Finland: first impressions

 

City

When I arrived in Helsinki it was night and wow it was very cold (around -2ºC and the wind was strong). It was amazing to think that on the day before I was wearing lightweight clothes under a 35ºC summer sun.  I went to the bus stop outside the airport and then I took the bus to Hämeenlinna. The snow was covering everything outside.

 

When I arrived in Hämeenlinna I observed that it’s a very small city, but it has welcoming people. It is a place to find peace of mind and quietness. No visual pollution, all electrical wiring is under the ground. The city has a big lake and many squares. On the lake (it’s frozen), people can walk, or simply sit and observe the nature with its many birds, varied of vegetation and beautiful lake, in addition to the fresh air. It has very old wooden houses, but they are very beautiful.

 

Education

Everyone has access to internet provided by the government. The Finnish language is very difficult. The first word in Finnish that I learned was: “kiitos” (thank you). But communication is very easy, since almost everyone speaks English (supermarket cashier, bus driver…). Everyone communicated in English. Perhaps, because the English language teaching at school is really efficient.

The people are concerned with the environment and sustainability. The markets have machines to collect recyclables and every can or PET bottle has the value printed on them which can be received when returned to one of these machines. Bottles have a value on the package itself.

 

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