Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
Jan 26, 2016 14:55:35 GMT
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 2:46:16 GMT
I love this thread (and I love Finland)! In fact, I love it so much I decided to stop lurking and start posting (hello!). I did post occasionally on Twopeas but do not remember my username. Where in Finland do you live? Not to hijack your thread, but since I know there are many misconceptions about the Netherlands as well, please feel free to ask any questions you have about life in the Netherlands. Hello! I'm mostly a lurker too. I've visited Netherlands once and really liked the country! I live in Helsinki, the capital. My hometown where my parents live is in northern Finland, but not quite in Lapland. |
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 2:53:00 GMT
It is better bc2ca. The winning party is usually different in every elections. People have more options although there are a lot of similarities between parties. They are not as divided as there. We do have a mandatory military service for men, six months is the mininum time. |
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
Jan 26, 2016 14:55:35 GMT
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 2:58:49 GMT
Yeah, can I come visit?  Sure, welcome!  If you don't like snow, cold and darkness, I would recommend summer time. It is beautiful here in the summer! Can you tell I'm not a fan of winter? |
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Post by lucyg on Oct 15, 2016 4:18:51 GMT
I love this thread! All I can add is that my close childhood friend's mother came from a Finnish-American family in Minnesota. I was fond of her. |
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 6:25:19 GMT
I love this thread! All I can add is that my close childhood friend's mother came from a Finnish-American family in Minnesota. I was fond of her. Thank you! I think all Finns speak English in the same accent, because I've been asked many times if I'm from Minnesota. The oddest time was last summer. I was in Boston with my friend and we ate at Panera. We spoke Finnish the whole time. When we were leaving, an old man next us stopped me and asked if I'm from Minnesota. I'm still baffled; did he connect Finnish to Minnesota or do I look like I'm from Minnesota? I'm always happy to be asked this -it means my English is good enough.  During that trip happened one other thing that usually don't happen. We told our tour group that we're from Finland and someone knew something about your country!  But I'm sorry Americans, he was a Canadian. A hockey fan from Winnipeg which explains it. He was really excited to see Patrik Laine there this fall. I'm happy he's getting what he wanted -Laine scored in his first NHL game! So hockey fans, you have probably heard of Finland? Teemu Selänne, Tuukka Rask, Kimmo Timonen, Pekka Rinne, Saku Koivu, Mikko Koivu, Leo Komarov, Sebastian Aho, Alexander Barkov...? All Finns! TallennaTallenna |
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Post by leftturnonly on Oct 15, 2016 6:36:50 GMT
I read an article from a Finnish newsite about the US elections. It interviewed some Trump supporters in a rally. Few of them asked the Finnish reporter if it was difficult to live in a socialist country where you don't have money to even buy a television. Wow. That's all I can say. If this is really what some people know of the world, I am not suprised that Trump is so popular. I know that they are a minority in this issue, but still. Scandinavian countries aren't socialist -in a way Soviet Union was. Or never have been. Finland is a parliamentary republic. A nordic-style welfare state, which might lead some people thinking it's socialist. But I'm hoping all of you already knew that! And if there are people in the US think that Finland is a socialist country and are afraid that Obama tried to bring those same ideas to USA, let me just say, things aren't so bad here.  Finland is a top performer in education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties and quality of life. I would say many things here are in a better shape than in the US. Sure, I pay taxes. A lot some may say. But I've seen what some of you pay for your health insurance and it's a lot too. Those taxes have given me free education including university (master's degree). During university I was paid a monthly allowance for living and housing expenses. School lunches in the elementary school and the high school were free. We have universal health care. My gallbladder surgery that included four nights in a hospital cost me under 100 dollars. I don't have children, but paid maternity leave here is four months. After that you can stay at parental leave for six months, but you don't get the whole pay. And what I am really proud of; teenage pregnancies are really rare compared to industrialized countries. We have sex education in all the schools. A right to abortion isn't really a part political discussion here and abortions are legal. So. I've a lot of cleaning to do this Friday evening and I thought I could take breaks and answer to your questions. Do you want to know something about Finland? Or do you want to know what we think here about US and the politics here? Believe me, we discuss about the elections every day at work. TallennaI know basically nothing about Finland. It sounds quite nice... (you did leave out COLD! though. ) If the US were faced with the possibility of a system like what you have described, a whole lot more people would be in favor of it. But we aren't. Every day is bringing new Wikileaks reveals that show just how deep the corruption within our government lies. The very last thing about 1/2 the country wants is to trust the government with even more of our general welfare. I really wish people would understand how basic that is, and get past all the personalities of the people running. (And that includes a lot of the Republican politicians!) Count your blessings, Enna. I hope your country's system continues to work well for all of you for many years to come. < just a wee bit jealous, I am> |
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
Jan 26, 2016 14:55:35 GMT
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 6:51:54 GMT
leftturnonly , sometimes it is easy to forget that I should be proud of this little country of ours. We do have problems here too, but nothing like in the US. I did left out cold, and that's the main reason I hate this place in the winter. When it's -30c (-22F?) and you're walking in a cold and dark morning to work, you just wish you lived somewhere warmer. Tallenna
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wellway
Prolific Pea
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Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Oct 15, 2016 8:09:45 GMT
How cool that you are doing this. I remember seeing a wonderful programme about the Sami people and it featured a woman singing, it was beautiful.
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Deleted
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Jun 1, 2024 8:12:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2016 11:49:52 GMT
Thanks so much has for this very interesting thread. I would have ever guessed that English is not your first language. My question is, how did you find 2peas? Is scrapbooking popular there? And, what % of families choose to have a sahm and is childcare free or cheap?
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Deleted
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Jun 1, 2024 8:12:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2016 11:59:36 GMT
Wow.Thanks for sharing about your country! I would love to see it someday! |
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 12:14:39 GMT
Thanks so much has for this very interesting thread. I would have ever guessed that English is not your first language. My question is, how did you find 2peas? Is scrapbooking popular there? And, what % of families choose to have a sahm and is childcare free or cheap? Thank you so much! I've studied English since 3rd grade and I like using it a lot; I watch my movies and series without subtitles and read a lot in English. It helps with the writing too. I found 2peas a long time ago and I don't remember for sure how. I think I was googling places to buy scrapbooking supplies. I order a lot from the US because we don't really have any good stores here. There are scrapbookers in Finland but it is not a huge thing in here. Staying home with kids is much more rare here than in the States. I only found one number; 66.4% of mothers with children under 3 years are working. But it is not really the whole truth, because it is easier to stay home with under 3 year old children. You can keep your job for three years. I don't know or remember anyone who has stayed home after that. And I think it is pretty rare. I don't have children so I had to check the facts about childcare. The price is not same for everyone; it depens on how much the family makes in a month. I read that for one children the maxinum is 283 euros per month in city daycare. There are private kindergardens, but I don't think they are much more. Tallenna |
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Post by phoenixcov on Oct 15, 2016 12:51:25 GMT
Thanks for this very interesting thread, was reading quite happily until I saw mentioned "Salty liquorice" now my taste buds have overridden my brain.
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 13:08:39 GMT
Thanks for this very interesting thread, was reading quite happily until I saw mentioned "Salty liquorice" now my taste buds have overridden my brain. I haven't met many foreigners that like the taste, but I love it. Not these though:  |
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 15, 2016 13:20:59 GMT
I hear that your schools are excellent, and would love to hear about them.
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ginacivey
Pearl Clutcher
refupea #2 in southeast missouri
Posts: 4,685 
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Post by ginacivey on Oct 15, 2016 13:49:46 GMT
this is such a nice thread
my paternal grandfather's family is finnish
they are Hukkanens
Finland is on my bucket list!
gina
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 14:01:13 GMT
I hear that your schools are excellent, and would love to hear about them. Yes, Finland is one of top countries regarding education. Michael Moore visited Finnish schools for his film Where to Invade Next, so that might open things a little bit. Or this blog written by an American teacher in Finland. I can compare only universities. I spend one semester in a state university (in the US) during my studies. What I noticed is the level of indepencendy. I don't know if that is the right word, but the university in the States felt more like Finnish high school recarding the rules and expetations. One example is attendance. I think we trust more that students make the right choices. In the university nobody checks if you are in the class or not. I was suprised that they do that in the States. I was over 20 at that point and had been living on my own for years. When I was thrown it this world of mandatory attendance, quizzes and dorm living with all the rules it was bit shocking. I think giving freedom for the students teaches them responsibility. Tallenna |
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 14:04:09 GMT
this is such a nice thread my paternal grandfather's family is finnish they are Hukkanens Finland is on my bucket list! gina I don't hear that last name often. But the end -nen is really common with the last names. "Hukka" is one name for a wolf, kind of nickname. Tallenna |
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valleyview
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Jun 27, 2014 18:41:26 GMT
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Post by valleyview on Oct 15, 2016 14:53:50 GMT
Regarding schools - are students encouraged to question their teachers or to accept the lessons being taught?
I am wondering if in schools, parents question the teacher's authority and subject matter, or if they are more accepting of different perspectives.
Example - trying to get books banned or excluding what is in the text possibly because of a religious disagreement. (like evolution)
Thanks again for the thread!
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Enna
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 15:23:13 GMT
Regarding schools - are students encouraged to question their teachers or to accept the lessons being taught? I am wondering if in schools, parents question the teacher's authority and subject matter, or if they are more accepting of different perspectives. Example - trying to get books banned or excluding what is in the text possibly because of a religious disagreement. (like evolution) Thanks again for the thread! This one is a tough one and I can only speak from my own experience. I would say that religion doesn't affect here nearly as much as in the States. I've never heard any discussion whether evolution should be teached at shools. It is teached and I would say pretty much everyone including our church accepts it as a scientific fact. I'm sure that there are some religious groups here that disagree with the evolution theory, but they're really small. I don't know if any of them has ever tried to ban some books, but I'm pretty sure they would not be successfull in that. Even the idea of banning some books used in schools is really weird for me. There are guidelines for all schools and the books are same for everyone. So religion isn't really a problem here. If the parent doesn't want the child in the religious education class (because they are not religious or a member of some other religion like islam), the child is teached a class with world culture studies. I believe they are covering different religions and filosofies in that class. That's pretty much it. Regarding other things I think parents pretty much trust the school system and the teachers. Why wouldn't they? Now that I think I remembered one thing. There was a discussion about school celebrations. In the spring when schools end there is usually a celebration and part of it is a religious song about spring. Some people started to question if it's appropriate now that schools have more children with different religious backgrounds. The govermental ruling was that one song doesn't mean that the celebrations are religious, the song is more a tradition. If some parents feel that it is religious and against their beliefs, their child don't have to attend the celebrations. TallennaTallenna |
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Post by lisae on Oct 15, 2016 16:46:22 GMT
Thank you for answer all these questions, Enna. I knew very little about Finland and this has been fascinating!
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valleyview
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Jun 27, 2014 18:41:26 GMT
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Post by valleyview on Oct 15, 2016 16:51:29 GMT
Thanks, Enna! I know of situations where parents have tried to get books banned and removed from classes where there was an assumption that the instructor was gay. The strangest thing about that was the students loved this particular class, and he was the "manliest" man in the building. I'm pretty certain that Muslim students would have to face many hurdles in my local schools. |
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AnotherPea
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Post by AnotherPea on Oct 15, 2016 16:57:08 GMT
As a teacher I have seen quite a few articles on Finland and quite a few interviews with leaders in your country. What has always pleased me is that these leaders are very quick to acknowledge that while there are some great programs at work in their country, they do not have the same challenges that the US does. What works in Finland, they state, probably would not look the same here (US).
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Enna
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 17:05:41 GMT
Thanks, Enna ! I know of situations where parents have tried to get books banned and removed from classes where there was an assumption that the instructor was gay. The strangest thing about that was the students loved this particular class, and he was the "manliest" man in the building. I'm pretty certain that Muslim students would have to face many hurdles in my local schools. It is hard to imagine this happening in Finland, but the world and our country are changing. There are more and more Muslim students and students without any religious background in schools and that might change something in the future. Tallenna |
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 17:08:37 GMT
As a teacher I have seen quite a few articles on Finland and quite a few interviews with leaders in your country. What has always pleased me is that these leaders are very quick to acknowledge that while there are some great programs at work in their country, they do not have the same challenges that the US does. What works in Finland, they state, probably would not look the same here (US). That's true. The whole education system is different than ours and we definetely don't have the problems and challenges than US does. One thing is the number of students -we only have five million people in the whole country. But I think there is always something to be learned from others. Tallenna |
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AnotherPea
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Post by AnotherPea on Oct 15, 2016 17:19:35 GMT
As a teacher I have seen quite a few articles on Finland and quite a few interviews with leaders in your country. What has always pleased me is that these leaders are very quick to acknowledge that while there are some great programs at work in their country, they do not have the same challenges that the US does. What works in Finland, they state, probably would not look the same here (US). That's true. The whole education system is different than ours and we definetely don't have the problems and challenges than US does. One thing is the number of students -we only have five million people in the whole country. But I think there is always something to be learned from others. TallennaITA. Unfortunately, many of our politicians see only part of the story. If Finnish schools have such great scores, we must too! But they aren't willing to have kids start school at 7, have more recess, pay and treat teachers as professionals. Finland is much more homogeneous than the US, especially so 20-25 years ago. Not just in race, but in philosophies. |
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Enna
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Location: The land of the midnight sun
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 17:21:19 GMT
Because I'm more and more disgusted about Trump and news regarding him, I thought I would tell you about the last presidential election in Finland.
The election was held four years ago. There is always a candidate from each of the eigth parties. If one canditate doesn't get over half of all votes, there will be a second round two weeks later. This time there was a second round with a candidate from one of biggest parties and a candidate from the Green Party.
The candidate from one the biggest parties was Sauli Niinistö and he became our president. He got 62.2% of votes on the second round. He has been really loved in Finland and people were really happy he was finally running for the president. So his win wasn't a suprise.
But what makes me proud is the other candidate on the the second round. He was Pekka Haavisto. He has a lot of experience from politics including international work. People really saw him as a good candidate.
What majority of Finns didn't care about was his personal life. He is openly gay and is married. His husband is a lot younger and from Ecuador. Haavisto isn't a member of our national church or any other church.
I don't think this could happen in the States and sometimes it is hard to understand. Especially when there's Trump running.
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Enna
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Post by Enna on Oct 15, 2016 17:24:58 GMT
ITA. Unfortunately, many of our politicians see only part of the story. If Finnish schools have such great scores, we must too! But they aren't willing to have kids start school at 7, have more recess, pay and treat teachers as professionals. Finland is much more homogeneous than the US, especially so 20-25 years ago. Not just in race, but in philosophies. That's true. 20-25 years ago I was in elementary school and there was only one immigrant in our class. Sure, I was living in small town far from the capital, but still. It is easier to make things work in a homogeneous country. Tallenna |
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Post by GamGam on Oct 15, 2016 17:49:59 GMT
Thanks so much for posting. I'm curious about your work week. Can you tell us how that goes for you and others?
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~Lauren~
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by ~Lauren~ on Oct 15, 2016 18:04:07 GMT
Thanks for the interesting information about a country we rarely hear about here in the States.
I am a hockey fan, go Rangers, but my two favorites, Matts Zuccarello and Henrik lundqvist are from Norway and Sweden.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2016 19:08:21 GMT
Childcare on a sliding scale...wow. That is really interesting!
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But I'm sorry Americans, he was a Canadian. A hockey fan from Winnipeg which explains it. He was really excited to see Patrik Laine there this fall. I'm happy he's getting what he wanted -Laine scored in his first NHL game! 
Finland is a top performer in education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties and quality of life. I would say many things here are in a better shape than in the US.
My original pea date was November 1999 and my number was 1803