| Differences About Finland |
The first thing I should mention is the sunlight. Since Finland is
pretty high in the northern hemisphere, the sun does funny things in
the winter and summer. During the summer the sun is out almost
all night. At 11:00 pm the sun is still setting, so there is enough light
to throw football outside without any problem. Midsummer is next
week around June 25th or around there. They have a big festival in
one of the cities and it is to be the longest day of the year.
Consequently, in the winter the sun hardly shines, just the opposite
of summer obviously. This is one of the hardest things to adjust to
because I could be walking down the street at 11:30 pm and my
body feels like its 8:30 or something like that. I'm not ready to go to
bed when my body feels like it is 8:30. This can also cause a
problem with sleeping because it is so light, but we throw blankets
over the windows so it doesn't bother us that much.
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.
pretty high in the northern hemisphere, the sun does funny things in
the winter and summer. During the summer the sun is out almost
all night. At 11:00 pm the sun is still setting, so there is enough light
to throw football outside without any problem. Midsummer is next
week around June 25th or around there. They have a big festival in
one of the cities and it is to be the longest day of the year.
Consequently, in the winter the sun hardly shines, just the opposite
of summer obviously. This is one of the hardest things to adjust to
because I could be walking down the street at 11:30 pm and my
body feels like its 8:30 or something like that. I'm not ready to go to
bed when my body feels like it is 8:30. This can also cause a
problem with sleeping because it is so light, but we throw blankets
over the windows so it doesn't bother us that much.
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.
| This computer in our room is too old to get my pictures on... once I get my laptop going I will get them on here!!! |