I can't small talk! + Happy First of May!

Recently I've been bothered by that though I am quite a talkative person I often hear foreigners complaining that Finnish people are unsocial or hard to approach to make an acquaintance with. Even I have been told that I seem uninterested making new friends with the person I just met because I'm not attending the conversation actively enough.

     This has really been  bothering me. I think that maybe it is because in Finland it's not typical to small talk.

I have learned many languages and one of the most hard things to learn was this small conversations about the weather or the deco or anything not that important. It felt so ridiculous to point out such small things that the other part obviously already knew.

     For me chatting is fun and I love to talk with different people. However, it is extremely difficult to me start the conversation unless I actually have something to say. Of course there are situations I just have to come up with a conversation starter but on a daily basis it is rather rare. Having awkward silence during the conversation is quite normal but not a reason to be bothered. Especially, with friends it is okay to be silent for longer periods and they definitely aren't troublesome.

     What I find troublesome is to show my interest to the conversation by saying things like "Oh, how interesting", "No way!" or "You are kidding me!". Actually, in Finland it could be seen as rude action. You shouldn't interrupt when someone else is talking, especially when discussing with people you just met. Of course, with friends it's different.

In the end everyone one is an individual and different but the cultural environment does affect one's way of thinking to some extent. It is curious why Finnish people seem to be often described almost antisocial people.

     I'd love to hear about your experiences. How do you see people from different nationalities? What kind of stereotypes you have come across? Feel free to share those in the comments.

Oh, and by the today we are celebrating the First of May eve or May Day eve (not too sure because in Finnish we call it "vappuaatto" and the name has nothing to do with May 1). Which means bunch of Finnish people are getting wasted at the moment. I'm not that much into drinking but occasionally it's fun (of course, it's okay only if you're an adult). However, today I've been feeling very tired and a bit ill so I decided this year I'll spend a "me day" at home cuddled up in the corner of my couch sipping my mom's homemade drink called "sima" and munching "tippaleipä" which both are traditional things to enjoy during the May Day.

Tippaleipä and glassful of sima <3

I really need to cram this one exam I still have left but after that my summer holiday is going to start. Before that I really need to do the spring cleaning and I thought I could do the "apartment tour" post after I get everything cleaned up! Let's see when I'll get the inspiration to post something again!