Independence Day Post- Are You Home Sick?

I have been living abroad for more than two years now. It's not only the Finnish society and values that have shaped me but also South Korea, Poland, Ireland and now Australia. But still I remain as Finnish as one possibly can. What's being a Finn and what kind of things I miss from Finland?

Being a Finn means never giving up, not even when facing an impossible situation. You know, impossible is only a word. You can win even against all the odds if you believe in yourself and your own abilities. No one will believe in you if you don't believe in yourself. We call this kind of perseverance sisu. It's a certain kind of stubborn mentality that will see you through any imaginable difficulty. I can guarantee that, I've tried. Fight!

I miss the Finnish rudeness. Ooops I meant to say the directness. We say what we think, even in a situation where the counterpart might not appreciate the message too much. Anna told me that when she was working at the noodle market her boss told them they could get food from the stalls. The idea was to go to the stall and start to chat with the personnel until they offer you food for free. In Finland you might need to wait for a relatively long time because people are not used to/ willing/ cannot read between the lines what the other wants. If you can't open your mouth and honestly tell what you want be prepared to be left without then. I miss that kind of directness. People are different everywhere but what I don't like in Australia is how people pretend an interest in you for some personal gain. Finns are fair. After all, if we don't like somebody, we'll kill him.

I also miss Finnish food. Admittedly, it's not on the top 10 list of world cuisines but I grew up eating it and I miss it. One day I was feeling down and found dried rye bread in the market. What a happy day that was! Comfort food, my style. Who would have thought so in the elementary school when we hated eating dried rye bread?

I miss sauna! Oh sauna, it's so good to go there and relax, chat with your friends, be happy, be ad, be cntemplative. Finnish personal space requirements don't apply to sauna where people are quite comfortable with the proximity of other people, even if you don't know them very well. Naturally, most of the time everyone's naked. So, bathing without properly sweating first in the sauna is just waste of energy. I don't feel much cleaner.

Sometimes I miss the Finnish summer. Yes, the summer that's cold, short and grey. But other places don't have the sunny nights. I miss seeing the sun 3 am. Full stop there.

I miss these landscapes

And last but not the least, my family and friends. You can make new friends and build a new family everywhere but it's not the same as the one and the original. I miss you!  

I don't miss this sight at all