Making Finnish Friends?

[VampLena1]

Hello all, I'm new here. I am an American and curious about Finland and its people. I've heard alot of things about Finnish people, how they are unfriendly and hate foreigners and its not a good place to live unless you are Finnish too. However my post is not about that, I am a person that believes all peoples should get along and before I would move to another nation, I would like to know the truth about the people there. Right now Finland sounds scary to me, especially coupled with the supposed suicide rate for foreigners and how the police even treat non Finnish people.

I would enjoy talking to some people who live in Finland and maybe starting a correspondence so I can know the REAL Finland and now just stereotypes people like to say about it.

Lena

[Hellscream]

i heard they drink blood people in night

[Oho]

Well you're certainly off to a flying start making Finnish friends....

[rinso]

how they are unfriendly

true

hate foreigner

depends on the foreigner, but it can take a long time to win their trust

not a good place to live unless you are Finnish

it is supposed to be the best country in the world, but you have to get used to it

supposed suicide

mostly people who cannot handle the climate or 6 months darkness

how the police even treat non Finnish people.

The police treats everybody the same. When they come for you, you're a potential criminal and they treat you accordingly.

stereotypes

Finland is a homogeneous society. So stereotypes can be quite accurate.

[Upphew]

I've heard alot of things about Finnish people, how they are unfriendly

Idle chitchat is not friendly. Leaving me alone is friendly.

and hate foreigners

Hate foreigners after they are over represented in crime statistics or when they get RP by lying and then proceed to lie some more to get money from the county and government and get "not guilty" from the highest court...

and its not a good place to live unless you are Finnish too.

This is not a good place unless you want to live like a Finn. The peg that stands out is pounded in.

However my post is not about that, I am a person that believes all peoples should get along and before I would move to another nation, I would like to know the truth about the people there. Right now Finland sounds scary to me, especially coupled with the supposed suicide rate for foreigners and how the police even treat non Finnish people.

To get along we should act about the same.

I would enjoy talking to some people who live in Finland and maybe starting a correspondence so I can know the REAL Finland and now just stereotypes people like to say about it.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27743/27 ... 7743-h.htm

[Adrian42]

"I've heard alot of things about Finnish people, how they are unfriendly

Finns are not unfriendly, they just prefer silence over contentless small talk.

Once you understand that it is e.g. perfectly OK to not speak a word with each other for 15 minutes while eating lunch together, Finnish people no longer appear unfriendly.

Even for me as a non-Finn it sounds more unfriendly if someone asked me "How are you?" who doesn't actually care about how I am, than no question at all.

and hate foreigners

That's not true, Finns are not worse on that in general than other people.

and its not a good place to live unless you are Finnish too.

For me as a German Finland is, except for a few quirks here and there (and a much shorter summer and longer winter), not that different from my home country.

People from the US tend to have more problems adapting to Finland than we Germans.

and how the police even treat non Finnish people.

The Finnish police treats everyone, no matter whether Finnish or not, and no matter whether he is a suspected criminal or completely drunk, with respect.

I would enjoy talking to some people who live in Finland and maybe starting a correspondence so I can know the REAL Finland and now just stereotypes people like to say about it.

If you want to know the REAL Finland you should come here and experience it yourself.

[Pursuivant]

Hello all, I'm new here. I am an American and curious about Finland and its people.

What? We've not been on Discovery Channel? Oh dear. But you can go on youtube and check out some food programmes, like Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern or then a mad No Reservations stint around Helsinki with Anthony Bourdain.

I've heard alot of things about Finnish people, how they are unfriendly and hate foreigners and its not a good place to live unless you are Finnish too.

Yes, and Americans are morbidly obese uneducated illiterate fat slobs who believe jebus rode on dinosaurs, aren't they?

Finns are reserved - not unfriendly. There is personal space and privacy that is respected - sometimes over to an extreme. MrSpock is a Finn if you ask me - annoy him enough and he gives you a neck pinch... The society is run by rules, and people "messing up the vibes" do get the short end of the stick. After breaking enough unwritten "things everybody knows" someone gets pissed enough and tells the person off, usual approach is though to leave those who do not conform on their own. And Finns absolutely *love* someone coming in and whining about things they themselves have to cope with. The forest echoes what you yell into it, as they say.

Right now Finland sounds scary to me, especially coupled with the supposed suicide rate for foreigners and how the police even treat non Finnish people.

As opposed to how Americans shoot out each other daily in malls, movie theaters and on the street and if the police don't shoot you they stuff a billyclub up your ass at the station?

Finland has high suicide rates, not hugely different from other nations in the region. Its mostly teenage young men though, who feel helpless with the pressures of education, economy, and living in dying towns in the boonies. As everywhere they do silly things, get into trouble & so forth. Theres also a difference between foreigners and foreigners. People who come to work and have a job waiting are usually far less involved with the police or have a tendency to have mental problems than foreigners that enter the country illegally, failed asylum seekers and such. Finland doesn't have an economy running on illegal immigrants - if you show up and compete for the same resources, of course the natives are unfriendly.

REAL Finland

It ain't Kansas no more, Dorothy. And don't eat the yellow bricks in the winter.

[Oho]

Perhaps she should go to Tessieri's Migrant Tales, as that crowd would be more up her alley. Come to think of it perhaps it is where she is hailing from.

[VampLena1]

Actually I AM alot like a Fin. I value my personal space and I am quiet too. I adore MrSpock (and Data). However some of you do seem unfriendly, I was not insulting any Fins, I was relating what people have tried filling my head with when I talk about wanting to goto Finland. Its also why I want to talk to real Fins.

Besides, Not all Americans are stupid and morbidly obese, though I will admit most Americans are stupid, Im a genius amongst other Americans and I dont really think Im that overly smart. If anything, give me some credit for not just taking peoples words for it, and trying to understand Finland.

[browndude]

The Finnish police are much more respectful and efficient than some of the redneck hicks that passed for police in some places in the US-and yes I am speaking from experience.

[Pursuivant]

I was relating what people have tried filling my head with when I talk about wanting to goto Finland.

Well we were just relating back. Now go entertain your friends and tell us how they like it.

However some of you do seem unfriendly,

What were you expecting, a group hug and kumbayah?

[rinso]

However some of you do seem unfriendly,

If you are referring to some responses in this topic, you might be a little bit to sensitive.
I didn't see any unfriendly comments. Just honest responses and a little bit of sarcasm.

Its also why I want to talk to real Fins.

You know that the "real Fins" is a populist political party which is against immigration?

[Upphew]

The Finnish police are much more respectful and efficient than some of the redneck hicks that passed for police in some places in the US-and yes I am speaking from experience.

They should be more efficient. If I understood right, in USA you get to be a cop after shorter schooling than in Finland.

[Upphew]

You know that the "real Fins" is a populist political party which is against immigration?

Derailing the thread...
Imo they are not against immigration per se, they are against current immigration policies and they do get support from people that are against all immigration though.

Their immigration policy sounds quite sensible to me:

For better immigration
• Immigrants who make their living by legal employment and entrepreneurship are welcome in Finland.
• Integration policy should be based on “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”.

http://perussuomalaiset.fi/ohjelmat/get ... ?file=1935

[jahasjahas]

Imo they are not against immigration per se, they are against current immigration policies and they do get support from people that are against all immigration though.

We all know the official party line, but they clearly accept any and all racists who are willing to become candidates. I mean "boil all the muslims alive" and "we need separate sports events for whites and negroes" racist.

But that's not what the thread was about. The OP might get better answers by googling for some "foreigner in Finland" blogs, since there are many of those. I think most people on this forum aren't looking for a pen pal