The hairstyles are pretty crazy. We've seen a few mohawks and tall pointy hair, mostly in the teenage boys. There are also some girls with cherry red hair. One of the most popular hairstyles in girls is jet black hair mixed with very blonde highlights.
Another thing is the dogs. Some people walk their dogs in downtown and almost everyone of them is flat out ugly. I have seen some decent looking bigger ones, but the small ones are not.
The cost of living. Finland is one of the most technologically advanced countries, even more so in than the US in some respect. Cell phones, for example, are a lot more advanced and are sweet looking. Also Finland has a very high tax from their government. Therefore, everything is so expensive here, even the things that are made in the country are highly priced. At McDonalds a Big Mac meal costs around $4.50 or $5.00 in the US over here it costs $8.00 (? 6.50 in euros). Cell phones have comparable costs with the United States but, Nokia is a Finnish company and the cell phones here are a lot more advanced.
Gas is real expensive and a little different. Over here they have gas that is 98 and 95 octane. In the US most cars take 87 octane, 89, or 93. Gas costs around ? 1.19 per LITER. In the US this would be $5.40 per gallon!!! To help the situation, they have cars with very small engines. 2.0 Liter engine is a big engine and they go as low as 1.0. This means there are very few SUVs and a lot of the newer looking station wagons.
In downtown Turku, one of the largest cities in Finland, there are not as many cars driving through the city as there is in Cincinnati or Indianapolis. Everybody is outside walking wherever they have to go, especially in the summer because winter is so cold. There may not be as many cars driving through the city because there is a huge parking garage underground right below the city. I know it is big, but I'm not sure of the details. From what I've learned already it seems like it goes all throughout the city and there are street signs below telling you what streets are right above you. Oh yeah, the street lights for cars are on the ground about the same height and placement as a cross walk sign in the US.
There are no high rise buildings or skyscrapers. Most shops are on the first floor and there are apartments in the upper levels. Most buildings are about 8 levels high including our building. Directly below us there is a Chinese restaurant, a bar, a tattoo parlor, and a massage place. The tallest building in the city is a big hotel and it is down by the square. The square is a big marketplace type deal in the middle of the city where you can buy fruits, vegetables, shirts, candy, and other things. These booths are set up during the afternoon and they pack up and leave by the evening.
Tipping. When you go to a restaurant you do not tip the waiter or waitress. I guess they get a regular wage and you are not supposed to tip them, but I've also noticed that the waiters won't come back to check on you as often. Though, in Blanco the waitresses do a good job of refilling drinks and checking on us. On the other hand, when you leave a club or a nightclub you are supposed to tip the bouncer. Over half the people don't do it, but it is different than back in the States.
