Remember what you wrote for your homework - "What do you want to be when you grow up?" My dream jobs have changed from teacher to comics artist, from cafe owner to a NGO worker... but never anything patriotic. Ask some Finnish kids and some will answer " Ice hockey player!" Yes, icehockey is the BIG thing in Finland.
15.5 Sunday
The mellow evening sky splashed with fireworks, the sounds of cars beeping and jaunty cheers heard interminably at every corner. The Finnish national icehockey team, Leijonat (lions in Finnish) beat their worst enemy Sweden after 16 years and won the World Championship finals.
16.5 Monday
The whole Helsinki was in a jovial mood. Absent coworkers, headaches from hangovers, endless discussions over the match, laughters intermitted with swearing words. 100,000 people (a country with just five millions inhabitants and five hundred thousand in the capital) gathered at the city's market square and celebrated the official celebration of Finland's victory. After all those bitter years when Sweden was somehow always ahead of them, or sitting on top of them ( Finland was a part of Sweden for seven centuries), this prize is so sweet, indeed.
The nationalism was in the air, in their blood. That really amazed me, a foreigner from Hong Kong where nonchalant attitude towards politics or whatever is common. I personally bet that Helsinki is never THAT swarmed with people on New Year's Eve. People from two hours or even five hours away arrived in Helsinki for the sake of celebration, the sake of FInland's pride.
When the players were on-stage, I heard clearly "Meiän voitto, on Suomen voitto." ( Our victory is Finland's victory.)
Foreigners and exchange students, feel depressed as you cannot bond with the Finns? Fake a interest in sports, especially icehockey or Formula 1!
Awesomeness.. And I know some people who left in the morning to drive from Kajaani (550km / 7hours away) to be in the market square, as they were just like 3 years old when the last championship was won.
回覆刪除But well, bond with people who like icehockey or with people who hate it! There's two ways to go! :)
you finns are sometimes crazy, even it does not show explicitly...all the time.... :)
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