Childhood in Finland

Word of warning

Human being is plastic but no one can claim that environment (whether social or physical) does not have its ways to shape our being also in latter parts of our lives. I have my experiences. I only remember some of them. I only want explicitly reflect some of them. That makes this text highly subjective but at least this Finn sincere thinks that these could be the things that molded my peace of "human plastic". Maybe you'll find discrepancies between my Finnish childhood and your Brazilian ones.

Early years

My mother did not take extensively long maternity or care leaves after having me but she returned to the factory she was working. I was then taken to home care that is quite typical alternative for kindergarden to take kids when parents are working. Before school years I was in three different home care places. The idea is that some people, usually mothers, take couple more kids to their home during the days to earn money. I absolutely loved the first one, Tuula-täti. The two other were ok as well. My mother do not have driver's licence and it was either my mother who take me/pick me up from care by bike (whether it was -25 celsius or + 25 celsius) or father by bike. Depending on their work days. My mother had a 2 shift work at factory so of course I was home when either of my parent was home.

When I turned 6, I was about to change home care but I cried, cried because I was not happy with the home cares we visited. I insisted to stay home. This is not definetely common that 6 years old stays home alone in Finland. My sister was then 15 and she came rather early home so basically every second week my mother was home until my sister came back from school and she went to night shift. Other days I spent lot of time at my friend's places who happened to have housewife type of mother, or then I played in our yard. Everything went just fine. It went so fine that my parents decide that even though it started as temporary solution they did not find/force me to home care anymore.

School years

Having step sister, really good friend of mine nowadays, is not always easy when one is young. Oh, that amount of teasing and bullying. :) I guess that is part of normality in every culture whenever there are siblings.

Living in small town where forest and nature is near. We mostly played our plays outside. Climbed up the trees, building things, playing ice hockey, swimming, playing hide & seek, laying down in the grass in late summer evening and watching stars together with friends. I guess our mothers were most parts happy having us outside to keep the noise down inside.

My primary school was small village school where classes were so small that classrooms were combined always kids two birthyear groups. It was fun time. During our Christmas season parties where we get our diplomas I was at acting at least twice Santa Claus in Xmas play. Our school was experimental school so from the grade 4th we got weekly tasks in different subjects (math, social sciences (include religion, geography, biology, history etc), mother language etc.) and only some typical classes were held. We delivered some of our weekly task as a group work or some as a results of independent effort. Sometimes we delivered essays, some times videos and so on. We also had video recorder and editing table there and we loved to do music videos. I was once Prince, oh I wish, I would still have those videos. It would be so much fun.

When the week was ending we checked together or presented our work to the class and teacher. I think for me this system of education work fine and I really really enjoyed primary school.

Teenagehood

Elementary school from 12 to 15 was not so fun anymore. Teenagers and their tiny problems me being one of the teenager. High school however was probably one most enjoyable time. My childhood happened to end at the same time when yearly tradition of Balls were held in Orimattila. My absolute favorite was Salty Dog Rag. In the link the tradition still continues but nine years after when I was part of it. :) I turned eighteen then and the world was open. Also doors to the nightclub opened up. Year after that it was military service before university.

What a nostalgy trip it was to write this!