The top 5 differences between Finland and America
From the eyes of a world traveler
Coffee Order took a surprise hiatus due to the fact that I went to Finland!
Whenever I told anyone I was going to Finland, many were confused. To us silly Americans, Finland seems like an obscure, random European country. If you watch the Kardashians, you’ll remember Scott Disick, Sofia Richie, and Kourtney Kardashian’s throuple trip to meet Santa Claus, and then, perhaps you understand my excursion.
My review of Helsinki in one sentence is a 10/10. However, I wouldn’t have a blog if I only stuck to one sentence reviews. As someone who had never been to Europe prior, it served as the most perfect parlay into the EU. Most people speak English, it’s reminiscent of many cities such as Minneapolis or Chicago, and the vibe is just excellent.
However, there are many differences, as comes with traveling. Here are the top 5 differences between the US of A and Finland.
1. The style
If you’re obsessed with Scandinavian influencers like myself, you’ll understand the vibe. Picture coastal grandmother, mixed with a bit of Brandy Melville, and a dash of 90s workplace.
But with this category, I’m not talking about just Matilda Djerf wannabes that we saw walking down the street. I’m talking about the fact that there was a uniform. Marimekko rules all, there were too many horizontal stripes for my eyes to understand, and neon colors will probably get you sent to jail. Unless it’s hot pink.
I did in fact pack a duffle bag into my checked bag in case of a storage emergency, and I did, in fact, have to use it. Zara is better, & Other Stories ruled my life for 5 days, and I cannot wait to wear only sundresses with puffy sleeves, sandals, and crossbody bags when I reach the sunset of my life.
2. The doors
This may be because I’m starting the lifestyle of a world traveler a bit later in my life, but you guys, I couldn’t open a door to save my life in this place.
Many of them have these lock latches that actually open the door, rendering the handle useless. That also means that they automatically lock. Also, many of the doors deceive you. This one in particular is a bathroom, also known as a water closet. Would you assume that this is a single stall bathroom? If you answered yes, you’re smart like myself. However, when you open this door, it leads to an entire room of stalls and toilets galore. Like a portal to another universe.
3. The bathrooms
This is a great segway into our third difference, the bathrooms.
Water. Closets.
On the first day, I asked my gracious host, Alex, if I could take a shower. To which she replied yes, but then explained to me that the entire bathroom is a shower, everything gets wet, and you need to squeegee the floor after. Everything, in fact, did get wet, but the squeegee part was surprisingly fun.
Then, I encounter a public bathroom. Which are for men, women, and everyone in between. I’m all for gender inclusive bathrooms, but opening the door to what I thought was a small stall, to yet another giant room of only urinals, was definitely a shock. Also, every stall had a teeny tiny sink in it, with a handheld washer. For what, I wonder…
4. The ice cream
This actually only applies to everywhere that isn’t McDonald’s or IKEA. Because it tastes exactly like fancy McDonald’s or IKEA soft serve.
I had ice cream every. Day. I had it twice one day. It’s so delicious, creamy yet light, and, it’s literally on every corner that you turn on. The best is the soft serve, I recommend both chocolate and vanilla, but the gelato is good too. Just remember to shield it from seagulls because I did get dive bombed.
5. The sun
The sun doesn’t set during the summer.
The darkest it would get is perhaps that hour-post-sunset-haziness that many of us in the Northeast experience. Then, the sun comes right back up by 3 am. So if you’re planning a trip to Helsinki between the months of May and October, I would recommend an eye mask.
This was fun to experience, however, it started to mess with me. The clock would reach the wee hours of the morning, and I wouldn’t yet find myself tired. I would wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, thinking I would oversleep, only to see that it was 5 am.
I do think I’ll miss this the most. Going out to dinner until 10 pm and enjoying the fact that you could still see, not afraid of what was lurking in dark alleyways or in the corners of the night for a paranoid person like myself, was a plus.
Share this with a friend to let them know you want to plan a trip to Helsinki <3