Your personal data
I came to Finland from London (my birthplace) in 1972 - job teaching English in a small language school.

How did you experience Finland and Finnish people, when you came to Finland for the first time? What kind of expectations did you have beforehand, if any?
Almost no expectations - except snow and Sibelius - the former I don't like the latter I love! At first Finns seemed very quiet - but very kind personally. Bus drivers etc did not communicate in any way - Finnish or English!

How has your impression on the country and the people changed during the years you have spent in Finland?
I love Finland and the Finns. Nature and quite and hard work are all things I value. The humour is still a bit too slow and repetitive for my taste. I'm not keen on heavy drinking and I think the youngsters can be very inconsiderate at times. Sometimes I think the Finns jump on every new trend and fashion without thinking - they have enough of their own without imitating other countries. Also there often seems to be room for only one piece of major news or one opinion about international events.

What kind of recommendations would you give to someone (for example a trainee), who is going to spend some time in your home country? What are the most noticeable differences between the culture in your home country and the culture in Finland?
This is too big a question! Say please, please, please and thank you, thank you, thank you and learn a bit of harmless small talk! Answer letters at once. Communicate more, much more than here. Don't wait for someone to ask for information, tell them! Be flexible, wear formal clothes for work and informal for the pub - not vice versa!