Independence Day speech: Anna Martikainen

Independence Day speech: Anna Martikainen

“Who are you cheering for, Finland or Canada?”

This is a question I am always asked during the World Ice Hockey Championships, and with good reason. As a Finnish-Canadian, my loyalties are split between the two cultures that define who I am. I was born and raised in Canada, but my roots are Finnish. To top it off, I am from one of the largest communities of Finnish immigrants and their descendents outside of Finland, Thunder Bay, Ontario. This meant that I grew up with and around Finnish language, culture, and traditions. For example, we had our big family Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, complete with ham and all the other traditional Finnish Christmas foods. My favourite was the luumukiisselli my grandmother made - though I have tried numerous times, I haven’t been able to replicate her recipe. In my youth, I attended a Finnish church and went to rippikoulu. Heck, I even attended Finn school where I learned how to speak, read, and write Finnish. I always spoke Finnish with my Mummu, and I didn’t learn English until I started school. Also from watching TV. So my acquisition of English isn’t so different from many of you at the end of the day!

I have very fond memories growing up Finnish-Canadian. The Finnish community in Thunder Bay was really vibrant in my childhood, and there were all kinds of events held throughout the year. You could hear Finnish on the streets, and it was something special to have Suomi-vieraat come and visit in the summer, or get care packages with Julia chocolates and Fazer blue chocolate bars. Finnish was used as a secret language by me and my Finnish friends (though we did have to be careful that no one understood what we were saying). The Finnish community is no longer as vibrant as it used to be, but there are still places in Thunder Bay where it’s not strange to hear Finnish, and the Finn school is still going strong. 

“What brought you to Finland?” 

This is another question I am often asked, like many other expats who live here. Here’s my response. When I graduated from university, I wanted a break, so I decided I would do what many English graduates do and teach English abroad. After considering destinations such as Mexico and China, I ended up in Finland because it was appealing to me to live here for a longer time period to see if my idea of Finland, acquired through the stories told by my family and summer visits, still existed. I saw this as a great opportunity to connect with my roots, get to know my Finnish relatives, practice my Finnish, and see the world. The original plan was to stay for a year and go back to Canada to continue my studies. That was in 1998. I’ve been in Finland ever since, so that one year stretched out a bit longer than I first planned. I stayed on for an additional year to get more work experience. Then both love and the IB found me round about the same time, so I had more reasons to stay than to go. One thing led to another, and after nine years in Vasa, I relocated to Helsinki. Now here I am, doing what I love, and raising a family in one of the best countries in the world.

“What does Finland and being Finnish mean to me?” 

There are so many things I love about Finland - the nature and fresh air at my doorstep, the social and health care, the education system, just to name a few. And I have become more confident in using Finnish in a variety of situations. In addition, working in two different Swedish-language schools has opened my eyes to a completely new side of Finland, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have my idea of Finland expanded in ways that I never dreamed of when I hopped on that Finnair flight all those years ago. Finnish traditions such as Vappu and Juhannus have become more solidified for me, too. My idea of Finland and its place on the global stage has also been brought into the 21st century as I follow current events through two different lenses. 

It’s not always a bed of roses, however. I sometimes find that people assume I know things or take it for granted that I know how to behave or react in certain situations because I am Finnish - I learned the hard way that I shouldn’t ask a person about their political affiliations, salary or religious beliefs until you know them better (maybe some of these things you can NEVER ask a person). Having grown up in North America during the Cold War, I have a completely different understanding than my Finnish contemporaries. But if you want some lighter examples, it did take me some time to understand what a big deal Formula One is (during my first years in Finland, Mika Häkkinen was all the rage), not to mention the Eurovision Song Competition! 

I think I am quite lucky to have grown up with two national identities so tightly interwoven, and I’m trying to pass this on to my own children. We take advantage of our long summer holidays to go back to Canada to visit my parents each year - I bet I have the longest trip to their kesämökki than anyone here! Here in Finland, my sons attend a regular Finnish school, and play a sport virtually unknown in Canada, salibandy. They have the best of both worlds, too.

So, do you want to know the answer to the question that I began with: Who do I cheer for in the World Ice Hockey Championships? That’s easy - whenever Finland and Canada play each other, I always win! 

Thank you, and happy Finnish Independence Day to you all!