Cultural differences: Finns
Based on two simply excellent topics ( Americans and Japanese ), I will express my opinion, this time about the neighbors closer to the Northern capital - about the Finns.
It is probably worth starting a conversation about cultural differences with the fact that the Finns and Russians have lived alongside each other for many centuries. Therefore, in the culture of the two peoples, it’s worth looking rather than differences, but common features :)
')
Despite the above, there are also enough differences. In my humble opinion, most of them are related to the fact that the population of Finland is a little more than 5'000'000 people, of which about 1'000'000 live in the Capital Region of Helsinki. People live in St. Petersburg and its suburbs more than in the whole state! Now compare the area.
With such a low population density, people themselves become more open and friendly. Less closed in themselves and more willingly communicate with others. Show less aggression and more willingly help those who need help. By the way, the difference between Helsinki and smaller cities is very noticeable - in the capital people don’t really look around, but go about their business without turning anywhere.
The first thing that catches your eye when entering Finland is neatness and cleanliness. Garbage does not roll anywhere, fences neatly painted, cars parked exactly. Parking in Finland - a separate entertainment, but more on that below.
Garbage people do not throw anywhere. However, it should be noted that throwing garbage into the corresponding waste bin is also not so simple - you can search for a garbage can or an urn long enough. In parks and bars, they usually have them, but in a residential area you can try to throw the “ice cream wrapper” “correctly” for a long time.
If you stay in Finland a little longer and take a closer look, then this neatness and beauty begins to give the impression of some kind of forced. It seems that people observe it as if from a stick. If you drive away from the tourist places away, then everything becomes more natural, but it appears ... right, not so neat roads, not so smooth fences. In general, the depths :)
An interesting impression is made by the infrastructure and appearance of cities. In Russia, as a settlement grows, construction gradually ceases to be rustic, houses appear on several floors, a hospital, a cinema, shops, and then shopping centers. As it approaches the city center, it gradually becomes more and more “urban”.
Finnish cities look different - entering the city from the surrounding forest, you immediately find yourself among the town houses of approximately the same height. There is a hospital, a cinema center, shopping centers in the city, and all this strongly resembles a block from SimCity. And the architecture is similar in places :) As the city expands, such a quarter is also built nearby and another such quarter - a sort of horizontal distribution instead of vertical scaling.
And the Finns are not too lazy to put some cool thing (familiar architects would call it “small architectural forms”) just like that, for beauty. Therefore, even in the smallest town you can find a cozy square with a beautiful monument or just a pretty sculpture.
Of course, the most famous part of Finnish culture in us is the sauna, which is also a Finnish sauna. Strange as it may seem, the Finns' model of using the sauna is very different from how we used to use it.
One of my first employers was a Finnish company in which the director was, respectively, a Finn. However, the Finn once emigrated from Russia, spoke Russian, and often came to visit the company. He told the following story about the sauna:
Finnish sauna and Russian bath, he said - the same tradition based on the use of large volumes of hot steam. Finns heat the sauna to 60 ° C, climb there, pour water into the stove and enjoy the steam, warm in the winter evenings. As well as in the classic Russian bath. Why, in Russia, is a Finnish sauna dry and does not pour water into it and heat it up to 120 ° C? He answered this question in the following way: “Finnish baths were made dry by Russian electricians, who decided that it was impossible to pour water into electric heaters brought from Finland”.
In general, Finns everywhere sell sauna kits, which include a washcloth, a back brush and a gang for pouring water into the sauna stove :)
Going to the sauna is a very common affair. Near the village house is almost always a sauna, if the terrain allows, then closer to the lake. If it happens in a city, the sauna is built into a residential apartment building and is used by residents in turns and / or on a schedule. In hotels, too, there are usually saunas, in large ones - separately for men and women, and in small ones a time division is introduced.
Well, who has not heard of the passion of the Finns to buy cheap alcohol in the border cities? In Russia, this is not so noticeable, but in Tallinn, for example ... a large supermarket is located next to the ferry terminal. Ferry passengers run to the supermarket, throw carts on horseback and run back. And all because in Finland the beer is expensive, and the wine and strong alcohol are sold only in special state stores Alko. They do not work for long and prices there are high.
Interesting, but true - in these stores a very good assortment, so those who like to try drinks from different countries may be interested. Many of what is sold there cannot be bought in Russia. This is a serious difference from food supermarkets - there often products (for example, Valio yogurt) immediately stand with labels in both Finnish and Russian. Delivered to them and to us.
Most drivers who traveled to Finland praise the traffic - they drive carefully, the rules do not break. Yes, in fact, they practically do not violate. But doing it is a bit strange. This becomes noticeable if you ride the Finnish roads a little longer.
For example, to exceed the speed and in fact is not accepted. The fear of getting a large penalty for speeding is usually very strong for Russian drivers. So much so that some hands are shaking. But ... this fear passes immediately, if you look at the surrounding Finnish drivers.
How fast is the Finn going, if the speed limit is 40 km / h? That's right, around 50. If there is a limit of 80 on the highway and there is no radar around 90. And they can jump 120 km / h to the opposite one so that they can slip past the stationary radar and not get into its camera. In other words, a driver who does not exceed or almost does not exceed the speed in Russia can safely travel in Finland and not be afraid of the local traffic police and their radars. Is that the limits of the speed limit unusual - for this you need to follow.
Another feature of Finnish drivers is the use of car lights. Compared with Russian drivers, they do not use turn signals at all. Unless blinked two or three times before turning. With headlights get up it is not clear that. They can persistently go towards with the main beam, and they can unscrew the headlights so that the near one shines like the distant one (or one headlight directly, and the other down or to the side, to taste). And the system of negotiations that is common in Russia on the highways: “I can be overtaken” (the right turn signal), “I overtake” (the left turn signal), “thank you” (emergency break) do not understand at all.
Well, some of the features and traditions of local driving. For example, the exit from the acceleration lane without regard to those traveling on the main road. In Russia, this is not the way to drive! Or the descent from the road at the junction at 80 km / h without a reduction in speed and with a distance of 10 m to the car ahead. Such geeks strain a little.
At the same time, people are very friendly and always ready to help. For example, on the first trip, we thoroughly lost our way and stopped at a gas station (finally found a gas station - a good guide!) And began to scrutinize the map. A biker drove up to us right away, refueling his motorcycle, asked where we needed to go, and then took us to the track and waved his hand towards the right outcome.
Finnish does not belong to common languages, so Finns have to learn English in order to be aware of world progress. Finnish is used in medicine and technology, but everything you need can be found in English. Business correspondence can also easily be in English and, most likely, there will be no problems. By the way, the Finns write in English, in comparison with the Russians, very short and simple.
Apparently, the film company does not consider it necessary to waste energy on the re-sounding of films in Finnish. Therefore, most of the films shown, for example, on TV, are in English with Finnish subtitles. A good reason to practice the skills of perception of spoken English.
In everyday conversations (in a cafe, for example), everything depends on the distance from the border and the capital. They say clearly and clearly in Helsinki, you can live there for years and not know Finnish (as some Nokia employees do :)). As the distance from the tourist places - no longer so clear and not so clear. They may not speak English at all.
An interesting feature of Finland is the presence of two state languages ​​- Finnish and Swedish. In addition, each region determines whether it uses only Finnish, or both of these languages. If both (as in Helsinki, for example), then road signs and other important signs are duplicated in two languages. This is useful. For example, the phrase on the parking unit “Fri parkering til” (“free parking up to”) is not difficult to understand, and there is a button for language selection.
And in a simple conversation, the function of language selection is performed by the first spoken phrase. Having greeted in Finnish (terve, hei, moi depending on the region and the person's age at the counter), you may be faced with the need to “switch” the conversation to a more familiar language.
In large cities, a large number of people dressed according to our standards, to say the least, informally, are striking. It seems that the Finns at once decided to dress individually, not like the others. As a result, everyone dressed as it is not clear :) There is even a special site dedicated exclusively to informally dressed Finns - www.hel-looks.com .
However, decent clothes there are also selling enough. Personally, I am not a supporter of shopping and sales throwing, but finding a T-shirt of unusual colors or good jeans is a lovely thing.
Another feature of the Finns is the great love for needlework and the resultant result from it - a large number of stores with a completely fanatical choice of all kinds of tools and materials. When you enter such a store, your eyes immediately start to scatter and itch your hands - make something like that. Huge departments are devoted to the manufacture of cards, embroidery, painting on ceramics, making dolls and wax candles. In general, there is where to roam!
Shopping for computer enthusiasts is not so good. There are computer departments in supermarkets with household appliances, there are Apple stores (prices are not better than in Russia), but it will not be as easy to buy a motherboard, a processor, and to assemble something for yourself.
I think this is still possible to stop with a story about the Finns. I hope it was interesting.
Neighboring nations - neighboring cultures
It is probably worth starting a conversation about cultural differences with the fact that the Finns and Russians have lived alongside each other for many centuries. Therefore, in the culture of the two peoples, it’s worth looking rather than differences, but common features :)
')
Population density
Despite the above, there are also enough differences. In my humble opinion, most of them are related to the fact that the population of Finland is a little more than 5'000'000 people, of which about 1'000'000 live in the Capital Region of Helsinki. People live in St. Petersburg and its suburbs more than in the whole state! Now compare the area.
With such a low population density, people themselves become more open and friendly. Less closed in themselves and more willingly communicate with others. Show less aggression and more willingly help those who need help. By the way, the difference between Helsinki and smaller cities is very noticeable - in the capital people don’t really look around, but go about their business without turning anywhere.
Cities and villages
The first thing that catches your eye when entering Finland is neatness and cleanliness. Garbage does not roll anywhere, fences neatly painted, cars parked exactly. Parking in Finland - a separate entertainment, but more on that below.
Garbage people do not throw anywhere. However, it should be noted that throwing garbage into the corresponding waste bin is also not so simple - you can search for a garbage can or an urn long enough. In parks and bars, they usually have them, but in a residential area you can try to throw the “ice cream wrapper” “correctly” for a long time.
If you stay in Finland a little longer and take a closer look, then this neatness and beauty begins to give the impression of some kind of forced. It seems that people observe it as if from a stick. If you drive away from the tourist places away, then everything becomes more natural, but it appears ... right, not so neat roads, not so smooth fences. In general, the depths :)
An interesting impression is made by the infrastructure and appearance of cities. In Russia, as a settlement grows, construction gradually ceases to be rustic, houses appear on several floors, a hospital, a cinema, shops, and then shopping centers. As it approaches the city center, it gradually becomes more and more “urban”.
Finnish cities look different - entering the city from the surrounding forest, you immediately find yourself among the town houses of approximately the same height. There is a hospital, a cinema center, shopping centers in the city, and all this strongly resembles a block from SimCity. And the architecture is similar in places :) As the city expands, such a quarter is also built nearby and another such quarter - a sort of horizontal distribution instead of vertical scaling.
And the Finns are not too lazy to put some cool thing (familiar architects would call it “small architectural forms”) just like that, for beauty. Therefore, even in the smallest town you can find a cozy square with a beautiful monument or just a pretty sculpture.
Sauna
Of course, the most famous part of Finnish culture in us is the sauna, which is also a Finnish sauna. Strange as it may seem, the Finns' model of using the sauna is very different from how we used to use it.
One of my first employers was a Finnish company in which the director was, respectively, a Finn. However, the Finn once emigrated from Russia, spoke Russian, and often came to visit the company. He told the following story about the sauna:
Finnish sauna and Russian bath, he said - the same tradition based on the use of large volumes of hot steam. Finns heat the sauna to 60 ° C, climb there, pour water into the stove and enjoy the steam, warm in the winter evenings. As well as in the classic Russian bath. Why, in Russia, is a Finnish sauna dry and does not pour water into it and heat it up to 120 ° C? He answered this question in the following way: “Finnish baths were made dry by Russian electricians, who decided that it was impossible to pour water into electric heaters brought from Finland”.
In general, Finns everywhere sell sauna kits, which include a washcloth, a back brush and a gang for pouring water into the sauna stove :)
Going to the sauna is a very common affair. Near the village house is almost always a sauna, if the terrain allows, then closer to the lake. If it happens in a city, the sauna is built into a residential apartment building and is used by residents in turns and / or on a schedule. In hotels, too, there are usually saunas, in large ones - separately for men and women, and in small ones a time division is introduced.
Alcohol
Well, who has not heard of the passion of the Finns to buy cheap alcohol in the border cities? In Russia, this is not so noticeable, but in Tallinn, for example ... a large supermarket is located next to the ferry terminal. Ferry passengers run to the supermarket, throw carts on horseback and run back. And all because in Finland the beer is expensive, and the wine and strong alcohol are sold only in special state stores Alko. They do not work for long and prices there are high.
Interesting, but true - in these stores a very good assortment, so those who like to try drinks from different countries may be interested. Many of what is sold there cannot be bought in Russia. This is a serious difference from food supermarkets - there often products (for example, Valio yogurt) immediately stand with labels in both Finnish and Russian. Delivered to them and to us.
Road traffic
Most drivers who traveled to Finland praise the traffic - they drive carefully, the rules do not break. Yes, in fact, they practically do not violate. But doing it is a bit strange. This becomes noticeable if you ride the Finnish roads a little longer.
For example, to exceed the speed and in fact is not accepted. The fear of getting a large penalty for speeding is usually very strong for Russian drivers. So much so that some hands are shaking. But ... this fear passes immediately, if you look at the surrounding Finnish drivers.
How fast is the Finn going, if the speed limit is 40 km / h? That's right, around 50. If there is a limit of 80 on the highway and there is no radar around 90. And they can jump 120 km / h to the opposite one so that they can slip past the stationary radar and not get into its camera. In other words, a driver who does not exceed or almost does not exceed the speed in Russia can safely travel in Finland and not be afraid of the local traffic police and their radars. Is that the limits of the speed limit unusual - for this you need to follow.
Another feature of Finnish drivers is the use of car lights. Compared with Russian drivers, they do not use turn signals at all. Unless blinked two or three times before turning. With headlights get up it is not clear that. They can persistently go towards with the main beam, and they can unscrew the headlights so that the near one shines like the distant one (or one headlight directly, and the other down or to the side, to taste). And the system of negotiations that is common in Russia on the highways: “I can be overtaken” (the right turn signal), “I overtake” (the left turn signal), “thank you” (emergency break) do not understand at all.
Well, some of the features and traditions of local driving. For example, the exit from the acceleration lane without regard to those traveling on the main road. In Russia, this is not the way to drive! Or the descent from the road at the junction at 80 km / h without a reduction in speed and with a distance of 10 m to the car ahead. Such geeks strain a little.
At the same time, people are very friendly and always ready to help. For example, on the first trip, we thoroughly lost our way and stopped at a gas station (finally found a gas station - a good guide!) And began to scrutinize the map. A biker drove up to us right away, refueling his motorcycle, asked where we needed to go, and then took us to the track and waved his hand towards the right outcome.
Tongue
Finnish does not belong to common languages, so Finns have to learn English in order to be aware of world progress. Finnish is used in medicine and technology, but everything you need can be found in English. Business correspondence can also easily be in English and, most likely, there will be no problems. By the way, the Finns write in English, in comparison with the Russians, very short and simple.
Apparently, the film company does not consider it necessary to waste energy on the re-sounding of films in Finnish. Therefore, most of the films shown, for example, on TV, are in English with Finnish subtitles. A good reason to practice the skills of perception of spoken English.
In everyday conversations (in a cafe, for example), everything depends on the distance from the border and the capital. They say clearly and clearly in Helsinki, you can live there for years and not know Finnish (as some Nokia employees do :)). As the distance from the tourist places - no longer so clear and not so clear. They may not speak English at all.
An interesting feature of Finland is the presence of two state languages ​​- Finnish and Swedish. In addition, each region determines whether it uses only Finnish, or both of these languages. If both (as in Helsinki, for example), then road signs and other important signs are duplicated in two languages. This is useful. For example, the phrase on the parking unit “Fri parkering til” (“free parking up to”) is not difficult to understand, and there is a button for language selection.
And in a simple conversation, the function of language selection is performed by the first spoken phrase. Having greeted in Finnish (terve, hei, moi depending on the region and the person's age at the counter), you may be faced with the need to “switch” the conversation to a more familiar language.
clothing
In large cities, a large number of people dressed according to our standards, to say the least, informally, are striking. It seems that the Finns at once decided to dress individually, not like the others. As a result, everyone dressed as it is not clear :) There is even a special site dedicated exclusively to informally dressed Finns - www.hel-looks.com .
However, decent clothes there are also selling enough. Personally, I am not a supporter of shopping and sales throwing, but finding a T-shirt of unusual colors or good jeans is a lovely thing.
Hobbies and hobbies
Another feature of the Finns is the great love for needlework and the resultant result from it - a large number of stores with a completely fanatical choice of all kinds of tools and materials. When you enter such a store, your eyes immediately start to scatter and itch your hands - make something like that. Huge departments are devoted to the manufacture of cards, embroidery, painting on ceramics, making dolls and wax candles. In general, there is where to roam!
Shopping for computer enthusiasts is not so good. There are computer departments in supermarkets with household appliances, there are Apple stores (prices are not better than in Russia), but it will not be as easy to buy a motherboard, a processor, and to assemble something for yourself.
I think this is still possible to stop with a story about the Finns. I hope it was interesting.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/114174/
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