Hi!

[mremonen]

So the less I speak, the better I am at Finnish?

Yes.

I can do that!

No you can't. You think you can, but you really cannot. When you sit at the table with other people, after 10 minutes of complete silence you'll start to feel the pressure to say something. Finn's haven't even started noticing the silence yet.

Once I was with my father up north trekking Karhunkierros for approx. a week or so. We probably exchanged less than 10 sentences during the time. You talk if you have something meaningful to say. Otherwise you keep quiet. Unless you are drunk. Then you talk all the time and stop only to have a swig from your bottle of Koskenkorva. Or when you pass out.

[moonshine]

mremonen
Paikkakunta: itähelsinki
Innovoija (innovator) – 2–3% väestöstä: uskalias, koulutettu, omaa useita informaation lähteitä;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skHY4_WQXYE

[Timppa91]

So the less I speak, the better I am at Finnish?

Yes.

I can do that!

No you can't. You think you can, but you really cannot. When you sit at the table with other people, after 10 minutes of complete silence you'll start to feel the pressure to say something. Finn's haven't even started noticing the silence yet.

Once I was with my father up north trekking Karhunkierros for approx. a week or so. We probably exchanged less than 10 sentences during the time. You talk if you have something meaningful to say. Otherwise you keep quiet. Unless you are drunk. Then you talk all the time and stop only to have a swig from your bottle of Koskenkorva. Or when you pass out.

I remember my first dinner with the in-laws, not a word, I toughed I did something bad or was not accepted :o
In Belgium it is common that you would have to answer so many questions!

And when we did Karhunkierros, I have to agree that I was talking the most.
So hmm, I got to learn to be Finnish silent then.
Handy for photography tough , Belgium nature is already so limited, and when you finally got a spot, there are some people talking there all the time, scarring the animals away.

[Maffer]

If you want to photograph The Real Animals in Finland, you need to wait in the shadows for countless hours in total silence. If there are others in the same spot you will never see anything else than common birds.

[moonshine]

Stereotypes are sometimes fun and even insightful when you know to treat them just as stereotypes. :-)

In reality, Finland is a LONG country with diverse subcultures. For example, Helsinki is totally different from countryside; the only common denominators being the language and narratives of winter war...

[Jappee]

Finns are more talkative in east at "Karelia" and "Savo" area. In "Häme" they are almost mute. Western Finland generally time to time they talk.

One joke about talkativeness is from times when logging was done manually with saw & axe: Early morning two dudes went to their logging site with horse via small road on winter. They needed to walk (in row) 1 km from the road to they logging site on snow. First guy dropped his axe into snow just on the road side. Later guy didn't said anything to the first guy that he dropped his axe. In total silence they worked until lunch. At noon on lunch break guy that saw when other guy dropped his axe said to him "you dropped your axe". No reply from other guy. They continued whey work on total silence until dark and started to walk back to the road. Near the road the guy that lost his axe crouched a bit down and picked up his axe from snow and said "you mean here?"

That was lots of talk on that day! If one guy hadn't dropped his axe they wouldn't been anything to talk on that day. :)

[mremonen]

Stereotypes are sometimes fun and even insightful when you know to treat them just as stereotypes. :-)

Yes, you need to take these with grain of salt. But it does not mean that there is no truth behind these. I actually had Xmas lunch with clients in Kulosaaren Casino on Tuesday. After we'd finished eating and were waiting waitress to bring the bill, I actually measured that we had a 3 minute total silence between us and no-one looked uncomfortable. We were waiting the bill, no need to discuss. Ok.

In reality, Finland is a LONG country with diverse subcultures. For example, Helsinki is totally different from countryside; the only common denominators being the language and narratives of winter war...

Winter War yes, language no. West coast, and some parts of southern Finland they speak Swedish. In Rauma they speak kind of a language. Probably. No-one knows for sure. Same thing in Kuopio, except that you really do not know what they said and did they really mean it. Turku... hmmm... Tampere. You really need to know the meaning of "nysse". Lapland. Check that you have an adequate supply of letter "h".

[Jappee]

Same thing in Kuopio, except that you really do not know what they said and did they really mean it. Turku... hmmm... Tampere. You really need to know the meaning of "nysse". Lapland. Check that you have an adequate supply of letter "h".

Similar to reliability of talk in Savo/Kuopio (where the listener has responsibility to find out the truth) in Lapland they generally lie to persons that are out side of Lapland.

Southern Finland is filled with "Fruits of the South", so they talk even they don't know what they are talking but they think that it sounds fine talk.

So this country is mixed mess like many other countries... Looks that you are planning to stay here for a while so learn the language! Just first learn words and then worry much-much later how they are put together correct way. That method I have used and I have be been able to learn enough from few languages to survive from normal life situations.

[mremonen]

And this war-thingy. It is something that needs to be understood.

First: We were the Good, Russkies were the Bad and Krauts were the Ugly.

Secondly: We won the war. Even though we lost it (and sizable chunk of our real estate) we still won. Go figure that out...

Thirdly: Yes, we fought with Germans, but we were not really allied with them. Even though it may look like it, but believe me, we weren't. No, don't ask about it. No, no, no, no...

Lastly (and most important): Do not never, ever judge the Veterans of WWII. Never. Ever. Period.

[Maffer]

I recommend Sabaton's song - Winter War. It tells all the essential facts. Well, almost...

My grandfather was a machine gunner and fought & survived both wars. He did not want to talk about it very often but those rare moments were very interesting and frightening as well. He passed away 16 years ago during the Christmas but his Karelian Spirit shall live on!

Here is a Karelian Pie for his memory!



No ordinary pie, it weighted around 1100 grams before I ate it. And I made it myself.

[JL Anttola]

1,1 kilograms!
From where did you find the modell, Texas or...?
JL

[Maffer]

Uh-huh! It was a "problem" with surplus rise porridge so I was given a task to get rid of it :)

[Timppa91]

Uh-huh! It was a "problem" with surplus rise porridge so I was given a task to get rid of it :)

Best solution ever! those pies are so good ,I would have add carrots tough :) porkkanapiirakka!