Thread: Finnish Culture Shock

How would you describe Finnish Culture Shock?

- Silent nature of people (at first feels like rude, but after you know them, its not like that)
- people too much concern about private life
- phone culture (you try to talk with some finnish people, they doesnt seem like talking, but when you call them, it feels like you are talking with different person)
- too much thinking (sometimes they think too much about others and you might think in different way)

hmm, well I didn't really had a cultural shock when I went to Finland, but that's probably because I already knew about it.

People are silent, and it's in their nature. It's not because they are upset or want to ignore you, they just are reserved.
Ponctuality is really important to Finns.
people don't hug, unless they are really close friends.

Originally Posted by reea

hmm, well I didn't really had a cultural shock when I went to Finland, but that's probably because I already knew about it.

Reea, nice to hear that you have nice time here in Finland i am having the good time also from the very beginning because i also studied the some language and culture before i came here. But i dont think it will be a cultural shock if I already know about the place but someone feels culturally shock when people have to stay in a different and unknown cultural or social environment and have to find way in new culture which might be different from what he/she belong to. My points are from that perspectives, for which most of my friends believe these points to be true.

Originally Posted by reea

People are silent, and it's in their nature. It's not because they are upset or want to ignore you, they just are reserved.
Ponctuality is really important to Finns.
people don't hug, unless they are really close friends.

I agree about your points for punctuality and silent nature, its the nature and what they are, and even though being a foreigner i am comfortable with it.

It's a common thing for Finnish people to squeeze your mobile phone battery just to say hello?
Phone calls are supposed to be that longer? (Sometimes 2-3 hours, phew)
I'm getting in love with your country, seriously. But a guy shouldn't talk by phone more than 2 minutes with another guy, at least straight guys. Not that there's anything wrong with that, ha.
I'm being rude, just by saying: "That's pretty cool, but I wanna hit the bed"?
And another freaking curious thing. Wherever a Finn moves along with a foreign partner, suddenly the others around tends to over analyze the situation to finally (most of the cases) assume that they'll probably are going to have sex to automatically disappears of the scene in a desperate intent to be polite and respectful with others people privacy.

Originally Posted by boymca

It's a common thing for Finnish people to squeeze your mobile phone battery just to say hello?
Phone calls are supposed to be that longer? (Sometimes 2-3 hours, phew)
I'm getting in love with your country, seriously. But a guy shouldn't talk by phone more than 2 minutes with another guy, at least straight guys. Not that there's anything wrong with that, ha.
I'm being rude, just by saying: "That's pretty cool, but I wanna hit the bed"?
And another freaking curious thing. Wherever a Finn moves along with a foreign partner, suddenly the others around tends to over analyze the situation to finally (most of the cases) assume that they'll probably are going to have sex to automatically disappears of the scene in a desperate intent to be polite and respectful with others people privacy.

It is very difficult to understand your english, but saying that men who talk to eachother for more than 2 minutes are gay is just crazy!

I know men (including me) who can talk for hours about sport, women, beer, we even sometimes can talk about intellectual subjects like economics, politics, engineering, science! Maybe you need to go to a country that prizes small talk, chat, conversation, call it what you will.... Southern Europeans and my countrymen are famous for talking!

If your only reason for talking to women is to get them into your bed, they will quickly see through that and you will be a very lonely person indeed.

I was meeting a friend in the railway station a few years ago in helsinki and I got really annoyed but bit my lip as two coloured gentlemen kept pestering finnish women to go with them, the women refused and pretended not to understand english, but those guys wouldn't give up. I left without saying a word, I am annoyed I didnt tell them to go f**k themselves. I dont consider myself a racist person but emigrants have to adapt to the native culture or else get out!

It is those little incidents that are pushing the natives over the edge, and your comments do not help!

I don't understand what the problem is to talk longer than 2 minutes on the phone?

Originally Posted by Johanna

How would you describe Finnish Culture Shock?

olutta ja makkara, at least as a german, it will be difficult to fall in love with the finnisch version of comfort food.

I LOOOOOVE MÄMMI, though

Office Cultural Shock:

Very Comfortable working environment
You can wear what ever you want in the office


Overall Cultural Shocks

People need there space
Hardly show up if you invite anybody
Lot of Emails, internet, telephone
Shyness
People never get angry

People are quiet..which isn't a bad thing, but it's completely different from what I'm used to in America. When I first came to Finland, I misunderstood their quietness for rudeness, but now I'm pretty used to it.
It seems that home life in Finland is kept extremely private, again, not a bad thing. However, I can't imagine having the same kind of open, close relationships with Finns that I do with my friends back in the States.