Tag Archives: culture

in english

Return culture shock

I was chatting with an Irish friend who has been living in Japan for over 15 years, and is now moving to the UK.  I asked him about whether he was experiencing any return culture shock after adapting so well to Japanese culture, and of course he had certain horror stories about the inefficiency of bureaucrats and bank employees.

One usually thinks about the culture shock one will experience when moving to a new environment, but what happens to us when we return to the old ones is something we tend to dismiss.

Now, how will I see Mexico when I go back next week after two years?

in english

Finnish Independence Day

Yesterday we commemorated Finnish Independence Day with my wife’s family at our place, with a typical Finnish dinner.

As much as I like Finland and respect the people that gave their lives for it, I haven’t yet understood why is it such a sombre occasion. Or rather, I understand that it is like that since such events are rather recent and, well, Finns tend to be melancholic, but I don’t feel comfortable with it. I’d rather have a celebration of Finnishness, but of course I understand it’s not my holiday, it’s theirs. I don’t mean to offend anyone with these observations.

What I really don’t like is sitting down and watching the reception at the presidential palace. There are these kind of receptions in Mexico, the United States and other countries as well on their national day, but Finland is the only place I know where people feel compelled to sit in front of the TV to watch a line of guests arrive and greet the president, and where the newspapers will have all the pictures of the party with a special focus on what where the guests wearing. Is it that Finland would have liked to have these kind of “royal happenings” more often, given that it is the only republic amongst its Nordic sisters?

Regardless, hope you had a hyvää itsennäisyyspäivää whichever way you decided to commemorate it.

Now, what am I going to do with my blue/white candles…?

in english

This is me

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Quesadillas with Jaffa. The best of both worlds.

Finally at the local supermarket in Finland they have proper Mexican brands for their Mexican food like La Costeña and San Marcos, not only producers who are unknown and given the flavour of their offering would probably fail in Mexico.  This means I can finally have quesadillas with a tortilla that tastes of wheat, not of cardboard.

Jaffa, well, that's just the best Finnish invention since rye bread.

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in english

French and British working luches

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Welcome to London
Welcome to London

Was in London on Friday.  As usual, absolutely love the city, one of my favourites in the world.  One thing that truly stood out this time was that we had a business lunch during a meeting.  They brought some sandwiches, potato chips, fruit and cheeses to the room, and we continued as usual.  The attitude to it was very contrasting to a business lunch I had in a similar situation in Paris, where we had trays with 3-course meals brought to the room, and the meeting itself was stopped during lunch.

I'm not saying one is better than the other, but it drove home the point of food-as-fuel vs. food-as-a-ritual.

in english

Finnishness, an ethnic concept?

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As we know, there is not that many foreigners in Finland, society is very homogeneous, and the country has a history of emigrants, not really immigrants.  Discussing these details with a couple of friends (a Finn by birth and a Finn by naturalisation) over a beer last Thursday, I started thinking that Finnishness is an ethnic, not only a cultural concept. 

This would be behind the perceived fact that an immigrant who comes here, no matter how well he/she (hän) adapts to the place, learns the language and adopts the culture will not be regarded as a Finn, even when holding a Finnish passport as he/she wouldn't "look like us".

If this idea happens to be right, it forecasts trouble for the integration of those immigrants that are already here and those that are coming, since the host society would not be ready for it.  Really wonder if that is the case.  Any opinions?

Not that nationality being a cultural concept is a guarantee of success.  Just ask the French.

en español

Cómo seguir perdiendo el tiempo

Entre este blog post y esta polémica barata de tercera, no me cabe la menor duda que nos encanta tirarnos al suelo y perder el tiempo en babosadas pseudonacionalistas.  En lugar de pensar que "es que nos discriminan, y nos tratan mal", "todo es la culpa de la conquista", o incluso síntomas de una falta de autoestima brutal como "nos insultan diciendo que somos feos".

El momento en que empecemos a ver hacia el futuro y hacia el exterior de una forma constructiva, en lugar de hacia el pasado y hacia dentro de una manera simplista y francamente irreal, es cuando realmente empezaremos a hacer algo por nosotros y por nuestro país.  Ya basta de echarle la culpa a otros y de quejarnos, si no nos ponemos a actuar seguiremos en las mismas.

Tal vez es lo que queremos, a final de cuentas.

in english

Sauna

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One of the best things about Finland is sauna. The word itself, as many a Finn will point out, is the only one in their language that has been adopted internationally (beats "bastu" in my book).  There is a certain etiquette to be followed while in sauna, and it is indeed an integral part of the culture, to the point where the most serious discussions and the closest relationships (no sean malpensados, canijos) will take place there.

The language also has certain words that have their origins in sauna.  For example, löyly means steam, but the kind of steam that comes from throwing water at the sauna stove.  Furthermore, in line with unfortunate recent events, verilöyly, composed of the words "sauna steam" and "blood", gives a very grisly picture to the listener and accordingly means massacre.  Saunakalja is used for beer drunk in sauna and they even have a saying that "Jos ei sauna, viina ja terva auta, niin tauti on kuolemaksi", or "If sauna, alcohol and tar don't help, then the disease is deadly".

Now you know: in order to understand Finnish culture one has to experience and feel sauna.

en español

Choque cultural a la mexicana

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Uno de los blogs que leo es de un mexicano que después de vivir en Finlandia acaba de regresar a México.  De su experiencia personal tiene tres puntos que comparte que me parecen muy válidos.

  1. Nunca esperes que te digan las cosas como son.
  2. Nadie nunca te va a confrontar directamente a menos que seas un extraño.
  3. La gente se toma todo personal.

Total que uno no es de aquí ni es de allá, jajajaja.

Más en su blog.

in english

The kind of immigrants Finland prefers…

Look nothing like me and as over-the-top this article is, I know it has a grain of truth.  Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I really like this place and my life here.

So much so I'm taking the official Finnish language exam that is needed for citizenship, even though it's still at least 4 years before I would be able to apply for it and, frankly, I'm not sure whether it would make any sense.