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I just completed the final exam for this Focus on Finland course and... I GOT 93%!!. I'm very happy with this because I have found it a little bit difficult to keep up with the course while being out in Germany.  However, I have learned some key information about a range of Finnish things. The rich history of how Finland actually became Finland, Finland's sporting history and achievements, characteristics of Finnish lifestyle and also, thanks to the input of the other students, i have seen other people's opinions on the Finnish way of life. I have enjoyed learning on this course and it has only reinforced my desire to move permanently to Finland. Having a deeper knowledge about the country will help me to understand why people do the things they do and why they talk about certain things.

I look forward to learning more about my adopted country and also becoming more Finnish. Next on the checklist is mastering the language, wish me luck. Suomen Elämä!

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One of the assignments for the Focus on Finland course was to investigate characteristics of the Finnish economy. I am specifically interested in import and export as this is the field I wish to go in to post-graduation so I investigated what it is exactly that Finland has to offer to other countries.  A great source of information on this topic is the website; https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/fin/

This website has it all when in comes to economical statistics and information. you and go so deep in to the figures of Finland's portfolio of exports and imports. The first thing that stood out to me was Finland's largest export, Kaolin Lined Paper. My first reaction was...what on earth is that! I knew that Finland was a big player in the paper world and that there are an abundance of trees here, but I was not expecting paper to be Finland's largest exporting commodity.

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Finland's sporting history - An interesting insight

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Finland's sporting history - An interesting insight

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During the focus on Finland course, famous individuals were talked about.  Individuals from past and present and also in a wide range of fields, literature, politics, architects and sport people.

I have a huge interest in sports, and when the famous names of Mika Häkkinen and Paavo Nurmi came up in the learning materials, I decided to dive a little deeper in to famous sporting Finns. As a Formula 1 fan, I obviously know of the famous Finnish drivers such as Kimi Raikkonen, Mika Häkkinen, Keke Rosberg, JJ Lehto and Mika Salo to name a few. It was interesting to learn that Finland has a strong stamp in sporting history, across many sporting disciplines.  I also learned that athletes in my childhood turned out to be Finns, such as Sami Hyppiä. Sami was one of my younger brother's favourite football players ever, but I did not know he was Finnish until now, a little embarrassing. The most eye-opening sporting Finn, in my opinion was Paavo Nurmi.

Yes you can argue that he was in the age of sport when the competition was not as it is now-a-days (1920-1928) but his achievements were still impressive.  Paavo is currently ranked 9th All-Time in Olympic Medals, yes still in 2018.  Paavo won 12 total medals which included, 9 Gold and 3 silver.   He competed in the middle to long distance races such as 1500 meters, 5000 meters, 10,000 meters and also the team and individual cross country events, which actually no longer exist in modern day olympics.

To bring this back to 2018, Finland sent 100 athletes to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Finland won 6 medals at the games of which, Krista Pärmäkoski won 3 medals, in 3 different disciplines of skiing, 5 days apart from each other.  A truly amazing feat. The Finnish medalists were as follows:

1 Gold - Iivo Niskanen - Men's 50km classic cross-country skiing
1 Silver - Krista Pärmäkoski - Women's 30km Classic Cross-Country skiing
4 Bronze:
Krista Pärmäkoski - Women's 15km Skiathlon
Krista Pärmäkoski - Women's 10km Freestyle Skiing
Enni Rukajärvi - Women's Slopestyle Snowboarding
Finland Women's Ice Hockey Team placed 3rd in the tournament

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Ristiäiset - Finnish Christening / Naming Ceremony

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Ristiäiset - Finnish Christening / Naming Ceremony

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Early this year my best friend and his fiancé welcomed their first child in to the world. As is the regular in Finland, and interestingly with some other religion, 'Godparents' are chosen in or to witness the christening/naming ceremony of the newborn baby and become a kind of guardian to them.  I was honoured to be chosen as a Godparent to my friend's baby, who was named that day Alvar Onni Eliel Rajämaki.

I have been to these types of events back in the UK and it can be either very formal or in-formal, and in the case of some Brits, heavily influenced by alcohol, after there ceremony obviously. Im not sure if all Ristiäiset happen in the same way in Finland but after my experience, i feel that it is a very personal event. Only a small number of people attended, in this case 10 or 12, and interestingly the priest
actually comes to the house of the newborn to conduct the ceremony.  This was very different as in the UK the family take the newborn to the church in order to be christened or named.

The experience was very pleasant, 2 prayers were spoken and 1 hymn was sung...all in Finnish so I tried my best. Then as the name was announced, a small cheer and applause was made, followed by many pictures and lots of head kissing. What ensued next however was the highlight of the day, for me anyway. After the pictures were taken there was only one thing left on the agenda, as is common at family events, CAKE AND COFFEE of course.  However, this event was a little more interesting, there was a kind of cake war between the two families.  I may be emphasising the cake making BUT it did seem there was a little competition going on but in my opinion, they both won because the cakes were phenomenal.

Overall, i was privaliged to not only be present at such a personal and private event but to be named a godparent was an honour. I look forward to doing all I can to help bring up Alvar. It was also custom to give a gift to the newborn. I chose a bottle of whisky, a Japanese whisky in fact as it resembled the amazing time Vili (my friend) and I's time in Japan 2017. It might seem a little odd to be giving a 4 month old baby a bottle of whisky but it was also accompanied by a note. The note said "Happy 18th Birthday". I thought it would be a cool idea to let this whisky set of the next 18 years and to give Alvar his first legal alcoholic with his father, who does like whisky. I also wrote a small note talking about family values and that there are always people around to talk to when in need. I thought his was a nice idea.

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Im a bit late on posting this! - Junannus!!!!

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Im a bit late on posting this! - Junannus!!!!

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So I came back to Finland this weekend for, wait for it, JUHANNUS. Although I've lived in Finland for 4 years I am always busy working, playing or back in the UK on Juhannus weekend to experience it in full Finnish fashion, But this year i decided to come back for it. I have heard rumours about Finns not sleeping for the duration of the weekend, consuming copious amounts of beer and eating as many Makkara as humanly possible.  I was mentally prepared for what was to come.

Luckily I had chosen to spend my Juhannus with my girlfriend and her family.  They live in the area Perä-Seinajoki but live on a plot of land pretty much in the middle of the forest, very rural.  Every year, the family spend Juhannus weekend at their summer cottage, or "Kesä mökki" in Finnish. It is close to a small lake in the area close to Ahtari, only a 45 minute drive from their house.

*Preparation*
As the saying goes, preparation is key to success, and the goes for Juhannus also. We loaded up the two cars with an endless list of items that were deemed "necessary" for a two day excursion.  It was more like we prepared for a week.  Key items included;
Beer - essential
Makkara - even more essential
Perunasalatti (potato salad)
Molkky - Finnish family game)
Water - because no running water at the cottage

and finally a fishing rod.

*The location*
The kesä mökki was beautiful. A lakeside retreat. There was the main house where the dining table was, a TV, a fridge and cooking facilities. There was a small room next to the dinning room where two people could sleep. Then there was the outhouse where there was 2 bedrooms which could sleep 4-6 people depending on the set up. Additionally there was the "grill house". It was basically a small building that housed the wood burning grill. Then finally, the newest addition to the cottage was the sauna and palju (hot tub). My girlfriend's father actually built the whole "complex" over the last 10 years with his two sons. The building
were built using Finnish components and have an amazing finish to then bearing in mind they were built by the family.

*The weekend itself*
To start, the weather was amazing. 24 hours of sunlight near enough and full of blazing sun. Even though I was expecting some crazy beer drinking activities, I was pleasantly greeted with a more relaxed experience. Lots of sunbathing, long conversation, swimming, sauna, playing highly competitive games of Molkky, fishing and of course and endless supply of food. The food kept coming and coming, I honestly believe I gained 2 or 3 kilograms of weight just over these 2 days. As the evening arrived, we watched the World Cup, enjoying Germany beating Finland's nemesis, Sweden 2-1. More eating ensued long in to the night with the grill and natural fire burning away.

*Conclusion*
In a nutshell, I have never felt so relaxed in my life. The whole weekend it felt like there was no stress, no pressure, no responsibility, just pure peace and quite and being one with nature. I know that might sound a little cheesy but it was true. The connection or feeling of connection at least being out in the wilderness, going to toilet in a pit, not having
running water and turning our mobile phones off was true bliss. The sounds of birds chirping, lake water rippling and the wood fire crackling was a sensational experience. I could see that this part of the Finnish lifestyle and culture was in no other words, pure. Drinking beer (or lonker0 )and enjoying wholesome foods such as potato salads, sauages and other meats only added to the experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Johannes and I will no doubt be repeating it in 2019.

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Sauna is such a big part of Finnish culture it can’t be compared to anything else. For Finns, it is a must at regular intervals, and if they go too long without sauna, they’ll start feeling incomplete. For centuries, it has been a place for physical and spiritual cleansing, for getting bare in all senses of the word, and entering the core of humanity. Sauna is a way of life in Finland – toddlers take their first turns in sauna at only a few months old, and from then on, never stop.

Sharing a sauna with someone is about bonding, about discussing real issues – no small talk. In Finland, major decisions get made in saunas, not boardrooms. Throughout history, there has been no Finland without sauna, and beware, IT IS addictive :-)

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My name is Spencer Cutlan. I am originally from Wales but I have lived in Finland for nearly 4 years. Interestingly, my job is to play American Football, which is why I am currently living in Kempten, Germany until the end of October. I look forward to learning more about my adopted country, SUOMI!.