Q&A: My American Husband in Finland :)

Like every other Finn, I've always been curious what people think about Finland :) This time I asked my husband to answer some questions about being an American in Finland. Here are his answers:

1. Where are you from? Where have you lived?
" I was born and raised in Nebraska. I lived most of my life in a small town of less than 2000 people. However, I moved to the state capital to go to college. It was there that I met my beautiful wife..."

2. You landed in Finland because…
"I moved to Finland because of her. I wanted to start a life together and Finland seemed like as good a place as any"

My gorgeous husband :)

3. The best part of living abroad is…
"The best part of living in Finland (besides being with my family, of course) the opportunity to experience new things. Every day is a constant reminder of how lucky I am to be living and working here, everything that happens is something entirely new for me"

4. The most difficult part of living abroad is…
"The most difficult part of living in Finland is, of course, being so far away from the rest of my friends and family in Nebraska."

Visiting Helsinki in 2010

5. What did you know about Finland before you came here?
"Before I moved here, my knowledge of Finland consisted of a.) saunas b.) metal bands c.) dark and cold"

6. What was your biggest surprise about living in Finland?
"My biggest surprise about living in Finland was how genuine the people are after you get to know them. Finnish people really do keep to themselves, but if you do manage to get a conversation going and get to know them, they are very personable folks."

7. Do you think Finns are different from Americans? If so, how?
"Finns are very different from Americans. Americans tend to be very independent and ambitious in the way that they need to control their own destiny, or seize the day (it's the Pioneer in us). Finns seem very content with the structure of the daily routine. However, if you get a few beverages in a Finn, they are absolutely more crazy than any American I've ever met"

Enjoying Finnish winter/early spring after moving to Finland in 2011

8. What is the funniest/weirdest thing about living in Finland?
"The funniest thing about living in Finland is trying to explain to people where Nebraska is in the U.S. and what cities/landmarks we have nearby. There aren't any, and people always seem surprised when I explain how isolated my hometown is"

9. What do you miss the most about your home country?
"What I miss most about my home country is probably my guitars and being able to play them whenever I want. In a close second place would probably have to be doughnuts...I could eat those all day"

10. If you could live anywhere (hometown excluded), you'd choose...
" If I could live anywhere, it would probably have to be in Nepal. I love the mountains and I would have no problem going away and living in a small mountain village in the Himalayas."

Is there something else you'd like to know about being an American in Finland? My darling husband said he'd do his best to answer :)