After five months I feel I can make a fair judgment on what
I like and what I don't like in Helsinki. I want to start with what I do not
like, just to get it over with -- because there is so much more that I like.
However, I will limit myself to 10 items for both categories. Sigh. I need to
make this list of 10 things I don't like as quickly as possible: for every day
that I am now away from Helsinki, I miss it even more.
So here is what I don't like about living in Helsinki:
Cigarette butts. A lot of people in Helsinki smoke. They
smoke outside, of course, but they still smoke, either standing around or
strolling along. The smell of cigarette smoke is a common scent that you finally
get used to. What is hard to get used to is the evidence of so much
smoking. Popular venues in Helsinki where people naturally congregate (bus
stops, tram stops, etc.) can often be outdoor ashtrays.
Rye bread. It is a tradition, it is respected, it is commonly
consumed. As an American, I have had less contact with rye bread, and less time
to build up a taste for this Finnish staple unless it is masked by a slathering
of some condiment or sauerkraut.
Group seating on trams. The newer tram models have groupings
of seats that face each other, two on a side, separated by a small table. Four people
sitting in these seats can barely keep their knees from touching those opposite
them. Awkward when a stranger sits opposite. More awkward when this enforced socialization
continues for several tram stops and, as an American, you have to resist the
urge to start a random conversation (which is not the Finnish thing to do).
Gray skies. So we don't have gray skies in the US? Of course
we do. But in a strange city where gray skies are common in winter during your few hours of daylight, you really
start to miss hints of blue.
Graffiti. Helsinki is a big city with lots of concrete. How
can I blame it for accumulating that scourge of any big city? I still don't
like it, however.
Street signs. A good map and a GPS are wonderful accessories
when getting around Helsinki. Street signs are not found on poles at street
corners or any place else that would easily be visible. Instead, street signs
are found on the sides of the corner buildings. So you have to go a bit farther
at timers to know what street you are on. And you have to have good eyesight,
because space is not wasted on large street signs.
New York Yankees. If any Helsinkian is going to be wearing a
baseball cap (my favorite type of hat), it is invariably a cap with a New York
Yankees logo. I am from Kansas City, and I have not gotten over 1978 yet (and a
few other years). You can't get away from the Yankees even in Helsinki.
Pastries. Actually I love pastries. What I don't like about Helsinki
pastries is that they are too big, too good, and too tempting. Living in a foreign
city makes it seem like you can eat what you want whenever you want. Well, you
can't.And it eventually starts to show.
English. Most English-speaking visitors love that everyone
speaks English and that English is commonly seen on advertisements and posters.
I would not have survived if not for the English skills of the Finns I encountered
in everyday situations (at the store, at the bank, etc.). But it made it too
easy to avoid speaking Finnish. And seeing English plastered all over town kept
reminding me that we visitors were not considered capable of learning Finnish
as readily as we wanted.
People respect your privacy. People don't bother you by
telling you what you are supposed to know. Isn't respect of your privacy a good
thing? It usually is -- but sometimes in Helsinki I would have really benefited if someone would have respected my privacy less and just told me
what I needed to know. Really, I would not have minded if someone told me about
where I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to do!
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