Reaction To 5 CULTURE SHOCKS | Croatian Moving to FINLAND

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Today, I'm going to be watching this video. It's called five culture shocks uh for a Croatian moving to Finland. So, yeah, I always like watching these videos to see the culture shocks experienced by people from different countries moving to Finland to see what they think. So, someone from Croatia is interesting to see. I don't know much about Croatia and how similar or how different it is. I would imagine quite different to Finland, but uh this should be a yeah, interesting enlightening comparison. Let's watch and learn.

[00:00:33]>> [music] >> Hi, everyone. My name is Ana, and I'm going to be talking about cultural shock that I experienced in Finland, and uh why did I move to Finland? So, let's start. A lot of friends asked me and my acquaintances, why did you choose to live in Finland? And uh here are the reasons. In 2013, I started master studies in Slovenia, which was also my first time moving abroad, even though I haven't felt like moving abroad because Slovenia is more similar to Croatia, but I decided while I was on my master studies in Slovenia to go on exchange somewhere exotic. I decided to go somewhere where I know that I could never live. Isn't it ironic? And I found about Rovaniemi in Finland. At my university, we had a lecture where students who were already abroad, they uh brought brochures. I noticed one brochure with aurora borealis on top of it, and I was like, "Oh my god, this is so cool." So, I decided "I'm going to try with that." I was like, "This is what I want to do. This is what I want to try and experience." And that's how it went. I applied, and I got in, and that's how I moved. Actually, that's how I went on my first exchange to Finland.

[00:01:49]During my exchange, I haven't experienced cultural shock because I was in this uh exchange student bubble. We were experiencing Aurora Borealis, exotic adventures like seeing huskies for the first time, reindeers, visiting Santa Claus, but together with the foreign students who were in the same situation like me. During my exchange, I also met my boyfriend and basically he's the reason why I eventually moved to Finland. Before I moved officially to Finland, I went back to Slovenia to finish my studies and then I moved to Finland. And that's where my real culture shock starts. So, since many of my friends asked me what was the most shocking thing you've experienced when you moved to Finland during your first year in Finland, here are five culture shocks that were the biggest thing for me. Of course, every person is different, but for me these were the biggest things. So, let's start with the first one.

[00:02:45]First and the most hardest, I think, for everyone who moves somewhere else missing your friends, missing your family, the things that are the closest to you. For me, it was the hardest to move away so far from my best friends, from my family, from the things I was so familiar with.

[00:03:06]There were so many things I was used to that were not present in Finland, but I'm going to talk about it later. I missed it so much and that's what lasted for only a year. After that time, I've never felt like that anymore. I really I love my family, I love my friends, but I don't miss them at all and I know that I'm basically 2 and 1/2 hour away from them with a plane if I ever want to visit. So, it's not like I'm in Australia or US where it's like no way that I can go whenever I want. But basically here, I have this kind of comfort nowadays that okay, they're here, they're very close. If something happens or if I just want to see them, they're here. I I it in about 1 year. Okay, this is fine.

[00:03:53]I don't need to worry about it anymore.

[00:03:55]Second biggest thing is weather.

[00:03:58]That's the big one. That's the really big one because I'm still struggling with that one. Finland is on top of the Europe. It's a cold country. Finland's winters for me with my Croatian eyes, the winter here lasts for in Lapland, I would say 10 months a year and here in Helsinki, where I eventually moved later on, it lasts for maybe half a year. I know Finnish people laugh when I say that, but I still am kind of like um figuring it out myself. The weather in Lapland was really hard. It was really hard for the first year, uh maybe even second year.

[00:04:38]Or maybe it would be like that forever, but after 2 years I eventually moved to Helsinki. Anyway, having 3 months of super cold winters with a lot of snow, minus 20 to minus 30° and the sun is just uprising up. That was really hard.

[00:04:55]What was also very hard was were summers because in my Croatian eyes again, summers last only for about 2 to 3 weeks in north in Lapland. It's much more easier here in Helsinki because I would say that summer lasts for 2 or 3 months, which is great. Winters are also not that cold and they're not that long.

[00:05:17]Actually, you can see sun every single day. Maybe not seeing the sun if it's snowy day, but you can see the light every single day, even if it's like 4 or 5 hours only, but it's not that it's complete darkness.

[00:05:31]Third. Yeah, that one would be diffi- difficult, actually, especially moving more to the north of Finland and those times during the winter when it's very long long dark days, I can imagine that would be very tough for anybody.

[00:05:43]Probably take a long time to get used to that. Helsinki sounds a bit better, but it's like those memes I watched a lot of videos about Finnish memes and talking about how long winter lasts, and I guess that's really not an exaggeration, like 10 months in the north, 6 months in Helsinki.

[00:06:03]I guess Finnish people must be used to it, but like would you prefer to live somewhere where it's like you have a longer summer, or do you enjoy having those long winters?

[00:06:13]Uh how do you deal with especially if you're from the north, or you've lived in the north of Finland? Even if you move from like Helsinki to the north, is it Is that difficult to adjust, do you think?

[00:06:25]>> Finnish people are introverted. They're shy. They don't like to be bothered.

[00:06:29]They don't like to be touched very much.

[00:06:32]And that's fine.

[00:06:33]When I moved to Finland, it wasn't fine for me. I like to hug people, touch people.

[00:06:40]Uh as you see, I'm uh articulating with my hands all the time. When I first moved to Finland, I was totally shocked. I was like, "Okay, where are all my exchange students that were just like me? People that I know from some projects that I did with or from the school, they just didn't say hi to me on the street or in school, in the store." And I was like, "Oh my god, what did I do? Did I hurt you? You don't like me? And why? I would like to be friends with some of you because I don't have anyone here." That was really heartbreaking for me back then. Now I know that Finnish people are just They're introverted, they're shy, and if you're their acquaintance, it's totally fine not to say hi. After some time, I realized, "Okay, that's just a culture shock. People here are like that, and that's totally fine."

[00:07:30]Fourth thing. Yeah, I get that. I can imagine that would be difficult for people especially moving to Finland to make friends. I I Obviously, I know having watched a lot of videos that yeah, people in Finland can be a bit more like not maybe not introverted but just happy to be just keep themselves to themselves and that's fair enough.

[00:07:52]Like but even like for Finnish people to make friends with other Finnish people, is that difficult or are Finnish people more open to like other people making like friends with other Finnish people? Do you like Do you have big friend groups or do you just have like small or close groups? I've never really thought about that before how it is for Finnish people with other Finnish people? And sauna and nudity. Sauna is a big thing here in Finland. If you live in a apartment building like we do, you have it at the basement of the building.

[00:08:27]>> [music] >> If you live in a house, every single house has sauna. If you live in apartment building that doesn't have sauna like the apartment house just next to us, you can use our own sauna. People have the keys and they can use it. And that's where the problem starts. I love saunas. It took me a lot of time to get used to being in sauna because I was never going to sauna back at home. But the one thing that was really shocking is that everyone has to be naked in sauna [snorts] here and everyone is okay with it. People here are not body shy which was so weird to me because people are so introverted, they're shy, they don't even want to touch you. They need to have their personal space around them and then they're just naked in front of each other in sauna. And not just sauna.

[00:09:21]My biggest shock was not sauna because in sauna I go with my boyfriend so it's totally fine to be naked. My biggest shock was public swimming pool. First time it happened in Rovaniemi. So I went with my boyfriend to swimming pool and then there was this part for ladies and then there was this part for men. When I entered it, I noticed there were just small locker rooms where you can leave your things and I was like, "Okay, there must be another room after this room." I left my backpack there and I took my bathing suit and I [music] took towel and I was like, "Okay, I'm going to try the other room." And in the other room there were showers with a naked woman in there.

[00:10:00]And I was like, "Closing room back. What is happening?"

[00:10:03]Tried to call my boyfriend. He was not answering. He was already at the swimming pool and I was like, "Oh my god, what should I do?" And then I noticed other woman coming in, undressing, completely naked in front of me, next to their locker rooms, and going in. And I was like, "Oh my god, what is happening?" So, I had to do the same.

[00:10:23]Actually, I cheated for the first time.

[00:10:25]First time I went to the bathroom and did that and I think people noticed. I mean, ladies noticed what I was doing, but still I was so so so shy. This is not acceptable in my culture. I changed my clothes. I put the bathing suit on and then I went to [music] the place where uh woman were taking showers. It's a huge empty space and [music] woman are just taking shower next to each other.

[00:10:46]There was a sign on the wall, "No bathing suit." Mhm. I was like, "Oh my god." So, I had my bathing suit on.

[00:10:55]I took it [music] off. I took a shower quickly. I put it back on. I ran to the swimming pool area and I was completely red in my face and my boyfriend was, "Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay?" I was like, "I'm so mad. I'm so frustrated. What is this? I don't want to go here anymore."

[00:11:13]But I have to say, even when I come nowadays to the swimming pool, I feel very awkward. I do it. I take off my clothes. I take a shower without any clothes on. I put my bathing suit on and then I quickly [music] go to swimming pool area with my swimsuit on.

[00:11:29]It It make sense. It's more hygienic.

[00:11:32]It's okay to be naked in front of each other. It's just that it's culture shock. We don't do that in Croatia. But it's okay. That's how it goes in Finland.

[00:11:41]Yeah, the way we went about this sauna, it's funny because I've seen those memes before also where it's like at bus stop everybody's so far away from each other, but in the sauna everybody's so close and like naked and things like that. So it's like the uh difference uh between the way people act in different locations in Finland.

[00:12:03]Uh I've not heard about the one at the swimming pool before. I thought she was going to say like people actually were swimming naked, which would have just been strange for me.

[00:12:11]I guess in a way it is quite uh out there that there's literally a no bathing suit rule. I've never seen that before. I've been to like the gym before in the UK and swimming. No, no, I've I don't think a public swimming pool I've ever been to where people are naked, but you go to the gym and some guys will be naked, some will wear shorts and this and that.

[00:12:32]And it's like there's no set rule.

[00:12:34]People just do what they like and it's not really a thing.

[00:12:38]Uh but yeah, the fact that like it literally says no bathing suit and you have to shower like that is I feel like that's quite unique. I don't I've not seen that anywhere else.

[00:12:48]Uh but yeah, I guess if it's just normal there's nothing really to be ashamed of in Finland.

[00:12:53]>> Fifth thing, small things combined.

[00:12:56]There's many of them and I'm probably going to miss a lot of them. Young people or adults wearing summer sneakers on minus [music] 20 is totally okay here.

[00:13:05]What? Wearing t-shirts on plus 10 is totally okay. When it's plus 10 and rainy day, I [music] still wear sometimes winter jacket.

[00:13:14]No fresh food. You just can't find local butchery shop [music] or marketplace where they sell fresh vegetables and fruits because it's so north, nothing grows here. So basically you can only find >> [music] >> fresh potatoes, carrots, and some kind of root vegetables that you can eat.

[00:13:29]But, that's okay. You get used [music] to it, and there's a lot of good quality fruits and vegetables that come from all over the world that I can't even find in Croatia sometimes, which is great.

[00:13:38]Thanks for watching [music] me, and next time I'm going to be talking Mhm, interesting video. So, yeah, cool. Tell me what you think about the things she mentioned there. As I said, it's always like interesting to see the differences between countries, especially when it's like I I like to obviously see differences between like Asia and like countries because I live in Asia and see the differences, but it's also quite cool to see the differences between different European countries. And yeah, how very different they can be in some respects. Uh so, yeah, tell me what you think about the things she talked about. Thanks.