Who Am I? Identification Through Places. Finland. Part 2.

This time I will share the differences between Finland and Russia which shocked me, when I just moved to Finland.

1. Finnish people smiled a lot. Almost all of them. Almost always. It was a significant difference from Russia where people look serious, way too serious sometimes. It doesn’t mean that Russian people are angry, it is just a cultural aspect. It is believed that in order to be taken seriously, you should look serious.

On the opposite, Finnish people were not greedy at all to smile at me, and I really felt welcomed. It was a nice change because I am a smiley one myself. 😊

2. Pace of life. After hectic, fast, and loud Russia, Finland was very slow, quiet, and peaceful. Noone was in a hurry, and people around seemed to enjoy their life.

3. Bike tracks. Everyone was on a bike, bikes everywhere, and there were separate tracks for the bikes on the pavements, next to pedestrian paths. I was walking there, hearing angry screams or alarms, before I figured out that I was actually not supposed to be there.

4. Safety. It took a while to except the idea that I can walk anywhere even at night and nothing will happen to me. This item was probably the most important, and still is of course! ❤