Farewell Finland: The Scandinavian interlude has ended

As we get prepared to cross the pond and move back to California in a few days I reflect back on the wonderful experience of living 4 years overseas in Finland. It has been a very rewarding time abroad for the family and I in too many ways to list here. The kids learned the language and the culture while experiencing Finnish traditions. I personally will miss the clean air, peaceful forests, mostly traffic-free roads and kind, trustworthy folks. While there is no utopia in this world, Finland was a great place to spend these past years if you don’t mind occasionally freezing your butt off during the long, dark winters. :) However, I won’t deny I do miss my Californian spontaneity, awesome mountains and eternal sunshine. (Though I need to take some rain back with me to help the Californian drought)  I am really looking forward to seeing my family and friends back home. 

I thought to end this blog I would make a list of things I liked and disliked about living in Finland. Please don't take these too seriously.  :)  Also, thank you very much for reading my blog through these past several years.

Liked:

1. Peaceful nature and forests and picking berries
2. Clean, crisp air
3. Stunning archipelago
4. Clean and quiet bus system
5. Security for my children
6. Easy access to health care
7. Trustworthy people
8. Summer, though it's very short
9. Sauna
10. Cross country skiing
11. Access to the rest of Europe
12. Helsinki
13. Beautiful Finnish Lake land (Eastern Finland)
14. Music clubs in Helsinki for Concerts
15. Long Holidays

Disliked:

1. Expensive Gasoline and Beer
2. Cold, dark winters
3. Too many rules about everything
4. Lack of spontaneity
5. Boring Finnish lager beer
6. Very unpredictable weather
7. increasingly difficult economic situation
8. Extreme pickiness of Finns when buying used items
9. Lack of customer service in many situations
10. Minimal store hours on Weekends
11. Xenophobia
12. Lack of good ethnic restaurants, though it improved much lately
13. 50 varieties of the same boring Finnish sausage
14. Lack of smiling faces
15. Takes a long time to get to know your neighbors 

Restaurant Day in Finland

So you have a great idea on a food dish?  You always wanted to share your special recipe with others but never had your chance?  Well, you can in Finland, because Restaurant Day, which takes place approx. 3 x per year means that you can set up and advertise your "restaurant" and you don't need a license to do it.  The awesome concept of Restaurant Day is sweeping across Finland and other countries in rapid pace.  "Restaurant Day is a worldwide food carnival when anyone can set up a restaurant, café or a bar for a day. It can happen anywhere: at your home, at the office, on a street corner, in your garden or inner courtyard, at a park, or on the beach – only your imagination is the limit". - Restaurantday.org 

My wife and daughter always wanted to try to sell their own cupcakes, so they finally decided to make a batch of 100 for the final Restaurant Day of summer 2014. The menu for their cupcake stand in Espoo was 1) vanilla and lemon, 2) chocolate hazelnut, and 3) raspberry.  The cupcakes turned out very well and were purchased steadily during the few hours the stand was open.  To our surprise, even on a slower Sunday afternoon they sold 100 cupcakes in just 2.5 hours time, exceeding our expectations.  My son and I journeyed over to Helsinki for part of the day.  We went to one of the parks in downtown Helsinki where we saw at least 50 pop-up restaurants.  Countries from all over the world were represented in Helsinki.  There were treats from Turkey, falafels from the Middle East, bratwursts from Germany, tapas from Spain, burritos from Mexico, chorizo sausage from Argentina, Cuban food, ribs, sushi from Japan as well as many Finnish dishes and options. You name it, you could find it.  My son and I only covered a park which is just one city block in size, but that was plenty for us to choose from. The Restaurant Day map showed hundreds of pop-up restaurants all over Helsinki, so we barely scratched the surface.  This really cool concept is perfect for new entrepreneurs or folks just trying to have a bit of fun selling what they love to make.  The great thing is that you don't need a permit and can set-up shop just about anywhere you want during the day - even in shopping centers and other commercial (but public) areas.  I am excited that this Finnish invention started and is spreading over to other countries.  However, I would be pretty surprised to see it enter the United States, which has much stricter laws about who can sell what and where.  This grassroots organization is not for profit and definitely is giving back to the community in great ways.  I really hope that this amazing concept continues to grow and continues to encourage others to participate.  If you live in Finland or another country that participates, I definitely recommend that you visit during the next Restaurant Day.  For more information check: http://www.restaurantday.org/en.

Finnish honesty

A social experiment in the form of a  "wallet test" was recently performed in several major cities around the world.  The idea was to leave a wallet with cash and credit cards therein within a public place and then see how many wallets were returned versus taken. Helsinki ranked #1 in this test with the return of 11 out of 12 wallets. The worst was Lisbon, Portugal were only one wallet was returned out of 12, and the people who returned it were not even from Portugal.  I find it amazing how high Finland ranked, but after living here for almost 3 years I understand why.

Two separate recent personal incidents at the local swimming hall have helped cement my understanding of the honesty of the Finnish people.  Several months ago I was working out in the swimming hall's gym and was listening to music with somewhat expensive head phones.  Later into the work out, I placed the headphones back in their case, put them in my pocket and continued to work out. Following the work out, I headed back downstairs to use the shower and sauna.  As I was getting dressed I realized the headphones were missing.  I was pretty bummed after scouring the gym and not being able to locate them.  They must have fallen out of my pocket while exercising. I figured someone must have taken them since I was just there 30 minutes ago and they were no where to be found.  Then I thought I would give it one more chance by asking the front desk if maybe someone had returned them.  As soon as I asked the lady, she went back to get them and handed them over to me no questions asked.  So someone not only found them, but promptly returned them to the front desk.  Not sure if that would go over as smooth in the States.

My second incident also occurred at the swimming hall.  This time I was working out in the gym and had a loose car key in my pocket.  I guess I didn't learn how to secure items in my pocket the first time around. :)  Again, I finished my work out and went back downstairs to the gym and sauna.  As I was getting dressed I realized my car key was missing.  How would I get home, what was I going to do?  However, this time I didn't panic, I went calmly upstairs and searched the gym again, but it was not there.  Then I walked back over to the front desk and asked, and yet again, the lady returned the key to me.  So, someone in the gym had found it and promptly returned it to the "lost and found" at the front desk.  I went home later that evening with a smile on my face.

Finns should be really proud of themselves for living in a society which instills these values on it citizens. It makes for a happier society when people can trust their neighbors and officials.  I guess this golden virtue of honesty this might explain why Finns are not the best at Marketing and Sales jobs.  :)

You can read more about the social experiment test here: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/most-honest-cities-lost-wallet-test/#slideshow=slide1.

Finnish Diving Clowns

We took out 6 year old son to a circus show last weekend.  When you think of the circus, you probably think of circus tents, clowns, animals, acrobats, perhaps even jugglers.  For me during the last 15 years or so, circus has been defined by catching the highly unique shows known as Cirque du Soleil.  This Finnish show known as Jerobeam places a totally different twist on the circus concept.  This show which consisted of about 15 performers, focuses mainly on pool diving stunts.

All the performers in this show had painted clown faces and they were all highly trained diving/jumping experts.   The show started with a fake lifeguard trying to tie some balloons up near the top of the 7.5 meter diving block and another man coming to help with a ladder before they both plunged into the swimming pool, ladder and all.  From there on out it was a full on assault of clowns doing their best dives, falls and jumps from various different heights of the swimming pool's diving blocks and springboards.  Belly flops, butt flops, head first, back first, you name it, and they probably tried it.  Seems it was likely to hurt these clowns doing belly flops from 7.5 meter blocks, but they got right back on their feet like nothing had happened and clearly had practiced these high jumps many times. 

Throughout the hour plus show they featured many different activities including a pirate battle, lighting a man on fire before plunging into the water, a water skier and having 6 or 7 people diving into the pool at the same time.  These guys seemed fearless and at the top of their game.  One act towards the end really stood out as one of those “only in Finland” type of stunts.   One clown was dressed up in a ghost outfit and only had holes cut out for his eyes so he could see.  Essentially he was just wearing a white sheet.  The “ghost” walked through the crowd, and then climbed up to the top of the highest block.  Then he proceeded to remove his ghost sheet, which now revealed that he was fully naked while he quickly placed his hands over his private parts.  Then just as people realized this, he quickly jumped head first into the water while still holding his private parts and he proceeded to swim across the pool naked to the other side.  As he reached the other side and left the pool, he again covered his privates with his hands and walked quickly to the locker room.   This was the naked clown act known as "nakupelle" in Finnish.  Interesting enough, no one in the audience seemed that shocked and even my wife mentioned that they do this same act with each show.  I can only imagine the horror in the United States when the parents realize what is going on with their kids in the audience.  It would probably make the local evening news.   Don’t forget Janet Jackson’s famous Super Bowl nipple slip created a situation where live TV in the States is now delayed around 7 seconds.   It is just the human body people, relax!  Again it outlines the cultural differences between Europe and the prude United States.  If these things are not made into a “big deal” in the US then they are probably not such a big deal.

I thought the entire show was great fun and my son agreed.  After the show completed some of the performers hung around and my son made his way over promptly so he could shake hands with the clowns.  So, what a better way to cap a Saturday evening than seeing Finnish diving clowns working their magic in the swimming pool.  :)

An American expat living in Finland for 2 years now

It has now been just over two years since I moved with my family to Finland from the United States.  This two year milestone is a good time to reflect on my experiences as an expat and hopefully learn from them and continue on with my voyage.  I thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope it is something that you enjoy and can learn from as well.  I hope that in my writing I never come off as arrogant or self-absorbed because that is not my intention.  Yes, I know this blog is mainly about my personal experiences living abroad but since I have a larger audience now, I would hope people reading it like yourself enjoy my ramblings and perhaps gain some insights as well.  I think it could be especially useful for someone wondering or perhaps considering to make a move abroad.

Time really does fly and before you know it the children are growing up and the years are passing you by.  So much happened during my second year living abroad in Finland. At this time last year, we purchased a home in Espoo and that experience in itself was quite scary, but we survived.  Buying a home in a foreign country can be daunting, but once we figured out the rules and got through the red tape, it wasn't such a bad experience.  Fortunately the interest rates in Finland are at rock bottom now, so it makes perfect sense to buy instead of renting even if only for a few years.  Life went on as usual, my children kept busy with their school and sports activities, I remained working for the same start-up in downtown Helsinki and we went on several trips and adventures. I was also able to see some amazing artists live in Helsinki, including Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Omar Rodriquez-Lopez, Rush, Kiss and The Smashing Pumpkins.

 Last winter (2012-2013) was long and cold, but we were able to enjoy winter sports and other winter activities. But like all things in life, the winter came to and end, so it wasn't so bad. This last summer was fairly dry and warm and was probably one of the best in Finland in a long time.  The seasons change and everything seems to balance itself out.  Life is fairly normal now, we know more people in the neighborhood and in the school network and we are familiar with most of the local shops and know how to get from place to place without much hassle.

I have learned so much from living abroad and I am still learning more almost everyday.  It is always eye-opening to see how things are done in a culture and country other than you own.  Sometimes you are shocked and others times awed by the little things that you are not used to, but each day you learn and grow.  I am starting to crack the code of Finnish society, but it definitely takes some time and effort.  Finns are not going to become your best friends overnight, there is trust and patience involved.  I have learned much about the Finnish workplace and the value of time off.  I have learned how people here have a greater separation between work and personal life.  I have learned how folks are more efficient with space and how they recycle more.  I have experienced the silence on buses and the peaceful walks through the endless forests.  Of course, learning and experiencing should never stop as it keeps one's inner fire burning.  I think what I have learned this far in life through my travels and living abroad is that we should always keep our minds and hearts open, we should never stop learning and experiencing and try our best to avoid stagnating.  Of course it is easier said than done, but let's not forget that we only have one life and it is short so why not try to live it to the fullest?  

March snow storm in Southern Finland

After several weeks of unseasonably warm temperatures and only light snow in February, March came in a flurry....a flurry of snow that is.  A snow storm of blizzard like conditions hit overnight and left an estimated 6-8 inches (15-20 centimeters) of snow on the ground in the morning all over South and Southwest Finland.  Mid to late February had been a bit warmer than average (for Finland) and when March rolled in many people thought that maybe Spring had sprung.  Little did they know that old man winter in Finland has a few tricks left up his sleeves.  My wife and I spent about 2-3 hours clearing our driveway and cars this morning.  Mother nature always provides the best workout.  :)

A few shots to near our neighborhood:

Midsummer celebration at Seurasaari Island in Finland

Midsummer's eve is the longest day of the year and one of the most festive Holidays in Finland.  This was going to be my first Midsummer experience in Finland, so I invited some good friends from the United States (currently living in Germany) to take part in the festivities.

Fortunately, it was a gorgeous, sunny day with endless blue skies.  The Finnish weather has been moody these last few weeks and this day was just what the doctor ordered.  We left Espoo around 6pm to head over to Seurasaari Island in Helsinki.  Seurasaari is one of the larger Islands in the Helsinki metro area and the island itself has been converted into some kind of open air museum.  Upon arrival via bus from Espoo, we purchased our tickets, then ventured across the bridge entrance while fighting the growing crowd of Midsummer revelers.    The path from the entrance to the main area was littered with cultural tidbits, arts and crafts.  For example, at one stop you could cut wood with an old saw and at another stop you could walk on wooden stilts or play tug of war.  Many folks were dressed in traditional Finnish gowns while they performed traditional dances on one of the small stages.

Midsummer is perhaps the most special Holiday in Finland, because it kicks off the Summer Holiday season and it is a time of relaxation, parties and reflection.  Not having partaken in any previous Midsummer activities, we all decided that Seurasaari, although touristy might be a good place to experience our first Midsummer.  The main attraction of the celebration is the lighting of the bonfires.  Not having anything to compare the experience with, I was kind of expecting some mammoth "Burning Man" style bonfire.  However, in reality there were about 5 smaller bonfires waiting to be torched.  Each one of these bonfires varied in style and design.  They had one "Estonian" style, one "Ingrian" style and a few other varieties of bonfires.  Although they were impressive and neat to watch light up, the burning of these didn't evoke feelings of mass euphoria.  I was however caught up in a Zen like moment with friends and family sipping on a few cold ones on a rock overlooking the Bay while the fires were burning.  It was a perfect evening to kick off the start of the summer season and to reflect on life.

We actually left Seurasaari just past 10pm which is quite early for Midsummer events, but with tired children and a 30 minutes bus ride ahead of us, it was probably the right call.  All in all, Midsummer in Seurasaari was a pleasant, though commercial experience.

Moody Finnish weather

My intention is not to go on a negative rant about Finnish weather, but sometimes it cannot be avoided.  :)  We just hit the month of June and in Finland you would have thought it was the middle of Winter minus the snow.  A storm came to town for the first weekend in June and just in time for Graduation ceremonies which are occurring all over Finland this weekend.  Non stop rain overnight left swollen gutters and nasty surprises for those early morning drivers.  I know that the weather is not always perfect in Finland,  but they have had their share of warm summers, and Summer rain normally just means a small passing shower.  This weekend's storm caught me off guard to say the least.  Looking on the bright side, Finland which is about the same latitude as Alaska, is spared the very harsh weather by having the Gulf Stream warm up the air.  If it wasn't for the generous Gulf Stream, Finland's climate would be way less desirable.

Last weekend I did the Tour d' Espoo bike ride.  This 110 kilometer bike ride (cycling) featured nice views of the Baltic Ocean as well as scenic countryside and many lakes. The weather for this ride was just what the doctor ordered.  It was about 73 degrees and sunny, and I even got sunburned!  It was a really neat way to tour Espoo via bike.  Espoo is one of the largest cities in Finland in both size and population, but since Finland is so sparsely populated, even Espoo has it's share of open countryside and farms.

Anyhow, being a spoiled Californian, I could easily predict the Summer weather and seasons.  We barely had a drop of rain during the Summer and you could pretty much plan on having nice weather from early May through October without fail.  There are even streaks of warm (20 celsius or more) weather during February and March where I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I knew coming to Finland that I would have to make some sacrifices on the weather front.  They say that you can get used to things, but after 40 years of living in California, the adjustment has not always been easy.  So, when you decide to visit Finland, just remember that the weather is a bit of  "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".  It can be restrictive at times, but with a good attitude, you should do just fine.  :)

The slow thaw

It is starting to actually thaw out a bit in Finland.  However, when it gets a bit warmer and the snow starts to melt, overnight chilling creates major ice and heavy packed snow.  The ground is definitely a bit slippery now and one must look out for falling ice/snow chunks in downtown Helsinki.  That might sound a bit strange to someone from sunny California as myself, but you must literally take caution this time of year when walking downtown.  Just last week a lady was killed in Helsinki when a falling ice piece fell from the roof on her head, so this is definitely a serious matter.  They do have people assigned to remove heavy packed snow and ice from the buildings, but accidents do occasionally occur.  Also, precautions should definitely be taken when walking around the iced over sidewalks this time of year.  It feels to me sometimes like I am walking on an ice skating rink when just passing over the sidewalks.

This was the 3rd winter in a row that they received major snow in the Helsinki/Espoo metropolitan area.  It makes for an awesome winter wonderland and the kids love it, but it also creates much snow removal work.  We are currently renting a house that contains a flat roof and snow must be removed in order to keep the roof, chimney and gutters in decent condition.  I spent roughly 2-3 hours clearing most of the snow from the roof.  Not exactly fun work, but great exercise!

March is just around the corner, meaning that Spring is almost here.  We could potentially have two more months of snow, but it really just depends on the weather patterns for this year.  When it gets even a bit warmer the grounds are just going to be covered in slushy snow, water and ice.  I guess I can say that almost survived my first winter in Finland.  :)

A blast of cold Arctic air

A cold air system flowing in from Siberia recently hit Scandinavia and Europe.  Until last week the coldest temps I had experienced living in Finland (or anywhere for that matter) were about 7 F (-14C).  However, last week low temps reached a bone-chilling -13F (-25C) in Espoo and much cooler in other parts of Finland.  Kuusamo, in the North East side of the country got down to a frigid -40F (-40C).  Brr.  You know it is cold when it gets to -40, which happens to be the point where Celsius and Fahrenheit meet.  I cannot even imagine what that kind of cold feels like.  Where I come from in California, people complain when it gets below 35 F, so quite a contrast in temps.

I did venture out of the house yesterday with my daughter in -4 F (-20C) weather for a quick cross-country ski.  I had enough layers on my body, but even with gloves on my hands, my fingers started to freeze.  The trick is multiple layers, cover your head and neck well and keep moving, never stop moving.  We did manage about 30 minutes outside before finally giving in to nature's chill.  Once the barometer drops below about 5 F (-15C), it feels downright balmy when it gets back to 23 F(-5C).  I guess it is all about what you are used to.  However, nothing is a better magnet than the snow to keep the kids occupied with many fun winter activities.  The other day they were frolicking around in the snow and building snow caves.  We have that much snow on the ground now where they can literally build caves.  Winter came late this year, but when it arrived, it made its appearance known and appears to be sticking around for a while.  The Groundhog definitely saw his shadow in Finland and it appears that at least 6 more weeks of winter is in store for us. (Groundhog's Day- An American folklore celebration on Feb. 2)

Espoo

Making a snow
cave in Espoo

Cross-country versus downhill skiing

Took entire family out for cross-country skiing this past weekend in Espoo.  We ventured down to the only currently open cross-country ski track which is located near Lake Bodom in Espoo.  The place was absolutely packed with various skiers and families just out to frolic in the snow and sled down the hills.   Even though we are all still just getting our feet wet, we had a great time and look forward to many more outdoor adventures on skis.  Being a California native, I am really only used to downhill skiing and let me tell you, cross-country and downhill skiing are worlds apart.  They each have their pros and cons, but I would have to say that for all around nature and exercise, cross-country skiing is the king.   With downhill skiing you wear a very heavy and tightly locked ski boot and it clicks into your binding, but can easily pop out if necessary for safety.  Also, downhill skis are much wider than the cross country version.  Cross-country uses smaller boots which are essentially as comfortable as hiking shoes, but they also have a small metal bar in the front which locks into your ski.  The downside is that cross country boots do not release when you fall, they need to be clicked out by pushing a button on the binding.

Which one is better to actually do?  This is all a matter of personal preference of course.  But if you are an endurance sports nut like myself (swimming, triathlon, running, hiking), then cross country would be your preference.   Don't get me wrong downhill skiing is very fun, but it is mainly about getting to the top of the hill and flying down as fast as you can.  It can be quite exhilarating and thrilling when you are flying down the hill at breakneck speeds, but there is always that fear factor of crashing which happens to the best of us.  Falling down a hill at extreme speeds is no laughing matter.  With cross country skiing, it can be more of an escape to the nature, like hiking with skis on. Cross-country skiing is typically done in little tracks that are made in the snow, but you could also just ski over the smooth snow.  With cross country skiing you essentially shuffle your legs and arms simultaneously back and forth over the flat surface to move forward and you "walk" up steep hills with the skis in a V position.  Screw the chairlifts, time to walk up those hills, baby!  If you have never tried cross-country, it is one hell of a workout.  I honestly cannot think of a better way to get in all around shape than spending a few hours a week on cross-country skis.  You are getting a leg, arm and even stomach workouts all in one. Technically there are 2 distinct types of cross-country skiing now, the classic type (shuffle motion) and the skating (like ice skating on skis) type of skis.  I wanted to do both, but then I found that one needs to purchase additional equipment (boots, bindings, skis) for each one.  Ouch!  One equipment investment at a time I guess.  What's nice is that after the initial equipment investment, you never need to pay to use the many parks that offer cross-country ski tracks in Finland.

When you live in a Nordic country like Finland, there are many places to cross-country ski, assuming the snowfall has been good.  We supposedly have over 30 areas in our city of Espoo alone for skiing.  It is great to see so many Finns out and about enjoying the nature and getting their exercise via cross-country skiing.  It must be in their blood, as I even noticed that they are encouraging skiing during recess at my 5 year old son's school. So grab your skis and go out and enjoy the nature.

Winter has finally arrived!

I will keep this post short and sweet.  After several weeks of being teased with small flakes of snow and lots of rain, we finally received a decent amount of fresh, fluffy, white powder in Espoo, Finland.  It seems in the dark depths of Winter, nothing is better for a Finn's psyche than a beautiful covering of fresh snow to invigorate the soul and lighten up the day.  This past weekend we received about 2 to 3 inches of snow and it is continuing to fall to the ground.  The kids are very excited and have grabbed their sleds and headed to the hills, cross country skiers are out and about and the snowmen are being built.

Espoo, Finland

The tendinous part of the mind, so to speak, is more developed in winter; the fleshy, in summer.  I should say winter had given the bone and sinew to literature, summer the tissues and the blood.  ~John Burroughs


Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.

Espoo, Finland

The Scandinavian interlude begins in Espoo Finland

So, finally starting a blog after much thought.  I moved to Finland last summer with my family from the United States.  The adjustment hasn't been all that bad so far, but I wanted to start my first post with a few thoughts on differences between living in the US and Finland.  Please forgive the stereotypes, these are just observations!

1. Gas cost! - Not only is gas 2-3x more expensive in Finland that the US, the gas here 95 octane E10, etc. gets much worse gas mileage (miles per gallon for US folks).  So, not only do you pay more at the pump, you pay in lost miles (kilometers).

2. Parking and roads - OK, well this one might not be as obvious as the gas one, but I notice that almost all the roads (not highways) are narrower than in the US and parking spots barely fit a standard 4-door car like my Camry.  Forget your big American SUV or Escalade, it won't really work in Finland.

3. Home sizes - An obvious one - with the Finnish winters, the last thing they want to do is worry about heating that 3,000 Square foot mansion like those folks in the US have.  Homes are generally smaller in Finland, but it makes sense.

4. Car bureaucracy - You had better think twice about shipping your US car to Finland.  Going through the hoops is a small nightmare.  First of all, you must make sure it clears customs and get your temporary plates.  Then you must take it to this place to have it checked to make sure it passes for Finnish standards.  They will charge you $275 Euro for a simple 45 minute test while others taking their cars for checks only get charged like $50 Euro.  Then after it passes, you must find a car shop to have the appropriate changes made - add fog lights, blinkers, etc.  Finally - you can wait for the tax assessment from Customs to be made and if you clear that you can finally get your plates and you officially have a car to drive legally in Finland  :)  The whole process takes like 3 months and will cost you around $1,000 Euros not including Winter tires that you will soon need if staying for the winters.  Good luck!

5.  Finnish Customer service - What customer service?  Nah, actually it is not that bad, just takes some time to get used to.  So, in most Finnish restaurants, shops, etc. have only a few folks working at them (with some exceptions) compared to what you may be used to in the US.  If you need something you normally need to ask them and they hope they are in a good mood.  :)  Things are just a bit slower, and they don't take as much joy in serving you.    Not a customer focused society.  However, with that said I found an awesome guy to help me service my cars at this shop in Espoo. He has been more than helpful getting the cars up to standard.

6. Eye contact & small talk - I think this one is also pretty well known.  In US even walking down the street you will easily find people smiling and greeting you when you come by.  In Finland, these daily greetings normally do not occur as people are generally more introverted and shy in public situation.  Give them alcohol and it might be another situation though. :)  Any Finns reading this - please except my apologies for the stereotype.

That it is it for now.  More to come....