what is you biggest culture shock? positive and negative

[llewellyn]

Well, in those good old days of those lovely traditional roles, you really weren't that interested what the women themselves thought: they didn't have an option but to stay in that narrow role. Perhaps such bondage makes those masochistic, simple minded creatures happy - though there is much anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Go figure. In any case, I believe that in this day and age they don't have an option in "modern" Saudi-Arabia to vote (and that's on the milder end of a very, very long list), or in some places in Africa to avoid genital mutilation or in many places in the world to avoid being regarded as the property of their husbands or male relatives. Only relatively recently even in the West a woman was not an independent legal agent but a ward of her husband. These are the archetypal traditional roles that we are talking about that have their origins in the pre-industrial civilization, still stubbornly lingering on in many dehumanizing social attitudes, or in more harmless dottiness perhaps in evidence in some posters on this thread. Anyway, a more lighthearted comment below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjxY9rZwNGU

[Zoeyy]

about the president shaking hands ...

(the independence day tv-thingie)

Finland is a small country, and most natives actually know a couple of those people there. so it's interesting to see people you know, listen to what the speakers say about those people, and somehow you feel connected to the whole.

Of course that's boring... true... but it's also cold in december, so it's not the best time for parades or something

[Karhunkoski]

I don't subscribe to traditional roles, but what is important is treating your lady with courtesy and respect. Anyone who doesn't manage this definitely belongs in pre-industrialised civilisation.

[llewellyn]

I don't subscribe to traditional roles, but what is important is treating your lady with courtesy and respect.

Well, I guess I'm dangerously radical here as I don't have any gender differences in this respect...

[mCowboy]

I don't subscribe to traditional roles

Me neither, I only subscribe to Sport Truck and Playboy...

[superiorinferior]

I don't subscribe to traditional roles, but what is important is treating your lady with courtesy and respect.

Well, I guess I'm dangerously radical here as I don't have any gender differences in this respect...

So you're a hermaphrodite?

Or is it an hermaphrodite?

[llewellyn]

I don't subscribe to traditional roles, but what is important is treating your lady with courtesy and respect.

Well, I guess I'm dangerously radical here as I don't have any gender differences in this respect...

So you're a hermaphrodite?

Or is it an hermaphrodite?

Hmm, I guess so, if treating people with respect and courtesy regardless of their gender makes one a hermaphrodite. I don't exactly see how that follows though.

[superiorinferior]

First you said:

I don't have any gender differences in this respect...

Then I said:

So you're a hermaphrodite?

Or is it an hermaphrodite?

Then you said:

Hmm, I guess so, if treating people with respect and courtesy regardless of their gender makes one a hermaphrodite. I don't exactly see how that follows though.

Then I fell asleep.

[llewellyn]

First you said:

I don't have any gender differences in this respect...

Then I said:

So you're a hermaphrodite?

Or is it an hermaphrodite?

Then you said:

Hmm, I guess so, if treating people with respect and courtesy regardless of their gender makes one a hermaphrodite. I don't exactly see how that follows though.

Then I fell asleep.

Oh, I see, quite droll.

[enk]

Aha! He's missed.
He's not in Finland. Now he plays secret agent in far away lands every now and then.

Eh, I was wondering Unlike him to be so quiet for so long
otherwise

-enk

[Susan]

Aha! He's missed.
He's not in Finland. Now he plays secret agent in far away lands every now and then.

Eh, I was wondering Unlike him to be so quiet for so long
otherwise

-enk

He'll be back here soon. Sooner than what you think.

-Susan

[enk]

He'll be back here soon. Sooner than what you think.

-Susan

Speak of the devil, he appears to be back

-enk

[Hank W.]

Have to do some double checking on details but traditional attire of wife had huge keyring.

Well, the key to all attics/cellars is still in Finnish called - not the master key but "emännän avain" = mistress' key

[Chrysoberyl]

Returning to the original question,I made a list:

Positive "shocks"

-People here respect your space and your mood.If you want to be alone at a public place nobody thinks it's strange

-Rules are obeyed(sometimes to a slightly ridiculous degree,but that's better than the opposite way)

-The country in general is amazingly safe

-Most people speak at least one foreign language,and the general cultural level is quite high


Negative shocks:

-People in Finland don't know how to move when in a large crowd(sounds silly but it's very annoying...)

-Spitting on the floor is commonplace

-The quality of the food in many places is very low for the price

-Nobody seems to think that staring for a long time at other person is rude

-Shops close very early

-You cannot buy alcohol in a "normal" way

-The noble art of conversation is not exactly very esteemed or practiced...

[COBHC]

-Spitting on the floor is commonplace

-You cannot buy alcohol in a "normal" way

I haven't really noticed the spitting, maybe i'm just blind to it because all the kids where i'm from spit to look cool in front of there friends (pathetic i know) and it doesn't happen here as much.

Also i don't agree with the alcohol thing. I'm a beer drinker so i buy it from the supermarket, which is easy. Unless i want to get something stronger or something for a special occasion then i just go to Alko. I don't feel inconvenienced by this or that it is abnormal.