Finland, Top 10 ... things that freaked me out!

[@ollib9837]

Sometimes we as Finnish people don't realise how lucky we are to be born here.

[@OrigamiILY]

its so true

[@elinatuulikki]

Näinhän se on!! I love my country!

[@sipuli5855]

Unless you live in Kouvola like me

[@ReimaLihavainen]

Yes we have this thing called maksalaatikko

[@ollib9837]

@@ReimaLihavainen I know i love it. With puolukkahillo of course.

[@claudiaa5960]

I love Finland! I lived for 3 years in Helsinki and although there was every day something that freaked me out, it was the best experience of my life. As a Colombian woman, the strangest thing was to learn how to live without fear, it was amazing

[@RoyRissanen]

Thanks for sharing Claudia. :)

[@antellmarkus9568]

One thing that freak the Finnish people out: if we dont pay our debt before the pension we are fucked.

[@konnuli]

That last part made me feel glad but sad at the same time. It's wrong people can't live without fear in their every day life 😔

[@RoyRissanen]

@@konnuli There is a generation of kids that are missing out on a big part of childhood. :(

[@holoholopainen1627]

WE would live to see More of You here ! - but The distance IS too GREAT ! I am sure that Many would like to learn Spanish !

[@_Allu]

I'm Finnish and somehow you're making me love Finland more than I did before lol. Great video! I'm glad you like Finland so much!

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos paljon Allu.

[@Alaho65]

Maybe we Finns are too used to how great country we have overall.

[@geoffreyyoste45]

Dude, I live in America and it’s going to shit in my opinion. I wish my roots and family were in Finland, I am proud to be an American of old school!!

[@unkiesacredspirit4938]

My husband is from Finland..i absolutely LOVE everything about him..and his homeland. Finland is beautiful!! We live in the states and miss Finland. I'm Native American indian from the states ,so when I met the Sami in the North..it was exciting and heart warming. The similarities was amazing. His friends children in Finland had never met a Native Indian so it was exciting for them ,just as it was for me to meet the Sami..i loved iit!! The reindeer are cool to see on roadside..❤👍

[@RoyRissanen]

Hi Unkie. Thanks for commenting. :) It's always great to see those similarities in different cultures.

[@ninaakari5181]

I once watched a documentary about Finns who moved into United States on 1800's were kind of strangers for Americans (of European background) but got along very well with Native Americans. They shared similar values about respect for the nature, quietness, hard working, honesty etc. Funny how two cultures so far from eatch other can be so similar. I bet the Sami Culture is even more similar to Native North-American cultures

[@jariyrjanainen8770]

S

[@makipri]

It’s nice to hear your point of view as well! I know fairly a big amount of Sami people and I was in a relationship with one as well. And from what I know, many Sami people seem to relate somehow to Native Americans, and both of them seemed to value the connection to nature very much. Am I lost?

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@ninaakari5181 Most Finns knew How to read & write BEFORE moving to USA ! - but Didn't know English ! IT IS The same with The French - that spoke / speak No English in Canada !

[@KatsPurr]

I'm a Canadian who has been living over here in Finland since 1988. How delightful that I discovered your channel!

[@Dwarf19864]

About the kids freedom/independence... When i was going to my first day at school (age 7 i think), mom walked with me there, ~1km so not that far... the next day i asked my mom if she would walk with me, and she asked me if i remembered the route to school... i said yes, and she said "well.. off you go then".. on the third day, i didn't ask mom to go with me, i just went :)

[@RoyRissanen]

And it's things like that isn't just about independence it gives kids time to be kids and not on the apron strings, as the expression goes.

[@Songfugel]

@@RoyRissanen it also frees the adults to have a more life of their own even with kids, since you don't have to babysit them all the time

[@iloliemi1858]

Finland is the only European country in the world where fathers use to spend more time with their kids than mother. Funny facts: If you live in Lapland or more Northern area, it’s still not common to lock your door if you live in Lapland or more remote areas. And it’s all ok to leave your car open when you visit local grocery store. And the second fact is pretty weird that the health care, school system, possibilities to study etc. are even better when you live in the more remote areas. I think it’s similar in Canada and other Scandinavian countries as well. It more like a choice to became homeless. You always have possibility to find a warm place to stay but if you really have mental problems + drug addiction it’s pretty difficult to find help. The public health care demands that you are clean before you get mental help so it often takes time to find help to the root cases of the problems.

[@madvelila]

@@iloliemi1858 I think it is good thing to demand person to be clean/sober before starting medication for mental illness. Imagine what would happen if you introduce new chemical to your system when you already have substances in it.

[@erikakraemer6963]

Also we don't have school busses, but the youngest students (about ages 7-8 or 9) who don't live really close to their school will be taken to and from school by school taxis :) kids living closest to each other sharing the same car. After that it's public traffic, walking or biking. I've never heard of parents driving their kids every day, except if they work close by. Some young kids will go to iltapäiväkerho (after school club) if their parents work late, so they will get a snack, do homework and play for a few hours and don't need to be home alone.

[@kirapokelmann618]

"there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing" Always be prepared for rain

[@christopher9727]

... Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Holy Spirit Can give you peace guidance and purpose and the Lord will John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@Ichigoeki]

"Temperature is a question of clothing, feeling cold is a question of mentality"

[@wereten1234]

Coming home from school (7-12 yo) took a lot longer, usually around 40-60 minutes when walking. Played with friends and had detours to forests/park on the way. Now the same route takes about 10 minutes.

[@RoyRissanen]

Same. I thought our walk to school must have been 2-3km and a couple years ago I was home and went and measured it. It was well less than 1 km. lol

[@MrSharkFIN]

My walk to school has always been about 2km and it's always taken me 15-20 minutes.

[@MorgurEdits]

Yeah, it was a journey for sure. I used to walk to school too as a 7yr old and crossed a quite big road every day both ways.

[@onerva0001]

@@MorgurEdits me too!

[@gahahaho8445]

Oh I remember this "shortcut" I used to take home with a friend when we were younger. Actually it would have taken us less than 10 minutes by road but we decided that it's a lot easier to walk through a field and cross this stream

[@hauskalainen]

when first graders begin school, drivers are warned to take special care for them... it takes a few weeks for the kids to remember the rules!

[@RoyRissanen]

Everything there seems to work more collectively there. Here is very "why should I have to slow down around schools!?"

[@mikanokia7550]

Yes, the commercial on TV that says "newbies on The Road" 😄

[@Petri_Pennala]

Meillä oli ihan ihmisiä ohjaamassa sitä liikennettä😂

[@RoyRissanen]

The city here tried to lower the speed limit in school zones here durring school hours and people lost their minds. :/

[@MrKeinanen]

@Wille Also don't forget those lovely handmade warning road-signs made by the kids themselves you sometimes see near schools.

[@nemuxo]

The number one was a surprise! As someone who's walked to school by themself since kindergarten I never knew it was out of place 😂

[@RoyRissanen]

Even much of High school kids don't walk to school here. :(

[@onerva0001]

@@RoyRissanen mom walked me to school a few times when I started at 7 yrs, then I went all by myself and so did averyone else. I wouldn't have guessed it was abnormal! :-)

[@RoyRissanen]

ah, they just made fun because they liked you. lol

[@barvdw]

I; too, came home on foot most of the time when in elementary (I'm in my late 30s, from Belgium). Yes, that's a very Northern American thing to have kids not allowed to wander around unsupervised, although the average 'range' children have has diminished elsewhere, too. There was a French study that compared 3 generations, and where they were allowed to go to unsupervised at a given age, can't find it, but it went down considerably (say 10 to 2 km, or so). I am not a fan of helicopter parenting, either.

[@FrozenFox20]

i was walking home from preschool, but that was like 200 meters away and parents had to give a permission, but i guess that could be scary for parents in a big city 😁

[@wtfronsson]

Finland and Japan have "free range kids" in common. Suppose it's mostly just the level of safety and low crime. And I guess a history of cultural cohesion. It's not really conceivable that anything would happen to kids wandering around in public on their own.

[@hurri7720]

Other Nordic coutries are much the same regarding kids and most of Europe is not that far off either. What makes such a big difference is a good public transport system and roads for cycling and walking. When I was a kid in Helsinki a long time ago my mother forced me and my cousine to have a piece of cardboard with name and address on us because we got lost at times, or at least that was how we explained it.

[@Hellsong89]

"Free range kids" is decent for afa mentioned good walkways etc, but this also has lead to "free range parenting" witch results has been showing past decade... in bad way... Kids that have never heard anyone to say no to them, nor scolded them properly to learn from their mistakes. Now they are teens roaming around like gangs committing crimes from petty larceny to assault with deadly weapon and young adults, being devastated by real life and issues that are part being adults and responsible for them selfs, hence combination with university professors being out right commies, now they are brainwashed into least being far leftie and some cases going far as out right commies joining antifa and attacking anyone who disagrees with their ideology. Pretty much same as in USA, but thankfully our university student population is still rather small in comparison and those morons are centered into big university cities like Jyväskylä, Helsinki, Tampere, Oulu, so their numbers are still rather small and uncentralized, so this has resulted "only" assaults to nationalists and again those who disagree with them ie everyone else, but its not been major problem like in USA since again their numbers are still small and those little shits wont do anything unless they have large numbers advantage, resulting underhanded tactics of following and assaulting just individuals. Police as usual wont do shit, but some cases where there is clear video evidence they might do something, specially when shits are confronted about it, they shit their pants and make admission of quilt on video.

[@hurri7720]

​@@Hellsong89, hölynpölyä.

[@wtfronsson]

@@Hellsong89 You are confused. Teaching kids to be independent and responsible has nothing to do with those trends you are talking about. Yes it's troubling stuff but don't mix it into something completely unrelated, lol.

[@MissEldira]

They try really hard to destroy this cohesion, it stands in the way of utopia. Come enjoy it while it last!

[@freyjana]

Mielenkiintoista nähdä näitä itselle tuttuja asioita uusin silmin. Mielenkiintoinen lista. :)

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos maynot. ja kiitos katsomisesta.

[@oh2mp]

Todella mielenkiintoista minustakin. Samasta syystä katson usein mielelläni myös täysin ulkomaalaisten turistien tekemiä videoita Suomesta, koska silloin näkee kotimaan eri näkökulmasta. Roy katsoo asioita vielä vähän eri tavalla suomalaisen taustansa takia.

[@antellmarkus9568]

Niin ja jos et oo saanu maksettua velat ennen eläkettä?

[@kissanruokaa]

@@oh2mp Juuri tämä :)

[@Finer_Details]

What I like about your channel is that unlike many of the other channels doing videos on the country, you have a genuine connection and interest and don't do it just for the views. Keep it up Roy!

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos Finer. Thank you. I'm never here for the views, although they are appreciated. I'm more making these for my grandkids, great-grandkids and so on. :)

[@j.p.h.8126]

Yes from first grade onwards the kids mostly roam around freely. Thats because of the overall safety in Finland. There are not that many crazy people who would kidnap then or something. It happens but it extremely rare. In my 40 years ive only heard of few cases like that. The most dangerous thing to the kids is the trafick.

[@RoyRissanen]

There isn't a lot of abductions in Canada either but they are mostly runaway or parental abductions. But yes there are other dangers out there but cosswalk culture there will help with that for sure. :)

[@MilnaAlen]

Yes, my American wife was shocked at the crosswalks! In quieter areas if there's no traffic light more than half the cars stopped to let us cross, and I just took that for granted. Downtown Helsinki and Tampere kinda suck, but in general crosswalks in Finland are a lot safer than in USA, because the drivers actually take the pedestrians into account, not just drive past the crosswalk at full speed.

[@RoyRissanen]

@@MilnaAlen Here in Nova Scotia kids are taught in school that they always have the right of way so kids end up just walking out into crosswalks with hardly looking. :(

[@MilnaAlen]

Wow, here we are taught to look 3 times before crossing, and 1st graders also get a reflective hat or a vest to be more visible.

[@casse82]

@@MilnaAlen Well we do have a law here mandating cars to stop if a pedestrian is waiting to cross if there are no traffic lights. If you get caught breaking that rule you get 7-11 day-fines and if you caused obvious danger doing that it's up to 30 day-fines, so not cheap. My experience as a driver and a pedestrian in downtown Helsinki is that generally almost everyone stops properly, but I'm never trusting it because there are enough exceptions...

[@maerikaroliina]

It's typical that children walk to school on their own and learn it early. I remember that only rule we had on the first grade was that school didn't allow first graders to come to school by bike, so we walked or used 'potkukelkka' in the winter time. Such funny memories. Every Friday my mom gave me some money so I can buy buns after school for the family - there was a bakery on my way home 🥰 I think we learn so many things at young age and parents aren't over-protective.

[@RoyRissanen]

It's nice to see that kids can still have a childhood.

[@xayahk2313]

Maeri, oliko teillä ala-asteella talvisin pipopakko? Tuollainen muistui mieleen ja silloin piti lausua pieni loru jossa lupaa että se pipo kans pysyy päässä 🤣 I remember that time too, great memories 😍 it's so common here in finland, and it's great to see kids learning how to be a little intependent, parents are doing a great job. I remember when my mom teach me and my little sister the best way to go to school, it was fun and felt great, i felt like yea, i'm i big girl now 🤣

[@maerikaroliina]

@@xayahk2313 Kyllä tais olla pakko, hämärä muistikuva 😂

[@xayahk2313]

@@maerikaroliina Meillä se meni jotenkin näin "tämän rakkaan piponi pidän aina päässäni, kun kuljen ulkosalla, kun kuljen ulkosalla", jessus mikä loru 😆

[@Alaho65]

Muistaakseni fillarin sai ottaa kouluun vasta 3 luokalla ja joo pipopakko oli ainakin 3 luokalle asti. Toki sitä pipoa pidettiin muutenkin, kun talvetkin oli vielä talvia.

[@aaronstavern]

I'm still getting over how much coffee is consumed over here! But I have fully immersed myself in the coffee culture here 😅

[@RoyRissanen]

That's a good way to fit in. :)

[@aaronstavern]

@@RoyRissanen quit smoking before I moved here, addicted to coffee now haha

[@RoyRissanen]

@@aaronstavern Good for you! coffee is much better for you.

[@EllinooraAlexandraCamilla]

Do people really drink a lot of coffee in Finland? I am a Finn myself and I don’t drink coffee at all. Tea for me please!

[@ImForwardlook]

@@EllinooraAlexandraCamilla My old boss in Finland drank about 9 cups during the working day. And had not one thing to eat.

[@Ronk3li]

The best Finland reaction/review I’ve seen so far. I think your finnish background gives a nice depth to this video. Great footage, great thought process, great video! Thanks for taking the time to make this!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Ronk3li. :)

[@Ronk3li]

@@RoyRissanen Funny that I accidently saw some of your videos during the weekend and yesterday I was looking at this finnish reality tv show and suddenly I saw you there! :D

[@RoyRissanen]

@@Ronk3li ha. Yes, worlds are colliding.

[@sampsasipila]

Coming from a Finn, this was a really good list. Probably the best I’ve seen. You were also very entertaining. It was natural, I didn’t have to cringe. Thanks and welcome back! Come to Turku next time. :)

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos Sampsa! That means a lot. :) I hope to be back again soon. Kiitos katsomisesta.

[@barbarakauppi9915]

We had hoped to travel to Turku this year for the tall ships festivals. Alas, travel is still on hold.

[@RoyRissanen]

@@barbarakauppi9915 It will all be back soon. Thanks for watching Barbara.

[@surfsusan]

In a healthy society kids can move freely 💚

[@helenaholmberg1987]

Now as a middle-aged Finn I'll sadly have to disagree on that one. I've met a couple of adults, who have been sexually abused as kids or teens. I'd advise every parent to be watchful 200 % of the time. Which, sadly, does not help if the abuser is the parent or maybe the brother (yes, there're people who're crazy as f). Don't be gullible, just think of what Marilyn Manson's done. Did we believe he was a bad guy? No, we didn't. Plenty of Finns need therapy yearly, that need does not come from nowhere-- I'm sorry to be this negative.

[@marymcgarvey4153]

I stayed with a friend in Roihuvuori at the edge of Helsinki. I walked every day through a small forest to the Merro. One day a man in a tench coat came toward me and I did f find it freaky as I would have in San Francisco. But he opened his coat and flashed me! Marvelous!!!

[@helenaholmberg1987]

@@marymcgarvey4153 Yikes.

[@barvdw]

@@helenaholmberg1987 true, but as you said, that doesn't help when the abuser is known to the victim, and unfortunately, the vast majority of abuse happens by people the victim knows, family, friends, teachers and coaches... Not to say nothing can happen when outside, there are some crazies out there, too, but even then, it's an illusion that staying away from the outside is going to protect you or your children. Worse, the day those children are free to go and do what they want, they will be either so sheltered they don't recognise the dangers out there, or be so paranoid they assume everyone is out to get them. Neither is very healthy.

[@marialindell9874]

@@helenaholmberg1987 When seeing records of how many people are in theraphy, we do need to remember that not everyone sees a therapist for mental health issues or trauma. Some use it as a way to talk about what their week was like or how to manage normal life skills like stress management.

[@joshupew]

Interesting list and great video. You seem like an awesome guy, and it's nice to see that you cherish and appreciate your Finnish roots! Hearing the things you said makes me proud to be a Finn. Next time you are here it would be an honor to show you around! Stay safe and well Roy, wish you all the best!

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos joshupew. That means a lot. :)

[@redwoob]

I live in Sweden, but I absolutely LOVE Finland. I have relatives there too since my mum is from Finland and so is my grandfather. I visit Finland almost every year. I just love everything about it, especially the candy. We have Finnish candy in Sweden and it’s just amazing. Some of the best candies I’ve tried. If anyone reading this haven’t gone to Finland yet you should. You won’t regret it

[@kpt002]

Yes, Finnish free ranged kids, I am one of them: I was 7 years old when I started to walk alone to the school and to my hobbies. To the school it was 2 km walk one way, so I did it every day, all year around in every wheater. Now 45 years old and still walk everywhere, all year around and in every weather!! :)

[@RoyRissanen]

Thanks for watching kpt75. It's really nice thing to have for a childhood. I have a lot of memories from walking back and forth to school still.

[@MamuTim]

That's so true about the coffee culture! I was so shocked the first time I ordered a coffee here in Finland. I ordered, then waited for them to prepare it for me, and the barista was looking at me like what are you doing?? Then he mentioned that, the cups are over there, you can fill it up yourself. So different!

[@RoyRissanen]

I wonder sometimes how they have time to drink the most coffee in the world.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Finns drink The Most coffee in The world ! Most of The coffee IS from South America ! Russians as English drink more Tea - Thanks to that - Tea IS from Asia ! Thanks to coffee - They also brought TANGO - with them ! Not TANKO - TANGO - that You dance to !

[@janina-9734]

I’m a Brit with Finnish nationality, came here in 1965 for 3 to 5 months, fell in love with the country, stayed for 11 months. Told my mother that I had been born in the wrong country and came back in 1968. ( I had been told by an American Indian that I should live near trees 😂)Still here and never regretted it. I also remember an elderly lady ringing my doorbell and giving me money for my 7yr old son because he had been helping her to carry her shopping on his way home from school. I knew nothing about it!

[@RoyRissanen]

Nice! That's great to hear Janina.

[@laurivaisanen6918]

@Janina Sounds like your son has had good parenting.

[@janina-9734]

@@laurivaisanen6918 Thank you 😊. But I can’t take all the credit. Finnish culture has a lot to do with it. My daughter is 49 and my son is now 41 and they still make me very proud. I know times have changed (small children have computers and mobile phones etc.) but I think Finns are still basically the same with the same values as when I first came here. Only difference is that they are a bit less reserved now. Stay safe 💪😊

[@holoholopainen1627]

Neighbours Are The Best source of everything ! At Our Highrise - We All know each other - and We help each Other to keep The Eye - on Non RESIDENTS ! We Even share MAGAZINES - and sauna hours !

[@akristiina5594]

Loved this video.👍🏻 Makes me really appreciate everything we have here in Finland. We don't really think about these things untill someone points them out.😊

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Anu. Thanks for watching. :)

[@siimu111]

I live in Estonia and most of these things are normal for me 😂 Looks like Estonia and Finland are still very similar.

[@Kruunu]

The sound effects cracked me up every time even though I should have been expecting them lol

[@RoyRissanen]

haha. yeah they are my fav too.

[@shannonwest2655]

Ugh Finland is my dream country! Been trying to convince my husband to move us there forever lol we’re finally (hopefully) going to visit next summer! Ive been learning the language for about 6 months, man, its SO difficult...one day ill get it lol

[@RoyRissanen]

Hi Shannon. Keep working at it. It gets easier as you go, unlike English. Hopefully things will start to open up this summer. I wanted to take my son there last summer.

[@shannonwest2655]

@@RoyRissanen we planned on going last year too 😭 we figure by next year there should be no issues. Btw my husbands family is Canadian and theyve been dying to come here (California) to get out of the cold lol stay warm!

[@Powsa]

Finland is a very beautiful country! Hope this covid clears up so you guys can come and visit! Welcome to Finland my friends :D

[@Spugedelia77]

Tervetuloa!

[@JainMonroe]

You don't have to know Finnish completely you can speak some of the words in English because Finns learn English already at school of course some people have never learned English at school but they are always accompanied by someone who speaks English

[@jukkarissanen3690]

Roy, these are spot on. After living in the USA past 30 years, I appreciate these everyday things when I go visit the old country. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thanks Jukka. Hopefully things get more 'normal' soon so we can get back again.

[@zephyrprime8]

the thing with Finns is that they don't initiate conversation but most are still happy to talk

[@RoyRissanen]

It's a funny dynamic for sure. Thanks Zephyr

[@konnuli]

Kids really are thought to be independent and responsible from early on. When I started school, the favorite part of the day for me was to be home alone after school while parents were at work. Or I was with my sister/friend. I loved to bake, sew dolls clothes or go for a swim and have a sauna. I was allowed to use the oven and sauna starting from 8-year-old. It was all about trust and being trustworthy. And I cherish those memories.

[@meratheafflictionwarlock]

It's always great to hear what people from outside of Finland find interesting or freaky. Very nice video! I'm glad you enjoyed your trip!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you for watching Marika. I am very much looking forward to getting back agian.

[@PastaRulla]

What a nice and positive video. Kiitos! Made me happy to be a Finn.

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Pasta. :)

[@somebody2468]

I'm Finnish and this video freaked me out in positive way :)

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos katsomisesta somebody2468

[@shadowsimjk]

As a Finn, First 15 seconds: person looks 110% Finnish. Person speaks perfect english instead of rally-enklis -> brain exploded.

[@tellu5836]

Hei Roy, kiitos hienosta videosta. Oli mukava kuulla mielipiteitäsi Suomesta. I loved this😊

[@ipe1461]

Mahtavia videoita. Löysin kanavasi vasta pari päivää sitten ja kohta olen jo katsonut kaikki videosi. Kiitos ja terveisiä Suomesta! :)

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos paljon Ipe. Ja kiitos katsomisesta. :)

[@laiskiaiskarpanen]

Yeah the sauna part is kinda funny, my parents have 3 saunas. One is inside their house, one outside and the last one is at their cottage like 1km away from their house.

[@RoyRissanen]

haha right!? Thanks for watching Heli.

[@PaiviProject]

I'm from Finland and been living in USA for quite while. I took my American Husband to visit Finland about 7 years ago and it was a great trip. I love Turku so much ! I hope one day we could visit again. Great video ! Thanks 👍

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Paivi. Glad you had a good trip. Hopefully we can all make it back again soon.

[@PaiviProject]

@@RoyRissanen Yeah it sure would be nice. Hubby would be much more relaxed the second time around :))

[@anniinavivian]

I used to roam around as a little kid in Finland too! Now I live in India and I have a Finnish-Indian daughter who is 5 and she could never roam in the streets here like we do in Finland. I miss that about my home country :) kids learn to be independent there so amazingly and it's safe to do that there :)

[@RoyRissanen]

Seem like they get a bonus childhood just for growing up in Finland. :)

[@ruohonleikkaaja]

Thank you for this video! It was eye opening and it gave me a new appreciation for my home country!❤️🇫🇮

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Ruohon. I do not know if people here in Finland realize how good they have it.

[@parsanorm]

I enjoy your films a lot. Thanks for good content, you really let us see Finland your way and its very positive. We tend to be dismissive about our country and culture, we should adopt more of your attitude towards all thing Finnish. Kiitos, ja voi hyvin, Roy!

[@camelialind7813]

The reason why I clicked this video is because you look so much like my friend that you two could be brothers. I need to appreciate my country more, this was a nice video.

[@RoyRissanen]

Thanks for watching Camelia. It's nice to step back and look at the simple things sometimes.

[@taryn7882]

Fellow Canadian Finn here, you have me sold.....peace out Canada, hello Finland! Just to have my last name pronounced correctly!

[@TimoRutanen]

And when you move over, you can have your ä in 'Mäkinen' back too.

[@RoyRissanen]

It's worth it just for that. :) And now sweet it is to hear the correct accent' on the name when it's spoken as well.

[@lizedur4976]

Why would anyone want to live in Canada when you could live in Finland. It has the best education in the world too!!

[@taijasaksa6621]

Mäkinen

[@MsWill813]

Mäkisen Taru

[@learytinki6098]

Terrific mentions! You've reminder me of many things that I miss from Finland

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Lea. I wanted to be sure to cover some of the everyday life things that I noticed about the people, not just things. :)

[@c9b7]

"It takes a village" seems to be the mentality we've grown up with, especially outside the bigger cities. It's just instinctual to keep an eye out for kids, and thankfully their biggest threat is traffic as opposed to kidnapping. As a kid I felt safe so providing safety for kids now just seems like a no brainer.

[@RoyRissanen]

It's nice to see that kids can still grow up this way. :)

[@jetdooley7609]

My dad was surprised about your number 1 too! “Collects their child” 😂

[@RoyRissanen]

It's nice to think that kids can still have a childhood there. :)

[@Furcapper]

Really interesting! The stillness part really shocked me. I love the stillness as any other finn, but I guess we take these things for granted... guess I'll go outside for a bit and just listen to the peace and quiet.

[@RoyRissanen]

Moi Jon. You sure miss it when it's gone. I almost alway have to have somthing going for "white noise" just to drown out the rest of the noise. :(

[@lordoverflow]

Funny that your honorable mentions list had even more things than the actual list :D Great video! Liked it!

[@RoyRissanen]

And there was severl more that I had to cut out for time. :/

[@justacasualguy13]

@@RoyRissanen please do another one of these! i would love to see all the things you found odd here.

[@RoyRissanen]

@@justacasualguy13 I'm thinking of the Top Ten things I loved. :)

[@justacasualguy13]

@@RoyRissanen that would also be interesting but for me hearing the odd things are a bit more interesting. either ways i will definitely watch it :)

[@RoyRissanen]

@@justacasualguy13 Not to worry, I love the odd things the most. lol

[@Suovala]

Very eye-opening to give a moment to these things easily taken for granted. Thank you!

[@RoyRissanen]

Yes, thank you. I figure everyone has already covered the drying rack above the sink. lol

[@tphyn]

Saw someone mentioning the breaks at work are called "kahvitunti" or "kahvitauko". On that note, Finland is to my understanding the only country where these are an integral part of the collective bargain. An 8 hour workday has to have a 30min break for lunch and two 12min coffee breaks. The break for lunch is unpaid in most contracts, so in reality you get paid for 7,5h per day, but funnily enough the coffee breaks are paid.

[@RoyRissanen]

Coffee is serious business . :)

[@manjelos]

In Germany the same, you work 37,5 hours week but you are at work 8 hours or you are at work 8,5 hours but get paid 8 hours. Small breaks, for example obligatory if you work with computer is 5 minute break each hour, paid...

[@barbarakauppi9915]

A thing that really surprised me was the water stations in lunch counters, bakeries, etc. We're used to seeing tiny plastic or paper single use cups at a water station in the US, but in Finland they all had beautiful, heavy, cut glass ware to drink from. So much less trash/waste and just classy.

[@RoyRissanen]

And the water its self is really good. :)

[@marguskiis7711]

The free range kids are in Estonia too. When I was in kindergarten mom took me there. BUT when I hit 7 and attended to real school, then I had to walk to school and back alone, from day two.

[@pystykorva7114]

I'm sure you blended in really nicely! You're probably more Finnish than the rest of us ;)

[@RoyRissanen]

haha.. Thank you, Pysty.

[@riinamandariina]

I like how you just casually doubled the amount of things in the list by having like 10 honorable mentions. Funny!

[@RoyRissanen]

Ha. THank you Riina. The original list was 50!

[@Maysti87]

@@RoyRissanen you should do a video about the rest of them its intresting to hear

[@stasacab]

There is sometimes even a small feather in the egg box stuck into the eggshell as a small gift from the chicken.

[@RoyRissanen]

ha.. Love that. :) Thanks Stacy.

[@tximeleta35]

We never wash eggs in Spain also. It is said that eggshells are porous and can be dangerous because you spread bacterias and they can penetrate inside the egg. Uf, my English is getting worse and worse😆

[@prltqdf9]

Feathers, yes, and also shit stains and bits.

[@carolinemacleod9777]

There's a lot to be learned here. Really interesting observations. Thank you Roy😊

[@K3ROKO]

Love these kind of videos, I get to see Finland from another perspective. I lived like 200 meters away from my preschool, I could even see my house from there but I wasn't allowed to go home until my parents picked me up. And when I started elementary school, my parents walked with me to school (800 meters) until I remembered the route and then I was allowed to go by myself. 😊 Finland is a pretty safe country and that is also one reason why kids are allowed to roam about at a young age.

[@KatsPurr]

So since I'm pretty much a fully fledged Finn these days, something that has freaked ME out when I visit North America these days is how different the culture is in regards to respecting a stranger's physical AND emotional space! In North America, strangers will get much closer to you physically and they will also ask quite intrusive and nosy questions about your personal life. From the every day North American's perspective, they are simply being friendly and would find the Finnish person offstandish to refuse to engage in such conversation, but for a Finn, it's disrespectful and outright freaky to have their space invaded like that. So, understanding both sides of the coin, which do I prefer? Being a bit of an introvert, I definitely prefer the Finnish way!

[@RoyRissanen]

I have noticed several cultures here in Canada which are much more 'close talkers' than others. The only way to deal with it is to lean right into it or you'll end up backed up against the wall.

[@taneliraatikainen7699]

Kiitos videosta Roy! Olet huipputyyppi. Tervetuloa takaisin Suomeen!

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos Paljon Taneli. :)

[@kissanruokaa]

It's so cool to see foreign people talk about my country this way. I respect you sir, have a great day :)

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos Lurtti. Se on hyvä maa; hyvää kansallista veteraanipäivää.

[@juurikki_]

I think 'oblivious to weather' is kind of a weird way to put it. We do take the weather into account, it's just that the question is "What do I wear outside?" more than "Can I go outside?".

[@RoyRissanen]

Moi juurikki. If you saw how people here tend to react to the weather it would make a lot more sense.

[@barbarakauppi9915]

@@RoyRissanen Again, it seems so different than expected to hear you say that in Canada. Living in the very Northern US we didn't have that attitude. It was as juurikki stated about simply dressing accordingly. Snow, rain, shine or mosquitoes, outside you went. In mild weather US areas, however, weather weenies are the norm.

[@pouncepounce7417]

@@RoyRissanen We do like to flex often too, like it is -30C outside and an guy from an warmer country shows up everyone greets the guy outside, in Tshirt and socks. (Can take a bit of frostbite for an good joke)

[@seliloski]

I will be visiting Tampere for Erasmus this fall actually and your videos have provided quite an insight :) Thank you for making these!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you for the comment Selin. I hope to get to Finland this year as well. Hopefully things get better soon. :)

[@Emppu_T.]

Fantastic, nice to know you enjoyed it! My great grandmother was a Rissanen.

[@Vipanen03]

In here parents walk their kids to school only on the first couple days and after that most kids are on their own during trips to school. However 1st graders are given yellow caps to signal everyone around them that they're a first grader and that drivers know to be extra careful, because they're still learning how to act in traffic.

[@124anya]

I’m a Finn too and am considering my first trip to the motherland. You put a quicken in my step on that! My own childhood was full of saunas. We had our own. Thanks for reminding me of good childhood memories. 🇫🇮

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you 124anya. Highly recomend the trip, you'll love it. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@MrS4NK4R1]

In finnish we refer to Finland as isänmaa (=fatherland) while the language is referred as äidinkieli (=mother's tongue) 😉

[@124anya]

@@MrS4NK4R1 thank you for that! I think my Father told me that once! He and and all his Suomi cronies had serious cases of Finnish nationalism for Finns in America. 😁

[@williamgallop9425]

Fact: Sleeping infants in carriage outside even when it is minus 10 C.(edited -30 -> -10)

[@RoyRissanen]

Yes! I didn't see that personly when I was there but I had also been one of those kids, so my mother tells me.

[@williamgallop9425]

@@RoyRissanen I remember reading that once in USA a finn left a baby sleep outside cafe and someone called CPS for it.

[@RoyRissanen]

@@williamgallop9425 Yeah people/society here is nuts.

[@williamgallop9425]

It is a thing invented(?) by arkkiatri Arvo Ylppö.

[@fleshesposito]

-30 is a bit much for that, but generally true, yes.

[@parraporro3416]

Katsottuani tän, arvostan yhtäkkiä Suomea paljon enemmän. 💯 Kiitos!

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos katsomisesta Sketchy.

[@annem3664]

Thank you Roy, I loved this. For me those things that freaked you out are so normal. It’s wonderful to realize that something in my country can amaze people living elsewhere.

[@abcxyz-nz5hm]

I really don't know why I get all this recommendation about Finland but I'm loving it

[@RoyRissanen]

ha. It's a sign! Thanks for watching abc.

[@tomituominen8141]

Gread video Roy! You made me realize somethings about Finland that obviously us Finns take for granted. Just to be clear; The singing at the end of the video is probably russian, not Finnish.

[@RoyRissanen]

Yes, would have been nice to catch a Finnish song but wasn't in the timming. Thanks for watching Tomi.

[@Venya9]

It always makes me laugh when people are shocked by the number and availability of saunas in Finland. I remember being 13, playing online games with my British friend and telling him I'm going to sauna and he thought we were extremely wealthy because we had our own sauna. Now my parents have 2 saunas, one outdoors and one indoors. We REALLY love our saunas.

[@RoyRissanen]

ha. nice. I really miss having a good sauna avalable. Thanks for watching Tangerina.

[@holoholopainen1627]

At UK - They Have Pubs - just like We Have saunas ! Some Go several Times a week - some just once !

[@freielias5479]

Kylla suomi on paras! Moved to finlad a decade a go. Learnt the language, I have become expert in rye sourdough bread making, a finnish citizen and sauna addict...........above all I love the personal space that Finns generously give it.......

[@RoyRissanen]

Nice. I'm looking forward to the bread. :)

[@UncleHam1337]

Imagine coming to spent a pleasant holiday in Finland and then you just constantly freak out! Jokes aside, good stuff.

[@RoyRissanen]

haha.. yeah, halfway through the editing I started thinking I should have used a different expression. Thanks for watching. .

[@ninaakari5181]

It is nice to see you here because I have seen you over many (maybe over 10) years in comment section of various KZbin videos I have watched. I have a wide range of areas of interest so I watch a lot of KZbin around assortment of themes :) You have very nicely done videos and pleasure to watch your channel!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Ninaa. Glad you're here and thanks for watching ... and commenting.

[@Peitsi]

It was surprising that Canada has more homeless people than the USA. I thought you had good social security.

[@RoyRissanen]

Canada seems to put up a good front and is resting to much on its Good Will over the last few decades. It's a real shame to see the state it's in. :(

[@barbarakauppi9915]

@@RoyRissanen I was quite surprised at those numbers as well! Homelessness has skyrocketed over the last decade or so in the US, especially in warmer/milder climates. There are easily close to 60-100K on the streets of LA alone. Where did you source your data, if you don't mind?

[@RoyRissanen]

Gov of Can website, Veterans Affairs, housingfirst, and Wikipedia mainly. It's quite bad in Canada. The downtown core in my city alone has two-three panhandlers on every block, on both sides of the street and then just out of the core, every intersection has someone with a cardboard sign. :(

[@CheesyKnobby]

The tragic rise of opioid abuse has most likely had a strong influence in this. It is sad and infuriating as a lot of opioids are pushed for profit in Canada by some of the most profitable companies on Earth.

[@Alaho65]

I allways think at Canada is like big Finland and they are very similar, but truth is little differend i think

[@RemuxIv]

This is the video that got me subscibed! Great work!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Andrei. And thanks for watching. :)

[@finternational]

Language: I have similar feeling when going to Finland, suddenly I can understand everything around me. It feels so weird!

[@jounikemppi]

This reminds me of the time my friend and I were in Paris. One night my friend was so drunk that he passed out on the table in a bar. A few minutes later a Finnish couple sat beside us and started to talk. A few minutes later my friend jumped up and yelled: "Mä ymmärrän ranskaa!" (I understand French) He was so drunk that he didn't even realize that they were speaking Finnish.

[@finternational]

@@jounikemppi Hahah, tämä on hyvä! This is good one!

[@jounipoylio9905]

There's an easy way to test your fluency in Finnish: if you understand the jokes in comic series Fingerpori, your knowledge of Finnish is deep and versatile.

[@finternational]

@@jounipoylio9905 True, but some Fingerpori jokes are really difficult and culture related. Sure, if you understand those, you are close to native speaker. I would not understand similar jokes in German (now 10 years here).

[@guigoinz112]

@@jounikemppi Aika hauska keissi ngl!

[@puhistagram]

Kiitos hienosta videosta, Roy. Oli tosi mielenkiintoista kuulla huomioita "ulkopuolelta". As a tourist in your own culture (I have done that as well, in Helsinki) Take care, Roy.

[@Diezel_FI]

If you ever decide to come back to Finland, try to go sailing or boating in the archipelago in the southern parts. From Helsinki to Hanko or the Turku to Aland Islands parts. The archipelago is spectacular and during the summer when it really never gets dark it's even more breathtaking. Fun fact, many of us with boats carry around small 1-4 person Sauna tent's so we can even go to the Sauna when we are on an island in the archipelago. If you need tip's you have a lot of Finns in your comment's willing to help :D

[@varsim5691]

What great observations of Finland😁👍thanks for a great video!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Varpu.

[@gargamel9436]

I love this! Finland is so underrated. I have never heard anyone saying a bad thing. Great!

[@RoyRissanen]

It really really is.

[@finneylane4235]

The food IS fantastic. You can eat breakfast, brunch and elevensies all before noon and the food is so healthy you can actually lose weight. Compared to American food with all its chemicals. Thanks for this video! Kiitos!

[@jounisuninen]

Nr 1 the karjalanpiirakka (rice pasty) is mostly not that good if you buy it ready made from a shop. Much better if homemade.The liver casserole is good though.

[@ozsfi]

I would like to make liver casserole in Norway but you cant buy raw liver in the shops though they have live paste for children to put on bread. Lovely to see the video of bread. In Norway they have many bread companies but you cannot see such a variety of coffee bread in Norway and there is no dark rye bread except one from Sweden. ark

[@itkenverta]

Wow, I got a little bit homesick... Im finnish living in spain for the sixth year and haven't been back to finland since the pandemic(i could not wear the mask for the whole flight time). I quit eating candy bc here it is so bad, but on the other hand ham is fricking awesome! Also when I was a kid, propably 7-8 years, I went from itäkeskus (east helsinki) to the centrum by myself in a metro to buy a toy from Stockmann. I was used to use public transportation but not that far away from home, so it was a big thing for me. Around the same age me and my friend went together with a map to a different part of the city by buses to buy some really good candy from a "factory shop", fresh and cheap. Our parents just told us to ask help from other people if we get lost. I've always had a travel fever though, since I was like 5 we used to run away, steal some candy and walk to sweden, from there to spain and africa and so on.:) Of course we never got further than the nearest freeway where someone would pull over and ask "wth are you kids doing here, where do you live I'll take you back home!".

[@RoyRissanen]

No place is perfect but there are so many positives here for sure.

[@Jenkkimie]

I love your sense of humor and I think you have a great voice. You could work in a radio or use your voice in other similar ways. Fun fact but for those who have never visited Finland the outfits worn by young adults in 16:05 timestamp are worn by University and University of Applied Sciences students.

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Jenkkimie. :)

[@Jmvars]

Reindeer I believe are considered "semi domesticated". They still roam the wild and are still herded in the wild. The Sami families will herd them on snowmobiles and ATVs for days on end, sometimes without sleep since they tend to not stop even if you do. It's a bit easier these days with modern technology like "electronic bells" which are basically just GPS trackers.

[@valkman761]

Roy, thanks for the video. Every single step you mentioned was something unique I've never paid attention to. Thank you also for not doing the stereotypical clean air, northern lights reindeer ride- type of list. I can't put the finger on it but there's a lot of "Finnishness" (if that's even a word) in your manners and gestures. I'll leave it to you if that's a good thing or not 😁

[@miamildh4334]

Finland is safe, and beautiful to live her ❤️🍀🙏💕🤗

[@AurorVonKorpi]

Kahvi on monille se ainoa jälkiruoka. Aamulla kahvia, töissä kahvia, töiden jälkeen kahvia ja jotkut jopa juovat kahvia vain pari tuntia ennen nukkumaan menoa.

[@RoyRissanen]

It's different than here for sure.

[@egaga-]

IV machine next to the bed in a bad case of kahvinpuutos.

[@MsWill813]

Aamiainen = kahvi+verenpainelääke

[@kristiinakapinen2071]

Mä juon kahvia jos en muuten saa nukuttua - pari mukillista ja mä tipun kuin pulu lumeen 😁☕️🥱☕️😴💤

[@DanUnplanned]

You’ve earned a new sub! Haha Finland is the best place I’ve visited but Canada is number one to visit! I wish I was brave enough to vlog when I went to Finland

[@RoyRissanen]

Thanks Dan. Yes they are both really nice in their own ways for sure. Thanks for watching.

[@DanUnplanned]

@@RoyRissanen my pleasure dude! Can’t wait to get more videos filmed myself! And excited to see your next one! Watched your live stream from yesterday this morning! Great video

[@meamikaela]

Ihana kuulla tuttuja suomalaisia asioita sinun näkökulmastasi!❤️🇫🇮New subscriber!!🤩

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos paljon Meaaa. Ja kiitos katsomisesta. :)

[@robinm1164]

Kiitos sulle mielenkiintoisesta videosta!

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos katsomisesta Robin. :)

[@hannuback]

Nice video! Finnish people are actually quite talkative, but generally don't like to initiate small talk. It's like don't bother anyone if you don't have something to say. We love to talk about the weather, but even those conversations are meaningful and analytic. Often if you do have something to say to a person, you do get a positive response and people do engage in conversations with strangers unless they're busy with something. Finland has cultural areas too, for example savonians are much more talkative than people from the west coast. It's true that people are generally friendly. Often it's just that they're too friendly to begin a conversations, because people don't want to bother anyone and silence is appreciated. It's not like we don't like to talk.

[@ozsfi]

@ Roy Rissanen . I'm also so happy I found your video today. It is one of the best and will find the others to read. I'm also a coffee drinker but I always want to have some bread with it. Last time I visited Finland I decided to experiment how I can make Finns to talk when waiting at the bus stop and they were always happy to talk. I did that as I remembered many years ago seeing a quite forbidding looking woman at a stop and when I talked to her, she could not have been happier and started talking about her daughter.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Many English speakers say that They Dont speak in Finland - When They Should just say that They Dont talk suomi ! Most People in Finland talk in Finnish - that IS called suomi ! So this IS an misunderstanding - but Nothing to Do with being SHY !

[@harrikahra7293]

Yet another great video! Kiitos Roy!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thank you Harri.

[@atech5491]

The large rabbits might have been "rabbits" called Rusakko. They are sort of different breed from regular rabbits which are called "Metsäjänis" (Forest rabbit) what you also might see. Also both are completely different breeds from the small "City rabbits" called kani which there are in Helsinki.

[@GreenLarsen]

In english thats a hare, I had the same thought when he talked about them.

[@llssneN]

What an interesting video.. glad you had a good time over here!

[@RoyRissanen]

Kiitos IlssneN. Ja kiitos katsomisesta.

[@taiyonohana4004]

He in english : Good morning! The eng auto-captions : Good morning! He in finnish : Hyvää huomenta! The eng auto-captions : *He’s a woman*

[@RoyRissanen]

Ha. The auto captions have a hard time with Finnish.

[@Alaho65]

Haha, i lauhgt so many times when i just for fun use google auto-captions for Finnish to English it just hilarious. Text gould translate not even close what i mean 🤣🤣🤣

[@ollimatik]

Great video Roy - thanks! I do remember the speaking Finnish bit... happened to me when I went to Sweden years ago - was in Stockholm, and there was a couple sitting at the next table, speaking in Finnish...! I then went to Finland, and same thing... everyone talking Finnish..!! And also the name... my last name is Matikainen - even harder than Rissanen :) ... got to the hotel and told them my name... no problem, here's your room! My Canadian born wife and our 2 kids spent 2 weeks visiting in 2015 - everyone really loved the visit... the only downside: bring lots of $$$ - things ain't cheap!

[@jenjerx]

I'm crying watch this 😭 from a 3rd world country! Also, I appreciate and respect the heck out of you guys!

[@RoyRissanen]

Thanks for watching jenjerx. :)

[@kperttul]

9:04 The coffee is served as a dessert because it’s quite strong and stomach can handle it better and then the caffeine effects at the same time as you get tired from the meal. But you can easily get a coffee before meal, just ask. I have done it multiple times when the meal as run late and I need an energy boost while waiting.

[@RoyRissanen]

I started to wonder where Finn's back home had the time to drink the most coffee in the world when they were not drinking it all the time. haha.