What do u know about FINLAND?

[faith]

What do u know about FINLAND? Thats the little countrey Im from. So I think Im gonna take the chance and promote it a little... Well, no, not really, but I would really like to know what u know about Finland, my countrey. People dont use to know that much. I think this is a great place to find out, since here are people from all around the world. Who knows the most about Finland? Those who live closest to it? If I get alotta answers I can make statistics over that (the knowledge). So tell me just anything u know!

//Laura from Finland

[ravana]

Salam, faith!
I know from school that there're thousands lakes in Finland. Most like "real" santa claus who lives and has a big residence in lap-landia. Know about Nokia and that Finnish people occupy first place in the world by owning mobiles.
And there was a short war between USSR and Finland in 1939. We call it Finnish war.

Sorry, but that's all wahat i know.

[faith]

Thanx ravana! Youre perfectly right! (Expect maybe about the "short war". (I just had a test on Finnish 20th century history, so Im an expert on it.) Between 1939 and 1944 there actually was 2 wars, and okay maybe they were shorter than some other wars, but I think any war is too long. Think I shall stop here so that I dont bore someone with a historylesson.)

Does anybody else know anything about Finland? Or is it the same things as ravana u know? Tell me!

[emily655321]

Oh no, I know so little about other countries! :( The only thing I know about Finland is -- well, 1) the beautiful lakes and forests. I've seen pictures and would so love to visit Scandanavia. 2) The ancient Finnish language is what Tolkien's Elvish languages are based on. I heard that there was a project by historians to make recordings of as much of the epic poem, the Kalevala -- the collected oral history of Finland, -- as possible, before the only men who still know how to sing it die. I'm fascinated by countries that have histories that stretch back into times known only by legend. America doesn't have rich cultural traditions like that, since it's such a new country.

[Koa]

Finland...People here see it as a dreamland. Calm, not crowded, relaxing place... Freezing cold and forests and yes lakes, and darkness in the early afternoon, and meat of raindeers (or was that in sweden?)... And the language, very hard and with long words and lots of vowels ;)
Euh, I thought I knew more about it. :eek:
I still can't believe about Nokia ;)

[crisaor]

What do u know about FINLAND? Thats the little countrey Im from. So I think Im gonna take the chance and promote it a little... Well, no, not really, but I would really like to know what u know about Finland,
//Laura from Finland
Hi Laura. Finland is a scandinavian country (in my book, that translates as the most similar thing to paradise in earth), filled with civilized people, forests, lakes, and icy winds. Finland ranks #1 in the Honesty list made by the UN (or Amnesty, I don't recall that exactly) and is the only one of the scandinavian countries that has adopted the euro.
Hope I'm right with those... ;)

[den]

All I know is I'd rather go there than Maryland! :lol:

[trismegistus]

Monty Python wrote a song about it:

"Finland, Finland, Finland! The country where I'd like to be,
Your mountains so lofteeeeeeee,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland! Finland has it all."

[simon]

And who can refute Monty Python?

[emily655321]

No one, that's who.




"Dinsdale."

[simon]

Monty Python save me.

[faith]

emily: Im sorry to disapoint u, but gotta tell u that parts of Kalevala are actually made up by Eino Leino, the poet who put it togteher/collected the legends. And the legends are probably far from tro. (Most likely very untro.) Anyway, the kalevala-thing was just in Karelia (and big parts of that belong to Russia in this days). Well, but maybe Finland HAS long cultural tradisions, but America has the indians...

Koa: Nice that people have that idealized views of Finland. Too bad I wouldnt call Finalnd a dremland or anyhthing. Atleast it isnt freezing cold here always! ;) Today +20 actually! ;) And about meat of reindeers: Yes its Finnish (and maybe Swedish too). But we do by no means eat it often. Our family never does, cos its very expensive...

And about the language. Yeah it seams to be very hard. My Swedish dad has lived here for some 20 year and still can speak it properly. But for us born here its easy. I make a lota spelling mistakes in Swedish and English, but never in Finnish. DO u wanna know the longest word in Finnish? Wel, here comes: epäjärjellistyttämättömyydelläänsäkäänköhän? Dont ask me what that means! We were taught it at school, and its just a lot of morfems (if u know what that is) after each other.

crisaor: Is Finland really commonly considers as somekinda pardise? I just cant believe that, but maybe people consider Finland exotic or something. Glad u comment that Finns are civilized people, cos my teacher at school has said that some people think that Finns live deep in the forrst in som small houes of wood etc.! And what I didnt know was that Finns ranked #1 on Honesty-list. Well, maybe we are honest, or atleast many of us...

trismegistus: Who is Monty Python? Why did he write a song 'bout Finland?


Thanx for all the answers! Im glad so many bother to answer!!!!! *waiting for more*

//Laura

[simon]

Monty Python is comic relief that sets down the abs into a six pack of steele, it is a troop of british comics who made movies and skits that were hilariously funny, and so popular that pythonescue words were allowed in the dictionary. If you have never seen The Quest for the Holy Grail, don't wait any longer.

[faith]

Ok. Suppose MP has never been in Finland. We havent got any especially high mountains (the dictiornary says thats what lofty means). Our highest mountain is called Halti and its about 1300m. (Was about to write that our highest mountain was Ylläs, but my LITTLEsister corrected me when I asked how high it was. Ylläs turned out to be only 700m. But atleast it has Finlands longest slalom slope (3km). Why I wanted to tell u about the highest mountain in the first place was because I was skeeing at Ylläs last winter and it was just wondeful.)

[Lolita]

All I know is that the band HIM (His Infernal Majesty) are from Finland. I think The Rasmus might be too, actually.

[emily655321]

emily: Im sorry to disapoint u, but gotta tell u that parts of Kalevala are actually made up by Eino Leino, the poet who put it togteher/collected the legends. And the legends are probably far from tro. (Most likely very untro.) Anyway, the kalevala-thing was just in Karelia (and big parts of that belong to Russia in this days). Well, but maybe Finland HAS long cultural tradisions, but America has the indians...

Oh, that's really interesting that Leino actually made up parts of it. I didn't know about that. I know it's an epic poem, though, and not accurate history. That's also a very good point about American Indians.

[emily655321]

And just in case you're curious: to elaborate on what Simon said, Monty Python's Flying Circus was a British TV show (1969-1974), and there were also a series of Monty Python movies. The actors are commonly known as "the Pythons."

Here also is the song "Finland" by Michael Palin. I forget which movie it was in.

http://www.universal-music.co.jp/u-pop/artist/monty/monty_photo/bio3.jpg

"FINLAND"
Link to the audio: http://www.mwscomp.com/sounds/mp3/finland.mp3

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Pony trekking or camping,
Or just watching TV,
Finland, Finland, Finland,
It's the country for me.

You're so near to Russia,
So far from Japan,
Quite a long way from Cairo,
Lots of miles from Vietnam.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Eating breakfast or dinner,
Or snack lunch in the hall,
Finland, Finland, Finland,
Finland has it all.

You're so sadly neglected,
And often ignored,
A poor second to Belgium,
When going abroad.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall,
Finland, Finland, Finland,
Finland has it all.

[crisaor]

crisaor: Is Finland really commonly considers as somekinda pardise? I just cant believe that, but maybe people consider Finland exotic or something.
It's not a common opinion, just my own. Truth is, most people in South America only care about the rest of the continent and the main european countries, plus Japan and China. Other than that, the world's pretty much a blank.

Glad u comment that Finns are civilized people, cos my teacher at school has said that some people think that Finns live deep in the forrst in som small houes of wood etc.! And what I didnt know was that Finns ranked #1 on Honesty-list. Well, maybe we are honest, or atleast many of us...
You are. And your teacher might not be that far-off either.

[faith]

Lolita: Youre right! Both HIM and The Rasmus are from Finland. But personaly Im not too fond of either... ;)

emily: Leino had to make up parts of Kalevala to make it sound good and be a whole. Leino was a poet himself so I suppose he also wanted to be creative. And about the indians: thats a point my teacher has made (Ive got a very good and nice history teacher). He compares Kalevala to Hiawatha. They were actually written about the same time, in a time when all countreys were desperate for histories to keep the people together.

And nice to read whole the song about Finland. Monthy Peaton tv-show/movies cant have been very serious. Theyre very famous? Then I just must be too young to know since wasnt born in the 70s.

criasaor: What I ment by saying I thought it was a common opinion that Finland is some kinda paradice or something was that it felt so to me. Someone else here had sayd something similiar, and also everyone I chat with on the internet say cool/great/lovely etc when I tell them Im from Finland. But thats just nice off cource.


Very nice here are so many active people who bother to comment this thread!

[Koa]

Here in Italy lots of people think of Finland as a paradise, probably because it feels like a relaxing and natural place opposed to the chaotic polluted reality we live in... I know a girl whose dream is to move to Finland when she finishes Uni, and she keeps telling me 'when I'll leave in Finland you can come and visit me' :D

[faith]

Maybe Finland is relaxing and natural compared to Ialy or some other countrie. Or not just maybe. We dont have as big cities as some other European countirs. Helsinki (with surroundings) is the only really big city here, atleast how I see it. Having been in London and Paris Helsinki sertainly never seams caotic (expect when u are supposed to bike on the Esplanade (street in center of Helsinki) on a hot summerday when its filled with Swedish and Japanese turists).

And actually I wouldnt object to beeing in for ex Italy right now... We always want what we dont have...! But okay, I would probably like to come home again..., cos Home sweet home is the saying.