country really comes to life in the summer months.
As others have already suggested, do get to know the countryside also while you're here. Helsinki is great in the summer, but you will get a different, equally nice experience if you get out of the bigger cities. Explore the country, rent a cabin, do sauna and swimming on the lakeside. Based on this video I would hazard a guess that you'd love it.
So cute! You are funny and very good at this!! Great job!
It's kinda surreal to hear you talk about the great importance of sunlight in your life when I've lived 23 years above the arctic circle 😂Of course daylight is important to all people but I'm so used to living in either the constant light of the midnight sun or the constant darkess of the polar night that I'm now wondering if it would actually take me some time to adjust to living somewhere where these two extremes aren't the norm.
Btw, if you get the chance definitely try to visit Lapland both during the midsummer and midwinter. I don't think you get the full Finland experience otherwise 😄 Depending on if you time it right or not your experience will be very different. I contantly see tourists visiting Lapland during spring or fall when there's minimal snow and wondering where the winter wonderland they were promised is.
Wow! That's incredible. Thanks for sharing your experience! I can hardly fathom the midnight sun and polar night, but I'm definitely excited to experience June here in Helsinki! I visited Rovaniemi in late Feb and it was spectacular! I'm looking forward to returning in the future for both summer and winter. :)
Interesting video!
Have lived in 8 countries, including the US (where I also visited over 20 states) and have a great interest in cultural differences. The people in NYC (where I lived for years) were quite different from the people in the Southern states (that seemed much more warm, laid back and helpful).
The same thing is true for Finland. The cultural differences within Finland are quite big (lived in Helsinki, Espoo, Turku, Jyvaskyla, Lappeenranta).
For instance, the people in the South-Eastern part of Finland have a tendency of seeming more close to the people of Southern or Northern France (comparing to France because I lived there for 4 years). They tend to be talkative, curious, helpful, appear on your doorstep unannounced without an agenda. Residents in Helsinki have come there from all around the country and their behavior is closer to that of people in Paris.
Have a great time in Finland :)
I agree with most of the things as a Finn :D I really love how you explained them. Although the walmart supermarket thing; there are bigger markets that sell almost everything, but yeah not in Helsinki, why? idk. But usually K-Citymarkets elsewhere in smaller towns have a huge selection of clothing, make-up and so on. But that too is changing towards what you described. But I guess we could use more of those especially in "bigger cities". But man the way you talked about sauna... now I gotta use one hahaha
It's because there is a lack of space for such large stores, and the prices per square meter is high because of it. The US has more urban sprawl, which allows it, but makes public transit impossible and travel longer.
You can find some stores outside of Helsinki that does something similar, mostly connected to shopping centers. Prisma in Kaari also has quite a big selection. However, unlike US stores, they tend to have a bigger selection of budget brands and not as much quality. Quality generally is found in specialized stores.
There's a Prisma in Tripla and a K-Citymarket in Ruoholahti, also multiple K-Supermarkets around Helsinki. Then there are Sokos and Stockmann in the center.
No small talk? Sounds like heaven to me. I am going in June. I can't wait.
It really is amazing! No one breaches your personal space, but if you needed to ask a question people are super kind. It’s an ideal situation for me the more I live here!
Nice video thanks. I moved here from Melbourne (Aus) in August last year and have had similar experiences. Heres to a good summer. ☀
Finland is a country where being or behaving like an introvert is the norm.
Little known secret about small talk in Finland: Finnish people do small talk and will respond kindly if you start it, at least in Finnish. It is not that simple though for some to do it in English, because many Finns are afraid of their English skills are poor, which is not true. I say this as a Finn.
I'm a odd mix of introvert and chatty for a Finn, being from Häme but of Karelian-Savonian descent. If a chat starts up spontaneously and we have something in common to talk about I can talk your ear off, invite you to get a up of coffee to talk more, maybe make a friend... ❤😊 However, American style small talk just for the sake of small talk, to avoid awkward silences is exhausting.
thank you for sharing your perspective.
I’m from California, US. I choose Finland to live in outside of the US because there is a lot of snow every winter, and it is one of the world’s most safest countries. So, when I have enough money, I hope to move overseas.
Thanks for the video! I also moved to Finland last September and the darkness been super tough, counted days and for how many seconds the Sun came out🙈 Also, I can totally relate about sauna😄
The darkness thing. I as a person who has lived here all my life really can’t understand cause I’m used to it. But many foreigners say it’s and hard thing when you move here. But another thing is the 24/7 lightness in the summer when the sun really sets for just a couple of hours. It’s like the 2 total opposite sides of Finland.
Helsinki can be very dark, especially when there is no snow. You still have sun coming up daily 🌞 Here in Utsjoki, we have polar night when sun is not rising at all - but it is very beautiful time with snow, stars and northern lights ✨
It's not the same, but during the dark months there's usually some great TV shows aired, which show a really beautiful blue sky. If you prefer not to talk to neighbors and strangers, staying in Helsinki is advisable, because in some other parts of Finland chit-chatting and other kind of social activities with neighbors and strangers might occur.
I'm an abnormally chitty chatty Finn and love having neighbours with immigrant background for this reason 😆
I would recommend Kaari Prisma. It is the biggest Prisma and if you can get pretty much everything there (in Finnish standards, at least). You can get there from central easily by train and then walk a little while, or take a bus.
Absolutely loved this! Thank you...🙏
I live in mid northern Finland winters light hours, when shortest, are from 11:30 am to 2 pm. So under 3 hours of sunlight a day, but considering that 400km northwards and there is not a singular minute of sunlight for 32 days straight from early december until start of january and if I am not mistaken there is basically complete darkness with small glimmers for atleast 3 more months.
Something similar to Target etc are the big K-Citymarket and Prisma. Closest one to Helsinki City center is in Citymarket Ruoholahti, but by taking a metro / bus there's plenty more around.
Very nice video.
I suggest for you to travel around finland in summer time. You'll will find out many fabulous places. Beautiful nature. One of my favourite is Koli. And also beautiful lakes all over the finland.
I am biased because it's my favourite city but a friend who had lived all around Finland said that Tampere is the most "artsy" area. And I do agree, would recommend a visit if you haven't yet.
I feel like these all are very well on point! To me, the coffee/pastry etc. cultural difference was a new one, interesting :)
Also I wanna comment on the safety thing you mentioned. Yes Finland is very safe but like everywhere else you still need to use caution. Not to the same extent as in some other countries but being cautious is always a good thing. Bad things happen everywhere you go where there are people =D
Me and my girlfriend moved from Poland to Finland last year, a lot of things we used to do, like walk around late at night (even females alone can do it safely in Poland), we had to reassess after moving here. We feel less safe in Finland to be 100% honest, but I think comparatively, and especially compared to most developed 'West' EU countries, it is much safer here.
I have laughed through this entire video! I have lived in Finland for 10 years. I originally lived in Mississippi, so yeah, HUGE culture difference (and a bit of a shock!). I know exactly the things you talked about. I live in Central Finland, so it's a bit colder here than Helsinki. The first year I was here, there was snow on the ground until July. I was completely stunned by that fact, I mean, it's JULY! Just wait for the Midnight Sun, I absolutely love that it doesn't get dark AT ALL during summer. It's my absolute favorite thing about Finland!
I, however, don't care for sauna. It reminds me too much of sitting in a hot vehicle on a 112 degree day in direct sunlight (which I've done a few times). During winter, make sure to take a good multivitamin that has Vit D because you're not going to get enough sun, as someone who is in the South of the US gets a L O T of Vit D naturally. Your body needs it more than a Finn, who has lived their entire life in Finland.
Having been in Finland for 10 years, I still ask "How are you?" from sheer habit. I was in my late 30s when I moved to Finland and worked in the service industry for the entirety of my working life, so it's a very hard habit to break.
I'm so glad you are enjoying living in Finland! Keep traveling!
When you ask "How are you" how often do you get the whole life story of the person?
@@KerienShien Haha! Every single time! And I always find it absolutely hilarious! Especially my Mother In Law, Oh my goodness, she can talk for an hour after a "how are you".
About the darkness: do another video when the summer is over. It would be a completely opposite experience to winter. When you go to arctic circle the sun doesn't set at all, and even in southern Finland nights are really luminous in the few hours that the sun is just beneath the horizon.
About the small talk. I myself, a Finn, fully understand the lack of it because I try to not to participate in it at all times. I think the main thing there is honesty. I just can't say to someone that I'm good if I'm not. Or when I'm feeling good I wouldn't even want to tell that to a stranger whom I meet for a short period of time (because it doesn't make any difference, does it?). I'd rather discuss that kind of stuff with my friends. Maybe "how are you doing?" feels too of a personal question.
But don't get me wrong. I love and thrive from deep, honest and long discussions about anything - even with strangers if the situation comes to it somehow.
Ciao! Agree with almost all. But it could make a HUGE difference if I will express all my anguish (if I have it) to a complete stranger, even if we'll have a conversation lasting 5 minutes. Some of those strangers are stronger than therapy and carry so much human power to re-establish trust in oneself, even if the effect will last only a day or an hour. It does help :)
This is why the British answer to "how are you" is often "can't complain" rather than "good"
If you wanna have small talk with a finn, you should go to a bar. Everyone talks with everyone in the restroom waiting line. Of course, like us Finns do, if you ask "how are you doing" you're probably getting a full analysis of relationship problems, mental health, stress, family life and almost anything and that's something I love about Finland. Zero bullshit, but when someone asks you a question you can be sure that they really do wanna listen to the answer, usually without interrupting
Finland has Nightwish.. good enough for me
You need to visit Finland during the summer! It's the beest :)
Apparently you haven't been to Prisma or Citymarket? Of course, they are not in the center of Helsinki, but for example there are several along Kehä (ring) I road and certainly (almost) the same selection as, say, Walmart (No guns and booze though).
I haven't been to either of those yet! I know there are more like that as you travel further outside the city, but I have come to appreciate the small stores for sure:) I don't miss Walmart at all, haha so that's okay with me!
"if you can't find something in Stockmans you don't need it". i don't really know how target is but i think stockmans and sokos would be close.
@@kayleecreates In winter time you can travel with metro, walk around underground, walk in shops and under train station in Helsinki, maybe with out going outside at all! And in summer when it is nice and warm you can walk outside, use bicycle, tram network and busses in our kind of small city and access everything with out a car.
(I'm sure someone already said this but) The thing about the "how are you?", "can you recommend something?" etc is, we do it, IF it is genuine and meaningful. I have asked a waiter or a bartender before for their recommendations if I'm unsure about something but yes we don't smalltalk with random people if there's no reason to 😁 but we do sometimes smalltalk with the cashiers or post office workers if we're in the mood for it, it's nice occasionally
Once in my hometown i was walking home from work on my lunch break and some guy was walking their dog and with his kid, we lock eyes for a second while im still a few meters away from them, and I'm expecting this is all the conversation we're gonna have and just keep walking. Well no, as right the very second that i pass him he goes "hello!" with the biggest smile on his face 😆 i completely paniced since i had no idea someone would even do that where i lived. It's good that I managed to get out a small "hi" before it was too late 😂 i was guessing they were british
It was a shocking experience 😂
K-Citymarket and Prisma would be walmart clones, medicine is only for pharmacies and strong alcohol for Alko. The stores are probably so big they don't fit in city center if that's where you lived. They are plenty around Helsinki outside city center though. I was just three weeks in the states, Florida and Texas. It was difficult to go anywhere without a car, that's for sure. Finding good coffee was difficult, traffic was sort of crazy. I definitely had more random conversations than in Finland, many commented on my t-shirts. And I liked those. Also target was great for picking up a usb cable and some meds. Once I saw a building and thought it looked like a prison but was actually a school. And why I went there was the space coast with its rockets, you don't see those here!
The climate is crazy, manic-depressive - June has nothing in common with December. And not really the weather, though obviously there is a huge difference, but the light... The way you are tired when it is dark when you go to work or school and dark when you come back, compared then with the energy when it's bright till near midnight... You come from work and feel that there is so much time for other activities
Obviously, mostly when Finns come from work, it's not early evening but late afternoon plus generally 5-6 weeks of paid annual holiday, we work way less than Americans...
We are just now starting to experience "summer Finland" as I'm told, haha. Sunshine for dayssss and getting warmer. I'm excited! I admire the extremity of the seasons here
Hi Kaylee, I love your videos as I am wondering I should move to the States or Finland. I am looking forward to your videos
In a country with population of 5.5 million people, it is estimated that there are from 1.6 to 3.2 million saunas in Finland. It's hard to calculate but the realistic number might be somewhere around 2.6 million saunas. So almost one sauna for every two people.
Don’t forget, when discussing public transit, the many boats!
You're gonna love the summer
You need to take Vitamin D supplements to deal with the darkness. You can get them from any grocery store in Finland
If you don't have car, use taxi occasionally - a lot cheaper vs. owning a car although hurts every time a bit. Winter cycling in Helsinki is a bit extreme, better elsewhere, still an option. Soon you'll be cursing sun that shines all the time - recommend checking Lapland during midsummer: day lasts 24/7. Grimness... well, esp. Helsinki is grim during winter. Inner and northern Finland has snow which helps a lot. Esp. in the west coast there's mostly sunshine from late Feb until June. Warning for next year: sunshine + snow = melanoma for a ginger, cataract for the rest of us. Everywhere late Oct to early Dec is grim. Dec is always cozy winter wonderland and waiting for Yule. Jan-Feb is cold, up to attitude, most of us survive by working. Next year eat a lot of fish or vitamin D (or fish liver oil) supplements during the winter - helps with the spirit.
You should try going on a weekend trip further up north during midsummer and experience the midnight sun.
if you don't particularly like the sun, remember to take vitamin D, especially in winter. food does not always provide enough vitamin D at dark. the same problem with dark-skinned people when the northern sun is not enough to produce the natural vitamin requirement. summer in July and August maybe.
definitely took lots of vit. D this winter! now that I have one winter under my belt, I feel a lot more confident about more, so I hope I get to experience it again!
For the darkness I recommend a bright light therapy lamp. I'm Finnish and would get depressed and sluggish during the dark months and it kept getting worse for me as years went by. Turns out, I've had S.A.D (seasonal affective disorder) which very basically means with lack of sunlight your body doesn't know it's time to wake up and it gets messed up (I'm oversimplifying here for the sake of brevity). A bright light therapy lamp mostly fixed it for me and the dark period is much more manageable for me now. You can get one for as low as 50 euros and it will last for years since you're only supposed to use it for 20-30mins everyday.
Plus take an extra Vitamin D and/or good quality fish oil capsules, since you won't be getting natural Vit D from the sun. Our recommended doses are, for some reason, much lower than in the US.
i liked the way you tuned into a Fin by the the time you started editing the video:)
Hi! I am Finnish woman. It was interesting to hear your thoughts about Finland!
About myself, when i go out, i can be sometimes very talkative. In buses, trains, shops i may get the feeling that i want to talk with someone. Not like with every person and not like all the time... But like the way, if i see something interesting, if i would like to hear experiences about some product, that i see someone is going to buy for example, i may ask "have u tried that, if u have, how did u feel about it" or i can sometimes say about something, that it was so good for example for the price or taste or what ever... Sometimes i say compliments, like "i like your hair/coat" or anything that cheers me up or is beautiful in my eyes. Even that i do not know any of those persons, that i am talking to.
I know, that sometimes people do not like, if a stranger talks to them, but they can always say, for example "i would like just to be in my own thoughts" or "sorry, i am tired" or "sorry, i am busy now". Then i stop talking to them.
Sometimes i have had very nice talks with strangers. Like one time in one official place, waiting for my turn there, i started talking with an older woman. It made the time fly faster and she also said how she likes too to talk with people. So it was a win win situation.
Well, i wish you nice summer and bye 🙂
I love all of these things you shared!! I appreciate that kind of "small talk." If it is meaningful and helpful to both parties, it can be very wonderful. Thank you for sharing and cheers!
Really cool to hear experiences. For a person who lives outside the kehä 3 area, many of your cons and pros are really opposite. Like public transit may work in Helsinki area but not true in smaller cities. One stop stores might be a more common thing outside Helsinki area....at least how I feel. For the darkness....just wait couple more months :D
Good coffee baseline is the Juhla Mokka-line:)😊
Helsinki is a beautiful city, but Finland is not about cities in summer. If you can, spend a weekend in a summer cabin by a lake or sea in june-august.
You should perhaps use the "reittiopas" to plan your routes.
Have you not nern to Prisma? That's a one stop shop or a big K City Market
This is really interesting take on things around here.
I was an exchange student in Wisconsin when I was 17 (I´m a finn). One thing I thought was confusing was that they asked me right away if I have a boyfriend. Like, I´m an unknown person to them
About the small talk, first half of my English course in university was just about small talk :D that was pretty painful tbh
Do Finland have open gun policy like the USA?
Her up in north Finland in sommer the sun shine 24/7. There u have some sun vitamines😂 Its called midnight summer😅
If you are still in Finland take the boat to Åland. It's amazing place in spring & summer 👌😁
Imagine we've had just few years the technology to take somewhat good pictures with out phones because it's so dark most of the time. Yet I'm not sure if many Finnish people even noticed that.
At least for me waiting for adequate camera for "night photography" was a huge thing
Nice video. I understood that you won't be staying long anymore? It's a shame since most Finns live for the summer.
Thank you! We are unfortunately leaving right before midsummer, however, we have high hopes to return to Finland for longer in the future!
i lived in finland (vantaa) during 2 months for an eramus intership, and i miss this country it was very less stressfull compared to france
How about safety aspect? We dont carry consealed guns, kids go to school alone, police officers use lethal force 1-5 times per year in whole country , etc.
As I'm sure you've noticed from the comments, we Finns actually like to interact with people, it's just that like you said, we value your personal space so we don't start the conversation ourselves. Still, I agree that we are extremely introverted compared to, well, pretty much all other countries. I'm sure someone has said this already and you must know it, but I'd still like to state that the experience with darkness/sun is so much more intense in Lapland, where you have to endure a period of time completely without the sun. Or vice verca in the summer, when the sun is up all the time. ruclips.net/video/QpMya9fzaHE/видео.html Here is a good video what a (brightest time of) day looks like in Lapland during winter.
ps. I find it kind of weird that we Finns always downplay ourselves and our country, but when a foreigner comes here, our fist question always is that "how do you like it here" and it is super important to us that you have positive comments about us! :D It's like a non-Finnish thing to think that way.
Anyways, love the video and editing, keep 'em coming!
Would be nice to hear from someone foreigner who has lived both in Helsinki and in other city/cities about his/her thoughts on differences between cities and their people. Every person is different in all aspects, no matter where they live, but overall, people from Helsinki and Southern-Finland are regarded a bit more "stereotypical" Finns when it comes to openness and chatting with unknown people than for example people from Savo-region, Central-Finland and Lapland.
Edit: I've seen a pretty large spike in the amount of Americans doing vlogs about living in Finland. I've met a good number of people who have moved here from the U.S to stay permanently and I've heard same thing from my friends. 🙂
Very nice video! Thank you :)
7:59 How about Citymarket or Prisma?
In the summer when sun does not go down it is great time to party all night long
And about small talk, it is quite dangerous to ask how are you? I'll start my answer by telling my life story and somewhere in middle i realize this should've been small talk and just answer fine thanks, how are you. and then starts the awkward silence ;)
I think I can speak for everyone here when I say this; If you drop things or fall, people don't help you not because they don't want to but because they don't want to attract unnecessary attention to the fact that you have fallen or dropped things. Finns hate it when we stand out in the crowd. I know it seems ass backwards but we think it's almost more polite to carry on as if nothing happened, so you won't be embarrassed.
Ah yeah, there is a picture on the very subject in the "Finnish Nightmare" comic series that nails it.
Great video, hopefully you've had a nice stay :)
More east you go in Finland the more friendlier people are. I moved from west to east and man people are so talkative. At least old people. Man and the fact that cars stop and wait for you is kinda nice but when you go back to west you might get hit by car as you are used to just go.
I'm sure the food is also quite different from Nashville! Did you go out to eat often or just cook at home?
I grew up in that area, so i frequented lots of local restaurants over the years! there are many that I miss other than mexican food haha
To the "people don't help" and "public interactions" parts.
I myself kind of miss or desire a little bit of that interaction between random people on the streets.
We are just too introverts to have the courage to speak with others or help with even the smallest things.
1.) You forgot the local trains and the ferry to Suomenlinna, but these are easy to miss if you don't use them.
2.) Sauna is pronounced like sow-(a female pig)na. Sow rhymes with cow.
3.) If you want Wall Market style shopping. You need to go to Prisma or City Market.
4.) We separate politeness and friendliness. Politeness is not being rude and letting people be in their own peace. Friendliness is reserved for friends. Americans have weird thing about introducing themselves for someone they will never meet again.
5.) As a fellow red head, I can tell that "admiring red hair" in Finland is reserved for kids. When I was a kid I hated when my hair colour was the topic of conversations.
The multi-shopping thing is a thing, you just need to go to k citymarket or Prisma. Also, I am sad to say but coffee sucks in Finland
Most of people in Finland likes light roasted coffee. If you are more used to darker or stronger coffee then I can understand your disappointment. I still think that our quality of coffees in general are pretty good.
Which state and city in the US are you comparing Helsinki to?
I lived in Nashville, Tennessee
Hmm...not sure what you mean about not having big stores. I think we're probably one of the only European countries that specifically have massive hypermarkets like Prisma/K-Citymarket, that sell anything from electric tools, washing machines, clothes to food - and there's 1-2 of these bigger type markets in pretty much every small town (I have a Prisma and a K-Citymarket next to each other in my small town) - when I lived in Helsinki many years ago, I actually lived next to the biggest Prisma in the country which is more than 3x the size of an average Walmart (and part of a shopping centre that is 10x). There's 12 Prismas in just the Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa area. Without a car though, I feel it would be kind of pointless to go to these big boring centres every week, so I don't think you've missed anything :D
Yes, coffee wakes us up during winter months. Just stay away from gas station coffee and you'll be fine