【明報專訊】“About myself
I am Erno Antero from Finland. My mother tongue is Finnish but I also speak Swedish, our second official language. I can count to ten in Italian and use simple Cantonese phrases.”
Finland, the land of thousand lakes, is known for its beautiful nature. This piece of land stretches into the Arctic Circle (北極圈), and is where sun never sets in summer. We usually refer to different parts of our country as the south and the north. The south, where the capital is, has a relatively more temperate (溫和的) weather, while the north is freezing cold, but is known for its natural beauty and different dialects. The north is also the best place to see northern lights (北極光).
I live in the town of Rovaniemi in northern Finland, right inside the Arctic Circle. Rovaniemi is a beautiful small town especially in winter when everything is covered in snow. This is also a famous tourist destination as it is the hometown of Santa Claus. We build a village and post office for this great man, and tend his fleet of reindeers. Besides old Mr Santa, Rovaniemi also bursts with life in winter. Winter sports become king of the area and people would rush out of the house to ski and skate.
Speaking of sports, the main sports in Finland are football and ice hockey. Nearly everyone has played football or ice hockey at some point in his or her life. I do both, but I prefer football. I have been playing it for eleven years now. Imagine my excitement when I know that my school in Hong Kong has a football club! Now I'm playing in interschool competitions and it is so much fun! The level of the school's football teams is much higher than that of Finland, and I am learning a lot. But I do miss winter sports such as ice hockey and cross-country skiing. I have also noticed that basketball is really quite popular in Hong Kong. This is unexpected for me as the sport is not very popular in Finland. I am looking forward to learning more new sports in Hong Kong!
Finnish culture is not a very festive one, but we do celebrate. Among the many festivals we have, Christmas has to be the most important one (at least it is for me). Christmas for Finns is a time for family reunion, and we celebrate with feasts on Christmas Eve. It is also our tradition that if the family has kids, then at least one of the men from the family will have to play Santa Claus. "Santa" will have to come and pass the gifts to the children. We usually exchange presents and eat lots of chocolate.
On a separate note, I have realised that Finns are actually quite shy, even though they might be burning with passion inside. If you are coming to Finland, make sure you know what to expect!
