Whenever you move to another country - sometimes it is possible to blend in.
Then again - sometimes you stick out like a sore thumb...
I think I am a bit of both...physically I do not look Finnish or European at all. Definitely not Swedish or Estonian...but yet Finns speak to me in Finnish all the time - which I take as a compliment.
It's an even BIGGER compliment if they understand when I speak Finnglish!
So, what are some super common questions asked of foreigners living in Finland?
Then again - sometimes you stick out like a sore thumb...
I think I am a bit of both...physically I do not look Finnish or European at all. Definitely not Swedish or Estonian...but yet Finns speak to me in Finnish all the time - which I take as a compliment.
It's an even BIGGER compliment if they understand when I speak Finnglish!
So, what are some super common questions asked of foreigners living in Finland?
- Where are you from?
- No, I mean where are you from REALLY? (I guess I don't look Canadian either.)
- Why are you in Finland?
- How long have you lived here?
- Do you speak Finnish? Do you understand it at all?
- When will you learn to speak Finnish? Do you find it difficult to get around without the language?
- Has any of your friends or family visited Finland?
- Have you gone back to your country to visit?
- What do you think of Finland?
- Do you have many friends here? (If your response is yes, do not be surprised if they are stunned and then ask, "Are they all Finnish?!")
- What do you miss the most about your home country?
- Do you speak French? (French is Canada's second official language. No, I do not - despite the French first name. Sorry.)
- Have you travelled to other parts of the EU?
- Do you live near Anne of Green Gables, on PEI?
- Is the weather similar?
- Do you like Finnish food?
- Do you like the sauna? Do you have saunas in your home country?
- What is the weirdest thing about Finland that you have noticed or experienced?
- How long does it take to fly here from your country and how many stops and where did you stop?
- Did you bring your pets with you?
- Why did you give your children Finnish names? (Most Finns think it's interesting that we do not know if we're living here permanently but because our boys are born here - we gave them VERY Finnish names.)
- What do you think of the long winter and dark days and the long sunny days in the summer?
- Can you cross-country ski?
- Do you like hockey as much as Finns do? (Personally - not really. And Canadians in general LOVE hockey - even to the point there are brawls and total destruction of cities when a Canadian team loses.)
- Do you find it hard to sleep with almost 24 hours of sunlight in the summer?
