Overused Topics in Finland

I've been in Finland nearly a year now, and I socialise with a lot of ex-patriots from around the world. There are some topics of conversation that occur over and over, with just about every one you meet. It's a nice safe way of conversing with people and building bonds, so I don't expect to be free of these conversations at any time, but I think they should be avoided where possible for the sake of everyone's sanity.

1. Finnish Social Habits
2. Alcoholism
   
3. Finnish Men/Women
4. Those Little Functional Differences
5. Everybody Speaks English
6. The Finnish Air Force
7. The Swedish
8. Weather Preferences

Now if it is the first time you've heard of any of these topics, they can be pretty interesting. Yet once you have had the conversation 50 times you can boil them down to just a few basic lines. So that you never need to discuss these topics again, except as the aforementioned small talk technique, here they are:

Finnish Social Habits

Finns are said to be shy, but to be honest they often seem pretty rude. It's not that they are not nice; if you actually talk to them they are perfectly pleasant. However, you might wonder if they are being artificial, because they rarely follow up on it by inviting you out for a drink, to a party, or round for a visit. On the other hand, Finns sometimes complain that they think people are being false if they show friendship immediately.
You can see the cultural difference here, and it's a big problem for people who come to Finland late. Finns can build relationships in school that they stick to loyally for the rest of their lives, without questioning it or wanting more. Other people do this too, but it's very common in Finland. When you don't have that advantage, then you are stranded in a community where people don't reach out to you and view any attempts of you reaching out to them as suspect.
If you are lucky enough to be able to socialise with Finns, there will probably be alcohol involved. This does mean that they may not remember you.

The advice with socialising in Finland is:
Be patient, things worth having are worth waiting for. If you struggle with that, hang out with ex-pats. Making no effort to make Finnish friends and just being around for a long time is a good way to make Finnish friends.

Alcoholism

It's a huge problem, and there are drunks everywhere.

However, the drunks that stink out the tram and search bins are just the extreme. Your average Finn gets a worrying gleam in their eye given the opportunity to drink alcohol and it's just a little bit too much a part of the culture. You can only get alcohol from state-run stores at certain times of the day and this is often lamented. It's sometimes used as a crutch in social situations.

Finnish Men/Women

The women in Finland are domineering, but beautiful, where as the men are more often plain, and submissive. This is the overwhelming first impression and stereotype that forms, and often barely, or not at all, true.
Finnish women in particular have an uncanny knack of luring foreign men to Finland, and though the men tend to stay in Finland, they don't always stay with the woman more than a few years (this is what I call 'the usual story').
Men and women alike can be seen losing their social inhibitions in bars by getting drunk enough to actually talk to each other, but it is still usually the woman who has to make the moves.

Finland was the first European country to give women the vote, they have a female president and they have some of the most equal child care laws you can find, however despite the culture being one of the most favourable towards women that you can find in Europe, the statistics still show them being paid less than men in the same job positions and occupying less high-profile jobs.

Those Little Functional Differences

• Keys turn in the locks the wrong way
• Bathroom locks are often built into the handles, in stealth mode
• The light switches' on/off positions are upside-down
• Doors open outwards
• There are no carpets on the floors
• The washing machines are kept in the bathroom
• Built-in showers are far more common than bath tubs
• There's a cool dish-draining cupboard above every sink
• The top drawer in the kitchen is a built-in chopping and breadboard
• People take the entire light fitting with them when they move
• You have to weigh and price your own fruit
• Cars can still turn the corner when the pedestrian light is green
• Apartment blocks come with flawless central heating, plumbing, and a caretaker

Everybody Speaks English

Finnish learners, myself included, often complain about this fact. It's easy to blame it for a lack of progress and it certainly is frustrating. Other people use it as an excuse not to bother learning Finnish. It can reinforce what is probably an unhealthy impression that everyone in foreign countries speaks English and if they don't, well, they should do. For those that don't believe everyone should speak English, it is almost disheartening to see how widely it is used in Finland: but don't worry, Finnish (or Finnish-Swedish) is still the language of choice when you are not listening.

The Finnish Air Force

The title of this point does not refer to the pilots of Finland, but rather to the mosquitoes that characterise Finnish summers. If you go to a lakeside cottage, or visit Lapland, you are especially at risk. They will always win, no matter how extreme your method of defence. They bite, it itches, they make a whining sound and it is very annoying. There really is not much more to say on the matter.

The Swedish

The stereotypes claim they are, on average, better looking than most people. Swedish accents can also sound pretty funny, and there's a rumour that you can cause a Swede consternation by failing to maintain a smile in their presence.
The neighbourly in-joke is to claim Swedish guys are gay. The usual tactic is to make your Swedish friend the butt of some kind of joke and then to sympathise that 'they must get that all the time'.
Sweden used to be the ruling class in Finland, and nowadays they are better known internationally despite being next door and, in some ways, still intertwined with Finland. People claim this causes some jealousy and consternation and an underlying rebellion against a feel that 'they are better than us'.

Weather Preferences

Everybody loves the sunshine, though the larger you are the lower your temperature threshold.
When the sun isn't shining it had better be -20 with a foot of snow on the ground, because it feels drier and makes the long nights darker.
In midsummer, the long hours can keep you awake all night, but you may still feel less tired than in winter.
Rain is good for the berries and mushrooms, in moderation.



These views are not all my own, but are derived from numerous conversations and observations. I love Finland.
There are also numerous stereotypes here. I take all stereotypes with a pinch of salt so I hope anyone reading this will do the same. I tend to find that any general traits I've observed never really apply to any individual I get to know.