Post #3: Koirat/Dogs

Howdy y’all! I was thinking that it would be a good idea to start adding pictures to my posts.  Unfortunately I will have to do that later, but I will be going back through my older posts and adding pictures so you can get a better feel of what Finland is like.

Today I want to talk a little bit about the dogs in Finland. Finns love their dogs! Even though many Finns live in apartments they still find ways to please their furry companions. I have never seen a people as a whole take better care of dogs than Finns do. Many times we would run into people out on their street while they were walking their dog. Finns love to go on walks, I will expound on this in another post. I really like the way the Finns walk their dogs. They are very gentle with them. When the dog stops to sniff something out they do not keep walking and drag the dog along rather they are very patient and allow the dog to enjoy being outside. Finns don't just walk their dogs, they walk their cats too! Finns are especially good at taking dogs on walks even when it is well below freezing outside. Abundant dog parks also make this country a great place for dogs.

The craziest experience I had with dogs in Finland was when we went to go knock on someone’s door to tell them about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and when they opened the door 2 great big German Shepherds flew out.  The massive dogs were barking and nipping at us, it was quite nerve racking.  We were safe though because luckily Finns are very good at training their dogs.  The wife of the man who opened the door came outside called them sternly and the dogs returned back into the house just as quickly as they came out.  We were very grateful.

     Finland is truly a great place for animals and humans alike.  If you ever visit I would definitely recommend talking to someone about their dog and the chances of making a good friend in Finland will go up exponentially!

Well that’s my spiel for today.  Thanks for reading!

Post #2: Väestötiedot/Demographics

Today I want to talk a little about the general demographics of Finland.  There are approximately five and a half million people currently living in Finland.  The majority of the population lives in the southern part of the country, though there are quite a few large cities in the north.  Helsinki is the largest city and also the capital of the country.  There are nearly 600,000 people that live in Helsinki.  For Europe Helsinki is a very small capital city.  The official languages of Finland are Finish, which nearly 90% of the country speaks, and Swedish, which just over 5% of the country speaks.  You will find the majority of the Swedish speakers on the west coast, because of the strong Swedish influences found there.  There is also quite a strong cultural difference between Finnish speaking Finns and Swedish speaking Finns because of this influence.

As a church representative I had the opportunity to live on the west coast of Finland in the city of Jakobstad, also known as Pietarsaari in Finnish.  This city is Swedish speaking, though most people there understand and speak Finnish.  I had the opportunity to learn some Swedish, though I am not fluent in it I could understand a lot of what would be said in conversations.  I always felt more comfortable in Finnish so even in this city I would start conversations in Finnish.  It was funny when we would stop to speak with someone out on the street when they would pretend that they didn't speak Finnish because they didn't want to speak with us.  Lucky enough for me I had a friend from Sweden who was with me, and he would be able to stop and talk to them about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I got to live in and visit most of the regions in Finland and I found that there are nice people and beautiful cities all over the country.  You will not be disappointed no matter where you visit in Finland.

Post #1: Johdanto/Introduction

I never thought that I would be writing in a blog and I also never thought that I would live in Finland.... but I am and I did.  This blog is all about Finland!  I hope that those who come across and follow this blog gain some sense of love and appreciation for Finland from these blog posts.  I lived in Finland for 2 years as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, and loved it!  I now work for a company doing customer service in Finnish and have many friends who are currently living in Finland, so if you have any questions about Finland or Finnish that are not answered in this blog please comment and I will use those resources to help you find an answer. Though these blog posts may not be long I will be giving accurate information and also my personal perspective of Finland from my own experiences.  I hope you enjoy!

In this post I would also like to give some background on the phrase "Oi Suomi Katso."  Directly translated into English it means "O Finland, behold."  It comes from the famous song "Finlandia Hymni."  This song is quite sacred to Finns because it is about Finland gaining its independence.  It was composed by Jean Sibelius in the late 19th centery, and the words were later added by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi.  Members of The Church of Jesus Chist of Latter-day Saints may recognize this tune from "Be Still My Soul."  Here is a link to the song  and also the words in Finnish and English:

Finlandia Hymni


Lyrics in Finnish

Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, 1940 Oi, Suomi, katso, sinun päiväs' koittaa,
Yön uhka karkoitettu on jo pois,
Ja aamun kiuru kirkkaudessa soittaa,
Kuin itse taivahan kansi sois'.
Yön vallat aamun valkeus jo voittaa,
Sun päiväs' koittaa, oi synnyinmaa.

Oi, nouse, Suomi, nosta korkealle,
Pääs' seppelöimä suurten muistojen.
Oi, nouse, Suomi, näytit maailmalle,
Sa että karkoitit orjuuden,
Ja ettet taipunut sa sorron alle,
On aamus' alkanut, synnyinmaa.

Lyrics in English
Tr. J. Mark Sugars and Frank, 1998 O Finland, behold, your day has now come dawning;
Banished is night, its menace gone with light,
Larks' song again in morning-brightness ringing,
Filling the air to heaven's great height,
And morning's glow, night's darkness overcoming;
Your day is come, o my native land.

O Finland, rise, stand proud, the future facing,
Your valiant deeds recalling, once again;
O Finland rise, in the world's sight erasing
From your fair brows vile slavery's stain.
You were not broken by oppressors ruling;
Your morn has come, o my native land.

This song truly is special.  When I was in Finland myself and a couple other missionaries decided to go caroling. We sang Christmas Carrols as people walked past us in the middle of Helsinki.  We then decided to sing "Finlandia Hymni" and the unreal happened.  People stopped and watched us with reverence.  At the end a couple people even tried to give us money.  I love this song and the story of Finland and am glad that it now holds a special place in my heart!