HS asked its readers what different things polite behavior means in different cultures. According to the answers, many things are not understood abroad, but the honesty of Finns works all over the world.
Homeless arrives at a small Roman shop and asks if he can have some bread.
The merchant asks why you always come here. You would sometimes go somewhere else. Then he continues, well, what kind of bread?
A homeless person chooses bread with provolone, an Italian cheese.
Humanity, who once lived in Rome for 10 years and then returned to Finland Merja Niinisalo miss
And sociability. Talking to strangers in shops and other public spaces.
In Italy, feelings heat up quickly, but cool down at least as quickly, says Merja Niinisalo, who lived in Rome. A picture of the popular tourist destination of Rome, Fontana di Trevi.
HS published on wednesday the pollwhich inquired about the experiences of people who live and have lived abroad about politeness and manners.
The answers to the survey show how behavior is seen differently in different cultures. In its articles, HS directly quotes only respondents whose name and contact information is known to the editor.
“I lived in London for 13 years, and I remember in the early days occasionally receiving feedback at work that I was a bit too outspoken. In Finland, I was always called very diplomatic.”
“I thought I was talkative until I moved to Italy. In the early days here, many people commented whether I am perhaps tired because I am so quiet.”
“Finn likes to bark if he doesn't like something. In Italy, you don't say it directly, but the opinion is found between the lines,” says Niinisalo, who lived in Rome.
The themes related to directness, seriousness and smiling also came up in the answers to the survey.
Finns smile little, if at all, if asked by foreigners.
Many respondents had, for example, been told to smile more at work. Some were thought to be angry all the time.
A person considered very talkative and lively in Finland was described in Latin America as quiet, hiding his feelings, conscientious and truthful.
Other everyday situations repeated in the answers were opening the door, the importance of terms of courtesy and small talk, a positive attitude towards strangers and consideration of others, for example by saying hello in the elevator and on public transport.
Foreign According to many Finns, understanding work culture has required learning.
“At my workplace, a gift was bought for a colleague, and the card went around. I put my name on it. After
some time, I was asked what I have against the recipient. The custom is to write something nice, warm and, above all, personal for congratulations. Just signing is like showing the middle finger,” says the defendant who lives in Brussels.
“You can't do well in working life if you're very shy and introverted,” says someone who has worked in London since 2019 Emmi Huovinen.
“It came as a real shock how outward-oriented you have to be here. It took a lot of energy at first.”
Huovinen, who still considers himself an introvert, has a different self abroad.
He greets passers-by, asks the store cashier what's going on, and uses filler words in his speech. The English are afraid of silence.
Emmi Huovinen has lived in England since 2016. He currently lives in London.
The current one met her boyfriend Huovinen three years ago. Cultural differences caused confusion on dates.
“We were eating and for a moment I forgot to enjoy the food quietly. My boyfriend had thought I was mad. Then, however, he had noticed that I was smiling at the same time and wondered what this situation really was.”
Since then, English customs have caught on.
“The last time I was in Helsinki, I started talking to the cashier and asking for news. The cashier was absolutely horrified.”
Huovinen hopes for more encounters and immediacy in Finnish culture.
“I wish I wouldn't be afraid to talk at the bus stop or compliment a passerby's clothes. In Finland, it is always thought that something like this has an ulterior motive. That what does he want now.”
Multi the modesty valued by Finns is not a virtue everywhere.
According to Huovinen, who lives in London, for example, the English conversation culture is overlapping, you have to know how to take your own space.
“I had to learn to talk over others and shout at the workplace so that I could be included in big negotiations,” writes the respondent who lived in Latin America.
The respondent who lived in New York and London says that he learned to be braver and more self-initiative abroad.
“In Finland, we were taught that curiosity is intrusive. In Britain and the USA, on the other hand, people are surprised and even upset that the other person doesn't ask them questions.”
This is also what Niinisalo, who lived in Rome, says.
of HS those who responded to the survey praised the honesty of Finnish culture.
“When a Finn p
raises, he also means it,” writes a respondent living in Italy.
The respondents said that living abroad made them more aware of Finnish customs. Many said that they now experience politeness norms and manners in a new way.
“Meeting another person in small everyday situations brightens the day and gives you a good mood.”
#Courtesy #lines #Finns39 #manners #understood
