FINLAND (SUOMI)

The homeland of my ancestors. Yet it has been some time since any of my clan have returned. Mayhaps one day soon I will leave the tavern in the hands of a friend, that I may return to the place of my roots.

WHAT IS A FINN?:

In a few words- moody, thoughtful, quiet, amiable.  Finns have a word for part of the national character which is called SISU.  Basically its a combination of guts and perseverance... why consider a cost that must be paid?  

American audiences expect "happy talk" and banter during a news broadcast. Finns, on the other hand, associate such behavior with clowns, or see only disconnected, non-genuine emotions being expressed.  That's not to say that a Finn doesn't love a goofy joke. 

I offer the following clips from an excellent site VIRTUAL FINLAND

Finns are better at listening than at talking, and interrupting another speaker is considered impolite. A Finn does not grow nervous if there are breaks in the conversation; silence is regarded as a part of communication. Finns usually speak unhurriedly, even in their mother tongue (the pace of newsreading on Finnish TV is a source of amusement for many foreigners), and although many Finns are competent in several foreign languages, they may be wary of the speed at which these languages are spoken. Nevertheless, Finns can become excited and voluble, given the right situation. Many foreigners have wondered at the effect the sauna has on Finns: in this familiar environment, they may suddenly become embarrassingly open and candid.

Finns rarely enter into conversation with strangers, unless a particularly strong impulse prompts it. As foreigners often note, Finns are curiously silent in the metro, the bus or the tram. In lifts, they suffer from the same mute embarrassment as everyone else in the world. However, a visitor clutching a map will have no trouble in getting advice on a street corner or in any other public place, since the hospitality of Finns easily overrides their customary reserve.

A FEW QUOTES, FROM HEROES AND VILLAINS:

"Finland alone - in danger of death, superb, sublime Finland! - shows what free men can do."
- Winston Churchill, Broadcast speech 1940

"A nation which has fought so valiantly for its independence deserves respect."
- Joseph Stalin, 1879-1953

"The Finn has a fresh, unspoiled, primitive side that exists in close harmony with nature. He feels stirring in his blood a special kinship with the wilder variety of nature - with virgin forests, unproductive fells, and the animal life that haunts them... Wherever his foot wanders in the city, however far fortune lets him ascend the wheel, his roots remain deep in the soil."
- Hudson Strode, Finland Forever 1941

FINNISH SOUND CLIPS

"Suomi"

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"

"Terve" (Hello)

"Mita Koulu?" (How Are You?)

"Kiitos" (Thanks)

"Kylla" (Yes) (wow, 2 syllables just to say yes...)

"Ei" (No)

"Mikah Hakkinen" (Champion Formula 1 Driver)

NEW!!

"perkele" (the ultimate cussword, said of a situation)

"Can I buy you a drink?"

"Good Morning"

"Good Night"