Those Finnish Faces

My friend Cindy asked:
I'm curious about the no facial expressions. Do they just not show emotion at all through facial expressions, or is it that they're just so different and hard to read, or that they're bundled up all the time so you can't see faces?

Great question, Cindy. A few thoughts:

1. No, they are not so bundled up. They actually don't cover their faces with scarves, no matter how cold, because breathing through your scarf makes it all wet, which then freezes and makes you even colder. So, bare face is LESS cold. I learned this the hard way, and also through observing how the Finns dress for cold. (In a driving life-style I always covered up my mouth and nose, but then, I wasn't out in the cold that much and I wasn't breathing hard from exertion. It's a whole different thing when I am walking.)

2. They DO make eye contact and don't look away, but their faces remain perfectly still. Very odd behavior if it was the US. It can almost seem confrontive or hostile, but I know it is not because it is so ubiquitous. They can't all be feeling hostile to me, can they?

3. From what we've read, Finns are SERIOUS introverts and the lack of facial expression is another aspect of that. They do not share themselves with people they do not know, but once they make a friend, our books say, they are friends for life. (One might ask, "Then how do they get to know people?" I do not know the answer to that. We have met people through Charles' work and through Kalee's school.) People we have actually met (as opposed to people we pass on the path) are very friendly and I feel like I can understand their facial expressions most of the time, even if they are a bit more subtle than ours. Finns are also very comfortable with silences in conversation. No need to fill every moment with some kind of communication. Maybe that is a piece of the answer, as well.

4. Our Finnish culture books also say that Finns distrust people who smile too much, like American business people. Finns don't smile unless they have a reason to smile. The smile with no relationship or specific reason to smile behind it is interpreted as trying to hide something.

4. Another thought I've had is that with sooooo many people on the path and on the bus, you would forever be smiling and acknowledging people and that could get sort of tiring. It is easier to go through your day without greeting everyone you meet. As I have accepted this as normal I (an introvert myself) have relaxed into enjoying an anonymous walk down the street, through the mall, along the path, wherever. There is a sort of freedom to it which I am coming to appreciate.

First Impressions

Looking out the windows of the Helsinki airport and past the runways (being brushed clear of snow by a line of 5 plows followed by a truck spraying something [de-icer?] over the pavement), one's eyes immediately run into a dense wall of trees. To call it a wall is not quite right as that implies something long and narrow, a boarder delineating two spaces. Rather, my immediate impression is that the airport is a small clearing carved out of the dense, ubiquitous forest.

Coming to our city of Jyvaskyla that impression has been strengthened. Everywhere that is not carved out for roads or buildings is covered in forest. The effect is enchanting. Clearly we are in a different sort of place when people and trees live so closely together. Our books call Finns "Forest People." Now I understand.

Finns do not smile at you in the street. Shop keepers do not ask you if you need assistance (which makes browsing much more pleasant). Cashiers do not make friendly chatter. We had read about all these traits in our books. They are true. I smile at people in the street if our eyes meet and receive only curious looks in return. I am probably making people feel uncomfortable. I'll have to work on my neutral face so I don't stick out quite so much.

This city is made for walkers. There appear to be more miles of walking paths and sidewalks than roads. The walking paths are at least 8 feet wide and perfectly maintained - plowed down to a hard-packed layer of snow that gives (mostly) decent traction. [Charles has been slipping around a bit but my new boots are keeping me sure footed, comfortable and warm. I cannot say enough good about these boots.]

As it is winter and the lake is frozen there are extra walking paths across the lake making the distance from our apartment to the city center three or four blocks shorter. These paths are used by walkers of all ages, parents pushing strollers (yes, they take their babies out in -8F and colder air), and bicyclers. I even saw one preschooler riding a tricycle when it was about -16.