French student in Erasmus in Finland

BIKE IN FRANCE In France to get around by bike depending on the city where you are is not always very convenient, you sometimes have to ride on the road with cars because there is no bike path and it can be very dangerous. That's why we generally see very few people on bikes, or else it's for bike rides but in a particular place or for a particular event. BIKE IN FINLAND What shocked me the most in Finland is the fact that EVERYBODY is cycling to do EVERYTHING at ANY time. There are much more bike paths than in France.  And Finns have a great respect for people who are on bikes: pedestrians don't walk on the bike lane, cars stop immediately when a bike wants to cross the road. Whether it rains, snows or goes shopping at the supermarket, Finns use bicycles. I've never seen that in France. Cycling in Finland is part of everyday life for Finns. There are hundreds of kilometers of cycle paths, including between cities. It is therefore not uncommon to see Finns ...

WHERE IS IT ? I went there completely accidentally but it's a really nice place that you should go if you staying in Turku. It's in a building with shops in the center of the city. You have to enter in the building and take the elevator to go to the last floor of the building and there is the  Walo rooftop bar. There, you can drive very nice drink but also very expensive... The atmosphere is really nice an really cosy. WHAT IS SPECIAL ? It's more than a bar you hav a  Wonderfull point of view of all the city. There is two floor, one inside and an other on the top, top, outside. You will get an over view of all Turku with all the importants monuments. There is also a map in the bar which can explain to you what are the building that you are watching. You can do int on the evening or during the day both experiences are amazing.

YOUNG CULTURE I went for a walk in the Museum of Modern Art in Turku and looked for information about the history of art in Finland. It is important to know that Finnish culture is relatively young. It is still developing intensely. Between the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, artistic creation crystallized around the cult of national identity. It was still necessary to get rid of the Swedish traditions conveyed by an omnipresent Swedish-speaking elite. The painters were therefore inspired by the Finnish regions of expression, such as Karelia, the cradle of the Kalevala.  NATIONAL ROMANTICISM National Romanticism, the Nordic counterpart of Art Nouveau, found its most brilliant spokesman in the painter Aleksis Gallèn-Kallela (1865-1931), who drew the essence of his work from the Kalevala. Writers and composers alike find inspiration in the Karelian forests to uncover their authentic Finnish roots. The large canvases of Gallèn-Ka...

THE SAAMI When I went to Lapland I learned a little more about the Saami and their traditions. First of all, you have to know that the Saami are a people of Lapland, an area that covers the north of Sweden, Norway and Finland as well as the Kola Peninsula in Russia .  THE  REINDEER It is said that the Saami used to use reindeer as beasts of burden, especially to pull their sleds. Milk and meat were a highly valued source of food, while the skins were used for clothing and protection in makeshift dwellings. The kota was a kind of tepee covered with reindeer skins.  THEIR CLOTHING In the clothing department, their taste for colour is reflected in the making of clothes with often very bright shades of blue, red and yellow. Reindeer fur is still used for coats, leggings and mittens.  CHAMANISM In these boreal latitudes, where mankind is fighting an incessant battle against the elements, it is not surprising that shamanism has found favourable grou...

A HOFSTEDE DIMENSION One challenge facing humanity, today and in the past, is the degree of socialization of young children. Without socialization, we do not become "human". This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses according to the way they have been brought up. A tendency towards relatively weak impulse control is called "Indulgence", while relatively strong impulse control is called "Restraint". Cultures can be described as either indulgent or restrained. RESULTS The relatively high score of 57 indicates that Finland is a forgiving country. People in this society generally show a willingness to fulfil their impulses and desires to enjoy life and have fun. They have a positive attitude and tend to be optimistic. In addition, they place more importance on leisure time, do as they please and spend their money as they wish.

FINLAND TODAY  The first thing that shocked me in Finland was the road signs, I couldn't understand them. To indicate a place there were always two names on them. Then I learned that there was a Finnish and a Swedish version.  Finland has 5.4 million inhabitants with a population density of 16 inhabitants per square kilometre. While 85% of the population lives in urban areas, 15% of Finns live in rural areas. In the vast areas of Lapland, the density does not exceed 2.2 inhabitants per km2. In addition to the Finns, who make up the majority of the population (93%), there are also three minorities in Finland. The largest is the 300 000 Finlandsvensker or Swedish-speaking Finns. The country is indeed bilingual with two official languages, and this minority group includes the few that coexist: Finnish and Swedish. The second settled north of the Arctic Circle. Unlike 7,000 Saami (formerly called Lapps) to the Inuit, they came into contact with the more southern peoples at a ...

WAHT YOU SHOULD KNOW... I'm telling you here some tips about the character fo the Finnish. What you should know and understand their values to be more in contact with them. INDENTITEDNESS  Three groups are emerging in Finland: the Finnish-speaking, the Swedish-speaking and the North Sami. These groups are further subdivided according to their level of education and occupation. Finns are generally very patriotic. Recent independence and a tumultuous and painful history have united the nation. However, a strong Russian and Estonian diaspora is increasingly felt, especially after Estonia's accession to the European Union in 2004.  MORALE   Finnish customs are partly modelled on those of the other Nordic countries. At work, seriousness dominates. At weekends, on the other hand, the party is in full swing and the alcohol is flowing. At the same time, the sauna remains an institution. On average, people go there once a week. As an extremely health...