Finns & Brits

 

A few culture shocks for you.

 

Alcohol

Finland: the law says you have to be at least 18 years old to consume alcohol

UK: the law says you can consume alcohol at 5 years old, but at that age, drinking in a public place is forbidden

 

Laundry

Finland: washing machines can be found in the bathroom or utility room

UK: the kitchen is the normal place for the washing machine

 

Swans

Finland: the whooper swan is the national bird of Finland

UK: Queen Elizabeth owns all the swans

 

Tea & coffee

Finland: Finns drink more coffee than anywhere else in the world, totalling approximately 25 million cups of coffee every day

UK: Brits drink more tea than anywhere else in the world, totalling approximately 165 million cups a day

 

Favourite food

Finland: the most popular dish in Finland is minced meat in gravy

UK: the most popular dish in the UK is Chicken Tikka Masala (from India)

 

Environment

Finland: over two million hectares (9%) of land is protected in Finland. 80% of these areas are in northern Finland

UK: 91,000 hectares protected (0.7%)

 

Language

Finland: the Finnish language has 210,000 words

UK: the English language has 1,000,000 words

 

Health care

Finland: you have to pay when you visit the doctor and you have to pay for prescription drugs

UK: all healthcare and medicines prescribed by your doctor are free-of-charge

 

Television

Finland: the most popular television show is YLE News

UK: the most popular television show is the BBC soap opera EastEnders

 

Military/National service

Finland: every Finnish male over 18 years is eligible for military service that lasts 165, 255 or 347 days

UK: no military/national service – military service in the UK ended in 1960

 

School uniform

Finland: everyone wears what they want

UK: pupils under 16 years all wear school uniforms

 

Invitation to dinner

Finland: it is polite to arrive early or on time, but it is impolite to arrive late

UK: it is polite to be 15 minutes late, but it is impolite to arrive on time and very impolite to arrive early

 

Coronavirus

Finland: deaths per million = 66

UK: deaths per million = 611

 

Christmas and Santa Claus

Finland: Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve (24 December) and Santa visits children in their homes

UK: Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Day (25 December) and children meet Santa in shopping centres, or they travel to Lapland

 

Rain

Finland: Helsinki receives about 600 millimetres of rain each year

UK: London receives about 600 millimetres of rain each year

 

Sauna

Finland: almost every home has at least one sauna

UK: if you are in London and you see a sign saying “Sauna”, it is probably the place where you will find prostitutes, and they might not even have a sauna