Finn pride

Living in a post-communistic country has somewhat provoked the inner patriot in me. My colleague asked me if we in Finland celebrate the national day as we came to talk about the subject due to next week’s Swedish national day. I was explaining her about the traditions and noticed that my tone increased in burning passion as I went on about how we actually call it independence day instead of national day, and why that is. In comparison with the Swedes we Finns are sure more of patriotic kind (Where as Swedes are “the worrying kind” :)) due to our tumultuous history. Living in a country that was suppressed by the Soviets, and now experiencing the influence of this period of history, has made me appreciate the WWII Finnish defence, and the fact that we did not get invaded, even more.

Patriotic spirit is visible in the smallest things. I hear a Finnish song on the radio, or notice that they sell Panda liquorice in Tesco, or that someone knows some random Finnish athlete etc. And as the cherry on the top of course, watching the spectacle of the year, ie. Euroviisut (eurovision) 2007 made me purr like a cat that has sipped in a plateful of cream. I mean that show really rocked! Not that I would boast about anything aloud (or at least I try not…). Honestly, I find that annoying. I am here myself to learn about a different culture, not to emphasize my own. Anyhow, noticing these things is something that keeps me attached to my home country and maybe brings about an even stronger connection. It is in fact so that many times one has to drift apart from the background in order to feel more connected.



P.S. I uploaded more pics…