Final Presentation

Ok, so I'll start with a simple question that you can think about in the three minutes I will talk..

Can you imagine yourself in a situation where you are in a 5 people sauna with for example 2 girls and 3 guys all naked ?

In Finland we think that it sauna is only a place for purification and relaxation, also for social purposes sauna is one of the best places to meet new people, open up a conversation with total strangers  etc. For example, in the old days sauna was used as a place to give birth, because the warmth of sauna eases the pain and also there was believed to be some sort of spirits that give good fortune for the newborn.

I myself would never go naked in public, instead of a public sauna, just because in sauna, there is no sexual tension and everybody is in the same situation.

So just some thoughts on the matter from a finnish guy. Feel free to ask questions, perhaps I can clarify something..

here is a funny documentary about finnish people :D it is in english, don't take it too seriously :D haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyJ_6epH2SY

About the final presentation

Jou jou jou, wad' up dawgs ?
Ok, so I thought of talking about our I think pretty original culture of going to the sauna.
I think not too many countries go to mixed saunas fully naked (men and women at the same time) or just wearing a towel, but men are always naked. To us it is normal, but I think most of the people in our class has some different views about it, so I would like to open that up a bit, just talk about what is behind this way of thinking. Just pop up questions what you would like to know and perhaps I can find info or speak atleast for myself as a finnish guy.

Something like this perhaps..

Culture things

I really don't know how to describe the finnish culture, mainly because I have never thought about it..
What comes to me, I find it uncomfortable when people come too close to my "personal space", especially if I have not known them for a very long time, usually the only person I like to touch me is my girlfriend. So as it comes for greetings, just hi is good enough for me, a handshake is ok but nothing more usually..
I also like to do things on my own, (work, school projects etc.) and I think that Finland is more Individualist country than collectivist. When I read about the power distance, I think there really isn't that big of a distance between bosses and workers, everyone are equals, some of us just happen to be higher in hierarchy than others.
Value dimensions varies from one person to other, everyone values different kinds of things, or atleast in their own way. How others see finnish culture, I have no idea, perhaps people see finnish people as a bit rough, not outgoing, individualists, just people who like their own space... I wasn't in the class due to a bad cold, but here's some thoughts of mine regarding culture..

About the student suicide

The first thing I crabbed on, was that I think that the guy overreacted to the situation... The times for homosexuals are getting better all the time and there's not that much of discrimination anymore, if it is such a huge embarrasment to him, why do that in the first place ?

The second thing is that I don't think it was a hate crime, it was just two/one guy who both are just too stupid to realize what that kind of behavior/act can do to a person... Again, overreacting to an incident that was just plain stupidity on the two guys part...

Terrible thing to happen, but people should think before making too hasty actions...

As for how I reacted to this news, ofcourse it isn't good that these things happen, but it didn't have an effect on me.. Just another bad incident.

Here is a link to a finnish former teacher's writing about "gay night" that was held up by a finnish television channel. The guy is also trying to attend the politics as a gongressman this year.. He is a hardcore Christian and is talking against gay people, too bad it is in finnish, but there is no english version... But that "gay night" stuff has caused a lot of conversation and tens of thousands of people have resigned from the church because of that... And this guys writing to me is just hilarious, just because I'm not the most christian, and he is writing about homosexuality as a crime against humanity, bible and bla bla, everything that these crazy halleluja believers say about things that they consider sin... but yeah, so this is mainly for the rest of the finnish guys to read, or you can ask more if you want :D

http://joukopiho.puheenvuoro.uusisuomi.fi/49143-miksi-ja-keiden-tahdosta-maailmassa-on-homomyonteinen-buumi

Over and out

Yo dawgs!

Allrighty then, here's my first blog text.

As for what comes to the last class, about the culture shock as an exchange student, I think that I have had none, atleast yet, the only disappointment at this point is that there is really no courses fo rmy major in Finland (Construction Manager), only Organizational Behavior relates to it, because the course is about managing people and that's what I mainly do at my work... Everything else has been really good, the food, people etc. etc.
That's why I have become to the solution that perhaps student exchange is not for everyone.. But that's just my opinion.