D-I-E TASK

DESCRIBE

Once I was on the line of the cafeteria waiting for my turn to get some food and when the time arrived, I remember behind me was a Finnish guy and I asked him if he could allow me to take a little of lettuce, since I had forgotten to take it and he was just in front of it. Surprisingly for me, he seemed disconcerted because I talked to him, smiled and tried to look him in the eye. He blushed, looked to the floor and just moved his head in an affirmative way.

I didn’t know how to react and I simply took what I needed and thanked him. I felt a bit bad and even ashamed because it wasn’t my intention to make him as uncomfortable as he seemed he was.

After I finally got my food, I was looking for a place to sit and since all the canteen was full, I asked to another Finnish guy if I could sit with him (the same table). This boy blushed and quietly answered me “yes” and I remember he shrank a little (he was very tall), hurried to eat and then left.  

INTERPRETATE

At the beginning I thought that maybe they just didn’t like to be bothered by me or that  they simply didn’t want to see me but now I understand that they were just shy.

This was a little bit shocking and awkward for me since I believe I am quite a shy person but by treating a few Finnish people, I think they’re even shyer than me!

EVALUATE

About these incidents I won’t say if they are good or bad because I simply believe we are all different and from what I’ve heard and read about Finnish people, this is quite common behavior and I don’t see it as something wrong at all, it’s just something very cultural and I think it has something to do with their education too. 

Finally, I think it is always good and interesting to learn new things about a whole new and different culture from mine.

This image reflects exactly the way I felt and if you're interested in to learning more about Finnish people and their behavior in a nice and funny way, I'd suggest you to check the "Finnish Nightmares" cartoons( http://finnishnightmares.blogspot.fi/ ). They're really nice and helpful to understand Finns.