Finlandia since 1917

On Wednesday I went to ambassador's residence to celebrate Finland 100, our 100th independence day. The whole country has been preparing for the centenary since 2016 and why not. Not everyone lives to be one hundred and in this insecure, turbulent world, the same goes for nations. The residence was completely packed with people, makes one imagine that half of the population is actually here in Prague. Prague City celebrated along and the Dancing House was lit up with blue and white, the colors of our flag. 

As I have probably written in previous years, too, independence day is THE day for me. It is probably the only day of the year when I can forget about the things I don't like in Finland and just be happy and proud of our country. It might not be the best place for me at the moment, and nothing can ever make me feel like winter is a nice thing, but I am aware of all the positive aspects of life in Finland. Compared internationally, we do well in several sectors. Our education system receives praise in media abroad and some countries interested in developing theirs have been interested to learn more about it. Needless to say education is free, even in universities (even though I think there's been discussion about introducing fees). 

The Dancing House

Finland is one of the best countries in the world to be a girl. Women work actively outside of home and participate in politics, culture, everything. Finland was among the first countries in the world to enact universal suffrage a decade before becoming independent (and the feminist in me wants to ask what the hell took them so long and why wasn't the centenary of that event celebrated???) And even if I personally think that this world should so more respect to women I must admit that in equality Finland does well, too. I cannot remember hearing shit like "you cannot do it because you are a girl" or "this is not for women". Women can be anything they want to be. And if you actively want to be nothing, that's quite OK, too. After all, our fantastic social security will take care of you. 

Finland is a safe country. Traffic is not high risk for your health and safety, only for mental well-being sometimes. You are not likely to be kidnapped, killed, robbed or anything. In fact, you are more likely to be a victim of domestic violence or be murdered by your mates than being randomly attacked on the streets. We can all think for ourselves if that is a positive thing or not.. 

Christmas is coming 

Whatever I say or think about Finland, I am extremely happy it is an independent nation. Even though it's something I usually take for granted, it is not that long ago when things were different. My great-grandparents were born in Russia (or the Grand Duchy of Finland but in effect the same thing). They went to Russian school where they were not allowed to speak Finnish. When my grandfather was born, Finland was only 5 years old, recovering from a bloody civil war. It is also good to remember that for some time there, it wasn't so sure if we were going to remain independent. My grandfather went to the war, and it is their generation we can thank for escaping the faith of the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. After all, we are one of the rare nations who have been able to say no thank you to Soviet Union. It is said that the war unified Finland and hard feelings remaining from the civil war years disappeared in the face of a common enemy. Which goes to prove that the enemy of an enemy is a friend.