Tomorrow is the Finnish Independence Day I already began to think about it today. I had to buy some more food at my nearby grocery store as it will be closed tomorrow to honor Independent Finland. What does independent Finland mean to me? I don't have first-hand experience from wars that Finns had to fight in order to have our country independent, but learning things in history classes, hearing war stories from grandparents and seeing injured old people who have gotten their injuries in WWII and maybe lost limbs, remind me of what I can enjoy today. Things that I appreciate for having been born and raised in an independent country (especially when I was a kid):

-I didn't have to learn compulsory Russian at school. Countries that were conquered by the former Soviet Union had compulsory Russian in their study plan. Finns can choose which foreign languages to study!
-we don't have foreign soldiers here
-when I was hungry as a kid, I could eat quality meat and other food, and food purchases weren't restricted.
-Nokia was able to grow into a big capitalist company and I can use a cell phone made in Finland
-my mother could use disposable diapers on me when I was a baby. In Estonia still 20 years ago they only had the kind of diapers you have to wash. Well, it is cleaner for the nature, but if you are a tired mom and kids are screaming, Finnish mothers could choose the easier diapers for their babies.
-I have been able to travel abroad all my life without problems due to my Finnish citizenship.
-I have lived all my life in well-insulated homes and I don't have to freeze in winter time. This is not the case in many countries of the former Soviet Union. Also if something is broken here, it will be fixed.

This is my favorite:

-as a citizen of independent Finland, I can choose to leave if I want and move back if I want, and I won't be called a traitor of my home country
Think about this, guys. If you meet a lovely Finnish woman, her nationality won't make it impossible for her to leave Finland to live with you abroad


HYVÄÄ ITSENÄISYYSPÄIVÄÄ, SUOMI!!!









Compositions from Jean Sibelius, the Finnish national composer:

Jean Sibelius: Valse Triste http://www.yle.fi/player/player.jsp?...isto%2F02167_4
Jean Sibelius: Finlandia http://www.yle.fi/player/player.jsp?...isto%2F02167_3


Jean Sibelius


Pictures from WWII in Finland:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin

Honey-bunnyyyy...

Great respect to a relatively small nation struggled to survive and be independent while managing to prosper along the way! I remeber my history textbook mention Russia took big chunk of Finland's territory after two winter wars... never bother return the land even after Finland paid off it's reparation.
Personally, I have Russian friends from my university and they are fine people to me. But as a nation, I think Russia should learn not to throw it's weight around it's small neighbors. Burte force would only earn contempt and hate, not respect.

Yeah, they took the Province of South Karelia and 300 000 people had to move away from there...

I know that normal Russian people are not soldiers who attacked Finland... But Russia is about as popular to Finns as Japan is to old Koreans.

Yeah, if this karma thing (whatever that goes around, will comes around) is true, then Russia as a country, would have a serious deficit on goodwill issue.

Yay!

Nordic, all that you enumerated was what my parents went through when I was born. And I also never experienced disposable diapers... Anyways, BEST WISHES!!

Btw, they used to live in Sibelius Street

I double my charm
(pics)
music_((d-_-b))
(\__/)
(O.o )
(> < ) This is Bunny. Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.

Happy Finnish Independence day,
all you Finns out there, especially to my Honey Bunny!

Nordic-kulta, Pidän sinusta oikein paljon. Kiinalaisten ja suomalaisten lapsista tulee kauniita!

the finnish are independant?