5 biggest Finnish culture shocks
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 лис 2017
- Finland share many traits with other European countries, but there's plenty of Finnish culture shocks that will make people from abroad go WTF! So if you want to know more about the shocks that Finnish culture will spring upon you when you visit, check out my selection.
↓↓↓Click below for luscious links to fabulous places ↓↓↓
TWITTER: / joelwillans
INSTAGRAM: / veryfinnishproblems
FB: / veryfinnishproblems
PODCAST: veryfinnishproblems.com
In Finland, we remember very well Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards. If there's one thing Finns love more than heroes, it is antiheroes.
Absolutely!!
Case Donald Duck. Americans love Micky Mouse, we love the cowardly (yet when needed gutsy), lazy, jealous, bad tempered hard luck duck.
And he wasn't "crap". He was a clown. He did make it to the second round most of the time and then went crazy!
@@Aurinkohirvi Not to mention Uncle Scrooge! At least the way Don Rosa portrayed him.
@@tyynymyy7770 Not nearly as loved as Donald, it's rather difficult to feel sympathy towards him. Yeah Rosa and others depict him in Donald Duck cartoon magazines with some redeeming qualities: adventurous, gutsy, and even fond of some characters.
In Finland everyone is naked in sauna, wether you are king of england or unemployed from backwoods.
So, fukin great video.
Veli-Pekka Kultanen That’s one thing I love so much about sauna. Everyone’s equal 👍
Veli-Pekka Kultanen Thanks! 🙏 Happy to hear you enjoyed.
Finland mentioned, see you at the marketplace
DIOS name shit tori
I know this is an old video, but there is one thing one must never... EVER... do in Finland, and that is to cut in line when standing in a queue. That's worse than giving someone slap to their face without reason!
why is there 10% dislikes? is it finns or britains who dont agree? i just appreciate taht you STILL make finnish content to this day. this was the first video i saw from you, love your youtube shorts! keep going at it man, but remember in Finland the real hockey team you have to support is Tappara!
Kiitos tosi paljon, fella! 🙏 Yeah, 5 years has just flown by. Should do some more long vids, but life has been a bit hectic recently, so happy to hear you're enjoying shorts too. Lots more on Insta.instagram.com/veryfinnishproblems As for Tappara, that was the first team I ever watched. So will always be my fav 🪓🙂
There's a word that exists in every language that I know of except English. It's a verb that means 'to voluntarily refrain from speaking'. In Finnish it's 'vaieta'. Interestingly there are quite a few words in English for telling someone else to shut up.
Must be reticent! [English for been quite]
In Finland, you have the right to remain silent. (vaieta).
I quite often practice this with my wife as my opinions are always wrong
This song is the answer.
ua-cam.com/video/57PWqFowq-4/v-deo.html
Please doesn't exist in finnish language
I don't think anyone really like those big family reunions where everyone is sitting around quietly. They are awkward situations, I try to evade them at all cost.
The wedding party scene in "Popular music from Vittula"
I am half Carelian and half Tavastian. When my Carelian aunt and her Tavastian husband came to visit, nobody was silent. Actually there were two groups of people, who were having concurrent discussion and actually everybody had to talk more and more loud to be heard. Our families were farmers in 1960's Finland.
You make an excellent point about Thatcherite Britain. Low taxes are extremely short sighted and lead to you paying more in other ways to counter the inconvenience caused by awful public services. Also your example of crossing at the red light is probably also a result of Thatcher now that everyone in the UK is financially squeezed to keep the shareholders happy.
Can't you tell how much I loved her?
Being naked only applies to Sauna and there's a good reason behind it. When in a swimming pool, there's chlorine in your swim suit and you don't want that stuff evaporating in the heat of sauna. Besides, no-one's interested in your private parts when in sauna. It's a place for getting clean, not getting dirty if you catch my drift. And the silence, ah yes. Finns are surprisingly friendly and like to talk about anything, mainly depression and hatered against life, but it's custom to not tell those things to anyone unless they make the first move. If I'm waiting for a bus I don't want to hear if the person next to me has hepatitis or if they like the weather. If an awkward eye-to-eye moment happens, it's okay to nod your head and perhaps even say that the bus isn't on time. And the answer will be "Yeah". That's Finnish small talk.
"talk about anything, mainly depression and hatered against life" 😂 I think we can thank 5 months of winter for that!
As far as talking, Hungarians come pretty close to Finnish people. Gotta be a good reason to talk unless that one is a close relative or one old friend. It's more than okay to be quiet and just be around in silence.
Eddie the Eagle is a KING as Finn I have been on those SkiJump towers and I say anyone in his right or wrong
mind would go down IS absolutely insane! He did!
Yeah, he was a prince amongst men. Even the worst ski jumper is a total hero
@@VeryFinnishProblems Have You seen The Movie of Eddie ? Go to The Library and ask for that ! You may aswell watch the ( 2 ) Matti & Champion by Mänttäri Movies ! Matti is The ONLY FINN - That has 3 Different Nations MAIL & POST Services made money of & cashed in by issuing a STAMP HONORING HIM ! North Korea & Paraguay & Finland ! Finland ONLY 300.000 STAMPS were issued - and People stood in lines for hours !
Eddie Edwards was not bad at ski jumping! He jumped big hills and that requires a lot of skill, practice and bravery.
Absolutely! I've got massive respect for Eddie and, in fact, anyone who dares to launch themselves from one of those monsters jumps. But in the UK, at the time, he didn't get the praise he deserved for his skill, practise and bravery. He got lauded for still ski jumping despite having zero chance of winning, or being crap but trying anyway. A fine attribute in anyone :)
Very Finnish Problems What that tells about Brittish? Laugh to somebody who is national best.
XtreeM FaiL I don’t know what it says. That the British know how to laugh at themselves more than other nationalities? Or that we don’t understand how difficult ski-jumping is. You tell me.
Laurendahl Gaming Better athlete or a person?
If you mean that Nykänen was better skijumper then yeah. He was best of the best while Eddie the Eagle were worst of the worst. Back in those days, there was also this Polish guy who was always 2nd last, but no one remember his name.
Better athlete. Or I think personally Matti had lighter head, and being light is an advantage in ski jumping. But then what we know, maybe Matti was just clever making himself an absolute clown as a person, and getting paid by scandal press.
Red traffic lights and zebra crossers: you are as equally part of traffic as car drivers, and have to follow the same traffic laws. As car driver I have been thinking: what if I acted the same as people on foot or bicicles. I would have already lost my driving licences or imprisonised 😂😂😂
lol, yeah it's a bit more important that you follow rules when you're driving a half ton steel box :) :)
I usually hop the red light if there are no cars. Unless there are children present (one tries to be a good example).
I don't usually hop red lights, because I don't think laziness gives me enough reason to break the law. It's good to be patient and learn to endure the small unpleasant moments we encounter in our daily lives.
Very helpful and funny video :) Thank you!
Well, if there are children next to me, when I'm waiting for the pedestrian traffic light to turn green, I stick with the rules and wait, if not, and I don't see cars nearby, I couldn't care less about whether the light is green or red. I call it use of common sense.
About sports, England has once won Icehockey World campionship.
I think the japanese really summarized the zebra-crossing thing with "What if a child is watching?".
I usually automatically keep myself from crossing under red if i see a child next to me!
Yes, the Japanese have the same system. Makes sense really. In England if you're going to randomly cross the road while it's still red, might as well not have the crossing lights there in that case, but that's up to other people. I do wish they'd make that same law in our country though.
I do the same, and scour at anyone who goes too soon
Actually Eddie Edwards was not that bad at ski jumping.
Nowadays Finns are at the end of the list too.
And that of course if they pass thru the qualification which rarely happens .
ile vaan Yeah, he a was a million time better than any other Brit and prob 99.99999% of people on the plant. So, I was being overly harsh. Wonder what’s happened to Finns, though?
Eddie Edwards should be Hired as The HEAD Coach of Finnish SKI JUMPING FEDERATION ! WE ALL REMEMBER Him singing IRWIN GOODMANS written - SONG ! He was a Good Mate with Matti Nykänen at Calgary 1988 OLYMPICS ! They even made a Movie of EDDIE ( Where a Famous Swede played Matti ) & two Finnish MOVIES of MATTI ! Your Ice Hockey is Getting Better aswell & two years in a row among The Best 16 Nations ! At Bratislava Slovakia - The Game vs The Frech was a Game that EVERYBODY REMEMBERS for Ywars to Come ! Cheers
Good stuff!!
Some people do cross the road when the light is red in Finland too, at least in my city. From time to time I do it myself, though I only do it at very specific spots that aren't exactly like big main street kind of place. But some people do it anywhere even if they see there is a car coming but it's far away. But I feel like many people who would normally do it won't do it when everyone else is waiting because it would be somewhat socially weird to be the only one to do it.
If there are children around, then you wont cross the road on red. That's bad example, everybody waits. But if no cars + no children + extremely clearly no danger then maybe.
Honestly, I don't even wait when there are kids around, if they're with parents. It's for the parents to show good example, not me. Yes, I don't like kids hhahaa
@@marianna3253 just remember you have been child once too. There's no reason to dislike kids. 😁
@@marianna3253 You pretty much summarize the attitude of some modern Finnish people. You have no responsibilities towards other people and you are willing to break the rules just because you are lazy and impatient. Crossing the road on reds isn't even fun or exciting, unless you're literally the most boring person ever. I don't know how old are you, but you come off as really childish.
All sound absolutely perfect. I can go with those rules.
lol! Yeah, some definitely make life easier
It sounds like a German could be comfortable living in Finland or vice versa.
Great post
About tax in Finland, from my own perspective as a British person, the taxes are honest rather than particularly high. Overall, the state spends about the same per person in Finland and the UK; however, tax in the UK is hidden. For example, there is much made of there being no VAT on food in the UK, but the tax on business premises (uniform business rate) is enormous, so there is huge tax on food, except this does not appear on the bill. Another hidden tax in the UK involves the complex way that pension funds are taxed internally, which nets billions of Pounds, but this is not shown on pension income statements; you have to dig deep into the pension provider's formal accounts to find it. The Finnish method is honest and open about how much tax is paid on each transaction, which makes the government more accountable for what they spend.
Haha, Eddie Edwards Is a legend !
If you want to see Finnish silence and awkwardness perfected, you should see the 1980's TV series "Tankki Täyteen" or "Reinikainen".(One of the 2 directors of both series is British-born director Neil Hardwick, by the way.)
The very first episode starts with 5 minutes of silence: ua-cam.com/video/NG_yS3zNH6A/v-deo.html
The background for the scene: the man has bought a service station in middle of nowhere, and his wife is sulking because of that.
I think these points would shock many Brazilians too. And considering the health system here is free (although we have paid medical doctors as an option) brazilians already complain about local taxes. Imagine in Finland, paying higher taxes (as far as I know the health system in Finland is not 100% free).
I don't think us Finns think sauna as a public space. Even when it's public sauna.
That’s and interesting thought 🤔 Why not?
@@VeryFinnishProblems think it same way as church. Anyone can access church but I don't think it's place where you go to meet people. Sauna is for you time. Place where you can be with your own thoughts, silent and in peace.
@@andyscrumifi Good point! Never thought of it like that. Kiitos paljon for sharing
Thats it! I'm moving to Finland and I hate winter sports!!!!
That would be very funny to have british friend
Yeah, to start with :)
The last one is interesting, because it’s the same in Poland, if not stricter! In Poland if you’re caught crossing the road on the red man it’s 50zl (£10) fine!
Wow! Wonder if they'd be so obedient is they didn't get fined? Here people's only punishment is a steely glare from other pedestrians :)
Hahah, "steely glare" is very accurate. It really just has everything to do with not getting the evil eye from old ladies. :D It just forms into a habbit so much that you'll most likely do it even when no one's looking.
Horzuhammer Yeah, I’ll do anything to avoid that. Even wear sunglasses in winter 😀👍
yes we get also fined for that in finland, if i rememer correctly the fine is about 20€
MPHC88 Really! I had no idea there was a cash incentive not to move. You learn something new every day! 😀👍
I'm your biggest fan for the dig on Thacherism.
Great minds think alike :)
I bet brits are terrified of winterbath too literally in an icy lake while being around -20 C! THEN jump fast as hell back in the sauna haha!
I loved Eddie the Eagle ❤️
video kamu sangat luar biasa dan sangat keren.
In am 100% finn. I'll cross the road when empty, regardless of traffic light :D
Culture shock is the two doors behind you. Explain this. I mean the doors.
Lol! One's a cupboard, which leads nowhere :)
where were you in pohjanmaa??
I love to learn about Finland 🇫🇮 I'm German and you could have almost talked about Germany, except the intense silence part 😅 Silence in a social situation is mostly considered awkward. We get a lot of shit for a lot of these (A la "Why are you like that!?") and I'm happy to hear we're not alone ❤️ Oh, and our school system is sh**. And we do cross red lights if night/rain/snow/country streets etc., people do however consider children a lot, which in my mind makes sense. So, they'll not cross red when there's kids. And I guess we pay a little less taxes but maybe not, who knows 🤣 Asking other people's income is pretty taboo-ish unless you're quite close. I feel like all central/north but also east European cultures are very similar to this. I heard similar things from Sweden and Poland. For Germany, it depends a bit where you are too actually because we're some sort of "transition - area" in Europe between all different cultures 😆 So we have from everything a little bit.
Everything a little bit (or lots) different in each country is what make the world such a wonderful place :)
@@VeryFinnishProblems Yes! And not judging introvert or extrovert cultures because they are different or jumping to conclusions as to why they act in a certain way. There's no right or wrong. It's different. And that's amazing 🤩
I’m very worried about my son in law who is moving there next month. He’s , even by Australian standards, a very gregarious, outgoing person, who can & will talk to anyone. He’s going to be at home with a baby most of the time, particularly in the early days. I’m more worried about him freaking Finnish people out. What to do?? Maybe he’ll have to seek out foreign students from America almost half his age to have someone to talk to.
He'll be fine :D
Oh, and... (Almost) No saunas in England? D: D: D: I wasn't aware! You're missing out guys! It's the best ❤️ No winter with no sauna 😏
Applies for most parts for Germany as well.
Yes and no 🤣
Wow, Finland is a great country!
I really do share your opinion on "winter sports". I guess it was Himmler and his sports club called HC Gestapo who gave
this to us with icefishing and other tortures. At least Himmler killed himself but his legacy lives!
I am from Finland
crossing the street while red light's on I first always check there are ni childeren aroun getting a "bad" inluence. And sure, many ppl do OBEY THE RULE (!xD) in Finland, but maybe with a big difference to GB. We're bit more like the japanese I'd guess..
eddie is a legend
Add charging 15 euros for a glass of wine to that list :)
Sadly, I totally feel your pain. :)
Ones that are clearly far too expensive :)
Are you sure it wasn't in Norway? I had a bottle of wine at a Helsinki bar for 19,50 euros just a few months ago.
Do You have to Drink The Best Wines ?
It sounds like you've been ordering wine in really expensive or exclusive establishment. The median price for a glass of wine in Helsinki is between 5 and 10 euro.
One liter beer cans should be added to that list. Bet you've never seen that in a regular supermarket...
the reason why finns wait for the green man is, because the blonds are waiting... for you!
I live in finland
Suomi perkele
no mieti mun nimeä :D en mieti
UK have something in ice-hockey, that Finland do not. Olympic gold. Granted, it was a long time ago. In 1936. However, this year UK was really close getting a promotion from division 1 to the top level of World Championships.
Nevertheless, not many people in the UK know those facts (not sure, how many Finns are aware of those facts). Understandable, that there isn't that much interest in winter sports in a country where there isn't that much snow.
This is ole news since Finland are Olympic gold medal winners in ice hockey now.
The only time I stand still waiting for the light to change to green if no car is passing is if Mr. Bean is standing on front of me with his hand up indicating not to move forward. In that case, I will not move. I won't even blink. I won't breath. I won't think. I will urinate myself if I have to. I will let a criminal rob me. My hair, toe nails and finger nails will stop growing. In fact, Mr. Bean just alerted me to stop typing.
From my opinion waiting lights to turn green only happen in country side... For the past few years I have been working on the capital area it seems that most people regardless their ages just rush through the pedestrian crossing no matter the lights or if there is car around.
I've never seen anyone wait (or waited myself) for the light to turn green if there are no cars passing. I don't understand where this stereotype comes from xD
I'm from tampere and have also lived in turku, and in both of these places I think most of the people wait for the lights to turn green. Sometimes someone crosses the road when there are no cars around and then some other people might follow them but still some people stay and wait, it's kind of funny
I lived in Turku for 8 years, and every day I saw people crossing when the light was red, myself included.
@@marianna3253 You seem to be really proud of it. Most people wouldn't consider laziness as a virtue. Laziness, because that's the most common reason why people are crossing on red lights.
@@marianna3253 You have to understand where he's coming from. Have you been to London? They might as well just cancel traffic lights for pedestrians already 🤣 So, relative to that, probably "no one's crossing" in Finland, Japan, Germany and wherever these stereotypes exist. Although... I'm from Germany and was in Japan... _Really_ no one was crossing... Not even at deserted roads... That was special 🤣
Silence? The finnish side of my family talks as much if not more at dinners and parties than my swedish side.
was well functioning.
💚💚💚🙋♂️
Reminds me of Germany🤔
Watch to the camera....
The sound is bad
These all five points are very true, but for point 5. Im anarchist and always cross the street at red light if theres a good chance to do it. In lights where there is a button that you could press when you want to cross the street, I dont even bother pressing the button, I wait that cars clear up and cross the street against red light.
Wow you're so edgy. I thought most people crossed the streets at red light because they were lazy and not because it was fun or exciting. I think that's really lame, but if you manage to get kicks out of it then go ahead. You're not hurting anyone.
don’t be so naive, the highest earners do not pay the most in taxes. There are many ways to avoid the taxes.
The traffic light thing: I recall being in Savonlinna one winter morning. No traffic at all in sight, a crowd at the lights. We pushed through and crossed the road while a police car bellowed at us on its tannoy.....in Finnish, so a wasted effort.
Culture shock - 75% of highly educated immigrants are DISCRIMINIATED on job market in finland . (Espoo city research 2021) .
Oecd research into discrimination of african ppl in western european country showed finland ranked the most racist .
I like u
Thanks! You're too kind :)
what are a Englishman..black..Asian..Kines,,Indian..tell me..
Finland1965 All those types of Englishman and more. The UK is marvellously multi-cultural and infinitely more interesting for it.
I love how everyone bigs Finland up...Yet it is BRILLIANT for Finns. For British people and Immigrants, even most Finnish adults in general the country does not care.
Finnish lack commonsense, and I'm a Brit been living in Finland for past 6-7 years. I say living, TRAPPED in Finland. My daughter lives with me fulltime and we are NOT allowed to move away from the country.
EVERY single Finnish person has told me they don't like doing things the easy way. When offered two options they intentionally choose the hard way even when they can save time and money the easy quick way.
I see your point but also appreciate that philosophy of doing things the hard way. I think it's more of a feel good factor for wellbeing. I'd love to experience life in Finland although I do get the impression that Fins like a strict lifestyle. Btw I'm English.
But you british have david pawson (challenge to islam, ...)
some Finnish people follow the government and the rules like a religion, the "red man syndrome" at the zebra crossing is a good example of that.
That’s so true! I often wondered why. My own theory is that government here is more accessible and closer to the people, and it’s way easier for people to get into parliament for example. In the UK you need to be a member of a party from 16 and work your way up for years before being nominated by party to run. But in Finland it doesn’t seem to be the case. Consequently people see it more representative of themselves and less elitist and so trust the government more. What do you think?
@@VeryFinnishProblems you could be right. Personally I think it has something to do with the nature of the people, Finns seem to always want to do the right thing and since they bought the idea that government and the rules are "the right thing" they follow them to a t. I mean people here think taxes are good... Also I hear some people think that the politicians are smarter than them, also many think that they have our best interest in heart and we should just obey every decision they make. So it's a mixture of extreme naivety and wanting to do the right thing. I do what I can to help them snap out of it, I never stand at a red light if no cars are coming, just to show there is 1 free person left and to make it easier for somebody to start thinking with their own brains, sometimes people join me, sometimes they stand still and I walk alone.
Torille
The other side of the Finn waiting at the pedestrian crossing is the driver who is not going to stop even when he can see you ready to cross. There is a apparently no requirement to do anything for people waiting to cross. The exception being during cold weather when the warm driver is very sympathetic to the person waiting in the cold. Then there is the cyclist who is moving towards the crossing. This cyclist is very likely to cross no matter how close you are to the crossing in your car. He demands and expects you will respect his right to exercise in public using the roads he pays taxes for. Fuck with him and you will not come out if it feeling too good. I have started now so I might as well finnish. Finnish drivers who are rule following have no clue at all to the idea of responding to driver courtesy they should turn off the main road when you stop for them. Flashing them indicates they have done something wrong? Waving to them problably indicates you are angry. They are brain dead in city traffic compared to London where we all cooperate to keep it moving. :-(
What about when you are sarcastic and no one understand why this is funny lol
So been there! 😂
Ketut on söpöjä
You can’t find out how much money anyone earns but just that who were the biggest tax payers 2 years ago.
You can get this information, too. Go to tax office and give the taxpayers name, year of birth and the city where the person is registered. You will get the answer, sometimes you can use the computer application yourself at tax office. I have searched some peoples income and the tax which they paid about 5 years ago.
@@JormaKovanen the richest do tax planning
MR JOEL YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT THIS
MAN TRUST ME IT DOSE NOT JUST FREAK OUT BRITISH PEOPLE ONLY . IT FREAKS OUT ANY DECENT HUMAN BEING WHO COMES HERE TO FINLAND DOSE NOT MATTER WHERE THEY COME FROM, SPECIALLY THE PEOPLE HWO COMES TO LIVE HERE KNOW THE BEST HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT FINLAND
ROFLMAO