25 Weird Things about Life in Finland (American POV)

[@omppu65]

the regular stores don't sell meds bc there are many laws regulating that stuff here and it's also for safety bc something like ibuprofen can cause a lot of harm if used wrong or with certain other meds

[@mantorok09]

I’m sure others have commented on this, but that small entryway room serves a couple of functions. One, it acts as a buffer so that you’re not blasting frigid air into the rest of the house every time you go out, like an airlock. Two, it can offer a comfortable space out of the elements to change in and out of your winter gear, especially muddy wet boots, so you don’t bring that mess into the house. They’re really popular in the northern US, where the winters are harsh, and I often hear them referred to as “mud rooms.”

[@hopoheikki00]

I believe the (second) inner door prevents cold air getting in that easily in the winter. Sort of like an airlock in a spaceship etc. :)

[@Silveirias]

Yep! Eteinen or kuisti is meant to help keep the rest of the house warm in winter. It also helps in keeping the rest of the house clean because this is typically where you remove your shoes. Back in the day you could also store some food items there in winter because it's a colder space.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Nice! Thanks for sharing 👏

[@IdiotPosterBoy]

They are also installed in apartments where the door faces a heated corridor. Noise control, I guess.

[@jones521]

@@jadeventoniemi5795 that eteinen is also known as tuulikaappi. Which describes the meaning in better way. At winter time it should be used in a way that you first open the outer door, enter the tuulikaappi, close the outer door and after that open the inner door.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@jones521 yes that makes sense! Thanks for sharing!🙏

[@jannepetaja4608]

You can certainly find band-aids in any shop, even small kiosks and petrol stations.

[@Nim_boi]

As a Finnish person that has lived in Finland all my life and have mostly Finnish family (my mom’s half Swedish)… I have like 20 Moomin towels, a few Moomin plushies and cups, many drawings, and I think 5 or six computer Moomin games. Moomin was like the BEST THING THERE WAS growing up lol. Also I love the quietness, as an autistic person that gets overwhelmed with noise and stuff. But one of my friends cannot stand quietness at all- both are Finnish. Idk how I managed to befriend her actually.

[@JuhuTuubi]

Squeegeeing the floor speeds up the drying of the bathroom. However, in any room with a floor drain, the floor should have enough slope to allow the water to drain away on its own. The less angles, corners and risers on the bathroom floor, the easier it is to keep clean. Every shop probably sells bottled water. They just carry so many other kinds of water that it can be a struggle to find the plain kind. But tap water is just as good. Drinking coffee in a car seems rather strange. Well, there are some McDrives and the like, but nobody uses them just for coffee. You can have all the coffee you want before you go to work, and then probably more than you want while at work.

[@laurivauramo6490]

Well, I get her idea. As in Finland the tap water is quite fine to drink, it is just during the winter I buy big water bottles to bring to my cottage. However, even so I try to fill up a canister at my house before I drive to cottage.

[@suakeli]

Wait, Americans drink soda every day? I always thought it's special drink for special occasions, kind of like chocolate cake. Sure they're both good, but I could never imagine eating cake or drinking soda every week, let alone every day.

[@yaakovpfefferstein1296]

That's one reason for the obesity crisis in the USA these days...

[@celestenamya5537]

Some people do unfortunately, I still find it mindblowing even though I'm born and raised in southeastern VA. Most of my friends either don't drink sodas at all or only do so sparingly, opting for things like teas and sparkling water instead.

[@Nicestudynetwork]

Tbh i think it is very unhealthy 🥹 like they normalise drinking soda everyday

[@BoloH.]

Drive-through coffee shop wouldn't be fiscally viable, every coffee drinker downs at least one cup at home before leaving and there's free coffee at work. If there isn't, resign. Immediately.

[@V-J-H]

This is niin totta

[@zoltrix7779]

In Australia its so common to drive coffee when you drive, but its just courtesy to get out of your car to buy from a local coffee shop. And it HAS to be espresso based!

[@Necrotechian]

1. not quiet places: the beach or anywhere else where kids en mass go play... 2. stranger danger ! but seriously i might exchange a couple words with some random stranger every once and a while but most of the time there is nothing worth saying.... 3. people in stores wear name tags... i work at a ware house in the pick up and we get customers but dont wear name tags... i dont know the names of over half of my co-workers... but i do know almost every name from my shift and i might occasionally forget one or 2 of the ones i need to interact with for work... on the customers end thought... we have like couple hundred firms with several installers visiting our store and some customers are pissed off for me not remembering what firm they work for after 6 years of serving them... and we got people who get stuff for like 3 different companies or companies doing name changes and installers quitting one firm and going work for another of our customers so i haven't bothered since they can change at a moments notice... 4. i hate sunny weather... and high heats... but obviously im slightly more willing to stop and exchange a few words in reasonably warm weather opposed to when im freezing my ass off 5. i watched moomin as a child but i have never owned a toy related to them nor a mug or any other object related to them.... 6. works as wind closet and usually its the section where you keep your outside clothes and shoes so you wont get dampness from wet cloths and such into the house and it also works as a great insulation for temperature differences as when opening a door directly outside during a -20 weather you get heat loss at quite a fast rate... 7. if you shut off the radiator in the summer its actually cool to the touch and is absorbing some of the heat around it..... and you can just crack a window open... and many people have fireplaces for the winter since an AC doesn't work that well when its -20 outside.... 8. shower depends on the home... some places have a curtain some places might have a small raised portion surrounding the shower... like a inch of height to keep the water from going everywhere and some places have shower cabinets... many places have opted to generally go with the railing for a curtain method since its both cheap and gives better access to anyone even remotely handicapped to the shower and thus is more sellable 9. brand names is not weird.... having quality stuff is normal... i mean nobody wants to buy junk so everyone rather gets guaranteed quality rather than trying to save money with shittier stuff and end up replacing stuff more often or suffering from the lower quality... like everyone in Finland has abloy locks and fiskars scissors 10. yeah lots of green really close and usually there are fitness trails going through them... which are great places to walk the dog and smaller patches of forest usually have some kind of animal trail that has been walked by people a lot.... 11. just dont eat anything directly next to the path and preferably also avoid most of the stuff in the first 3-5 meters from the trail... cause dog walkers and the dogs pee on everything... so go picking a bit further in for larger consumption.... 12. damn dog making me go outside :P 13. oh hey its starting to get darker... what time is it? well about the time the sun starts rising... so like 3 in the morning? 14. why are those little kids out so late! its pitch black already!.... its 16:00.... 15. presliced cheeses taste horrible... and how else would you cut cheese? with a knife? 16. only if you go for lunch in a fast food place... 17. yeah we pay our workers... 18. yeah rax buffet or burger king are about the only places for free soda refills.... 19. profit margins on it are good... it costs like nothing to brew a normal coffee... and nobody takes 30 refills to drive down the profits... and if they do they probably bought something else to make up for it.... 20. light says dont go.... you dont go.... its fucking stupid to go on red.... i mean even in america you are the one liable if you run through the red and hit someone... 21. lines go faster and its easier to fix a scale that is not fixed to the cash register.... 22. 99% of people take a old soda bottle and fill it with tap water if they need a water to go... and stores tend to sell 5 liter and 10 liter water bottles for trips to a cottage or for just in case if there is a contamination of water due to something breaking or the water getting turned off for maintenance or replacement of pipes... 23. yeah selling drugs in stores... what are you a drug dealer? its better when its a separate entity so old ladies with prescriptions wont be holding the lines everywhere... and any slightly bigger store has a pharmacy attached to it... 24. government controlled alcohol stores are fine... you can still get beer and wine from regular stores.... people are more weirded out that we dont sell alcohol 24/7 in places that you can only drive to get some night time booze... 25. you arent going to get a coffee cause you could just go to a McDonalds drive through for that... or almost as conveniently to any gas station with a store... or any store.... those sell brewed coffee straight up... and those coffee shops for coffee related drinks like you mochiata latte grande or whatevers and pumpkin spice bullshits.... if you are going to a office work you are 99% of the time going with public transport and the metropolitan are has coffee shops you could go get one of those drinks from... also you can like a entire brick of ground coffee for the price of a single drink... and 99% of workplaces have free coffee by the company and the rest of the places usually have had the workers pool in some small amount of money for a coffee maker and alternate on buying it coffee....

[@eerohorila1109]

3:35 Tuulikaappi. "Wind closet". In the winter when it is -10 to -30 centigrade and it is windy and snowy, that space will take the hit and not the whole house. Ingenious👌

[@annaniskanen2557]

Exactly. And these are not that common in apartments precisely because in a way the hall way is "tuulikaappi" for apartments. (However, these do exist in some apartment buildings, too, of course. Sometimes there is a whole eteinen, sometimes there are basically just 2 doors back to back which is slightly funny but it happens.)

[@eerohorila1109]

@@annaniskanen2557 Well that is due to fire safety.

[@ffffffff-vv7yp]

@@eerohorila1109 This was primarily because of sound insulation and was kind of detrimental to fire safety. Modern doors offer enough resilience in fire conditions and evacuation is easier.

[@disinterested0]

And also you can remove your shoes and leave them there. Weird people in America walk inside with shoes on, I am told.

[@sebastiansandvik825]

Regarding soda at lunch - I moved from Finland to the US (D.C.) and lived there for some time. Never got used to soda at lunch. My job had a cafeteria, and soda was included in the price of the meal, but water from the soda fountain wasn't. So you actually had to pay extra to drink water. That was very weird to me!

[@emppu0413]

Does usa not have clean water like us or why it's more expensive than soda

[@butnevertheless5401]

I guess they want you to pay to stay healthy

[@MBuliveivari]

Do you have to pay extra for water??

[@Pohjolanneito]

Olen suomalainen, enkä itse ole ikinä nähnyt että vesi maksaisi tai ei kuuluisi samaan hintaan ja siihen kuuluu lisäksi kahvi aina ilmaiseksi ruuan jälkeen😊 Oletko varma ettet ymmärtänyt asiaa väärin?💙🤍🇫🇮 Meillä on Suomessa uskomattoman puhdasta vettä paljon ja sitä saa ja pystyy juomaan hanasta joka paikassa.

[@Pohjolanneito]

Ja se vesi löytyy aina ilmaiseksi, mutta se hana on metallinen ja limu automaatin vieressä, ehkä siksi ihmisestä erehtyvät

[@andrewwatson5324]

Good insulation keeps the heat out. Having a double front door airlock arrangement seems like a good idea for when it's well below zero outside.

[@jussiautio8454]

The everyman's rights apply also for private property. The only exception to it is home area. So forest within visibility to the house there are out, but picking berries or mushrooms, you don't need to think is it public forest or privately owned.

[@OutiHamara]

Bandages are available in nearly all markets yet contact lens solutions are usually available only in bigger supermarkets.

[@V-J-H]

I only get both of these things from mysterious place called apteekki.

[@MikaKorkee]

Thank you for the good summary. I liked the video. However, you are wrong about one thing. Finnish apartments would be even hotter in the summer time without good insulation. Because good insulation keeps the hot air outside. Think how much electricity would be saved in the USA if the apartments were equally well insulated. Now the cold comes in in the winter time and the cool escapes in the summer time. Insulation works both ways.

[@nacamo17]

No. They are worse here in Finland. Stop trying to justify even the mistakes of your country. You Finns are so tiryng

[@ElinaES1]

Also in many apartment buildings the apartments extend through the house, that is, läpitalonhuoneisto, that helps to keep the apartment cool in the summer when the air moves through the apartment. Another practical point one seldom notices as it is self-evident to us Finns.

[@pauljmorton]

People who want a quick coffee in car will usually make their coffee at home and put it in a thermal bottle that they'll be drinking from in the car.

[@Thyra_x]

I have thermal mug that I use sometimes when I'm runing late and want that 1 more mug of coffee.

[@Tataa91]

It would be weird if you have drive through coffee in Finland.

[@samik83]

Life hack to all you Americans. You can make your own and not pay for over priced Starbucks coffee

[@ElinaES1]

And the first thing many people do when they come to work is to get a cup of coffee from the workplace's kitchen where the earliest birds have already brewed some... Quite a few employers offer free coffee for their employees. And if they don't, there is usually a group of people buying their own coffee together and sharing the cost, kahvikassa is a jar for coins next to the coffeemaker which has sometimes also been bought together. Let nothing get between the Finn and his/her coffee! PS Also water for making the coffee is naturally free everywhere.

[@patuboii]

Or just buy mac donald's etc coffee from a drive through.

[@riverside6836]

Some of the eastern finnish are very talkative. As a finnish south-west coast guy I am bit worried about them. I was talking with a woman from karelia region. Had no idea if she was joking or not. We are very much different. Anyway DNA research have shown that british and german people are more related to each other than eastern and western finnish. One wierd fact too.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Haha super interesting, thanks for sharing 🙏

[@NordicWiseguy]

As a guy from the south or Tavastia (Pirkanmaa region to be exact) i am very stereotypical tavastian. Very quiet and reserved but then meeting finns from eastern parts of the country is really interesting phenomenon. They just can't stop talking. The cultural differences are really big. Western/southern finns can't talk, eastern finns can't shut up. Especially finns from Karelia region are real chatterboxes which isn't a bad thing. I kinda enjoy being with people who do the talking and i can be the one who just listens.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@NordicWiseguy so interesting to hear!

[@OrmyGaming]

@@NordicWiseguy As someone who is half Eastern and Western Finnish, this is me. I can talk nonstop for hours until my talk energy is gone and I turn in to a normal Western Finn. Funnily enough, A lot of people come up to me and start talking no matter where I am! So it does happen but guess you need to look like your ready to talk haha

[@Kivikesku]

@@NordicWiseguy Oh well, I'm Tavastian and quite talkative. In my experience, about 50% of Easterners are very talkative. But about 50% are really quiet and non-talkative, and this in a way that I find rude.

[@ImFromFinland787]

I find it always interesting to watch videos about people living here and hearing their opinions! Also, you pronounced "juustohöylä" really well!

[@Pohjolanneito]

Kyllä, samaa mieltä… On niin mielenkiintoista kuulla mikä meidän rakkaassa Suomessa on erikoista muiden silmissä😊 💙🇫🇮🤍

[@MaijuAkkanen]

The reason you don't know names of people that aren't very close to you like a neighbor, is that Finns used to have this thing like "name magic" . Using real names was unsafe, so you would keep that in minimum. It's still happening, as Finns only use someone's name when they 1) talk about them with 3rd party, 2) when they call them from the distance and 3) when they are angry and call their name in their face.

[@sonjavilenius8976]

Jokamiehenoikeus "every man's right" applies to privately owned forests too. If it's not obviously someone's yard (clearly maintained, lawn, my grandpa has an old toilet seat near the summer house...) then you're allowed to forage (without damaging moss or trees or other stuff that takes over a year to grow back) without needing to find out who owns the forest. If you find yourself lost or hurt and freezing, you may damage trees to save your or a companion's life.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

So nice to know thanks for sharing!❤

[@IdiotPosterBoy]

Yeah, it's essentially limited by privacy rather than ownership. You are allowed to travel (and forage for muchrooms & berries) on pretty much any land as long as you do keep out of sight of lived-in residences* Military training grounds etc are natural exceptions. * Simplified a bit.

[@oliivioljy9700]

In Finland, you can collect as many berries and mushrooms as you can in every place. But not in fenced areas, which are usually companies.

[@Kardinaalilintu]

One exception to this: nature preservation areas. You are not permitted to collect anything from there. Usually you shouldn't step off of the trail either, to avoid damaging your surroundings.

[@elinalehtorinne1031]

And when you pick up your berries or mushrooms , it,'s a good to know are that berries good to eat, because we had some dangerous berries and mushrooms too 😅

[@dr.catherineelizabethhalse1820]

They are 2:35 asocial qualities, not antisocial which would mean agressive bad behaviour in social situations.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Thanks for the correction 😊

[@undertasty]

Interesting points! But I feel like I should point out why Finns might feel so brand concious, as opposed to say, US citizens. I think it's because we are so we aware of the fact how small our nation is in the grand scheme of things. The whole population of Finland is something like 60% of the population of New York City! So whenever we make something that proves to be popular or of good quality or noteworthy in any way, it seems we go to TOWN, wether it's Angry Birgs or Moomins or Marimekko or the superior linens of Finlaysonl.

[@paulipeltola2789]

Yeah and American brands are so ubiquitous and often the default option so you don't notice or talk about them so much.

[@skasteve6528]

Also, in some counties, when there is a popular branded product, the supermarkets will source a cheaper inferior copy of it. People on a budget will buy the inferior item and the brand is destroyed.

[@V-J-H]

Thank you for made me google what ubiquitous means. ​@@paulipeltola2789

[@princesslehaha]

Thing is, very few of those things are actually made in Finland...

[@paulipeltola2789]

@@princesslehaha Shame, I know.

[@Joonatan75]

Two doors, usually next to each other, isolate the sound and technically it's in a cold country, it's quite good that there is a so-called air pocket in between, there's nothing more strange than that. it's just practical, the same as there are usually three different ones in the that way you save on heating costs. The radiators are set to zero in summer time. Most Finnish apartments have air conditioning and glasses that reflect sunlight, at least in the newer ones, probably in all of them. Yes, I work in the field. If you have to use a lute in the shower to remove the water, it's a construction error. In Finland, the minimum wages are higher than in the USA, which explaiIt is true that Finland drinks the most coffee in the world, but could It is true that Finland drinks the most coffee in the world, but could that be one of the reasons that there is so much darkness in winter especially in northern Finland? Traffic lights, yes, if it's just green you can turn, but you have to avoid pedestrians and if it has an arrow, you just let it go. In pharmacies (Apteekki), the idea is that there are trained staff there to give advice and if there are duplicate drugs accidentally prescribed, the pharmacists will notice and from them you will get information about the prescribed drugs and their use, e.g. inhalers, etc McDonald's etc. have a car lane where you can get coffee U coffee ibn the car. .Otherwise, quite apt and thanks for the video, you don't always understand what surprises come to foreigners in Finland, I would emphasize those forests and every man's right to pick berries and mushrooms from the forest, and we have pretty great nature and thousands of lakes.

[@lyondragons8898]

I was just at the mall the other day and realized that even tho I was surrounded by people, I could hear the humming sound from all the electric devices in there, bc people were so quiet. Personally I love it a looooooooooot. I also love Finnish forests and spend time in them every day.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@lyondragons8898 haha so cool you noticed too! Thanks for sharing your experiences!💗

[@McSlobo]

Yeah. Finns go there for shopping, not for socializing. You're on a mission to get toilet paper!

[@elvisluvaton5078]

@@McSloboSo true 😂

[@DidNotThinkThisThrough]

How hot it is inside at the summer, depends on the house. Older, properly built wooden houses are not that hot even in the hottest summer, but an apartment can be a 24/7 sauna in the summer if the windows point south.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

True! Thanks for sharing 🙏

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

Leftist people who live in Helsinki and tiny apartments cells complain about the heat because they have no air conditioning nor air circulation (houses were built between 40-70 when it was abnormally cold climate.). The rest of the country live comfortably, but suffer from the doubling of energy prices which makes winter living super expensive.

[@halmond8713]

About turning to the right at red light. I think the reason why that is not okay in here comes from how much we have pedestrians and bikers. You would end up stopping in the middle of the intersection so often that it would create more issues than solve them. In US it is more rare that you have people walking or biking to the places that it is not really considered in there. You move everywhere there with car. And what comes to the cheese slider that thing is star with slicing cucumber too when you want thin slices on top of you slice of bread.

[@Chaostheory172]

You can turn right on a red light, but it's usually at bigger intersections and is accompanied by the yield sign (the red and yellow upside down triangle) and also a sign that says something like: "Liikennevalot ei koske oikealle kääntyville" (or something like that and translates roughly to " Traffic lights do not apply to right-turners") But of course you have to yield to people coming from the left.

[@tomirasinkangas4380]

I can imagine asking someone in US ”hey wanna go to the forest with me” and they will think you will murder them 😂

[@rallipulla]

😂

[@skasteve6528]

A few of things I have noticed about Finland that are different to what I'm used to: 1)I see birds that I haven't in such large numbers, since I was a kid (I am quite old). 2) People don't let their cats roam free (numbers one & two are probably connected) 3) The large number of children's play areas. I'm used to seeing far fewer and none of them have a sandpit (see item two for the reason for no sandpits) 4) Jaywalking isn't a thing where I'm from, we tend to cross wherever we like, so long as it isn't dangerous to other road users (we can't walk on highways/freeways/motorways). Seeing people waiting at a crossing when there are no cars in view seems strange to me. 5) Electric scooters that you hire with apps don't work in my country, or the ones you buy. The people are too inconsiderate, there aren't enough cycle lanes, some kids used to invade shopping malls on them and they made a very handy getaway vehicle for teenage drug dealers. So they have been pretty much banned, unless they are registered and have insurance. 6) Cycle lanes. We do have them in my home country, not many and not all interconnected, but we have them. They are the sides of the road painted red and it is common to see a line of cars parked on them. Did I mention that bicycling on the pavement/sidewalk is illegal? So guess where cyclists have to ride, even kids? 7) Apartments. Everyone wants to own their own house. They aren't building houses in sufficient numbers, Private landlords buy up the housing stock and can charge whatever rents they can get away with, so there is a housing crisis in my home country. People would kill for a comfortable, affordable Finnish style apartment. When you tell them that many apartments have basic internet and heating included in the rent, they'd think you were lying. So for me, the best things about Finland aren't Nokia, Moomins, Finlayson etc. It is having a town planning system that works. Decent affordable housing and the people who although they are reserved, are for the most part considerate of others.

[@valivali8104]

We don’t have jaywalking either, it’s just isn’t usually safe to cross whenever and where-ever you like since there are idiots who shouldn't have driver's licence... Plus, finnish people tend to have mentality of obeying rules in both good and bad 😅

[@hopoheikki00]

How about pullonpalautus (deposit-based return system for beverage packages), were you familiar with that kind of system when you lived in the States?

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

This is a great addition! I was not familiar at all with this before!

[@herrerard]

​@@jadeventoniemi5795 Some states (CA, CT, HI, IA, ME, MA, MI, NY, OR, VT) have a 5-10 cent deposit system to encourage recycling. Most US states do not, especially in the Southeast. I live in GA (north ATL metro) were it isn't a thing. BTW- I enjoyed your video. I visited Finland once many years ago. Would love to go back!

[@MarifromKuopio]

I've been travelling to the US many times, and I found it funny, that the waitors and waitresses introduce them selves. It felt like they want to be my next best friend. Of course it is because the tip system, but feels weird for a Finn. :)

[@Thyra_x]

I work at themed restaurant and we sometimes introduce ourselves but we don't use our real names , we use the themed name given to us. Sorry Finland is so small and I don't want to ppl to know where I work so thats all I can tell.

[@mikelamuerte]

I hate so much the tip system.

[@zoltrix7779]

Its weird everywhere except the US.

[@ismoouu]

I have seen many of these kind of videos through the years, but I like that you managed to tell these opinions without sounding condescending, smug etc. However, you still were able to say also things that aren't your favorite, but you did it in a polite way.

[@velimatti098]

There is spring water in bottles with bubbles or without

[@blechtic]

If you want coffee to-go on the way to work, just buy a thermos or a thermos mug and fill it at home in the morning.

[@HerraPlagu]

That radiator is part of central heating system, most of houses have central heating, AC is rather rare, and the radiators are in front of windows because rising hot air from the radiator creates sort of "air barrier" in front of windows and prevents draft feeling from window.

[@juliakokora]

I'd say all the new houses in Finland have AC (ilmastointikone) and some sort of cooling nowadays (ilmalämpöpumppu, maaviileä)

[@HerraPlagu]

@@juliakokora Yes in Houses, but in appartment buildings no.

[@lucone2937]

You can have small table fans (pöytätuuletin) in a living room and bedroom if there's too hot. Besides the Finnish buildings have to be nice indoor temperatures whether it's +25 °C in July or -25 °C in January in outdoors.

[@monksuu]

Radiators in cities and towns are usually connected to the district (not central) heating system.

[@HerraPlagu]

@@monksuu Its still central heating that gets heat via heat exchanger from the district system

[@kotqrka]

Alko is a state-owned store, this is why it is a monopoly. The only store allowed to sell drinks with 8% and more of alcohol.

[@veerasalminen6258]

You can now buy 8% at grocery stores.

[@jarij.marjanen4289]

Yes, if the product is manufactured using natural alocohol fermentation; if it is made by diluting stronger ethanol products, then not.

[@tommi7554]

Weird thing in US was keeping shoes on indoors, all the dirt and what ever you stepped on outside is scattered around your house and kids play in that floor too.. 😬 Feet hygien can't be good in there when your feets are cooking in the shoes whole day...

[@pirateradioFPV]

You didn’t mention we only drink hot coffee. Ice coffee? Not a thing here. Flavored coffee? Starbucks can keep it and stick it 😁

[@Thyra_x]

I drink iced coffee during the summer. Sometimes I go to cafe and order iced coffee but most of the time I buy it ready to go from store. For example: frezza mocca.

[@Gibbetoo]

you definitely can find adhesive bandages from grocery stores.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Perhaps so!😊

And contact lens solution. But medication, no.

[@chubbernaut2614]

@@jadeventoniemi5795 They are usually at the hygiene product section. Often near cottonpads and q-tips :)

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

I have never found contact solution in a grocery store 😕

[@anttoneskola]

@@jadeventoniemi5795 It also depends on the store. Usually if it's a small store or there's a pharmacy near, they don't bother keeping the stock for something people get from a pharmacy anyways :D

[@pcgaming7680]

6:30 the rights were introduced to actually legalize foraging the plants on private property and not just the lands owned by the counties and state. the limitation is that you cannot do it too close to someones home because that might be illegal under the pretext of trespassing ("disruption of home", kotirauhan rikkominen). but basically you should be fine unless you are on someones lawn or could see inside the house etc

[@ElinaES1]

My husband is from Beirut, Lebanon, where the cars honk at every street corner at all times of the day and after visiting there he always breathes a deep sigh of relief when returning to the quietness of Finland. Also he values the cool clean air, personal space and four seasons. Things the Finns often take take for granted.

[@andrearasmussen7874]

I dont think they take it for granted, we appreciate what we have as a gift

[@rasa6225]

It's common sense that you can't turn right or any other direction when red lights are on

[@lisso71]

👏👏👏

[@V-J-H]

Yes otherwise there could be.. what we call in Finland is this thing called Kolari.

[@kilariilari]

Turning right in red light is only used in US. Not any other country in World. Well. I know know about Canada or Mexico but lets say not in any other continent.

[@esthermarcen7587]

In the 70, when it was a big depression in my country, it was allowed to turn when light red, and taking precoution aiming to save fuel by no waiting when stop

[@yaakovpfefferstein1296]

@@kilariilari Also not everywhere in America, last I checked. Growing in NYC we never had it, unless there was a special sign allowing it.

[@Slnkn]

You can buy coffe Mcdonalds, Hesburger, Burger King. Two doors is because when its really cold outside you can hav the inner door closet and outher open so the cold wont go inside and also when you take off your shoes and leave it between the doors the crap/sand etc. under your shoes won't travel inside with you.

[@johansvideor]

Yes, but their coffee tastes horrible.

[@miichan_misshigh]

Forest is the best!

[@sampohonkala4195]

I think the Moomin characters are so popular because the original Moomin books are something that adults can relate to. They are exactly weird novels that go rather deep into people's feelings, fears, joy and imagination and the characters may represent different moods; I may want to pick a certain mug depending on how I feel or even to change my mood.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@sampohonkala4195 that’s so true! I feel the same way with picking the mug that matches the mood 🧡 thanks so much for sharing!

[@Axel_Andersen]

Moomi books are really worth reading. On surface they are for children but on deeper level they reflect the post WW2 period where they were written, at least at some level.

[@onerva0001]

​​@@Axel_Andersennot to mention the comics! I loved them as a kid and still do (and the books of course) 😊

[@Emppu_T.]

I think the fact that so many of us saw Moomin on TV was also a big factor.

[@skasteve6528]

Not only do most Finns have something that has a Moomin character on it. Some of them get very annoyed that some products are only available in Japan.

[@pascheblog]

I don't know about the Muumi, that it's in every home, but I'm pretty sure every home have something from Fiskars.

[@ztsb_koneko]

I mean at this point they are so prominent on products for such a long time, that if you ever got gifts or hand-me-downs you’re likely to have *something* Moomin related. We never bought any with my wife but a couple cups and some washcloth or whatever have found their way in the house anyways.

[@MsBestPilotEver]

Typical lunch is considered healthy, so soda doesn't really seem appropriate 😊

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Exactly! I love this about lunches here 😊

[@J_Sport1]

I haven't drink soda since 2014. I dot wanna destroy my teeth and healty. No sugar!!!!!!

[@jps8678]

@@J_Sport1 Oh. YOu are one of those...

[@olegosipov3393]

What do you think about the sauna?

[@deke6x]

That stunned me at first as a visitor years ago 😅. Women and men went seperate.

[@Shadelio]

"I have had the same neighbor for 50 years!" "Awesome, what is their name?" "I have no idea."

[@ElinaES1]

They probably told you when you met them the first time and you were so worried thinking how to introduce yourself that you forgot what they said. Then it would have been weird to ask again.. 😂

[@ztsb_koneko]

@@ElinaES1nah for sure it’s not very common to introduce yourself formally like this at all in Finland. Nowhere I’ve lived at least.

[@ElinaES1]

​@@ztsb_koneko Probably so, I even think that often the neighbors expect that you know their names from the mailbox.

[@Maastopyorailija]

This name thing is so true😅Ismo made stand-up comedy about this kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYerf6p-oL6Gh8k

[@moonliteX]

I actually love it that you make the video faster when you know you are a bit slow on thought.

[@TheBadpav]

As a fellow Atlantan, and a pathologically polite southerner who visited Finland, I was confused that Finns don't use "Please" when requesting something. In fact, nobody could really articulate what the Finnish word for "Please" actually was.

[@papadocsamedi2544]

I wonder why you left out the "weird" fact, that in Finland 6 year old kids are taking busses to school alone, playing outside unsupervised and so on...

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@papadocsamedi2544 that’s a great addition! There are so many more I could have added to the video & it would be an hour long 🤣❤️

[@denisewilliams1113]

I really enjoyed your 📹 video 📹. From Chicago 🎉🎉🎉

[@Jantzku]

Sun side curtains closed during summer days to keep the heat out.

[@Irevoltnow]

It is actually kinda weird that we are biggest coffee consumers in the world but still don't have coffee drive-throughs. Yet we have those for fast food. I'll bet the first one to do it right will make a killing of it.

[@jattikuukunen]

No need for a drive-through when you have almost free coffee at both ends of the trip.

[@Irevoltnow]

@@jattikuukunen That is true.

[@tangfors]

Right of Public Access also applies on private land, at least sort of. You can pick anything that grows wild, so not if someone has a field where they grow strawberries, for example. You are also not allowed to take from someone else's property. Most of the forest you walk in is privately owned, but you don't notice it as you can't really own the land in the same way as in the US, but you own the right to use it, in a way you can't do if you don't own it . (it should be said that I'm from Sweden, but I'm pretty sure that the rules in Finland are basically the same when it comes to the Right of Public Access )

[@citizenkane4831]

You didn´t mention the public baths and/or the finnish sauna culture. Would like to hear your oppinion on that

[@marlenaeva3813]

Yes, all those things are weird but are very efficient like the inner front door: this door is used to keep the cold out-I think. No soda at restaurants-it's healthier to not sell those things. Milk is healthy and coffee as well. When I lived there I found it weird that EVERYONE I knew was into Moomin. And every household had Moomin cups. Then I got into Moomin as well and didn't find it weird, anymore. The anti-social attitude and lack of small chat-I couldn't get used to this and I prefer the US or other European countries to socialise and make friends.

[@tapio_m6861]

Everyman's right allows you to forage even at private forests. No one can really deny people from walking in forest unless it's like right next to someone's home.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Great to know, thanks for sharing!

[@foxy_videos890]

Btw my dog is named sniff from Moomin but the name in Finland is nipsu

[@Songfugel]

With the Moomin products, it is also noteworthy to remember, that not only are the Moomin artworks classy and tasteful, the products themselves are usually from top designer brands, like those Arabia mugs. (edit: nice, you brought it up later) Centralized heating is pretty much a must in every Finnish home, or you'll freeze to death/cause massive water damage. Insulation keeps the heat out as well as cold, hence the word, insulation, since it *insulates* the outside and inside from each other.

[@christer1415]

I'm guessing here a bit but I think she meant that the heat isn't centralized to one outlet, like 1 AC unit (heatpump) per room (or maybe one sharing for several rooms) but distributed to radiators beneath every window. They in turn off course are centralized (with a boiler).

[@Songfugel]

@@christer1415 I was thinking the same, but the claim is still not true and quite misleading

[@nacamo17]

You are now being typical Finn justifying anything because you cant criticize Finland. Your homes do keep the warm inside and they are too hot in the summer. Period. Do not justify that.

[@80juh]

Love your vids.

[@PekkaSiltala]

You stop for a proper coffee in a porcelain cup. That "latte in a cardboard cup" is not a coffee.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Haha!

[@emppu0413]

Yes it is, just slightly different. Like if you get their cocoa, or a coffee shop cocoa or make your own at home it's always same stuff but little different. Home I drink it cold oboey, at gasstation I take it hot and put cream on it and in coffee shop it tastes same as gasstation but whit whipped cream usually

[@NordicWiseguy]

Two doors prevents cold air from outside entering inside and warm air escaping during winter time. It may be weird for those who live in warm climate like in Atlanta but finnish winters can be quite harsh.

[@Jouzou87]

Also reduces noise somewhat.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@NordicWiseguy great! It makes a lot of sense for sure!😊

[@w1darr]

That insulation thing sounds weird: insulation prevents heat to spread across it: if its warm inside, it prevents the heat to flow outside. If its Hot outside, it prevents the heat to flow insider. Put Hot Tea in an insulated bottle: it will stay warm. Put ICE water in an insulated bottle: it will stay Cold. If a house is insulated, it will stay colder in summer than a non - insulated one.

[@tuomaspietinen1485]

Ulko-ovet aukeavat Suomessa myös eri päin kuin esim. USA:ssa tai Englannissa.

[@Ryuuoo_]

04:27 Summer is so short. You 11:00 can find some items but very limited.

[@qwineth]

Only with time I have come to realize how weird a thing Alko is :) Very Nordic of course, but hard to find anywhere else...

[@penaarja]

Soda is only with hamburger Or pizza

[@V-J-H]

It is known

[@fannistitch7618]

I have lived in Finland for my hole lif and you are saying the right things that is in Finland and im 13 years old

[@janpcs]

I think it is weird not to have a cheese slicer. Fresh slices taste better than pre packaged slices.

[@--Singularity--]

We´re doing it opposite. I´m learning to buy pre sliced cheese :)

[@ElinaES1]

Why? Make your own slices and save a lot. There is a price difference..

[@--Singularity--]

@@ElinaES1 It´s all rigged. Lie. Stockmarket is rigged too.. I tried it. None of it matter cosh everything is based on criminal activity and stealing. Trump is right. He´s gonna win election. And they´re gonna kick him out Melanie´s gonna leave And you´re just a bot .. Ha ?

[@sonjar2872]

I wish there was more drive thoughs, not just for fast food. Restaurants, coffee shops and Gass stations could have them for sure

[@sylarkane8883]

Love you! From Kuopio.

[@russianchristianity]

In Helsinki, you usually pay for coffee refills, though less. Like a euro. And there are coffee drive-thrus, yet not many. Like, McD drive-thru etc.

[@JukkaMTAho]

Interesting observations. Some notes: - As explained by many, the small-ish room between the entrance and the “house proper” typically serves more than just one function. It is primarily an airlock against the freezing winter weather (and the draft/wind) but also typically a place where you can remove your snowy, slushy, muddy, sandy, or wet outdoor shoes withouth bringing all that stuff further into the house. Sometimes it will incorporate a coat-and-hat rack or a cabinet of some type incorporating such rack, sometimes it is too small for that and you will find those facilities in a separate hallway which you will enter when you leave this room. The architectural term for this kind of a room is “vestibule” (look it up). Older Finnish houses used to have an unheated, glazed front porch functioning in a similar role. Some houses might even feature both in sequence. The vestibule might be heated but is typically kept at a bit colder temperature than the rest of the house during wintertime. - Moomins (the hippopotamus-alike characters featured on your mug) were originally not cartoon characters but characters in a series of novels (children’s stories) written by Tove Jansson, a Finnish-Swedish artist, who also drew all the illustrations for her books in her distinctive style. The first book in the series came out in 1945. The Moomin stories take place in a place called Moominvalley which also features a rich repertoire of various other kinds of antropomorphic characters which sort of resemble animals but are not meant to be any specific, real animals. The stories are sort of philosophical and whimsical in their nature. The author, in co-operation with her brother Lars, also drew a Moomin comic strip for the London-based The Evening News, retaining the characters but incorporating a bit more anarchistic or satirical themes for the enjoyment of adult readers. Later decades have seen animated Moomin cartoons on TV. Arabia, a well-known Finnish ceramics company and Finlayson, a well-known Finnish textile company are both known to make licensed Moomin products that are thought to be of high quality, and of which the Arabia Moomin-themed “Teema” series mugs are considered collectible. - “Finnish Design” (and “Scandinavian Design”) are concepts that Finns (and Scandinavians) knowingly nurture. There are several tableware, glassware, ceramics, design furniture, and textile companies in Finland which have, over the years, hired various designers and built a well-regarded brand for themselves as modernist design houses whose products (such as dinnerware sets of certain style) are collectible, or otherwise regarded “an investment”, or just classic style. Finns tend to hold these companies and their classic product lines in high regard and may often be able to name the designers behind the different products. - People used to view AC as something that is not really needed around here - an overkill or luxury not worth getting considering the traditional Finnish climate, and the relatively few hot days during a typical summer - but this has now changed due to the climate change and the effect that the longer heatwaves have on modern, well-insulated buildings.... - Pharmacies are controlled, regulated businesses in Finland and you need a license to operate one. Licenses are only granted to entrepreneurs with suitable qualifications and degrees, and they are also granted/controlled/regulated per area. Supermarkets, hypermarkets etc. would very much like to offer pharmacy products and get into this business but are not allowed to, except for vitamins, bandaids and such but not anything that could be categorized as actual medication.

[@CloverFoxy]

Greetings from Tampere. Actually there is this place called friends & burgers here where you can drink as much soda you want if you buy a cup.😊

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@CloverFoxy ooh how cool! Thanks for sharing 😊

[@ffffffff-vv7yp]

Most forests actually are private property yet people can walk and pick berries etc and it's not "trespassing". However, this does not mean it's acceptable to disturb or approach eg logging or hunting operations. In such a case it's necessary to be visible, avoid the scene and or appreciate advice; men at work, insurance, personal risk etc. What "forest" mostly means around Helsinki is often not private property and even if it is, it's at least kind of a walk in the park. It gets different elsewhere when approaching the normal average Finland. But everymans right applies everywhere to a certain extent. It's just traveling on foot, picking mushrooms an berries(but not anything else). No campfire anywhere without permission etc. Edit: Just wanted to clarify "everymans right" is not an implication of socialist or state ownership or anything like that. It's not codified as is. It's just a term for a tradition where certain things are not illegal. It makes sense as way back people just had to travel without roads and nature had(still has) a lot of nutrition to offer. More like recreational value today. There are or at least were drive through coffees in Finland. Probably they never heard or latte, but I guess most local non chain drive through burgers would sell you a paper cup of coffee. If they existed anymore as they have quit.

[@TaijaT76]

It is weird that there are no air conditioners in apartments as a Finn.😂😢 It is unbearably hot to live in an apartments during the summer. Many have cabins called ”kesämökki”, even many quite poor people have it too to cool off during the summer. I don’t.🤨

[@ArchieArpeggio]

At lest you can get take away coffee from drive through from McDonalds, Hesburger and Burkerking. Also from some grills too. I drived almost 15 years taxi and alot at night time that there weren´t any other option (depengin from the city of course). Juustohöylä is invented in Norway and is common item in all nordic countries. It depends where you are that is there free refills for coffee. Many places charge for refill as "santsikuppi" but it is way cheaper than the full price. Also it depends the place you eat is there soda and free refills. Many buffet diners have that. It is okay if you are at pizza buffet, but normaly Finnish drinks mostly milk with normal lunch.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@ArchieArpeggio thanks for also sharing these experiences! Great input 😊

[@davedavis86]

The room before you get into the house.. could be a mud room?

[@landlord5552]

Last one is your bright business idea’ (meaby)😊

[@judestinen666]

Tää on kiva video. Kiitos. Pitää kattoo onko muita hyviä videoita sulla. Minä en tosiaankaan tiedä paskaakaan americasta. Haluaisin tietää ja haluaisin käydä. Mutta kun on köyhä

[@sylarkane8883]

The 2nd door is to keep the cold out.

[@rantanen1]

Smalltalk that is longer than a couple of sentences from a complete stranger is so odd that I instantly think they are about to try to sell me something or convert me to some religion. While waiting at a doctors office for an appointment some years ago some Finnish woman started having a full blown conversation with me and I participated happily, but I thought it was so odd and unexpected. Then during the convo she says she lived in US for nearly 20 years and just recently moved back, then it all made sense :D

[@HennaHuu]

I moved back to Finland about four years ago after 15 years abroad and I find the inability to talk to strangers rather weird. I like to talk. 😄

[@gamerbear84]

I was gonna say I have no Muumi products... but then remembered my sis got me like two hand towels and one full-size one. :P

[@Vilhomatto]

I think its kinda brave that you even dare to get into elevator if theres a random person.

[@marcocoppelo6543]

'You have to park your car to get a coffee ' 😁

[@acetar574]

It's so interesting to hear someone with an outside point of view talk and wonder about things and aspects of life that you have dealt with your whole life and taken for granted. Like, with juustohöylä, what of it 😂? Not everyone uses them? 😮

[@ztsb_koneko]

Regarding the last point: the whole Starbucks style coffee shop culture is still very young in Finland. Traditional café culture and plain coffee is prevalent, and when most people make their own coffee in the morning and likely have coffee at lunch, the café remains something you specifically visit as a ”luxury”, rather than convenience.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Great point! Thanks for you comment 😊

[@thekontza]

Squeegee would be either lattialasta or kuivauslasta. Or just lasta if you’re in a hurry.

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@thekontza nice thanks!

[@SlendisFi_Universe]

As a Finn. I agree that as huge coffee consumers, we do not have drive through coffee shops...

[@penaarja]

Never even go To hamburger drive trough. Why just for A Coffee.

[@helimustonen8895]

Dont forget Brands category Marimekko

[@jakemaanimeikalainen248]

Well you can easily find big spring water canisters in every shop at least! But that's a given because people need water at their mökkis and camping etc :D

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Haha yes that’s true! But to a foreign eye, it’s hard to find without knowing.

[@svanteforsblom4264]

​They actually tested bottled water and regular tapwater and there was cleaner water in the tap than the bottled water in the store (traces of plastic etc.). Might sounds funny, but you are flushing your toilet with cleaner water that they sell to tourists in the store.

[@Songfugel]

Not easily, really depends where you live. In my area for example, only one of the 4 close by stores sells those :( just not enough demand to justify the space they take. In bigger stores like Prisma and Citymarket you should ofc. be always able to find thim

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@svanteforsblom4264 I can believe it!

[@tapio_m6861]

Never homes do have AC via air source heat pumps. Some people retrofit them into older apartments as well.

[@user-st7sl2tw7x]

By the way is it true you wear shoes inside the house in US? I haven’t seen people do it in Finland.

[@deke6x]

I don't like shoes worn in my house. I think a lot of US is going that way. Cleaner.

[@novee2961]

I had a layovers in Helsinki four times over the years while traveling to Poland. Looks like a interesting place 🥰

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

Yes Helsinki is great 😊

[@tombrunila2695]

Story about us Finns: Hundreds of years ago there was man who lived with his family in a small cottage by a river. One day he saw a wood chip floating by. He took his axe and started to walk upstream. He walked for three days. Then he came to small opening where an other man was building a small timber cottage. The Finn walked up to him and killed him with an axe blow to the head without saying a word. Then he walked back home for three day! Lesson: we Finns value our privacy!

[@Boystarrzz]

Its pretty fun to watch what an American found weird as a Finnish person lol

[@jadeventoniemi5795]

@@Boystarrzz haha thanks so much for watching! 5 years in & these are all normal to me ❤️

[@kayblue8975]

Where and how did you learn finnish? are you fluent after 5 years? It seems so hard to learn.

[@lisahahn173]

You nailed it! Your list is great.