Interesting customs and traditions in Finland

I will briefly comment on one thing.  Understand the space between people when you live abroad.  Finns have a very large private sphere and inside that sphere, they feel safe.  They will also assume that your private sphere is the same size.

What this means is that Finns are quiet and reserved because it is a cultural norm to be that way.  That is why they don't say hi to people they don't know and unless you are unfortunate enough to sit behind 2 school girls, you can usually take the long distance bus and it won't be a racket inside.  Of course, if you tell the 2 school girls to pipe down, they will because they realize their noisy chatter has breached your private sphere.

Another way of understanding the space Finns require is to look at a culture where the private sphere is very small.  America and France, for example, are known as countries where the people say hi to everyone and it's common to chat with a shopkeeper when you in the store.  In France, it is considered rude to ask a shopkeeper, "Can you recommend a Provence Rose" without saying "Bonjour" first, but you could probably get away with it in America.

So, my obversation and best advice is this:  If you want Finns to feel comfortable around you, respect their private sphere.  Say hi to people you know and don't greet people you don't know.  Say "kiitos, hei hei" when you leave a store.  On the phone, wait for the Finn to say good-bye first if you are the caller.   And don't babble on like an idiot at dinner time.  Finns are quiet at the table - usually - so unless you happen to be dining with chatterboxes, keep your conversation to a minimum.

I've lived in Finland for 15 years, I did not put the correct information on my profile because I got tired of having to re-type everything twice, and this site needs to accept a Facebook profile without all the extra data entry.  Otherwise, busy people won't sign up.