AMERICA VS FINLAND | my pros and cons

hello and welcome back to my channel! this is a bit of a different video. i wanted to talk a bit about my experience living in finland and my pros and cons of life here. i can already think of so many more pros and cons, so i will just have to make another video in the future lol!
anyway, please enjoy me rambling about my opinions
p.s. play a drinking game and take a shot every time i say "compared to america" if you want to destroy your liver

𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆

[anttikalpio]

You should do an update in August. Helsinki is going to blow your mind in the summer. It’s such a different city when temperature goes above +20c 😊

[riesa]

As a small business owner I see it as a good thing that we do not have a Wallmart etc here! Prisma and Citymarket are way big enough!

[Basheez]

I actually love the darkness of the Finnish winter, especially when there is snow. It's so cozy and calming :)

[Eskolol]

My father (a finn) visited Raleigh, North Carolina on a business trip and people were constantly small talking and stuff. When he came back he was basically like: "I don't care about baseball! Stop talking to me!"

I think it is hard for a finn to strike a random conversation on topics that doesn't really matter one way or another. Also, respecting other's personal space and expecting the same in return.

[rustyspace]

Awesome video and thoughts!
Not many realize there are actually two countries named Finland. One is Summer-Finland and one is Winter-Finland, they are two different countries. Summer Finland is like Winter Finland without any of the cons (nobody shall mention the mosquitoes!) and I hope you get to experience it 😁. I also hope you have or will experience some nice traditional countryside saunas, they are a totally different experience than city saunas, the countryside is what Finland is all about 😍

[satuleppanen]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I am a Finn. The first time I travelled to the US many years ago I did not know the culture at all. I remember how confused I was, when people were all the time asking me "how are you" and I did not know how to reply. Because for us Finns, that' s a very private question. Another thing that I hated was how totally strangers called me honey, sweetheart or something similar when they were talking to me.

[Korvaboosti]

The daylight thing is quite funny. I moved to Helsinki from northern Finland last august. It was suprise for me that sunset came so early here, even though I moved within the country. During winter there was the opposite since we actually have daylight which is of course a positive change.

[Rebekkamaria]

Finn here. :) This was a really... sweet video. You radiate positivity and are so introspective. Thank you for your lovely views on Finland. And yeah, the culture shock when visiting the US was reversed for me regarding small talk and people approaching you just because it's a thing you do... Oh dear, I was so confused and exhausted after the first day or two. :D Hahah! As an introvert I really appreciate how you don't have to be ON all the time while living in Finland. You can just sink into your own bubble in public and only be mindful of other people. And yeah, we're not that into small talk. It's nice to know how you're actually doing and what makes you interested and how excited you are about something or what meaningful things you've experienced lately. It's hard to be interested in the superficial things when there is a whole shared world to get to know together. :) However, the friendliness and kindness of people in the US was really nice and after the first days, I got more used to it, and it was rather sweet that everyone showed some interested in me. :) Thank you for your thoughts. <333

[LoveSaraMaeve]

I'm from NYC and I've been in Helsinki for three weeks now, and i have to say, it's shockingly similar to life in NYC. It's obviously better in many ways, but NYC is a good place in the states for people who aren't "in your face." The things I miss about NYC is the sense of community that the various neighbourhoods/Burroughs have, the variety of food available (food in Helsinki is strange in so many ways, even Chinese food and sushi has a weird taste), and my personal ease navigating my surroundings because everything is in English.

[mikrokupu]

The fact that in Finland you're given a lot of personal space has its pros and cons, I like it most of the time. I've traveled in the opposite culture, in Morocco and Turkey which almost made me panicking. And upset the locals who tried to be friendly (well some tried to get my money) :P

[MarkusKoskimies]

Sauna! People in the other countries always laugh about it, but to be honest, it wouldn't make to modern era, if it wouldn't be just such awesome thing :D Once upon a time, in Oulu (much closer to arctic circle than Helsinki), in University, we had a German professor. He went to a small party when it was like -30C (-22F), and we put him to sauna because he was freezing to death. There he told us, that heck, now I understand why you have saunas everywhere :D

[frankelepartners]

Liked your observations. Dependability, turstworthy and honest. If a Finn says yes it means yes. If a Finn says no he or she means no.

[anssi]

Great that you moved here. Study, work, learn the language and enjoy life! I agree that people are not as helpful compared to US what comes to small things like helping carrying your shopping but they will help with the more relevant things. Finland is a silent country what comes to nature and most people. At least to me silence creates a deeper bond than constant chit-chat.

[astral_rain]

You seem like such a sweet person! You radiate kindness, honestly. Also as a finn I always love hearing what other people think of this country <3

[terhitormanen]

Surviving winters in Finland: Vitamin D, get a bright light lamp (kirkasvalolamppu in Finnish). Enjoy outdoors when you can, get enough sleep, maybe take melatonin to help sleeping if experiencing sleeping problems. But, yeah, it can be tough.

[alexstory]

Canadian-born, semi-British raised, living in Finland 3 years here - great observations! I enjoyed your section on efficient conversation. I too can be clumsy and when I am, the Brit in me will make a silly joke of it, and I feel this perplexes Finns, as if they wonder, 'why would you do it the wrong way like that, let alone derive humour from it?' On the plus side, there is a near total lack of awkwardness when conversation falls to silence, which has been a great learning experience. Like, let's just share this and wait 'til conversation organically starts up again. People really respect quietness here, I think it's a core value. I've learned to be more considerate of others' boundaries in this way.
The extremely patchy service culture outside of Helsinki is still a struggle - for instance, it sometimes feels almost antithetical to the Finnish cultural DNA for waiting staff to show any enthusiasm, but on the other hand we couldn't believe it when we went to Toronto and the waiting staff were all over us. Smothering and totally put-on. I do like that after a meal at a Finnish restaurant, there's often a section to put your dishes. Feels more collectivist.
Now, the language...

[rasimas]

Hi. I’m from the Baltic state and I can’t what you mean about very short days, but you will find out very soon how it is in summer these long days, then Sun coming out at 4 and coming down about midnight. I visit so many times Finland and I love it, enjoy your new experience in the Nordic state. Hi from South France

[juhaimmanen]

June and July might be another extreme experience. Midnight sun might interfere good night sleep. If someone gives you compliment, then that person really thinks so. If you like small talk then you have visit country side. Small talks in towns are rare.

[varajalka]

That transition from "I don’t like being hot and sweaty " to moments after "I love a good sauna" 😂

[Niinuska]

Also the coffee in here tastes different cause of the water...Paulig (one of the biggest coffee makers in Finland) has tested their own coffee with water from around the word and they tasted different depending where the water was from!