Regions, dialects, brotherhood

Practical hint

Before diving into my last topic about dialects, more stereotypes and neighboring country of Estonia I would recommend you to do Notification of move. It can be done in internet just follow the instructions. When that is done you are able to get library card, cheaper public transportation monthly ticket and so on. It takes approximately one week after submitting the data when it is registered so do it at least seven days before you'll get here. You can use my address as your place of stay when you do the notification and when you'll find your own flat you can change that. My address you can find from the bottom of every email I've sent your email.

Regions

While you are struggling to get the grasp of basic Finnish I think it is time to confuse you with the different regions and their dialects. Currently we only have only six different provinces but they do not reflect that well historical regions. They are Ahvenanmaa (that's where I have spend 2 summers, all together half year), Häme (that is where I have lived 20 years of my life), Karjala, Lappi, Pohjanmaa (Ulla-Maija's origin), Satakunta, Savo (that is where I studied), Uusimaa (that is where Helsinki and I am currently locating) and Varsinais-Suomi.

Dialects and stereotypes

Note: The idea of behind the most of these short ad clips is that there is tourist who is asking from a local how find his/her way. Obviously due to the dialect and culture differences tourist even more confused after receiving the answer.

Turku is the former capital of Finland and probably it is the town that more people have negative feelings than any other Finnish city. No surprise I like the town. Turku is also part of Satakunta.

Helsinki is our representant of Uusimaa. Dialect of Helsinki is called Stadin slangi and most of the words are inherited from Russia and Swedish to it.

Lappi is the place where people are always in good mood. Besides the dialect in the video they have there is also their own language and strong culture of Saami people. We also have hip hop band doing music in Saami...

Big part of Karjala was lost to Soviet Union. For some reason their dialect would be the dialect I would choose if I would need to choose one that describes the essence of Finland.

Savo is the place where the people are said to be not so straightforward. That how they escape any responsibility. That is where I studied.

Häme is where they are slow but sportive. Or at least the Tampere dialect is the number one ice hockey dialect.

Besides all this we have those Estonians we tend to think as our little brothers. They are same language family and probably most funny language to us. BTW I just spend there 3 days holiday and it was fantastic. Funny thing is also that we both share the same national hymn melody (comparison) , Finland and Estonia.

Final words

This was it! We are on our winter since and the nights are getting darker. Luckily warmest month, July, is still ahead. Blooming is still the and earth looks pretty green indeed for becoming couple of months.

Have a best July of your life. Meet friends. Meet family. Take a sip or two cachaca. Pack your luggages with warm & sunny brazilian thoughts.

I will have my last day of work tomorrow on Friday and I will try to avoind internet until the end of July.

Beijos!

M

Stereotypes

Two Brazilians in Finland

You two have learned a lot. You are probably almost ready to become decent inhabitants to Finland. You know our language or at least some parts of it. You know you can make it. We are pessimistic nation so I am not sure if you can but I have my hopes high!

My mother

When my mother watches sports (ski jump, ice hockey, formula 1, cross-country skiing, javelin) or Eurovision song contest she is always repeating that the Finnish representants won’t bring any medals this time. I am sure she is keeping her thumbs up but she is afraid to really believe in that. We are topping the chart being last Eurovision song contest more than any other country so maybe my mother has her reasons to be careful.

Ruled by the others

Being ruled first by the Swedes then the Russian we are suffering about the little brother complex. Russia is big big country. They have masses and lands that we do not have. We even had to pay them after WWII. Swedes industrialized way earlier than we. They had all the American style luxury while we were still farming the land (which is actually full of stones) with our archaic equipment. They had their cool movie stars, their rockers and all that fashion. When we were still learning that it is not cool to wear tennis socks with sandals. Can you imagine how much we still compare us to others? Can you imagine how much jealousy that have caused? Can you imagine how glad we were when we one Sweden in WM ice hockey finals in 1995 or when we had miss Universe in 1950s? Can you imagine why it is hard for us to bear the fact that our neighbour have better car than we have? Can you imagine how difficult it is to celebrate the wins of the others?

Do not thank us!

We do not believe any strokes of luck. We are even able to admit that. We know that we barely make it. We understand that it better to be honest with that. That makes us rather easy to work with because we do not make promises we can not deliver. Pessimism makes us steady as rock. If we fail, we are not too surprised to get back on the track and keep on trying. If we succeed, we are too ashamed to celebrate that (except the ice hockey part). We easily claim the other from our success because we did not believe could make it (i.e. we get confused when we have much success, lottery winners barely never tells that they win but they hide that and continue as usual).

Where will you end up?

My guess is that our tendency being rather pessimistic, straightforward and independent individuals yet having not so grande self-esteem would be the thing you would have your struggles in those darkest days in autumn. I am not sure if you’ll make it but I will keep my thumbs up (secrectly)!

This entry is full of stereotypes so you better find those characteristics of Finns that are much more positive than these.

PS. Soon we'll have midsummer. Tomorrow sunrise is in Helsinki 3.54 / in Oulu 2.20 and sunset in Helsinki 22.48 / in Oulu 00.18. Here we have guy from Lahti singing about midsummer night and this is how they celebrate that in Sweden

FINALLY THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! When you need to send postcards from Helsinki please use these!

Finland in music and in videos

Sunny Helsinki and then some run

In this music video you'll see sunny Helsinki in hectic trance pace. Both of you must recognize quite a few places in here.

Field of gold

Lauri Tähkä & Elonkorjuu is surprisingly popular Finnish band which I happen to dislike in most cases but in their videos they have field many times in them. Golden fields are part of Finnish heritage. That's (countryside, friendly communities, warm summernights) where we come from but we can't get ever back. Nostalgic! (Here is Husky Rescue's response for this debate )

Forest of Fairytales

Like the fields forests are sacred place for us. It is scary place but also really empowering. It is place of many creatures. Creatures almost like red haired singer of Indica. This band have recently changed their language to English and they are aiming to make it abroad.

Exporting Finnish tears

The song is about how Finnish tears can be valuable item among export items. And for sure when travelling in public transportation we do not look too happy!

Sad but comforting sea

This band PMMP is already familiar to you. In this melancholic song they are next by the sea. That does not seem to warm but can definitely swallow with its soft waves.

Walking in the streets of Helsinki

This punkrock band's classic ballad is filmed ten year ago in the streets of Helsinki


Being black in Finland

In this video of Ritarikunta you see rappers from all over the Finland. This is our future and loose pants!


This is my "stadi"

Kapasiteettiyksikkö (Oh, how much I love long names hiphopbands) is singing with Finland's David Bowie, Hector, about their Helsinki.

Building blocks

These building blocks are familiar to you from Hungary and other Eastern European cities but we have them here as well.


This is how we dance in Finland

Campaus (Haircut) and their party tune with music video like warm milk.


Artzy rock band in winter ice

CMX was band that got Faith No More excited. No they seem to be on the slippery ice.


No comments about the song but who know Cassi may like it

Johanna Kurkela's song has some ressemblances with our national epos Kalevala.

Special bonus

This is especially for Marcelo, sine you have met this singer. He was visiting Jussi's place where we swam in the snow. He took the "famous photos of it". He is now trying to becoming artist (style: Finnish schlager). Warner Music published his first single May 31st.

Letter from Finland

Summertime!

Tomorrow is Friday June 4th. That means that it is exactly 2 months when you will be arriving to Finland. Time flies, doesn't it! This also means that my blog to you will be active only until end of June. In July I have 3 weeks of my holiday and then one more in the middle of August ending to Flow festival weekend. During July I will travel to Berlin, Prague and Norway. I may see Samia in the latter one.

It will be great to have you here and I am sure that is what many other (Ulla-Maija, Tuulia, Hanna, Erika...) think as well. It must scary but exciting to move all the way up north to the country that is much calmer than Brazil with its wild temper. I am sure that you will like it here and you can always have quick runaways to Baltic countries, Stockholm, Norway or maybe you want to visit smaller towns (Porvoo, Turku, Tampere, Lahti...) in Finland if Helsinki gets boring.

I am at least excited to have you here. I saw last week an advertisement in the train that Brazilian embassy was organizing Portuguese (Br) intensive course in June. I was tempted to enroll but I had only 2 Tuesday evenings free this month when the course was organized so I had to skip it. However I wouldn't have any need for Brazilian either since you have done amazing work with your Finnish courses.

Nice couple Joonas and Saara are moving to Spain (to Las Palmas, exactly!!!) in the beginning of September and they are staying until the end of April/beginning of May 2011 so we were wondering that if you'd need some furniture to borrow before you find your own it could be possible to have some of theirs. We will organize meeting/visit at their place during August if you are interested. Also it seems that Henriikka, whom at least Cassiano have met in BP could be moving to Madrid around August so she could also have some dishes and furnitures to lent.

If there is something I can help you with during June let me know since during July I am traveling etc. so I do not have chances to help then.

Some Finnish summer music from Chisu to you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu19IWuIArY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21d0935Wp7U

Beijos,

Miika