Cultural Differences and Language Barriers with your SO

[Tooki]

Hopo hopo! Of course they wont say they are alike but they are pretty much alike.. more than they are like Russians and Finns are like Swedes and they even share the same language family. They are as much alike as we are to the Canadians but Canadians don't like to be called Americans.. go Figure!!

As long as you don't compare Estonians to Russians . The vibe I've also gotten is that Estonians think that they're sexier than Finns.

One positive cultural difference that I've found is that if you even try to learn a little of Estonian, you will get a compliment.

[TexastoFinland]

As long as you don't compare Estonians to Russians . The vibe I've also gotten is that Estonians think that they're sexier than Finns.

One positive cultural difference that I've found is that if you even try to learn a little of Estonian, you will get a compliment.

Well I could tell you what FInnish men say about Estonian women but it isn't so nice. I think they look pretty much equal in sexiness... in my third party opinion!! I love my SO but I did date an Estonia before and well they do love to give compliments more than Finns. Although he has more than one woman so I wonder if that is part of their culture as well?

[Tooki]

Well I could tell you what FInnish men say about Estonian women but it isn't so nice. I think they look pretty much equal in sexiness... in my third party opinion!! I love my SO but I did date an Estonia before and well they do love to give compliments more than Finns. Although he has more than one woman so I wonder if that is part of their culture as well?

I know that Estonians are more 'liberal' than anglophone societies. One other thing that I appreciate about Estonian society is how honest they are. Even the media is very transparent compared to Australia.

[snow]

We both speak english, him being native and me having learned to speak english since I was 9. Sometimes I use an expression wrong, because I either think of the german word or a polish word. He is always very patient with me and he tells me quite often that he keeps forgetting my first language is not english, since I speak it so well. It gets better and better with time, but there is still awkward times where I know that I said something with the wrong words.
But all in all there has never been a language barrier. My english is by far not the best, but I can follow conversations easily and if there is a word I don't understand I have never been too ashamed to ask. He does correct me sometimes, like when I say I dreamt tonight, instead of last night, but I think all in all he's just happy that he doesn't have to learn german to be able to talk to me :P

Cultural.. well America is different than Austria, so when I'm over there I have to get used to how close families are, how easily and quickly the word "love" is used. All in all I noticed that what we see in the news and read in the newspapers about America is not what America really is and I am glad I could find that out for myself. (My twin sister, for instance, still believes America is full of dumb, fat Americans )

[Ahava]

For me, my GF's immediate family can speak and understand English quite well, but they rarely use it around me .

Also Finns and Estonians are very easy to differentiate once you are around both long enough . Finns and Estonians agree

LOL yep

[wayoutofhere]

I fell in love with how much Estonia is like the US and Finland all rolled into one.. totally a place for me to be. (I can explain later if you like)

Explain it please because I think Finland is more like the US. Estonia is nothing like the US.


Also, estonian women are a lot prettier than finnish women and personally I think they don't look anything alike. I can spot Finns very easily.

[Samantha94]

As long as you don't compare Estonians to Russians . The vibe I've also gotten is that Estonians think that they're sexier than Finns.

One positive cultural difference that I've found is that if you even try to learn a little of Estonian, you will get a compliment.

Well I always appreciate when foreign tries to learn our language. I guess it is because many estonians are so fed up with russians who have lived here their whole life and still can't understand/speak estonian and a foreign who has been here few weeks/months can speak better estonian than them.

[lucybelle]

Also, estonian women are a lot prettier than finnish women and personally I think they don't look anything alike. I can spot Finns very easily.

Damn. That was hella mean.

[Moon]

Explain it please because I think Finland is more like the US. Estonia is nothing like the US.


Also, estonian women are a lot prettier than finnish women and personally I think they don't look anything alike. I can spot Finns very easily.

LOLOLOLOL! I'm sure you think so

[TexastoFinland]

Well the small talk thing is something I had to work with my SO over as well. We we first got together, I used to go to his place on weekends and when I made him coffee we would sit and look out the window. It was quiet. He would say "why can't you be quiet" when I started talking.. lol.. I started saying "oh look at that squirrel... or awee little kids!! I really had to show him what small talk looks like.

He also hates that how when I go somewhere in Finland, I steal the show. Because of my "exotic" look and his normal average FInnish look, I get all of the stares and comments when we go places. Finnish men try to talk to me even when we are together. He is like "Finns never talk to strangers, you just draw attention everywhere you go." I think he is like a fly on the wall and I am the opposite, and it bothers him a bit. I know a few Helsinki Finns that are really outgoing because Helsinki isn't like the normal Finnish people. They are used to dealing with foreigners and such. But he lives in Turku and we spend a lot of time in Karelia when we are together.

About the drinking culture in Finland: I lived in Texas where I never drink (even now) but when I go to Finland I am a different person.. mostly because I have tons of friends and I lived there for four years. At first, my family thought I was becoming an alcoholic because I would walk home at 4 am after the bars close and it is daylight in summer. They thought I would get robbed or raped. I had to remind them that Finland is the safest country in the world. everytime I host a party in FInland, everybody brings alcohol and nobody brings food. It's the opposite here in Texas. It was weird. Also the Sauna culture was weird at first.

I cant wait until my CO comes to the US. I think he will have a hard time understanding how nice people are. Although since he has been dating me he says that my sweet southern charm has ruined him. He is not sure he could go back to dating Finnish women.. so that's a plus right?

Damn. That was hella mean.

yes I think it was quite mean too since opinions vary.
what we all think is pretty or not pretty or attractive or not is different.

[Moon]

This was a fun thread, until people just haaaaad to bring up the superiority of their own cultures

Too bad.

[lucybelle]

I think it was only fun until it turned into a Finn love fest. I hear they're really ugly anyways.

[talim]

I never understood the opinion that "women from XX are prettier than women from YY". Oh cmon, this is the most stupid stereotype ever!
I didn't read this thread too much, but I thought it was about how people love to explore their SOs different cultures, not about how one culture is better then the others...

[TwoThree]

I think it was only fun until it turned into a Finn love fest. I hear they're really ugly anyways.

They're way hotter than Ticos!

[80anthea]

Even though we both technically speak 'English' there are lots of differences between Northern England language and culture to Southern US. There are so many words he uses that I have to ask for translations and I actually struggle to understand them all when the whole family get the drawl going.

Culturally the main thing that always shocks me is the guns....his best friend has a massive gun safe in his house with all sorts in and then he has a pistol that he keeps on hand, then there's the hunting obsession, big trucks, having to drive everywhere. Another thing I struggle with is that the part of the US he lives in all looks the same, the out of town shopping places look identical, British buildings have far more character and age.

Other differences I've noticed:
- the size of portions in the US is so much bigger, we went to the cinema and I couldn't believe the size of the 'small' soda cups.
- there are far more many ready-made foods in the supermarkets, everything seems to come in a can/packet and no-one seems to use small independent shops as much.