You're Not Really Finnish!

I have a Finnish passport and a Finnish mother. I eat Finnish food and speak the Finnish language and have chosen to make Finland my home.


But at least ten times in the last month someone has said to me "I can tell you're not completely Finnish!"  The last time was on Saturday when I was dancing with a friend I met a couple of months ago.

Every time I hear these words they are said with a smile - and never meant as an insult. But it's the way that most people see me. "Not completely Finnish."

Of course they are right in many respects. I also have a British passport and my Dad was English - as is my mother tongue. But this is not what these people mean when they tell me I'm not Finnish. It's none of that.

What they mean is that I am not afraid to talk about the way I feel. And this is what makes people say, time and time again "You're not completely Finnish."

They are right. I love living in Somero and I am not afraid to say so. Why should I be? It's a good place to live, and for the first time in my life, I feel at home somewhere.

I also see nothing wrong with saying if I am feeling happy or sad. Over the last year I have cried many times, sometimes in front of others. And if I love someone I tell them.

Of course Finnish people do these things too, but I guess I am still seen as being more open than the average Finn. Some people like that and others may feel threatened by it. But personally I would rather be the kind of person who can express how they feel, than the kind of person who never does so. It's a personal choice of course, but this is mine.  If that means that I am not entirely Finnish, then there we are.

Last night on Facebook I wrote that if you love someone then you should tell them before it is too late. Thirteen people "liked" this comment. Six of these were Finnish, so at least I know I am not alone.

Life is short and as we all know it is fragile. So do something today. Whether you are Finnish or not, tell someone important to you that you love them.

I am going out dancing again this evening. If one of my dance partners today happens to tell me that in their view I am "not completely Finnish" then I will smile, because if it is the fact that I have the confidence to laugh, or cry or say "I love you" out loud, then in my view that's fine with me.