Rules
As an ignorant American I'm saddened to say, very little. One thing that comes to mind is Simo Häyhä.
I cant forget Linus Torvalds. The third most influential person in my life behind Thompson and Ritchie. Without these three I would never have found one of my greatest joys, coding.
I think of the pictures of snowy landscapes crowned with ethereal lights dancing in the night.
Stories from my dad about a Finish violin maker who used to hitchhike everywhere dad used to give frequent rides to.
perkele
Long place names like Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä
Birch barks white shimmer through the green leaves … that must have been taken last year or further back in history, since now it is still wintery in finalnd, and birch is empty.
It is likely not from Finland
Actually birch trees grow in the north/Scandinavia. So this image still might depict a Finland of the past
Sisu.
Finns be crazy.
It's the country where I quite want to be. Eating breakfast or dinner, or just watching TV.
A challenging language
It seems like a great place with a decent government and society. The few Finnish people I've met over the years have all been really cool and/or smart and/or hilarious.
Sopuli.xyz and saunas
Winter sports
Monty Pythons "Finland" song. And a former coworker who was born there, but does not speak a word of Finnish (Finlandish?).
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall,
Finland, Finland, Finland,
Finland has it all
The country where I quite want to be...
Aki Kaurismäki
Power metal, rallying, forests, snow, reindeer, personal space, a language with a very musical-sounding rhythm and grammar that I don't understand in the slightest, and that one video of a man swearing at a bear because it's in his garden
Great public transit, safe bike infrastructure (so safe they bike in the snow!), and a happy chill country that tries to be great for all their citizens (unlike the US which only cares about the rich)
lilyhammer because I keep confusing norway and finland.
Right now?. The Skinner meme of looking down and saying "Pathetic" to Trump's request for eggs.
I always pictured a town near a cristal clear lake. Houses with more vibrant beautiful colours than a clown orgy.
Cold
I don't know much about Finland so forgive me:
-It's unique shape
-Mountains and snow
-Rural
-Winter war with Russia
-Heavily prepared to defend against Russia
-Joined Nato after the Ukraine invasion
-Nordic culture?
-The Tinymight 2 vape
Hockey
Finland is always number 1 in statistical charts, (happiness, least corruption…you name it) beating the Netherlands again and again.
Who is that?
That’s Ahti. A recurring character in Remedy games. I saw him first in Alan Wake 2 and just met him in Control. I’m not sure if he is just some kind of human anomaly or a god. But he is a fan favourite and a treasure ❤️
Edit: Also he has the heaviest finish accent I’ve ever heard. To the point his clues sound more like riddles to an English speaking person. Which comes from him trying to use Finish proverbs or even grammar while speaking English.
Thanks!
Expanding on what rustyfish wrote: a lot of wired stuff happens in those games and Ahti never acknowledges any of it. He is the janitor and he is mopping the floor. He will ask you to fetch something mundane like a tool from the basement which by pure coincidence is the exact place and time you need to be to save the world. He appears in places he should never have been able to get to. You had to fight through many enemies to get there, Ahti is just there.
He is the janitor of the universe, making sure things are how they should be. And then he goes to sing songs at the community center.
Not yesterday's grouses's son, that's for sure.
A bunch of Finns I know.
Fiskars
Its not real
Guns, coffee, and hating Russia.
salty licorice
Vodka, snipers and Nokia.
Its very cold in the frigid north 🥶 Yet Fins are doing fine … I guess
Universally loved people and good seltzer.
Saunas!
Sauna, Metal music, forests, cinnamon rolls and Karelian stew
I think about St petersburg tbh..
It's really far away and kind of expensive for tourists so I'll likely never go. Sounds like a great country though. Maybe if I wind up with a Finnish lass in Australia we can visit her family. I like the sound of their natural social distancing, but as an Aussie, we're a big country with few people so our personal space is pretty good too.
"It's one of those countries in that part of the world that everything sounds more or less the same, but with only slight differences so that I am never really sure which one is which, but they're all pretty fuckin' chill. Also vikings are from around there, but not necessarily this one specifically."
This same thought crosses my mind if you were to ask about Denmark, or Sweden, or Switzerland. They're all homogenized in my head.
Ikea
That's Sweden...