So here is what I have learned so far about the Finnish people (I don't know if they like to be called Finns). My experience has been that the Finns are very nice and happy to help when asked, with the notable exception of service in resturants. They tend to be quiet and keep to themselves in general when in public. I have not been in a social setting with any Finnish people yet, so I don't know if they let loose when in private.
Most Finns in Helsinki speak English quite well and seem happy to do so once they realize you don't speak Finnish. All you have to do is reply "hello", or "excuse me?" and they switch right over without any difficulty. I am told that most Finns speak Swedish as well which I find very impressive, as many Americans have difficulty with the one language they speak!
I have also noticed that there is no word for "please" (I looked it up in my Finnish/English dictionary) and that there seems to be no use of the words "excuse me" if they do exist in their lexicon. I mean this to say that in the USA if you want to pass by or through where someone is standing you say "excuse me". Not so here in Finland; people just go through without a word. Granted, this does not seem to be taken as rude, but rather as a given, so it is only my perspective that makes it a bad thing.
My experience with service workers (electrician and delivery people) has been that they are friendly but not talkitive and get straight to work. This is a change from the USA where there is always small talk.
And people tend to be on time here for appointments. I don't just mean that they are within a reasonable timeframe of the given appointment..I mean that they are on time (not late, not early). It's kind of freaky, actually. It's as though they wait in their cars to time it just right....weird. I can't wait to see if the doctor's offices are the same.
So those are my thoughts so far. I will update you as I learn more.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Fruit Loops Update
Hi all. Just a quick update to let you know that my sister has informed me that Fruit Loops are indeed bland the world around. It's some sort of nutrtion conspiracy meant to rid the world of yummy things or something. Seriously, would I be buying Fruit Loops if I wanted to be healthy? Anyway, thanks to Annie for the sad, but critical news.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Grocery shopping
So today I went to the grocery store with Sanna, a very nice Finnish lady who has been helping me with the adjustment to the Finnish culture. She speaks English well and has a good sense of humor so we get along just fine. Anyway, today we went to the market so that I could ask her what things were and where to get them if they were not there.
So here's the scoop: you can get peanut butter here in Finland fairly easily, contrary to what I had heard; if you want Jiff however, you have to go to a store specializing in American and Brittish foods (that trip will be Friday). Eggs are kept on the shelf, not in refrigeration as you might think. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around that one...mine are now safely in the refrigerator, thank you very much. Their meats and fish all look very fresh, though the freshest can be found at the equivalent of an indoor farmer's market that we visited first. The cereal aisle is about one tenth the size of an American cereal aisle, so you can imagine the selection. They have a fabulous bakery section, and the produce is wonderful. Cat food and litter is scarce in a market, so I will have to go to the department store...yes, I said department store, much like Macy's but with a pet section.
Now back to the eggs. There are many kinds of eggs here in Finland. You can get them free-range, caged, free-range with special diet and so on...but my favorite (the one I bought) is healthy chicken eggs. I'm so glad that they had eggs from healthy chickens, as I surely don't want any sick chicken eggs (sick chicken eggs were not a choice, by the way).
Finally, a note on cereal, or Froot Loops to be exact. Yesterday I bought Kellogg's Froot Loops and had a bowl. They were bland! Ok, I assume that they have made them healthier to satisfy the nutrition police, but they were bland, not at all sweet, and there were no red rings. I'm certain there were red rings the last time I had Fruit Loops, admittedly a long time ago, but seriously, what's the deal? So here's the challenge: somebody out there in the USA buy some Fruit Loops, try them and let me know if this is a world-wide conspiracy or if it is just a Finland thing. And let me know if there are red rings because I'm sure there were. To my Curves ladies back in the States: this could be your next get together, you could have a Fruit Loops party!...just a thought.
So that's it for now. More adventures tomorrow.
So here's the scoop: you can get peanut butter here in Finland fairly easily, contrary to what I had heard; if you want Jiff however, you have to go to a store specializing in American and Brittish foods (that trip will be Friday). Eggs are kept on the shelf, not in refrigeration as you might think. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around that one...mine are now safely in the refrigerator, thank you very much. Their meats and fish all look very fresh, though the freshest can be found at the equivalent of an indoor farmer's market that we visited first. The cereal aisle is about one tenth the size of an American cereal aisle, so you can imagine the selection. They have a fabulous bakery section, and the produce is wonderful. Cat food and litter is scarce in a market, so I will have to go to the department store...yes, I said department store, much like Macy's but with a pet section.
Now back to the eggs. There are many kinds of eggs here in Finland. You can get them free-range, caged, free-range with special diet and so on...but my favorite (the one I bought) is healthy chicken eggs. I'm so glad that they had eggs from healthy chickens, as I surely don't want any sick chicken eggs (sick chicken eggs were not a choice, by the way).
Finally, a note on cereal, or Froot Loops to be exact. Yesterday I bought Kellogg's Froot Loops and had a bowl. They were bland! Ok, I assume that they have made them healthier to satisfy the nutrition police, but they were bland, not at all sweet, and there were no red rings. I'm certain there were red rings the last time I had Fruit Loops, admittedly a long time ago, but seriously, what's the deal? So here's the challenge: somebody out there in the USA buy some Fruit Loops, try them and let me know if this is a world-wide conspiracy or if it is just a Finland thing. And let me know if there are red rings because I'm sure there were. To my Curves ladies back in the States: this could be your next get together, you could have a Fruit Loops party!...just a thought.
So that's it for now. More adventures tomorrow.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Pictures
Here are a few photos...
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| Our "Dinning Room Table" |
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| Tesla on her new reindeer skin rug |
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| Our View |
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Intro
The purpose of this blog is to keep my friends up to date with my life in Finland, and for those who don't know me, to tell about my experiences as I find my way around Helsinki as a new American ex-pat to the country.
Two weeks ago my husband and I moved here to Helsinki , Finland due to my husband's job transfer; I'm just along for the ride, and right now we are living in our apartment without any furniture. It's really rather boring. We have an inflatable bed, and are using boxes as tables, though we have to sit on the hard wood floors to use them.
We have ventured out to purchase things we'll need, like curtains. Thank God the Finns speak english and my husband is able to convert inches into metric. Of course, our curtains wern't standard length and had to be custom made. This was an easier process than I have experienced in the States, and seems to be a common occurance based on the large section in the department store, and the ease with which the clerk wrote up the order.
I won't mention the cost, as everything is more expensive here in Finland. Today we plan to go shopping for some winter gear in anticipation of the cold weather that's coming. I have my eye on a fabulous leopard print hat that I saw in a window the other day. Won't that be stunning?
So that's about it for now. With any luck I will update this blog on a regular basis and let you know about the things that I experience and encounter along the way. With better luck, I will learn how to add pictures!
Two weeks ago my husband and I moved here to Helsinki , Finland due to my husband's job transfer; I'm just along for the ride, and right now we are living in our apartment without any furniture. It's really rather boring. We have an inflatable bed, and are using boxes as tables, though we have to sit on the hard wood floors to use them.
We have ventured out to purchase things we'll need, like curtains. Thank God the Finns speak english and my husband is able to convert inches into metric. Of course, our curtains wern't standard length and had to be custom made. This was an easier process than I have experienced in the States, and seems to be a common occurance based on the large section in the department store, and the ease with which the clerk wrote up the order.
I won't mention the cost, as everything is more expensive here in Finland. Today we plan to go shopping for some winter gear in anticipation of the cold weather that's coming. I have my eye on a fabulous leopard print hat that I saw in a window the other day. Won't that be stunning?
So that's about it for now. With any luck I will update this blog on a regular basis and let you know about the things that I experience and encounter along the way. With better luck, I will learn how to add pictures!
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