If you enjoyed this video check out Part 2 here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g92VaLh7xp2sj3U.html Thank you for watching! Please leave me your feedback. If there is any content you’d like to see let me know!

In Finland, we have this thing called "comfortable silence".

As a European, I'm shocked you never take your shoes off :O

In Finland if a meeting starts at 9:00, it implies that everyone is there by 8:55 so everything is ready when the meeting starts :D

I work in Finland in a very international faculty. You'll hear lots of animated conversations in the coffee room, in many different languages. And in the corner, our two maintenance guys, both Finns, completely silent, sat across a table from each other but both staring off into space. Their mugs go up together. Their mugs go down together. And up together. And down together. This, apparently, is how you can tell that they're best buddies.

Speaking of Finnish practicality, this video is long, let me help: 02:14 No shoes inside 03:56 Don't greet strangers 05:29 Bring your own bag 07:55 Finnish silence 12:23 Punctuality 13:30 Sales tax included in listed prices 15:36 Everything is compact 18:39 No ceiling fans 19:37 Constant darkness (in the winter... and light in the summer) 21:07 The way of communication in Turku (fun fact, in many other places the Finns tend to joke that Turku is not a part of Finland, but an exclave of Sweden. Hehe.) Hope this helps.

Shoes are like prison for your feet. Let them roam free.

I think "finns really dont like small talk" doesnt mean taking contact with people. we just dont discuss meaningless stuff

Sounds like an introvert's paradise. I want to move there.

Small talk is way more akward than silence :D

Some finnish conversation: Kiva keli: "Nice weather" (its actually pouring rain). - Älä. "You dont say". (Continued by 10 minutes of silence)

I’m from finland, and when I was 12, I decided to start smiling more at random ppl bc I saw a video about how smiling makes you more approachable or something, so I smiled at some man I saw on my way to school, and he literally growled at me. I never smiled at strangers again

If you ask a Finn about his day he/she might tell the whole story about it or say little to nothing.

Finland having smaller houses compared to Texas is probably a lot to do with average temperatures. Heating big houses would be insanely expensive during cold time of year. It's way better to have small and warm apartment than big and cold one. If everyone in Finland would have Texas-size houses it would require absolute insane amounts of energy per person.

Bring your own bag is an European thing. Stores here agreed to not offer free plastic bags anymore to protect the environment. This goes for every European country I have visited

There's a joke about Finnish personality. They say you can always tell an extroverted Finn because he's looking at someone's else's shoes, not his own.

Rachael: 'In Finland, people do not normally make the first initial step.' Me: 'How do they meet other people then?' Finn: 'Why do you think there are so few of us?'

We have those long silences during phone calls too

Being silent together is a sign of trust. Wolves dont howl unless theres a reason.

The no shoes in the house rule is almost everywhere around the world apart form the U.S.A. So I think that the idea of wearing shoes inside the house is a bigger culture shock for majority of people. So funny 😃

So nice to hear of you! I was your teacher in Finland.

when stranger comes up to me and want to talk i always assume hes trying to rob me

You might also go to a friends place and just talk about things that actually matter. Unimportant small talk is like poison for us.

I actually like the small talk despite being finnish, it really makes my day to hear someone care about how my day is going, it's dark enough weatherwise, so some person can really be that sunshine and just break the habit of silence.

> Everything is smaller in Finland well, a meter is bigger than a foot at least :)

As aSwede this makes me realize how many similarities we have with our eastern neighbors

65m2 apartment??? That's huge!!! My apartment is 14m2 :D Torilla tavataan

My son married a Finn almost 6 years ago, and when we finally visited in 2018, I thought, "I must live here someday." Every single video I watch about the "culture shocks" of Finland pushes me more to live there. Thank you for sharing. You're right on the nose about many of the things I experienced when my daughter and I visited, and we both simply loved the country and felt so safe. I honestly did not have one moment where I feared for my safety. Nothing like here in the US, I'm sorry to say. I can't wait to return to Finland again. On to your Part 2!

I'm American and no one steps on my floors with shoes on!

What is the point of wearing shoes inside? I just can't understand.

Hearing all this, seems the Americans do things in the most impractical way possible :D

HOW IS 65 SQUARE METERS SMALL THAT'S HUGE Sincerely, a finn

65 m²? Holy smokes, that's a big apartment! My current apartment is 28 m²

That U.S store tax thing is soooo weird. Not logical at all. I would be like "F this…"

There is no Finnish awkward silence, it does not exist. It is just silence.

As a Canadian, the idea of wearing shoes indoor is very different to me. I've always taken my shoes off when I come inside, and everyone I know does as well... We are close, but far at the same time

20:45 all fins are tired all the time its normal thats why we love coffee

The bags cost is there partly to make people more conscious of the plastic waste and excess. Even if it is only a little bit, when you have to pay for it, you will use as few bags as you can. Also we pay a lot of attention to the quality of the plastic bags, so that many of them are biodegradable/burnable and made of recycled materials. Even when I worked for Lapland Safaris few years ago, I was so impressed how much importance the company put on green values wherever possible. During the safaris, one important part of our job as a guide, was to make sure we don't leave any waste in the nature and that we take away all the trash we brought with us. Not only this, at every possible opportunity, we tried to educate the customers why this is important and why we did it, even when we didn't have to. All in all, us Finns generally like to follow rules, especially if they make sense. If they don't, someone obviously made a mistake, and we contact someone responsible for it, and make a suggestion for improvement. When I lived in Japan, this first part made Japanese rules and laws easy to fit in, but the latter part made me stand out in a really bad way, and got me into a lot of trouble. In there, improvement suggestions were not welcome, no matter how much sense they made xDD Punctuality is only important in business. With friends people already know who is going to be late, and plan that in mind, so it isn't a big deal. Also, if you inform even 1 minute before the agreed time that you will be running late, and especially if you have a good reason (like being lost, forgetting something, traffic or something reasonable like that), at least no one I know would mind at all. But this could be a lot different the closer to the SW coast you get. Far worse is, if you say you will come/do something without ever intending to follow up on that. Ofc, we do make an exception to any promise made under the influence of alcohol, and I for one, never hold anyone to any promise they made while drunk. ps. Don't worry about not getting that Turku "humor", the rest of the Finland doesn't get it either ;P

meanwhile in finland: person 1: *looks at person 2* person 2: oh no they looks so mad oh no what have i done wrong *spends the rest of the day thinking what they have done wrong*

Smaller house also means less heating expenses. Heating and electricity is quite expensive in Finland. Problem with really huge houses is that you have to keep all the rooms heated during winters, or you risk infastructure damages. Some houses the renter is obliged to keep the bathroom floor heating on a certain level at all times to prevent infastructure damage from water, at the risk of losing their insurance if they don't. If the winter gets REALLY cold, you even have to keep your taps flowing lightly to make sure the water doesn't freeze inside the pipes and break them.

#10: "Ei paskempi" could be translated as "not too shitty", but actually means "pretty good".

1. I can imagine how dirty the floors and everything would get if no one took their shoes of. Never mind it's disrespectful. 2. You say "Hi" and "Thank you" to the cashier. 3. There are no free plastic bags in the region of EU. 4. Akward silence is not akward, It is comfortable silence. Btw introverted and shy aren't connected. Shyness actually comes out of extroversy. 5. Be on time or be early but not late. 6. 65 square meters? That's pretty good size one bedroom flat. Might call it even big.

I cant even imagine using shoes in my house, its so alien concept, i would probably cease to exist. Its not just about hygiene and keeping your home clean, its lot more comfortable to let your feet breathe.

Im dying she was having a good time😂😂😂😂 i am finnish myself and now i relise that our conversations are realy silent

To that latebeing thingy: In Finnish schools if you're like 2 minutes late, the teacher will tell your parents (they will send ur parents a message that we call "myöhästymismerkintä") and you will most likely get to TROUBLE. I think it's SUPER ANNOYING...

I’m American (fellow Texan actually!) but parents are Pakistani so we were raised with taking shoes off. I still can not wrap my head around why people want to wear dirty shoes inside the house!!! What purpose does it serve???! Lol. Enjoyed the video!!!

65 squaremeters is almost twice the size the apartment i live in 😂 am Finnish. but yeah, personally i don't want a place too big bc i keep thinking it's just extra space you gotta vacuum and dust.

As a finn I had to laugh a few of these, since I remember the time our relatives from the US were visiting. Of course it was different, since they had finnish relatives and they were first or second generation americans. But still. I used to think I don't like it here, until I started to spend my winters up in lapland. The peace, the quiet and the clean air is all I need. Also the winter isn't that bad as it was in southern Finland. As we have snow, it reflects so greatly the light back. If you're ever back, please come experience a "dark" forrest under the clear sky, how "bright" it actually is. Taking my dog for a walk and not have any light pollution is the best there is.

Born in Finland, I currently live in France, I miss the constant light of summer in Finland, for me the cool nights of summer in France are rough. In Finland, it is important to eat salmon, or other fish, or vitamin D, when the sun is not there, it is sun that is eaten. People do not talk much to each other, but community celebrations open to all are great times of the day like the communal sauna sessions. In Finland there are many festivals, especially when the sun comes: Vappu, Juhannus .... but also in winter: Santa Lucia, Pikku Joulu, Joulu's night ....... People are more open. It's the finnish paradox, people who could are naked with every ones and are very familiar, but on a bus be far from others.

The clerk was probably just socially awkward, not all of us scandinavians dislike chatting with strangers :-) Greetings from Norway.

Most of the Finnish things you mention apply to all European countries

Its 2019 and americans find out that they can took their shoes off when they come inside so there is not so much dirt inside

As a Finn who studied abroad in Japan I find it interesting that you felt that living in Finland was small and minimalist style since that was my experience when I lived in Japan. It's nice to hear that you picked up something from Finnish culture, I'm sure you would feel at home in Finland at this point based on this video.

A Good friend is one you can be in comfortable silence with

After living in the US and now Finland my favorite change is that everywhere is accessible by bike

Your attitute is so sweet and welcoming, A lot of what you told also goes for us here in Denmark. Never forget your time in Finland. It's priceless!

hihi, 65 square metres for just one person is a huge apartment :D greetings from a swedish finn in pietarsaari :)

"Small talk" with strangers is considered an odd, awkward concept in a number of countries (such as Germany) from what I hear.

We have this thing called Elisa Saunalahti prizes, basicly unlimited everything!

Finland is awesome and finns are most wonderful people in all the world.

You made me fall in love! Darkness, dark humor, no small talk, they care about climate change... Like I'm moving there! (BTW I'm Mexican, so I'm a very weird Mexican)

I think that sense of sarcastic humor is build-in our genes ;-)

The darkness of winter is also hard for finns. all the winter i just sleep and miss the summer

"the tiredness and fatigue that came with never having sunlight" is what the rest of us refer to as DEPRESSION. That's why in Finland, November is called "death month".

Absolutely spot on! I'm laughing out loud and seeing our culture on a different light. Our humour tends to be as dark as our winters :D

As a finnish person, I also find it funny that you keep explaining yourself while you speak, saying things like "I'm not trying to be rude". Well, yeah, obviously not! Sure, this is the internet so someone will always hurt their feelings regardless of what one says, but stuff like that just seems like a foregone conclusion...

yep, we definetly have polar bears in Finland😂

Living in Denmark close to Finland Sweden and Norway I can tell that many of the things you tell is actually pretty commen to all of the Scandinavian countries. Joke : Two Fins agree to drink together, they sit there for hours drinking, and after almost an entire evening of just drinking in sillence, one of them says "cheers". The other Fin turns his head and asks "Are we drinking or talking?"

In Finland, we don´t ask people how they are doing unless we REALLY GIVE SHIT about how they feel :) We don´t do that fake small talk. Try going deep right away and you might get a better response.. be real and ask something you care about

Nice to hear you mention #9, darkness in winter vs. light in summer. I've been living in Finland for 30+ years, and the change of seasons is for me like a constant jet-lag all year long. Your body needs to constantly adjust to the seasons and light conditions. It's tiresome, but I love it, to experience the seasons shift.

Hi Rachel! Thanks for the video. This topic is so interesting and I'm constantly trying to learn more about culture shocks that people visiting or moving to Finland are experiencing. So this video was really helpful! Thank you!

If turku's humor is that difficult for you then you should check the savo humor with savo dialect... You will cry

I lived in Finland for 20 years and I still haven't gotten used to the darkness during the winter months, it's super depressing having to wake up in total darkness in the morning, go to work or school, and return home in total darkness. Light in summer in great tho.

I am learning about Finland and this is the first video I watched. Thank you for the info. Now on to part 2.

I'm a British guy about to move with to Finland for work. Your 10 culture shocks puts a smile on my face! The world needs more observers like yourself. I have to say especially in the USofA! Keep up the good vibes.

65m² is a big house. I live in 18m².

In Turku, we always ask stuff negatively. "You don't have a watch?" "You don't know what the time is?" "You won't take coffee?" "You wouldn't know where they are going? Another funny thing that comes to my mind, is the typical conversation with a Finn. American: Hey! How are you? American: Great, how are you? American: Hey! How are you? Finn: Oh I just got from the doctor, having some diarrhea, going to see my family later and then going to a restaurant and going to feed my cat when I get home. Blah blah blah blah.. Never ask a Finn how are you, they will give you a literal answer. :D

I live in northern Sweden (a lot like Finland) and never thought about how different Scandinavia is to USA. It's all in the little things

I can fully relate with your comments about Finland. I was born there but left already 42 years ago. I have spent my last 25 years in Houston, TX. I liked your positive view of the different culture. I had my own culture shock moving to Texas😁

Thanks a lot for this video, I 've been in Helsinki for couple months and it was a wonderful experience. What I most notices is that people do trust each other in an incredible way and are so kind

Please educate all your fellow Americans. Thank You for adopting some of our best practices for making America Great Again!

Now I know why Kimi Raikonen, "The Iceberg", was just typically Finnish.

My mother was Finnish so I've stayed in Helsinki with her sister (my aunt) many times since I was a child. I love Helsinki and Finland! Some of your stories about culture shocks made me laugh with how I totally got what you were saying. And what I really like about you is how you took the positive things about those culture shocks back to your life in America (eg recycling, no shoes indoors etc.). I am going to watch all your other Finnish-related videos in due course. Thank you!

I'm from Texas and I live now in Suomi and I love it!...agree with you on everything.

I'm feeling more and more like I belong in Finland. I am a Mississippi native, and while I don't hate Mississippi, I kind of hate most things about it. I hate the heat. I hate the culture. I hate it when randoms walk up to me and are overly affectionate with me. I'm like, "Look, Karen, you literally haven't seen me since I was six months old! I don't know you!" I think maybe I'm overreacting here, but the point is that I kind of hate American culture for the most part, especially Deep South culture. I plan on visiting Finland hopefully next year, and it just feels right. Sauna? I kind of have always hated nudity. I'm not like, prudish, but I'm not particularly fond of the human form. I'll stop rambling now. All conversation that I'm actually interested in becomes like way deep for me.

Hi. I am from Finland. I love your Finland videos, so interesting and excited to see and hear what people from other country thinks about. So good videos.

i love how you react to those differences in a positive light. I love FINNS 🫶🏻

Hi Rachael! I really appreciated the content of this video. My husband who is Finnish sent me the link, actually. I grew up in South Carolina and plan to move to Finland in a few years, so I’d love to hear more! I have visited Finland several times since my husband and I started dating, and I have experienced a lot of these!!

Your way of describing these things - no matter were they positive or awkward for you - is so full of friendliness, empathy and love that I really enjoyed watching and it was great to also learn a lot about your American viewpoint which I was greatly unaware of. Helps a lot when I get touch with Americans next time. Your whole approach is so positive and friendly that I'm sure you will be successful with these videos or whatever else you are willing to do. All the best from here where it is 9PM now and the sun is still shining.

You know what was a shock for me? As a Turk, when we bring food/drinks/etc. to someones house we never ever take the leftovers cause they're considered as gifts to host. But in Finland they take their leftovers back home with them. I was mortified when my boyfriend brought my cans from the fridge to take with me. Alsoi hi, how are you? I ended up here thanks to KZfaq recommendations.

Sounds like through culture shock, you learned a lot and kept an open mind. Some things just “click” from a different perspective. Super happy to see this!

Turku mainittu! Torilla tavataan! Eiku....

65m^2 apartment for a single person is huge. It's not unusual for two people to live in apartment with less than 50.

This video is really helpful! Thanks for sharing! :D

I live in Dallas, tested 19 percent swedish and 10 percent finnish recently -- finally, now I know why I am what I am ! I always have to take special formula of vitamin d because I was born with the deficiency, as if the dark winter nights really affected my family line. I like to keep to myself and can stay in my apartment happily for days before covid-19. Sounds like I need to retire in Finland. I will continue to watch with interest.

Thank you! It's always fun to hear these. I'm Finnish and have spent most of my life abroad and these sorts of videos make me realize what my Finnish traits are and help me explain to others that I'm just being Finnish right now. 😄

I would hate not for knowing how much my crocerys cost.

small talk is usually useless noise, there's no need to fill every moment with constant chatter. You can be, just be and experience instead of filling your anxiety with constant babble. I can't imagine having to chit chat with every passer by about nothing really...

I am studying to be practical nurse in Tredu (Tampere) and our teacher recomended your video for our homework. It´s cool to have quite the same feeling about Finland. I see so much more similarities now about USA (Texas) and Brazil than Portugal and Brazil. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

number one appilies to most Finnish people and conversations unless something really bad happened, it's usually "Moi mitä kuuluu? (Hi how are you doing?) "Ei kurjuutta kummempaa " (Nothing less than misery) We Finns are at times (well very often) sardonic about everything . I think it is the fuel that keeps us going.