michael åhlfors yeahh 😆 and at the same time Finns are so humble. They rarely admit to being great at anything. SO many Finns told me they don’t speak English well and were shy to speak it but they actually spoke English more proper than I do!
How are the rest of us supposed to know if they have good or bad things to say about your country before you've even watched the video? Come on, I'm not even Finnish but I'm defending your country. Grow up.
dentist linguist If the title says ”Things I Miss About Finland”, i think they all are good things because people usually don’t miss bad things about something. Perkele.
I think the Finnish curiosity about what foreigners think of us is not about poor self-esteem like some "experts" have called it. To me it seems to be curiosity about ourselves, a desire to know ourselves. Living inside a single culture leaves you blind to the things that make it unique. By listening to foreigners talk about their experiences of all things Finnish, we are peering into a metaphorical mirror to see our reflection.
I've travelled in many countries and they are allways as eager to know about their own country as we finns like to hear our country..Cultural exance is allways good
Flamma I think that’s a good thing! Here in the states it’s like you can’t really tell who is your friend and who’s for real or who is being fake because most everyone is so friendly. I feel like Finnish people are wise about how they choose friends. Like they don’t just open up to anyone. Which is smart in my opinion. Thanks for watching! ✌🏼❤️
And that is a main reason e Why it's so safe in here. There is not so muhch room for thiefs or being mugged when everybody thinks that it's just weird an unpolite to talk to people without a good reason. And scary. Everybody is relaxed, but when someone even asks you time, your alertness goes to hundred immedietly.
Finland has the #1 rated education system in the world. Ha Ha...I was thinking as I watched, this girl went on a mission to teach the Finns something but as I watched it was sounding more and more like they taught you something and then you admitted exactly that...you were the one who was profoundly changed not the other way round. So refreshing that an American would admit that...very cool.
She was very humble to tell that but actually it is not the thing that foreigners have nothing to teach us finns. Not at all. In Finland secularisation (for example) is in full speed and we live in need of mission despite of the state church religion.
@@fellow7091 Well, I don't think I said the Finns have nothing to learn from others, but I appreciate your open mindedness and willingness to learn from other cultures.
Except for alcohol prices! Slovak Beer, 0.5L in Helsinki was 3.90€. Here you get same beer for 3.60€ ... for 6 pack :D But yeah, its nice country :) Been there only for 3 days but it's one of few countries I really liked.
@@WildwoodVagabond I am from Slovakia. And I love drinking, sauna (thankfully I have sauna 5 minutes of walk from home so I go go 2x a week in winter) and in general I liked how people behave ... kind of like in Slovakia :) Here you can see 7 years old going alone to school :)
Something a lot of foreigners (to Finland) don't realize about sauna culture is that nakedness is nonsexual. It is as if much of the world sees that _clothing_ is the thing that prevents wild orgies from happening and if you remove part or all of that, it's all Sodoma, Gomorra and Marquis de Sade. Seeing foreigners in their first sauna experience is funny because opposing to their possible prejudice about sex that must happen contrary to all Finnish claiming, it really is just bunch of people packed into a room that is intentionally so hot that the only thing that fits in your feelings and thoughts and experience is that OMG IT IS HOT IN HERE WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE SOON HOT HOT HOT HOT. After getting out, the limbic brain is cool and quiet for a while and expressing only gratitude of survival. This is when you can talk deep or just be quiet in a very deeply connecting fashion. Oh and the limbic brain is right about survival: if you are too long in the sauna, you will die because of overheating, dehydration or both. So when you feel like you must get out, get out.
Vacuum pack the rye bread and send it via airmail. When it arrives, put it in a freezer immediately to keep it fresh. Then when you want to enjoy some ryebread from Finland, just pop it in a toster (while still frozen) and you'll have warm and fresh rye bread readily available even in Texas. I had my parents send it to me like this when I lived in Japan.
Need to remember to freeze the rye bread mum and dad brings whenever they come to visit me in Norway, and toast it whenever I want a snack. Thanks for the tip!
RumaHinkkari haha.. I miss salmiakki ice cream! That stuff was amazing. But salmiakki candy was ok. I liked normal licorice better though. Honestly I’d take either right now though. Just missing everything ❤️
I was an exchange student to Finland long ago. Your lists are basically the same as mine. Outstanding people who have polished their jewel of a country. Their one flaw is that they don't think highly enough of themselves, and so don't share their wisdom and outlook with the world enough. The one thing Americans could truly teach them is marketing/PR.
My friend from Japan built a Sauna next to Fuji mountain, and he brought 20 kilos of kiuaskivi (sauna stove stones) from finland to Japan, since Japan has no bedrock and mainly consists of lava rock which has no heat storing properties.I love Finland and I have great respect for any person that has the courage to spend a winter here.
The practicality is something a lot of foreigners don't notice. If it can be done better we are all over it. Basicly we are a country of amateur engineers (and actual ones too of course). We even got a tax now for wasteful plastic packaging now. Mostly because it's hard to recycle, but also because the smaller packaging is just more practical to use.
I was born in Finland I in Raahe and lived in Oulu until the age of five, when my family migrated to Australia in 1959. I have never been back but I would really like to see my homeland. A lot of what you mentioned was part of my childhood, such as other Finnish people, Finnish food, culture and singing was big in my family and we always had a sauna. Thank you for reminding me how beautiful Finland truly is. Pirkko from Queensland Australia.
The finnish shyness thing is less about being cold and more about respecting each others personal space, both on a mental and a physical level if that makes sense. :) We don't know the social boundaries of strangers and don't want to risk overstepping them. Silence isn't awkward to us because it means space to breathe, talking all the time feels smothering.
And as a poor disabled person and an artist I can tell that there definitely is class differences and judgment. (My parents always told me to get a "real job" etc.) But at least people are polite enough to not spit it into your face because - as my grandma would say - it costs nothing to be kind.
We here in Finland have two words for "friend." We have "kaveri" and we have "ystävä." Kaveri is like your regular friend you can hang with and who has your back and all that, "ystävä" is a more profound bond, more akin to what Sam and Frodo are to each other, there's real deep loyalty in being an "ystävä" to someone, and they're the people who will stick by you even if it means they have to get a beating to do so. The more superficial friendships many people are used to, the kind that you hang around with every now and then and that's it, them we call simply associates, we don't even afford them the title of "kaveri." This is because most of us at some point, being from a small country and all, have experienced some form of profound loyalty towards us from another, and we give loyalty enormous value. That's why we're still not big on all that polyamory bullshit either, it's just disloyalty with consent and is a recipe for disaster and misery, not happiness and fulfillment.
khatack Well explained!! Thank you for breaking it down. I understood that Finns are wise in how they make friends but this really helps me understand it deeper. Thanks for watching! ❤️✌🏼
...wow, you had me with you all up until that last sentence, like "yeah, I'm agreeing with this guy - wait, where did THAT come from?!" I'm sorry you have had such bad encounters with polyamory; the experience in my circle of acquaintances has been different. Also, I think it is very much possible to be loyal to more than one people or idea at a time; if there's conflicting loyalties, then they just have to be resolved in a way or another. I mean, I'm loyal to my family; I'm loyal to my employer; I'm loyal to my subordinates; I'm loyal to my ideals; I'm loyal to my friends; I'm loyal to my country; I'm loyal to the idea of world peace; I'm loyal to my wife; I'm loyal to my loved ones. Adding one more layer of loyalty into this complex of loyalties doesn't it "disloyalty with consent" make. In my honest opinion, your mileage may vary.
@@jannepeltonen2036 you keep telling yourself that. Sad reality is that you've got so many divided loyalties that you're not loyal to anyone. A friend to all is a friend to none.
@@houndofculann1793 It's all downhill from here, they closed down the Björkboda factory and moved a lot of the production to a cheaper location, think electric mortises are still made locally but the rest, not so much. They also had a lot of issues with their later exit models but that is another story ^^
@@houndofculann1793 True, true, also the lock cylinder system is revolutionary and has been for the past century. Factoid of the day, it's originally based on an old cash register. Their new electronic cylinders have yet to convince me though ^^
Kiitos videosta! Olen suomalainen, asun Ruotsissa. After more than 40 years of living abroad I'm still 100% Finnish, and will always stay that way. I've watched the two other videos as well, and now it strikes me you've missed one thing about us: WE ARE STUBBORN!! :)
Your videos about Finland/Texas are amazing! I have visited Finland a number of times and felt completely happy, secure and comfi - like the little boy alone in the bus. A number of observations are the same that you'd find here in Denmark except for the outdoor saunas that I have also enjoyed. Come back to the Nordic countries (y) You understand the feel! - Lovely videos (y) .. and the Finns are outstanding people.
Yeah, I saw a lot of rowdy people in bars and concerts. But these are the places, where good Christian girls don't go to. In the summer open air concerts people drink a lot of beer and guys have no problem to pee in front of everybody.
I have worked in 39 countries, visited more than 50, married 2 foreigners and still my home is where my bed is. Finn I am and more I am away, more I love Finland.
I appreciate you americans about your communication skills and unprejudiced attitude. You make everything sounding so easy and fluent, your health self-confidence makes that possible. Your messaging make me feel good. You are really genuine people more than we finns these days I think.
Ruisleipä, easy resept: Ingredients 8 dl Sunday Coarse Wholemeal rye flour 1 ps. Sunday Dry yeast 1/2 tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar In addition 5 dl of water Measure the rye flour into a 1-liter glass jar. Add the unopened dry yeast bag, salt, and sugars to the jar. Craft the instruction manual under the side of the jar or print it here. 5 dl of water 1 tbsp rye bread ingredients Heat the water to 42 degrees (celsius) (well above hand temperature). Stir in the dry yeast. Add the rye bread ingredients in a few portions and mix until smooth. Cover the dough with a cloth and let rise for 1 hour. Set aside the dough on a rye-floured table and divide it into two parts. Bake both pieces of dough on baking paper with perforations using flour as an aid. Prick the bread and bake in a 230 degree (celsius) oven for 50 minutes.
Thank you Rachel for your videos. I am half Finnish (my dad was born in Alavus) and I grew up in California. I visited Finland many years ago and now I'm going back and bringing my grown children and husband. YOur videos helped me remember some things that I MISS in Finland...for me I miss outdoor dancing platforms in midsummer, Finnish makkara (sausages!), sauna, massage, lakes everywhere and pines everywhere ( my name is Manty :) )
Verna Rodriguez Ahh so nice! Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you like the videos. I’m so glad you’re going back and taking your family! I hope they enjoy it and you all have a great time. Thanks for watching ❤️
Really happy to hear how genuine and honest you are when talking about your expectations when going to Finland and what you actually learned while having been there for a while. That's how you learn humility in the right way. I'm sure you're a wonderful person and it would have been an honor to have met you here and been able to talk with you about a variety of things. You're so much welcome back any time. Just one thing though... Please don't brake against the 3rd commandment.. Or any other. Wishing you all the best and God bless 😊
Thank you so much for these videos, please keep posting them!!! So amazing of you to share your personal experience, it can be really helpful for someone who is living here in Finland and might be struggling with same issues you were here.
Big hug from Finland! Great to hear you had nice time here,!You made really nice points that are hard to see when you have actually lived here all your life. That is the main reason I want to watch these videos since they open up my mind to see the world around me :)
I liked a lot your 10+ things about Finland. Everyday life here ( Arkielämä , as we say) makes people little bit numb about all good things & places there are here in Finland. But this arkielämä still goes on well for most people here. And i thank you about everything you said on video cause it is reminder for me about the place i live in. And it is a good place to be. Hope you have a chance sometime to come back to Finland. All the best for you in life!
Short summer, foreigners keep saying that, as a finn I dont feel our summer is short, I mean it's 5 months long sometimes to us, but for you it's like 2 weeks :D But then again, when you like the cold, summer feels too long and winter too short, even in southern Finland.
Mikko S. Haha... it did feel like 2 weeks long!! But coming from Texas where we have a really long summer (feels like) Finnish summer felt too short mostly because I don’t like cold weather! I felt like I never had adequate time to defrost from winter. So you’re right it’s mainly perspective. Lol, thanks for watching!!
Moi, Raakkeli! Ihana nähdä sun kauniit kasvot! 😘🙋❤👑 Was a fun surprise that TH-cam suggested your videos. What a lovely way to remind of the beauty we often forget we have here. Hope to see you soon!
Hi Rachael, thank you so much for this video! All as you tell, made me proud too. If you don't mind I would like to share this with my two true American friends who through me have been able to "dive into" the Finnish, um..diversity, and they love it! Thanks again and God bless you!
This is fun for me. My ancestors came from Tornio and Oulu in 1913 and settled near Calumet, Michigan in the northern most part of Michigan near Lake Superior. I spent pre-school years living with my mother's parents on their farm, and was bilingual Finn and English. If you want to talk about our experiences, well, let's do.
All those things that you've listed... they just make me want to pack some things and fly to Suomi on the spot -- going to Finland has been a dream of mine for over ten years! I also love that they put the emphasis on practicality -- why buy many things because they're 'pretty' when you could spend less on useful stuff? Being a creative, I feel that I could be happy there, and you seem to feel the same about the fact that they actually encourage their young ones to do what they love, and I'm not even talking about their education system! Anyway, the uniqueness of Finland is something to experience at least once in a lifetime, right? Thanks a lot for your feedback video!
Alana P thank you for your comment! Yes I feel like they really support and encourage people to be creative. Definitely a life changing experience. I hope you get to go soon!
Thank you for this video. I'm a Finn and I do appreciate how you speak for our small country. This is a cold country to live but the best society I've found so far. Greetings from Turku! :)
"An american, a Frenchman and a Finn saw an elephant. American wondered wow much money he could make with that elephant. A Frenchman was thinking how many different dishes he could prepare from that elephant. A Finn was thinking what that elephant thinks of him." So tell me more about what you think about Finland =)
Thank you Rachel. You are so right: I feel akward listening to your kind words. But deep inside I am so glad to realize that a lot of what you say is just what people NEED to hear. All of it actually. And living in Turku myself and after spending almost 40 best years of my life here raising a family and having a wonderful career as a teacher here, I loved to hear that you lived in Turku, which used to be called the asshole of Finland. We don’t hear much of that anymore because the economy is booming, for one thing. God bless you. I love to hear more from you and your channel. Love from Juha in Finland
Juha Hyrsky Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it! I’m glad you found the videos interesting. There’s more to come for sure. Thank you for watching ❤️ greetings from Texas
I just moved from the United States back to Finland and miss many things from the states a lot. Your videos are great and remind me of the great things in Finland. However, I miss the U.S. small talk culture.
If you loved Finland so much and ever go back there please visit Estonia as well, many things you have talked about are similar if not same in here as well and we have a beautiful old town and nature in here as well. Also we love the saunas but maybe not as much as Finns 😅😄 love your channel and your videos, it's nice to see things from a foreigner's perspective 😉☺️
Kiitos! Olen niin ylpeä virolaisista heimoveljistämme, jotka meidän suomalaisten tulisi aina mainita samalla kun esittelemme itseämme muille. Kuulumme samaan kieliperheeseen ja itämeren kansojen kulttuuriin. Erityisen ylpeä olen siitä, että vierolaiset eivät myyneet sieluaan kommunismille, vaan halusivat siitä eroon heti kun se oli mahdollista. Virolaisilla on mielestäni suurempi kunnioitus omia perinteitä ja kulttuuria kohtaan kuin meillä suomalaisilla. Meiltä ei löydy mitään esim Tallinnan laulujuhlia vastaavaa. I love Estonian.
It's absolutely true that we hate boasting about our own achievements, but at the same time we get all giddy when the rest of the world notices something we did well. That's the party time right there. Just let your actions speak for yourself and if someone notices be very proud
And phone subscriptions (7 cent per minute or message), and I believe electricity as well. ~5 € base fee per month + 10 to 12 €-cent per KwH (including transfer). If I got it right e.g. in Germany electricity is a lot more expensive. (a quick google, this page here www.kwh-preis.de/strom/strompreise lists 30 cents per kWH).
Recycling has gotten even better over here. Before you had to go to like a recycling area that was built for the whole neighbourhood (which was still only like a 15 min walk) but now (at least in my experience from where I've lived) each apartment building has all of the recycling bins in their own garbage area/little hut thing
I do have to mention that religion and god-belief isn't that big of a deal here. Even though most people are members of the church I suspect the especially younger people aren't religious. God is just a non-factor for most of my friends family and acquaintances
There used to be this pagan religion before christianity. Gods and spirits were connected to mother nature. I think these old beliefs are getting more popular again, in a way at least. For example for me it is godly just to be able to go in pure nature, smell the forest and fresh water and just listen, enjoy the harmony and peace. I would say that Finnish people are quite spiritual but also well educated so science is playing huge role what do we believe in.
I love you vlogs about Finland. While I have not been there yet, I am trying to talk my wife into a trip there. We have just recently guiding a Finnish style wood burning sauna in our backyard here in central Texas. I am quite certain that it is the only one like it in our city. My wife is somewhat Finnish in her inbred introvertedness. Neither one of us can stand being late for an appointment. I hope that you are able to make your planned return trip to Finland.
1:24 This reminds me... I was on my way home when I met this asian woman. She was wearing long winter coat, fur & all, thick gloves, boots, hood & scarf. I had been in sauna at my friend's place, so not only was I wearing nothing but T & shorts, I also had wet hair and skin. Our eyes met for a very long instant. I still remember it.
0:09 Yep, and not just people in Finland. Us here in Norway feel the same way. ^^ Although hearing about people in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland from people from outside the region is a close second. :-P
People from America have been raised that they live in the best of all possible worlds. When venturing abroad, especially in Northern Europe, they are astonished to find out they have been lied to all of their lives 24/7 by politicians, by news anchors on their news channels, and by teachers in their schools.
Sounds about right. Thanks for the kind words about our country . Good to hear that someone is roofing for us in Texas :) 'Cause you just don't mess with Texas...
I'm a sucker watching videos where people try salmiakki. It sometimes leads me into videos with genral talk about the weird country where people eat salmiakki.
I was sent there by my Finnish father to work on my aunt’s farm every summer to keep me out of Jersey City he’ll hole in the 60sand 70s.I feel what you saying,I have a child there and grandchildren that I didn’t know about because they have the ability to have a child without child support.She kept a secret because she didn’t want to break my life apart.I am blessed.
I 've been to different countries across Europe and my favorite was Finland. People are so kind and open-minded, they incredibly trust each other as well as strangers, really loved that country and if I get the chance to come back I won't miss it
I really like your open mind and how easily you seem to have shredded your prejudices. That is intelligence. It seems somewhat “untexan” to my prejudge-mental mind.
Love your videos! You say you learned a lot from your time in Finland, and it works the other way around, too - I lived in Texas for a year and came back another person. Everything you say about the nice things in Finland is true, but you guys have so so many great things that we Finns should learn from, too!
Vir Quisque Vir I agree! And honestly I would never actually carry a gun but I absolutely don’t feel safe traveling on public transportation here. I’m sure in some cities it’s fine but back some years ago where I was living it was super sketchy. I just feel so much safer in general in Finland compared to the states. Anyway, thanks for watching!! Greetings from Texas ✌🏼❤️
Hi! I’m from Finland and living in Sweden since way back! It’s really nice and fun to watch your videos and hear you talk about my home Country! I have Son living in LA and I’m going to visite him in this October. If you wore nearer I would bring you Ruisleipää! May God bless you! 💖☀️👍🏻🇫🇮
i want to visit in usa and drive route 66 with motorcycle; i love my home country and i loved to watch your video from my home country. i hope that you have change to make second trip to here. god bless
Had lived in Iceland for 17 years - my ex-wife is Icelandic -. Even though the place is magical, people are very friendly (what is considered rude / a nogo or not differs from country to country), it had been very interesting to discover the language, landscape, culture in general, I had often felt homesick - particularly in spring which arrives late or maybe never😉 according to central European standard - ... had also missed the forest. Some tourists say they don't like the Icelandic food, which I cannot understand ... fish and lamb meat are excellent (though prefer Swiss cheese and bread). Think I would find it interesting to visit all the countries in the world, but have my favourites: Finland, Canada, Sweden and Germany. Have not been to Finland yet, spent 4 weeks holiday in western Canada many years ago which was amazing, have only seen Malmö in Sweden and only been to a few places in Germany. Staying abroad for a limited period of time or forever makes the difference for me. Some of the Swiss people I got to know in Iceland would never want to move back to "crowded" Switzerland😉. Hello from Zürich😃
I moved to Finland for 4 months now n planning to be here for a very long time here :) Was searching about Finland video n found urs.....very cool tho, i feel connected, ah yeah btw you have stunning eyebrows xx
Nice video. Everybody thinks that American don´t care about other people but it takes the thing that you have to live there to notice all the different things. Thanks Rachel this video made me smile! Kiitos!
TeeJii 79 hi! thank you for your comment. I appreciate it. I’m glad to bring a smile to your face ☺️❤️I didn’t try savusauna but I would like to. Hopefully I can during my visit next summer.
Hi I have been watching maybe 5 of your video now and I do like them very much. I am from Finland, but I moved to Sweden some years ago and that why it is nice to hear about experiences other people living in other countries. Of course moving from Finland to Sweden is not such a cultural shock but there are more differences than I thought. I have also Spanish wife which make our life still bit more colorful in a sense of cultural differences. But thanks for the nice video and of course it was nice to hear all those praising words about my home country. :)
In the same way your trip to Finland was some kind of an eye opener. I felt the same going to US (SD) from Sweden. Even if California and San Diego was a pleasant experience, I could not stop thinking about some of the negative things and how these are slowly coming to us. Like fast food (EVERY WHERE), obesity, consume-alism, a devided class society and homeless people at the rock bottom. So I believe it’s good to travel to see and experience other countries culture, habits asp, just to be able to reflect over some of the ‘quirks’ of your home country.
Minun mielestä lumiset kuukaudet ovat talvea (joulu, tammi ja helmi). Maaliskuussa lumet alkavat sulaa ja se on jo kevättä. Mutta tulkinnanvarainen kysymys.
Hi! Great video! As a finn, I agree, it can be very illuminating moment to notice how wasteful one is, after someone shows you what being practical is :D Another this, that I love about the Finland is our way of speaking English. I've heard this term called: European word smiting, which basically means that we're gently developing our own way of speaking English. I've heard it before, and I just love it!
At last the US is beginning to recognise decent coffee rather than the muck they call coffee, a friend of mine always took on any visit to the US his stove top espresso pot, a packet of Lavazza coffee beans and a coffee grinder, an old early 20th. C. hand one. The only way he could get a decent coffee.
I drink a lot more coffee than average Finn and I think that Juhlamokka is garbage. Its very bitter and just tastes very bad. I cant understand why Finns love Juhlamokka
@@nofame2044 The smell of fresh roasted coffee is very good. But I think mostly it's a question of what you are used to. Though there are exceptions, e.g. very many Latvians hate Latvian coffee and love Finnish.
Juhlamokka is not best coffee but not worst either. Personally i think it is too acid and usually it is made too strong so you can feel it on your teeth afterwards, so I usually drink some other coffee at home.
You're a very special kind of Christian. Especially for an American Christian. You show many of the things that I like in that religion and none of the things that played a huge part in my departure from it ( there were also many theological, ontological and moral reasons too, at least from what we might call mainstream Christianity - for many years now I am a Unitarian). I wish there were more people like you wearing the image and the face of that religion and speaking for it instead of the many smug, Conservative, judgmental bigoted folks... The way you said that you went to Finland to give and to teach but you ended up receiving and learning is just precious and honest and dear to my soul. God bless you!
turku in january is freeeeezing cold. come to lapland. its totally different. +2c on the seaside is much colder than -25c in inland where the air is dry and heres no wind at that weather. and the "kaamos" (polar night) is not dark, we have only different shades of blue and orange.
OMG I am so hooked up to your opinions about Finland. Note that I am new to learn other peoples opinions about Finland. I am currently going school (ammattikoulu for adults) learning new things and it's free. I love to meet new people in my school. Some of them are from different countries and that's one thing what I like. I just like hearing peoples opinions. I must recommend your channel to my other friends. Greetings from Finland :)
Carwash Finland Ahh thank you so much for your comment! I’m glad you like my channel and will share it with your friends! Please do! I miss being in school there and having friends from all over the world.... and it’s free!!! Thanks for watching! ❤️
Wow I am so impressed by your humbleness, positivity and ability to see the best in a society and being so open minded. It is actually something I miss about America. I am a Norwegian and a lot of what you describe about Finland would probably match Norway as well. But I don't think we ever talk in such an upbeat and positive manner about another place. I have met some Americans in my life that was so overflowing with positive energy that it was really inspiring. I don't think I could live permanently in the US, but sometimes I wish I could stay there for periods and recharge my social skills. After 1 year in the US I was so much more of an outgoing and social person. But it is kind of like it has an expiration date, so after some years I turn into every other Norwegian, reluctant to speak to stranger, invite new people on activities, ask how people are doing etc. Also you are a very good representative for Christian people. I am personally a die hard atheist, and often get upset with judgmental conservative Christians, but you see like a very open minded and humble person. A good reminder that there are all sorts of Christians, good and bad. I am actually member of the Norwegian church, but I only consider myself a cultural Christian, not an actual believer. I celebrate Christmas, Easter and share some values with Christians and of course know the bible better than any other religious book.
My daughter & her husband & baby moved to Finland in January this year from Australia. She got a great job with Finnair. That was the first cultural difference, that it was the mother working. During this time her husbands business took off so they had to get a nanny until they could get a childcare spot. Now he has to travel for his job so now they have to find another childcare centre because while he’s away my daughter has to walk 30 minutes in the opposite direction to her job. There’s a 3 year waiting list for the childcare down the road from where they live. The day after they arrived they started ice swimming & did it every weekend. My daughter went for a sauna with a new Finn aquaintence a few weeks later & found it very uncomfortable. A few weeks ago they did a social experiment to test the stereotype that Finns don’t like knowing their neighbours so invited everyone in the building to their place for food & drinks. One couple turned up - the managers of the building, an elderly couple, to “represent “ the building. The 4 of them had a lovely afternoon & their guests went home a little tipsy. Having said all that they’re absolutely LOVING their time in Finland & asa country it represents so many of their ethics & beliefs.
I adore Finnish coffee: Presidente. And Finnish people absolutely are THE best, and the food? Oh 💖 Arctic Swan Bakery in PA does Ruisleipä for shipping, Karjalanpirakka, ginger cookies!!
lol u r so right that finns love to hear about themselves 😂😂😂😂
michael åhlfors yeahh 😆 and at the same time Finns are so humble. They rarely admit to being great at anything. SO many Finns told me they don’t speak English well and were shy to speak it but they actually spoke English more proper than I do!
so?
seppo, it's funny because it's true! :D
I know that, youre talking to a finn, but im not like avarage finns, i love to talk.
so? my comments only said finns love to hear about themselves. had nothing to do with finns generally being quite reserved :D
90% of this video's viewers are finns cause this video is about good things in Finland XD
Xplane Finland Totally offended how she can call us out like that 😵
Aapo Isoniemi because that’s sadly true...
How are the rest of us supposed to know if they have good or bad things to say about your country before you've even watched the video? Come on, I'm not even Finnish but I'm defending your country. Grow up.
dentist linguist Sir, are you high?
dentist linguist If the title says ”Things I Miss About Finland”, i think they all are good things because people usually don’t miss bad things about something. Perkele.
I think the Finnish curiosity about what foreigners think of us is not about poor self-esteem like some "experts" have called it. To me it seems to be curiosity about ourselves, a desire to know ourselves. Living inside a single culture leaves you blind to the things that make it unique. By listening to foreigners talk about their experiences of all things Finnish, we are peering into a metaphorical mirror to see our reflection.
^This!
BeekillerJohanna Great perspective!
BeekillerJohanna Absolut sant, aivan totta, absolutely true :-)
Johanna is right on the spot!
I've travelled in many countries and they are allways as eager to know about their own country as we finns like to hear our country..Cultural exance is allways good
Finnish people are not shy but were pretty reserved towards unknown people.
Our trust is earned slowly
Flamma I think that’s a good thing! Here in the states it’s like you can’t really tell who is your friend and who’s for real or who is being fake because most everyone is so friendly.
I feel like Finnish people are wise about how they choose friends. Like they don’t just open up to anyone. Which is smart in my opinion. Thanks for watching! ✌🏼❤️
And that is a main reason e
Why it's so safe in here. There is not so muhch room for thiefs or being mugged when everybody thinks that it's just weird an unpolite to talk to people without a good reason. And scary. Everybody is relaxed, but when someone even asks you time, your alertness goes to hundred immedietly.
Kyllä
Well i think we are shy and quiet, exept in sauna or drunk or after win icehockey world champions :) TORILLA TAVATAAN!
Flamma I was very impressed by your video. I have been interested in reserve of the Finnish for years. Thank you, Francis Harvey
Finland has the #1 rated education system in the world. Ha Ha...I was thinking as I watched, this girl went on a mission to teach the Finns something but as I watched it was sounding more and more like they taught you something and then you admitted exactly that...you were the one who was profoundly changed not the other way round. So refreshing that an American would admit that...very cool.
She was very humble to tell that but actually it is not the thing that foreigners have nothing to teach us finns. Not at all. In Finland secularisation (for example) is in full speed and we live in need of mission despite of the state church religion.
@@fellow7091 Well, I don't think I said the Finns have nothing to learn from others, but I appreciate your open mindedness and willingness to learn from other cultures.
Thank you for reminding me, that our country is a pretty good place to live.🇫🇮♥️
Andy Lee I really love Finland. It is unique and beautiful and filled with amazing people ❤️
Been forgetting that lately 😶
Except for alcohol prices! Slovak Beer, 0.5L in Helsinki was 3.90€. Here you get same beer for 3.60€ ... for 6 pack :D
But yeah, its nice country :) Been there only for 3 days but it's one of few countries I really liked.
MrVolodus where are you visiting from?
@@WildwoodVagabond I am from Slovakia. And I love drinking, sauna (thankfully I have sauna 5 minutes of walk from home so I go go 2x a week in winter) and in general I liked how people behave ... kind of like in Slovakia :)
Here you can see 7 years old going alone to school :)
Something a lot of foreigners (to Finland) don't realize about sauna culture is that nakedness is nonsexual. It is as if much of the world sees that _clothing_ is the thing that prevents wild orgies from happening and if you remove part or all of that, it's all Sodoma, Gomorra and Marquis de Sade.
Seeing foreigners in their first sauna experience is funny because opposing to their possible prejudice about sex that must happen contrary to all Finnish claiming, it really is just bunch of people packed into a room that is intentionally so hot that the only thing that fits in your feelings and thoughts and experience is that OMG IT IS HOT IN HERE WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE SOON HOT HOT HOT HOT. After getting out, the limbic brain is cool and quiet for a while and expressing only gratitude of survival. This is when you can talk deep or just be quiet in a very deeply connecting fashion.
Oh and the limbic brain is right about survival: if you are too long in the sauna, you will die because of overheating, dehydration or both. So when you feel like you must get out, get out.
Teemu Hakala Awesome comment! Thanks for sharing. I agree with what you wrote. It’s makes sense! Thanks for watching. Greetings from Texas!
finns living abroad often get mailed salmiakki and ruisleipä. it's a bit of a joke but it happens all the time!
its not realy a joke, we need it
Definitely not a joke. I specifically asked my parents to mail me rye bread monthly when I went to Japan.
I'd go crazy without ruisleipä.
ShintaSF Ruisleipä is the BEST! I hope your blood pressure gets better! Thank you for watching! ❤️
I took ryebread with me when I visited Bocholt Germany, there was Finnish exchange student who gave me a big hug, and thanked me.
I was always so inspired by the Finns I built my own ulkosauna
Jeff Middleton wow!! That’s great. I miss sauna so much! When we build off grid I think an ulkosauna would be a cool idea!
Wildwood Vagabond yes it would! I recommend wood burning sauna, the only real way to sauna. Check out finlandia sauna out of Portland, OR!
Jeff Middleton I checked the website. Thanks for sharing! They have some nice looking ones. Good resource!
Wildwood Vagabond ole hyvä
Which church in Turku did you minister in?
Vacuum pack the rye bread and send it via airmail. When it arrives, put it in a freezer immediately to keep it fresh. Then when you want to enjoy some ryebread from Finland, just pop it in a toster (while still frozen) and you'll have warm and fresh rye bread readily available even in Texas.
I had my parents send it to me like this when I lived in Japan.
Santtu Kähkönen that’s a great idea!!
Need to remember to freeze the rye bread mum and dad brings whenever they come to visit me in Norway, and toast it whenever I want a snack. Thanks for the tip!
Someone else have been living in states too... BTW why you don`t miss salmiakki?
RumaHinkkari haha.. I miss salmiakki ice cream! That stuff was amazing. But salmiakki candy was ok. I liked normal licorice better though. Honestly I’d take either right now though. Just missing everything ❤️
I was an exchange student to Finland long ago. Your lists are basically the same as mine. Outstanding people who have polished their jewel of a country. Their one flaw is that they don't think highly enough of themselves, and so don't share their wisdom and outlook with the world enough. The one thing Americans could truly teach them is marketing/PR.
Lynx South thanks for your comment!! ❤️❤️ I so agree!
Marketing BS that is. Is it?🤣
Your Sauna or Mine ? Is That Marketing ?
Hyvinhän se suomi sujuu.Thumbs up! I have cousin who moved to Texas from Finland.Welcome back anytime!
Random808 kiitoksia!! Terveisia Teksasista!! ❤️
Watching the whole video like "oh stop it you" :D
Random2960 hahaha.... ahh ❤️
My friend from Japan built a Sauna next to Fuji mountain, and he brought 20 kilos of kiuaskivi (sauna stove stones) from finland to Japan, since Japan has no bedrock and mainly consists of lava rock which has no heat storing properties.I love Finland and I have great respect for any person that has the courage to spend a winter here.
The practicality is something a lot of foreigners don't notice. If it can be done better we are all over it. Basicly we are a country of amateur engineers (and actual ones too of course). We even got a tax now for wasteful plastic packaging now. Mostly because it's hard to recycle, but also because the smaller packaging is just more practical to use.
Quiwi Lin Lisolet I love it!!!
I was born in Finland I in Raahe and lived in Oulu until the age of five, when my family migrated to Australia in 1959. I have never been back but I would really like to see my homeland. A lot of what you mentioned was part of my childhood, such as other Finnish people, Finnish food, culture and singing was big in my family and we always had a sauna. Thank you for reminding me how beautiful Finland truly is. Pirkko from Queensland Australia.
The finnish shyness thing is less about being cold and more about respecting each others personal space, both on a mental and a physical level if that makes sense. :) We don't know the social boundaries of strangers and don't want to risk overstepping them. Silence isn't awkward to us because it means space to breathe, talking all the time feels smothering.
And as a poor disabled person and an artist I can tell that there definitely is class differences and judgment. (My parents always told me to get a "real job" etc.) But at least people are polite enough to not spit it into your face because - as my grandma would say - it costs nothing to be kind.
Enne Flinck Thank you for sharing! What you said about the shyness makes sense. Greetings from Texas ❤️✌🏼
We here in Finland have two words for "friend." We have "kaveri" and we have "ystävä." Kaveri is like your regular friend you can hang with and who has your back and all that, "ystävä" is a more profound bond, more akin to what Sam and Frodo are to each other, there's real deep loyalty in being an "ystävä" to someone, and they're the people who will stick by you even if it means they have to get a beating to do so. The more superficial friendships many people are used to, the kind that you hang around with every now and then and that's it, them we call simply associates, we don't even afford them the title of "kaveri." This is because most of us at some point, being from a small country and all, have experienced some form of profound loyalty towards us from another, and we give loyalty enormous value. That's why we're still not big on all that polyamory bullshit either, it's just disloyalty with consent and is a recipe for disaster and misery, not happiness and fulfillment.
khatack Well explained!! Thank you for breaking it down. I understood that Finns are wise in how they make friends but this really helps me understand it deeper. Thanks for watching! ❤️✌🏼
@@WildwoodVagabond You're welcome. :)
...wow, you had me with you all up until that last sentence, like "yeah, I'm agreeing with this guy - wait, where did THAT come from?!" I'm sorry you have had such bad encounters with polyamory; the experience in my circle of acquaintances has been different. Also, I think it is very much possible to be loyal to more than one people or idea at a time; if there's conflicting loyalties, then they just have to be resolved in a way or another. I mean, I'm loyal to my family; I'm loyal to my employer; I'm loyal to my subordinates; I'm loyal to my ideals; I'm loyal to my friends; I'm loyal to my country; I'm loyal to the idea of world peace; I'm loyal to my wife; I'm loyal to my loved ones. Adding one more layer of loyalty into this complex of loyalties doesn't it "disloyalty with consent" make. In my honest opinion, your mileage may vary.
@@jannepeltonen2036 you keep telling yourself that. Sad reality is that you've got so many divided loyalties that you're not loyal to anyone. A friend to all is a friend to none.
"kaveri" sounds like "haver" in Hungarian (which basically meets "buddy'). Maybe there is some truth to the two languages being related after all?
8 seconds into the video.. Let me guess... Door locks that work perfectly. I have never seen better door locks anywhere in the world.
Thanks ABLOY
@@houndofculann1793 It's all downhill from here, they closed down the Björkboda factory and moved a lot of the production to a cheaper location, think electric mortises are still made locally but the rest, not so much.
They also had a lot of issues with their later exit models but that is another story ^^
@@TheAzynder yeah well, that doesn't take out all of their locks already in place, so thanks to them anyway
@@houndofculann1793 True, true, also the lock cylinder system is revolutionary and has been for the past century.
Factoid of the day, it's originally based on an old cash register.
Their new electronic cylinders have yet to convince me though ^^
@@TheAzynder funny to see someone mention my hometown under an american youtube video
Kiitos videosta! Olen suomalainen, asun Ruotsissa. After more than 40 years of living abroad I'm still 100% Finnish, and will always stay that way. I've watched the two other videos as well, and now it strikes me you've missed one thing about us: WE ARE STUBBORN!! :)
Ulla Ho Hahaha 😄 thanks for watching! Greetings from Texas ❤️
I cried a little while watching this... I'm so proud of you, my finns!
Joel Allonen Ahh 🇫🇮❤️❤️
Your videos about Finland/Texas are amazing! I have visited Finland a number of times and felt completely happy, secure and comfi - like the little boy alone in the bus. A number of observations are the same that you'd find here in Denmark except for the outdoor saunas that I have also enjoyed. Come back to the Nordic countries (y) You understand the feel! - Lovely videos (y) .. and the Finns are outstanding people.
You mentioned Finland. Now we all have to go and meet at the Market Square! ;D)
Ooh I missed that "Suomi mainittu - torilla tavataan!" comment :D!
TORILLE
We're shy only when we're in this particular unnatural state called sobriety.
Yeah, I saw a lot of rowdy people in bars and concerts. But these are the places, where good Christian girls don't go to. In the summer open air concerts people drink a lot of beer and guys have no problem to pee in front of everybody.
I have worked in 39 countries, visited more than 50, married 2 foreigners and still my home is where my bed is. Finn I am and more I am away, more I love Finland.
I appreciate you americans about your communication skills and unprejudiced attitude. You make everything sounding so easy and fluent, your health self-confidence makes that possible. Your messaging make me feel good. You are really genuine people more than we finns these days I think.
Public transportation is decent in the larger cities but it's definitely an overstatement to say that it works everywhere
Agree i live 40km from Helsinki and it’s pretty trash; buses go between like an hour and it costs way too much to use it as much as i should
Ruisleipä, easy resept: Ingredients
8 dl Sunday Coarse Wholemeal rye flour
1 ps. Sunday Dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
In addition
5 dl of water
Measure the rye flour into a 1-liter glass jar. Add the unopened dry yeast bag, salt, and sugars to the jar. Craft the instruction manual under the side of the jar or print it here.
5 dl of water
1 tbsp rye bread ingredients
Heat the water to 42 degrees (celsius) (well above hand temperature). Stir in the dry yeast. Add the rye bread ingredients in a few portions and mix until smooth. Cover the dough with a cloth and let rise for 1 hour.
Set aside the dough on a rye-floured table and divide it into two parts. Bake both pieces of dough on baking paper with perforations using flour as an aid. Prick the bread and bake in a 230 degree (celsius) oven for 50 minutes.
Rachael, I love, love, love this segment. I enjoyed seeing all the Finland pictures and remembering all the interesting sites and foods. Great Job.
Thank you Rachel for your videos. I am half Finnish (my dad was born in Alavus) and I grew up in California. I visited Finland many years ago and now I'm going back and bringing my grown children and husband. YOur videos helped me remember some things that I MISS in Finland...for me I miss outdoor dancing platforms in midsummer, Finnish makkara (sausages!), sauna, massage, lakes everywhere and pines everywhere ( my name is Manty :) )
Verna Rodriguez Ahh so nice! Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you like the videos. I’m so glad you’re going back and taking your family! I hope they enjoy it and you all have a great time. Thanks for watching ❤️
Really happy to hear how genuine and honest you are when talking about your expectations when going to Finland and what you actually learned while having been there for a while. That's how you learn humility in the right way.
I'm sure you're a wonderful person and it would have been an honor to have met you here and been able to talk with you about a variety of things. You're so much welcome back any time.
Just one thing though... Please don't brake against the 3rd commandment.. Or any other.
Wishing you all the best and God bless 😊
Jake Walberg Such a sweet comment! Thank you so much! Thanks for watching ❤️
Thank you so much for these videos, please keep posting them!!! So amazing of you to share your personal experience, it can be really helpful for someone who is living here in Finland and might be struggling with same issues you were here.
Big hug from Finland! Great to hear you had nice time here,!You made really nice points that are hard to see when you have actually lived here all your life. That is the main reason I want to watch these videos since they open up my mind to see the world around me :)
Arkkis Ah, big hug from Texas!! Thank you! And thanks for watching! ❤️
I liked a lot your 10+ things about Finland. Everyday life here ( Arkielämä , as we say) makes people little bit numb about all good things & places there are here in Finland. But this arkielämä still goes on well for most people here. And i thank you about everything you said on video cause it is reminder for me about the place i live in. And it is a good place to be. Hope you have a chance sometime to come back to Finland. All the best for you in life!
Short summer, foreigners keep saying that, as a finn I dont feel our summer is short, I mean it's 5 months long sometimes to us, but for you it's like 2 weeks :D
But then again, when you like the cold, summer feels too long and winter too short, even in southern Finland.
Mikko S. Haha... it did feel like 2 weeks long!! But coming from Texas where we have a really long summer (feels like) Finnish summer felt too short mostly because I don’t like cold weather! I felt like I never had adequate time to defrost from winter. So you’re right it’s mainly perspective. Lol, thanks for watching!!
Thank you for your kind words. You know Finland well.. That was all true.
Kiitos 🇫🇮
Moi, Raakkeli! Ihana nähdä sun kauniit kasvot! 😘🙋❤👑 Was a fun surprise that TH-cam suggested your videos. What a lovely way to remind of the beauty we often forget we have here. Hope to see you soon!
Satu Huovila Hey Satu!!!! Nice to see you here 😄😄 thank you for saying hi! I would love to see you again! ❤️ hope all is well with you and your family
Thank you for your kind words for Finland. It means a lot to me.
Jouni Kantola you’re welcome! Greetings from Texas ❤️✌🏼
It means a lot to me too
Ahh I’m currently on an exchange in Finland and yess Finland is such a special place 🤩
Hi Rachael, thank you so much for this video! All as you tell, made me proud too. If you don't mind I would like to share this with my two true American friends who through me have been able to "dive into" the Finnish, um..diversity, and they love it! Thanks again and God bless you!
Thanks for reminding, its good to live in country of real opportunities and freedom, Finland
Pekka thanks for watching!Greetings from Texas!
This is fun for me. My ancestors came from Tornio and Oulu in 1913 and settled near Calumet, Michigan in the northern most part of Michigan near Lake Superior. I spent pre-school years living with my mother's parents on their farm, and was bilingual Finn and English. If you want to talk about our experiences, well, let's do.
All those things that you've listed... they just make me want to pack some things and fly to Suomi on the spot -- going to Finland has been a dream of mine for over ten years! I also love that they put the emphasis on practicality -- why buy many things because they're 'pretty' when you could spend less on useful stuff? Being a creative, I feel that I could be happy there, and you seem to feel the same about the fact that they actually encourage their young ones to do what they love, and I'm not even talking about their education system! Anyway, the uniqueness of Finland is something to experience at least once in a lifetime, right? Thanks a lot for your feedback video!
Alana P thank you for your comment! Yes I feel like they really support and encourage people to be creative. Definitely a life changing experience. I hope you get to go soon!
Thank you for this video. I'm a Finn and I do appreciate how you speak for our small country. This is a cold country to live but the best society I've found so far. Greetings from Turku! :)
Markku Kalima it’s the best society I’ve experienced as well! Greetings from Texas! ❤️
"An american, a Frenchman and a Finn saw an elephant. American wondered wow much money he could make with that elephant. A Frenchman was thinking how many different dishes he could prepare from that elephant. A Finn was thinking what that elephant thinks of him." So tell me more about what you think about Finland =)
John Lentokone hahaha ahh ❤️😄
Thank you Rachel. You are so right: I feel akward listening to your kind words. But deep inside I am so glad to realize that a lot of what you say is just what people NEED to hear. All of it actually. And living in Turku myself and after spending almost 40 best years of my life here raising a family and having a wonderful career as a teacher here, I loved to hear that you lived in Turku, which used to be called the asshole of Finland. We don’t hear much of that anymore because the economy is booming, for one thing. God bless you. I love to hear more from you and your channel. Love from Juha in Finland
Juha Hyrsky Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it! I’m glad you found the videos interesting. There’s more to come for sure. Thank you for watching ❤️ greetings from Texas
I'm planning some day to visit America, I'm sure it will be interesting to letting people break my private space :D and greet every one.
I just moved from the United States back to Finland and miss many things from the states a lot. Your videos are great and remind me of the great things in Finland. However, I miss the U.S. small talk culture.
If you loved Finland so much and ever go back there please visit Estonia as well, many things you have talked about are similar if not same in here as well and we have a beautiful old town and nature in here as well. Also we love the saunas but maybe not as much as Finns 😅😄 love your channel and your videos, it's nice to see things from a foreigner's perspective 😉☺️
Kiitos! Olen niin ylpeä virolaisista heimoveljistämme, jotka meidän suomalaisten tulisi aina mainita samalla kun esittelemme itseämme muille. Kuulumme samaan kieliperheeseen ja itämeren kansojen kulttuuriin. Erityisen ylpeä olen siitä, että vierolaiset eivät myyneet sieluaan kommunismille, vaan halusivat siitä eroon heti kun se oli mahdollista. Virolaisilla on mielestäni suurempi kunnioitus omia perinteitä ja kulttuuria kohtaan kuin meillä suomalaisilla. Meiltä ei löydy mitään esim Tallinnan laulujuhlia vastaavaa. I love Estonian.
It's absolutely true that we hate boasting about our own achievements, but at the same time we get all giddy when the rest of the world notices something we did well. That's the party time right there. Just let your actions speak for yourself and if someone notices be very proud
Ok video but in finland only cheap thing is clean water.
Tim T And internet. Finnish internet is very cheap
And phone subscriptions (7 cent per minute or message), and I believe electricity as well. ~5 € base fee per month + 10 to 12 €-cent per KwH (including transfer). If I got it right e.g. in Germany electricity is a lot more expensive. (a quick google, this page here www.kwh-preis.de/strom/strompreise lists 30 cents per kWH).
Recycling has gotten even better over here. Before you had to go to like a recycling area that was built for the whole neighbourhood (which was still only like a 15 min walk) but now (at least in my experience from where I've lived) each apartment building has all of the recycling bins in their own garbage area/little hut thing
High Goddess Finelia That’s awesome! Man, I wish we had a system like that here
I do have to mention that religion and god-belief isn't that big of a deal here. Even though most people are members of the church I suspect the especially younger people aren't religious. God is just a non-factor for most of my friends family and acquaintances
There used to be this pagan religion before christianity. Gods and spirits were connected to mother nature. I think these old beliefs are getting more popular again, in a way at least. For example for me it is godly just to be able to go in pure nature, smell the forest and fresh water and just listen, enjoy the harmony and peace. I would say that Finnish people are quite spiritual but also well educated so science is playing huge role what do we believe in.
Thanks for sharing! I agree with you.
Message to Rachael's husband - well done chap, what a lucky guy you are, what a lovely girl.
Just drinking Juhla mokka, the best :D
hi, is it really that bad? hmm... peace.
Juhla Mokka is the best. Especially the "tumma paahto" version of it.
I love you vlogs about Finland. While I have not been there yet, I am trying to talk my wife into a trip there. We have just recently guiding a Finnish style wood burning sauna in our backyard here in central Texas. I am quite certain that it is the only one like it in our city. My wife is somewhat Finnish in her inbred introvertedness. Neither one of us can stand being late for an appointment. I hope that you are able to make your planned return trip to Finland.
Great video.. happy that you enjoyed your stay :) with love from Espoo, Finland.
llssneN Greetings from Texas!! Thanks for watching!
llssneN Espoo mainittu!
For me (as a Finn) the biggest one was about public transportation. You make it sound like there's something magical about safety and security
Now I wanna go to Finland.
Workouts with Valerie Haha... you definitely should!
Workouts with Valerie
WTF.
Welcome To Finland.
1:24 This reminds me... I was on my way home when I met this asian woman. She was wearing long winter coat, fur & all, thick gloves, boots, hood & scarf. I had been in sauna at my friend's place, so not only was I wearing nothing but T & shorts, I also had wet hair and skin.
Our eyes met for a very long instant.
I still remember it.
MrSamulai ❤️❤️
0:09
Yep, and not just people in Finland.
Us here in Norway feel the same way. ^^
Although hearing about people in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland from people from outside the region is a close second. :-P
Luredreier thanks for watching ❤️
Yup. Go Scandinavia! ❤😋
People from America have been raised that they live in the best of all possible worlds. When venturing abroad, especially in Northern Europe, they are astonished to find out they have been lied to all of their lives 24/7 by politicians, by news anchors on their news channels, and by teachers in their schools.
I loved this video. ❤️ I'm Finn and sometimes forgetting how awesome country I live. Thank you reminding me.
Supa 141 thank you for your comment!! Thank you for watching!! I love Finland!! ❤️
Sounds about right. Thanks for the kind words about our country
. Good to hear that someone is roofing for us in Texas :) 'Cause you just don't mess with Texas...
Kalle Salonen hahaha!!! Love it! Thank you for watching!! Hugs from Texas! ✌🏼❤️
I'm a sucker watching videos where people try salmiakki. It sometimes leads me into videos with genral talk about the weird country where people eat salmiakki.
I was sent there by my Finnish father to work on my aunt’s farm every summer to keep me out of Jersey City he’ll hole in the 60sand 70s.I feel what you saying,I have a child there and grandchildren that I didn’t know about because they have the ability to have a child without child support.She kept a secret because she didn’t want to break my life apart.I am blessed.
I 've been to different countries across Europe and my favorite was Finland. People are so kind and open-minded, they incredibly trust each other as well as strangers, really loved that country and if I get the chance to come back I won't miss it
My favorite place - miss my friends and relatives, need to get back there!
I really like your open mind and how easily you seem to have shredded your prejudices. That is intelligence. It seems somewhat “untexan” to my prejudge-mental mind.
Christer Albäck haha! Thank you for your comment! ❤️ thanks for watching
Love your videos! You say you learned a lot from your time in Finland, and it works the other way around, too - I lived in Texas for a year and came back another person. Everything you say about the nice things in Finland is true, but you guys have so so many great things that we Finns should learn from, too!
Erik Sahlström Very nice Comment! Thank you! Where I’m Texas did you live?
7:15 - You need a gun to travel "safely" on a public bus in Texas?!!! That is sad! Quality of life includes being relaxed and a clean enviironment.
Vir Quisque Vir I agree! And honestly I would never actually carry a gun but I absolutely don’t feel safe traveling on public transportation here. I’m sure in some cities it’s fine but back some years ago where I was living it was super sketchy. I just feel so much safer in general in Finland compared to the states.
Anyway, thanks for watching!! Greetings from Texas ✌🏼❤️
@@WildwoodVagabond in Finland if u travel by buss there are always old people talking about the day to young people, or everyone is just quiet😂
Jallunapsu 99 so true lol!
Wildwood Vagabond - Thanks for the videos, the honesty and turning around your life in a positive direction. You inspire many. You go, girl!
Vir Quisque Vir Thank you so much for your encouragement!! It means a lot!
Hi! I’m from Finland and living in Sweden since way back! It’s really nice and fun to watch your videos and hear you talk about my home Country!
I have Son living in LA and I’m going to visite him in this October. If you wore nearer I would bring you Ruisleipää! May God bless you! 💖☀️👍🏻🇫🇮
Paula Ehrlin Hello! Thank you for saying hi! I would love ruisleipä! Thankfully next summer I get to visit finland 🇫🇮🤩😁 greetings from Texas!
i want to visit in usa and drive route 66 with motorcycle; i love my home country and i loved to watch your video from my home country. i hope that you have change to make second trip to here. god bless
jussi Route 66 is magical!! And to do it on a motorcycle would be a dream! I hope you get to do it someday! Blessings from Texas! ❤️
Had lived in Iceland for 17 years - my ex-wife is Icelandic -. Even though the place is magical, people are very friendly (what is considered rude / a nogo or not differs from country to country), it had been very interesting to discover the language, landscape, culture in general, I had often felt homesick - particularly in spring which arrives late or maybe never😉 according to central European standard - ... had also missed the forest. Some tourists say they don't like the Icelandic food, which I cannot understand ... fish and lamb meat are excellent (though prefer Swiss cheese and bread).
Think I would find it interesting to visit all the countries in the world, but have my favourites: Finland, Canada, Sweden and Germany. Have not been to Finland yet, spent 4 weeks holiday in western Canada many years ago which was amazing, have only seen Malmö in Sweden and only been to a few places in Germany.
Staying abroad for a limited period of time or forever makes the difference for me. Some of the Swiss people I got to know in Iceland would never want to move back to "crowded" Switzerland😉.
Hello from Zürich😃
I moved to Finland for 4 months now n planning to be here for a very long time here :) Was searching about Finland video n found urs.....very cool tho, i feel connected, ah yeah btw you have stunning eyebrows xx
Shinta Parameswari Ahh thank you!!! ☺️ I hope you enjoy Finland. It’s such a beautiful and unique place. ❤️ Eat some Ruisleipä for me lol
Nice video. Everybody thinks that American don´t care about other people but it takes the thing that you have to live there to notice all the different things. Thanks Rachel this video made me smile! Kiitos!
Did you try Savusauna?
TeeJii 79 hi! thank you for your comment. I appreciate it. I’m glad to bring a smile to your face ☺️❤️I didn’t try savusauna but I would like to. Hopefully I can during my visit next summer.
Salmiakki, makkara, perkele.
Yes, perkele is one of the most famous delicacies from Finland :)
Hi I have been watching maybe 5 of your video now and I do like them very much. I am from Finland, but I moved to Sweden some years ago and that why it is nice to hear about experiences other people living in other countries. Of course moving from Finland to Sweden is not such a cultural shock but there are more differences than I thought. I have also Spanish wife which make our life still bit more colorful in a sense of cultural differences. But thanks for the nice video and of course it was nice to hear all those praising words about my home country. :)
Being a half-finn and half swede, I take half-pride in these videos ^^
In the same way your trip to Finland was some kind of an eye opener. I felt the same going to US (SD) from Sweden.
Even if California and San Diego was a pleasant experience, I could not stop thinking about some of the negative things and how these are slowly coming to us.
Like fast food (EVERY WHERE), obesity, consume-alism, a devided class society and homeless people at the rock bottom.
So I believe it’s good to travel to see and experience other countries culture, habits asp, just to be able to reflect over some of the ‘quirks’ of your home country.
Summer in Finland lasts three months like all of our four seasons. 3×4=12=practical ;)
Mikael Peltonen talvi kestää kyl melkeen puolvuotta
Minun mielestä lumiset kuukaudet ovat talvea (joulu, tammi ja helmi). Maaliskuussa lumet alkavat sulaa ja se on jo kevättä. Mutta tulkinnanvarainen kysymys.
nii no tää on kyl mielipidekysymys ku talvi perjaattees kestää 6kk mut jos haluu et se kestää 3kk nii mä oon mukana koska 1pv kesä ei enää maita
I think when there is a lot of snow, it is the best
Perkele how dare you say bad things about Juhla Mokka
Just kidding liked the video and welcome back to Finland
Hi! Great video! As a finn, I agree, it can be very illuminating moment to notice how wasteful one is, after someone shows you what being practical is :D Another this, that I love about the Finland is our way of speaking English. I've heard this term called: European word smiting, which basically means that we're gently developing our own way of speaking English. I've heard it before, and I just love it!
👏Don't👏you👏dare👏judge👏our👏coffee👏
At last the US is beginning to recognise decent coffee rather than the muck they call coffee, a friend of mine always took on any visit to the US his stove top espresso pot, a packet of Lavazza coffee beans and a coffee grinder, an old early 20th. C. hand one. The only way he could get a decent coffee.
Iha vaa sanon nyt näin juhla mokka on paskaa
Presidentti kahviki on parempaa mutta ite tykkään jauhaa omat kahvit nii tuler hyvää
Juhlamokka is crap
BeHiin a Sorry 😬😐 lol
@@WildwoodVagabond it's okay :D
Yeah we do love it when people talk about Finland😍
I drink a lot more coffee than average Finn and I think that Juhlamokka is garbage. Its very bitter and just tastes very bad. I cant understand why Finns love Juhlamokka
Vissiinki, koska se on tietysti pauligin. Kyllä sitä arkikahvina latkii.
You really sounded like a texan when saying that "an rv always needs something fixed". Love your videos anyway. :)
Juhla Mokka is awfull coffee!
Juhla Mokka is quite good.
@@kasperjoonatan6014 Not when comparing proper coffee from fresh beans.
@@nofame2044 The smell of fresh roasted coffee is very good. But I think mostly it's a question of what you are used to. Though there are exceptions, e.g. very many Latvians hate Latvian coffee and love Finnish.
Juhla Mokka Dark makes the difference ;)
Juhlamokka is not best coffee but not worst either. Personally i think it is too acid and usually it is made too strong so you can feel it on your teeth afterwards, so I usually drink some other coffee at home.
Thank you. You are good people,to tell us Finns,what we are not allways remember for ourselfs. Love you,and wellcome back.
Jukka Kärnä Ahh, thank you ❤️❤️ much love and greetings to you from Texas
You're a very special kind of Christian. Especially for an American Christian. You show many of the things that I like in that religion and none of the things that played a huge part in my departure from it ( there were also many theological, ontological and moral reasons too, at least from what we might call mainstream Christianity - for many years now I am a Unitarian). I wish there were more people like you wearing the image and the face of that religion and speaking for it instead of the many smug, Conservative, judgmental bigoted folks... The way you said that you went to Finland to give and to teach but you ended up receiving and learning is just precious and honest and dear to my soul. God bless you!
0:06 You know it! Why, I don't know, but it's really entertaining to see someone foreign experience the weird things we live every day.
Arrow Knee I think it’s cool!
Well turku is beautyful and aura joki im werry glad to hear that you had a great time in my country god bless you and your family 🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🤗🤗🤗
turku in january is freeeeezing cold. come to lapland. its totally different. +2c on the seaside is much colder than -25c in inland where the air is dry and heres no wind at that weather. and the "kaamos" (polar night) is not dark, we have only different shades of blue and orange.
OMG I am so hooked up to your opinions about Finland. Note that I am new to learn other peoples opinions about Finland. I am currently going school (ammattikoulu for adults) learning new things and it's free. I love to meet new people in my school. Some of them are from different countries and that's one thing what I like. I just like hearing peoples opinions. I must recommend your channel to my other friends. Greetings from Finland :)
Carwash Finland Ahh thank you so much for your comment! I’m glad you like my channel and will share it with your friends! Please do! I miss being in school there and having friends from all over the world.... and it’s free!!! Thanks for watching! ❤️
Carwash Finland More Finland videos coming up next week!
@@WildwoodVagabond Nice!
Wow I am so impressed by your humbleness, positivity and ability to see the best in a society and being so open minded. It is actually something I miss about America. I am a Norwegian and a lot of what you describe about Finland would probably match Norway as well.
But I don't think we ever talk in such an upbeat and positive manner about another place. I have met some Americans in my life that was so overflowing with positive energy that it was really inspiring.
I don't think I could live permanently in the US, but sometimes I wish I could stay there for periods and recharge my social skills. After 1 year in the US I was so much more of an outgoing and social person. But it is kind of like it has an expiration date, so after some years I turn into every other Norwegian, reluctant to speak to stranger, invite new people on activities, ask how people are doing etc.
Also you are a very good representative for Christian people. I am personally a die hard atheist, and often get upset with judgmental conservative Christians, but you see like a very open minded and humble person. A good reminder that there are all sorts of Christians, good and bad. I am actually member of the Norwegian church, but I only consider myself a cultural Christian, not an actual believer. I celebrate Christmas, Easter and share some values with Christians and of course know the bible better than any other religious book.
It's nice to see that Finland made you learn something new. :)
My daughter & her husband & baby moved to Finland in January this year from Australia. She got a great job with Finnair. That was the first cultural difference, that it was the mother working. During this time her husbands business took off so they had to get a nanny until they could get a childcare spot. Now he has to travel for his job so now they have to find another childcare centre because while he’s away my daughter has to walk 30 minutes in the opposite direction to her job. There’s a 3 year waiting list for the childcare down the road from where they live. The day after they arrived they started ice swimming & did it every weekend. My daughter went for a sauna with a new Finn aquaintence a few weeks later & found it very uncomfortable. A few weeks ago they did a social experiment to test the stereotype that Finns don’t like knowing their neighbours so invited everyone in the building to their place for food & drinks. One couple turned up - the managers of the building, an elderly couple, to “represent “ the building. The 4 of them had a lovely afternoon & their guests went home a little tipsy. Having said all that they’re absolutely LOVING their time in Finland & asa country it represents so many of their ethics & beliefs.
Michele Graham Nice!! Thanks for sharing! ❤️❤️
One thing I really missed when I was in America was ruisleipä. Not salmiakki because I don't eat that so much in Finland even.
I adore Finnish coffee: Presidente. And Finnish people absolutely are THE best, and the food? Oh 💖 Arctic Swan Bakery in PA does Ruisleipä for shipping, Karjalanpirakka, ginger cookies!!