It’s hard to explain to those who haven’t personally experienced it, what being from a different country feels like. You may be fluent in your chosen country’s language but it will never be as strong as your mother tongue. Sayings, proverbs, cultural references from childhood, TV programmes from the past, all vary so much that you struggle to get the first question right on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Slowly, with more years on the clock, you start becoming a part of the furniture, feeling...

As a child in Finland, my sister and I spent our summer holidays at my grandparents’ house in the country. These happy childhood memories of carefree hot summers, playing in the woods, cycling through the country lanes and swimming in the lakes, also set the foundations for my appreciation of fresh, locally grown food. The beautiful wooden house was built by my great grandfather and grandfather, and us children slept upstairs in the summer. One of my earliest memories is waking up early in...

Today many countries celebrate Valentine’s Day, but the Finns (and the Estonians!) like to do things differently. Rather than reserving...